In my sales and project management roles at Maddox Industrial Contractors, I’ve found a growing level of skepticism among some new clients. This may be a sign that customers are more attuned to what they’re buying, but I bet that some of the mistrust is also associated with past jobs turned sour.

Here at Maddox, the word “trust” comes up often. While other contractors’ biggest challenges might be figuring out if they can handle a job or actually delivering what’s promised, our biggest obstacle is assuring clients that they can trust us to handle a job and deliver what they need. Trust is that guiding factor that feeds every other aspect of the contractor-client relationship.

Lately, new clients are asking a lot of questions. Does Maddox have the experience needed for a big project? Can Maddox deliver quality work without delivering more headaches? Can Maddox match the high standards that our company upholds? How much time will I have to spend with Maddox to straighten out the learning curve related to this project and is it worth it? If Maddox needs help, will they ask for it instead of fumbling along, wasting time and money?

Answering these questions isn’t tough. We have an experienced team encompassing a range of skills. We are direct when it comes to our process and keep the lines of communication with clients open at all times. We work closely with clients to solve their problems. When we have questions, we ask them to ensure things run smoothly — but we don’t require hand-holding.

These client issues might seem more related mostly to skills, quality workmanship and accountability, but it really all boils down to trust. We don’t expect clients to believe we’re trustworthy just because we insist that we are. We practice being trustworthy every day.