Today I had a surprisingly pleasant experience at the dentist office of all places (I'm generally not a fan of teeth torture). My hygienist was simply awesome. Beyond being extremely friendly, she set herself apart in my mind simply by explaining to me step by step how my procedure was going to go.
She instantly put me at ease. Erased my nerves. Created trust.
When delivering projects for customers, sometimes the most effective thing you can do is not only focus on the "what" of the project, but also the "how" of it getting done. Educate them on how you track the work, sync the teams, communicate updates, escalations, prioritize, manage risks, etc.
If you can create trust by telling them what to expect and when to expect it, you've won half the battle. Trust keeps them coming back for more.
