Is There Such A Thing As Placing Too Much Trust In Your Customers?

Regardless of your history, industry, or location, the customer will always be the most important person in the business. Without them, the whole operation crashes down to earth. This is why all entrepreneurs should do everything they can to keep clients happy. Trust is a major part of building winning business relationships, but you cannot afford to put yourself at risk.
In answer to the title question: yes, it is possible to be too trusting. There’s a fine line between not doing enough for them and not doing enough for yourself. Finding that balance is key, and these are the areas to focus on.
Customer Reliance   
For many business owners, the ability to offer flexible repayments can take sales to the next level. However, this can open the door to the risk of bad debts. Whether purposeful or not, clients may fail to keep those payments. Therefore, using credit agencies to test clients will reduce those threats greatly.
Companies that offer a service where they take temporary possession of client assets can be at even greater risk. Some people may try to pass off a poorly conditioned product before trying to claim you’ve ruined it. Keeping records of everything is essential if you want to cover your back. If nothing else, that admin shows you pay attention to every detail too.
Customer Fairness
Throughout those transactions, clients are placing their trust in you too. Mistakes will happen in business, and most customers will accept this as long as you make a genuine effort to rectify any damage. However, you cannot trust all clients to be fair. Some people will seek compensation from even the smallest mistakes.   
Protecting your business from a financial perspective is key. If working on client vehicles, motor trade insurance will overcome many of those threats. Likewise, it’s imperative that all workspaces are maintained to reduce the threat of injuries. Frankly, prevention is the only way you to be sure minor issues won’t grow into major problems. Trusting clients in this sense is simply naïve.
Customer Satisfaction
 You’re in the business of providing a great product. Whether you like or not, though, there is a need to provide a winning experience too. Without it, many customers will be left feeling underwhelmed, even when the purchase itself offers value for money. It's not only the direct problems that must be considered. There’s a strong chance that those clients will unfairly spread negativity about the brand.
Worse still, many customers are too shy (or sometimes cowardly) to express those issues face-to-face. Online surveys can give you a chance to rectify any genuine issues while reward schemes can work wonders too. Letting them feel that they’ve played an active role in the company’s growth can pay dividends.
Final Thoughts
Sadly, though, you cannot always trust consumers to know what they want either. Know your brand and place in the market before doing all you can to maximise its efforts. Even if you lose some audiences as a result, this will be your best shot at success.