The Power of Positive Intent: Building Customer Trust
Imagine you’re in the airport, famished, waiting for a flight. You buy an enormous, puffed-up bag of potato chips.
You tear into the bag, relishing the idea of stuffing yourself with salty, greasy goodness.
It’s one-fourth full.
What??!!! You think to yourself, This bag is practically empty!
You unconsciously make assumptions, questioning the intent of the company. Here are two possible interpretations:
They are trying to make the bag look big and scamming me out of chips.
The added air in the bag protects the chips during transport.
The output is the same – a puffy, less-filled bag—but the thinking and motivation behind that business decision may vary. Customers make assumptions of intent based on past experiences and brand trust.
Positive intent, transparently communicated, builds trust and ultimately leads to loyal customers. We need to be conscious of the intent behind our business decisions, incorporate our customers’ interests (if not already considered), and understand how our intent may be perceived so that we can communicate effectively.
Business Has an Intent Problem
This potato chip example is a recent theme, dubbed “shrinkflation”—the practice of downsizing products while maintaining the original price. Some companies claim this is done to accommodate a higher cost of goods, and they may or may not intentionally hide the size reduction.
Most consumers, however, assume a negative intent. For perspective, the shrinkflation community has 135K followers on Reddit, and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has introduced the “Shrinkflation Prevention Act” to “crack down on this greedy practice.”
Perceived negative intent exists whenever we hear or say, “That company is just trying to sell me something.” Frequent criticism of businesses reflects an inherent distrust of motives. Consider that someone rarely says, “That farmer is just trying to get me to buy their tomatoes,” or “That musician is just trying to get me to go to their concert,” or “That artist is just trying to get me to buy their painting.”
And yet, in each of these professions, the provider earns income based on a transaction. Here, the perceived intent is positive. We give the seller the benefit of the doubt, assuming we benefit from the purchase just as they do.
Since the 1970s, the business world has been dominated by the era of "shareholder primacy," with an near-exclusive focus on performance. This shift has bred widespread distrust in businesses, as consumers increasingly assume that most companies prioritize sales and profits over customer well-being.
Many of us have personal experiences that validate this skepticism. Perhaps you've bought a product that failed to live up to its promises, leaving you frustrated and disillusioned. On a larger scale, corporate scandals like Wells Fargo's deceptive practices—driven by misaligned incentives for sales and profit growth—have further eroded public trust.
The disconnect between a company's stated intent and its actions can be glaring. Take Facebook, for instance: while its purported purpose is to connect people, the platform faces widespread criticism for spreading misinformation and negatively impacting mental health.
Why Does Intent Matter?
As Simon Sinek famously said, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Simply put, intent influences sales. Intent is the foundation of trust.
Trusting customers share more positive news, spread less negative news, and remain loyal if they assume positive intent. If customers know—or believe—a brand doesn’t have their interest at heart, they will walk. Here are a few stats to support the importance of perceived positive intent:
Purchase Consideration: 81% of consumers say a significant purchase consideration is “I must be able to trust the brand to do what is right” (Source: Edelman Trust Barometer 2019)
Pricing: 86% of consumers “are willing to pay more for a great customer experience” (Source: SuperOffice) and customers who enjoy a positive experience are likely to spend 140% more than those reporting negative experiences (Source: Deloitte)
Advocacy: On average, customers tell nine people about a positive experience with a brand, but share a negative experience with 16 people (Source: Deloitte)
The holy grail is to create a win-win. In this mutually beneficial arrangement, the company considers and elevates the customer’s interest. And in return, the customer rewards the company with payment for delivering value to their life. We can’t sacrifice one for the other.
How to Identify Your Intent
In business, we must first understand and declare our intent to understand how we will be perceived. When making any decision, the starting point is often business-centric—grow revenue, acquire new customers, or increase profitably. Sometimes, we lose sight of the customer during the course of these decision processes. Therefore, a more specific analysis of intent is necessary.
To align our business goals with customer priorities, we can reflect on these questions:
What is our goal?
Would our customers distrust us if we told them our motivation?
What are the expected and unintended consequences of our actions on our customers?
Would our customers perceive those consequences to be in their best interest?
How can we incorporate our customer interests into this decision?
When intent and interest equate, it’s our responsibility—and opportunity—to communicate effectively.
Case Study: Compacted Laundry Detergent
Consider a laundry brand that concentrated its detergent to reduce its environmental footprint and cut costs. The new formula meant less volume for the same number of washes. However, when the smaller product hit the shelves, consumers perceived it as fewer doses, and sales declined. The brand reverted to the original height and width to address this value-perception issue but made the package thinner.
The company’s intent was to offer the same dosage at the same price in a more compact, environmentally friendly form. While making the package thinner could be seen as manipulative, consumers actually received the same value as before and arguably more, given the lighter product and reduced environmental impact. If communicated effectively, most customers would likely appreciate this positive intent.
Contrast this with a detergent brand launching a thinner package containing fewer washes. Here, the consumer receives less value, and the company appears to be cutting costs without increasing value to the consumer. If discovered, this practice would likely erode consumer trust.
How to Balance Customer and Company Interests:
Ultimately, we need to avoid situations where we put company interest ahead of customer interest. This does not mean jeopardizing the financial well-being of the company, rather it means finding ways to create a mutually beneficial understanding about what it takes to create value. Following these principles can help you articulate positive intent and reduce the chance of being misunderstood:
Transparency: Provide context and clear explanations
Proactiveness: Give notice and plenty of time to adjust and adapt before it’s found out
Sacrifice: People believe you when it costs you something
Congruency: All actions of the company need to match communication
Shifting from Negative to Positive Intent: Practical Scenarios
Below are some common scenarios where we may be tempted to put the business interests ahead of the customer interests. In each example, I identify the negative practice and offer an alternative that incorporates customer interests.
Many of these examples extend beyond marketing and branding, but anything that creates distrust inevitably reflects on the brand. At its core, communicating intent is about managing expectations. Even potentially controversial decisions can foster brand loyalty when done clearly, transparently, and with empathy.
Customers understand that businesses must be profitable to survive and that external factors, like rising material costs, may impact pricing. However, they also expect fair treatment, respect, and good value. Above all, customers appreciate being informed and included in the conversation. Aligning company interests with customer needs is more than just ethical—it’s essential for long-term success. This alignment doesn't mean sacrificing profitability; it involves creating mutual value through transparent, customer-centric practices.
