I first came about this concept in a book I read written by Akin Alabi titled How to Sell to Nigerians. I wrote it down and although I didn’t fully grasp the idea of it at that time, further reading and research made the strategy more bare, and understandable and I could easily apply it to my own business.

It goes without saying that this strategy has been derived from the popular movie with the same name; The Godfather. I watched this movie years ago when I was quite young and although I can’t remember what it entailed, further reading raked my memory and buts and pieces came flooding in.

The Godfather is based on the Mafia, portraying them as an organization with a strict code of honour. The main character showed that he can think strategically by making decisions that get rid of any possible threats to his family’s power, and this core theme of the movie is this strategy derived from.

Similarly, in business, cultivating long-term relationships and earning the trust of customers, employees, and partners is crucial for success. When your customers trust you, they believe their money is in good hands and that they will get more value than what they are paying for. Your employees would also feel a sense of stability working with you as they sense security in their jobs. As for your partners, the code of integrity that governs you would not only rub off on them but they are also aware that they can come to business dealings and meetings with their heads held up high as there are no suspicions of wrongdoing or foul play.

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You can win customers trust in a myriad of ways but the key strategy relative to the Godfather is to make irresistible offers. There are probably tons of people selling the type of goods you sell or offering the exact type of services as you do but what sets you apart is how irresistible yours appears to be. Your customers are not giving you their money out of love or sympathy, they want value for it.

To gain their trust, you should match the value of their money with irresistible gains and they would always come back for more. Always strive to make your product worth more than your average competitors. Make huge claims and big promises and go above and beyond to do more than what you said you’d deliver in these promises, simply out, ‘over-deliver’. Give your customers an experience when they seek you, not only barter for their money.

If you check this box, they begin to view your brand as the ultimate there is and as a business that cares more about the welfare, satisfaction and approval of their customers and not just some money-making scheme. They subconsciously view your organization as one that is tightly knit with utmost priority to building cordial relationships and they begin to trust you without even knowing.