Why Slow Processes Feel More Trustworthy

The fastest, smoothest way isn’t always the best experience for your customers/users. I got my ear pierced last week.👂 I’ve been wanting a second hole for a while now (I have a lot of earrings taking up space in my drawer…), and while I’m not afraid of needles, the last time I got a piercing (my first hole), I was 3yo, so this was a big deal. I had a free morning, so I decided to bite the bullet and drop into a highly recommended piercing/tattoo parlor nearby. Within 10 minutes, I was sporting a brand-new second hole… and suddenly feeling VERY unsure—even disappointed—about it. Yes, after the fact. It was fast, it was clean, it was painless… so what was the problem? That, pretty much. It was too fast. It was so fast that I felt like I didn’t have time to process it. Suddenly my mind was running wild with thoughts like: Did I choose the wrong type of earring? Did they do it in the wrong spot? Should I have gone somewhere else? The experience reminded me of something we do in UX to make users feel more confident in the platform/system they’re using: ⏳ Fake loading time. ➡ My piercing experience was missing fake loading time. Sometimes, we use loading times to make a product or system seem more reliable or trustworthy. For example: 👉 When you search for a flight on Kayak or Skyscanner and it shows a loading bar of how many flight options it’s checked 👉 When you submit your taxes via TurboTax and it has a loading bar that says that it’s checking all the different deductions, etc. for you 👉 When ChatGPT types the answer in front of you instead of presenting the whole chunk of text all at once My piercing experience was like a McDonalds drive-thru—so fast I didn’t feel great about it… So what could have made it better? 👉 Walking me through all the different earring options (slowly) 👉 Making me wait a little at the beginning before going in (so I felt like they were ultra-sanitizing the equipment) 👉 Making me sit and wait a little afterwards (making sure I was “feeling OK”), etc. The lesson here is: 💡 When we want customers or users to do big(ish) things, sometimes we have to draw out the process a little, make it a less-than-perfectly seamless, so they feel like they can trust the process and like they made the right decision. #MeravWrites #UX #UserExperience #UXWriting #ContentDesign #Loading

3 reasons slow-cooked inbound lead-gen beats the quick-win approach Every week, I get DMs from people claiming they can attract 10s of leads to my agency weekly. Their offers are always tempting. I’ve got a huge hunger for my agency’s growth—just like the next guy. But after 2 years of running my business, I’ve learned one truth: The best leads are slow-cooked. Here’s why: 1/ Better Fit Quick-win leads are often just chasing a deal, not a partnership. When you slow-cook, you attract clients who align with your values and goals. You get fewer headaches and more long-term relationships. 2/ Trust-Driven Sales Trust can’t be microwaved. It needs time to simmer. Slow-cooked leads are the ones that have been nurtured through consistent, valuable content. When they’re ready to buy, they come to you already trusting your expertise. 3/ Higher Lifetime Value Quick wins are great for short-term gains, but they rarely stick around. Slow-cooked leads, on the other hand, are invested in your services. They’re not just clients; they’re long-term partners who drive sustained growth. How to start slow-cooking: • Share genuine value through your content. • Engage in conversations without expecting an immediate sale. • Build a process that nurtures leads over weeks, even months. Growth takes time. But slow-cooked leads will fill your plate for the long haul. Ready to simmer? Drop a "🍜" in the comments.

Should Internal Auditors Be in the Slow Lane? At first glance, it seemed counterintuitive. The Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo, in response to rising loneliness among older customers, introduced a “slow checkout lane.” The idea was simple, for those who weren’t in a rush, the cashier wouldn’t rush either. No transactional urgency. No scanning efficiency metrics. Just space for conversation. What began as a quiet experiment in one store was so well received that today, more than 200 Jumbo stores have adopted this “slow lane” model. Now, what does this have to do with internal audit? Too often, internal audit operates in what could be called the “express lane”, efficient, structured, and focused on deliverables. But sometimes the biggest risks are not in the data, they’re in the relationships, in the disconnects, and in the culture. The most trusted auditors I have seen are the ones who show up before the audit begins. Who stay back after the findings are presented. Who slow down for the informal conversations, the hallway context, the moments where trust is built and strategic partnerships emerge. So perhaps the question is: Do we need a “slow lane” in internal audit? Not to reduce our impact, but to deepen it. Because when people feel heard, they trust your presence, and they open up. When we listen without rushing, we uncover what controls may not reveal; intent, pressure, vulnerability, and the human drivers behind decisions. I think speed matters, but wisdom rarely comes in a hurry. I welcome your thoughts… #internalaudit #internalauditors #leadership #relationshipbuilding #theiia #trust

I studied 20,647 of my LinkedIn DM chats. And here's what's insane: Of the 1,808 that turned into booked calls 79% of those calls came after 40+ messages and weeks of back-and-forth. <1% popped in the first ten lines. Slow trust beats fast pitches. So here's how trust really builds Every buyer needs to pass through these 5 Gates: G1) Stranger → sees your name once. G2) Observer → thinks “looks legit.” G3) Engager → swaps real replies. G4) Advisor → feels safe to talk money. G5) Trusted → asks your advice and sends friends. 79 % of my calls landed after Step 3. Why? Because of the two quiet forces stack touch by touch: 1) Familiarity – they keep seeing you. 2) Perceived value – each chat solves one small worry. And these forces feed through 3 things 1) Content sparks the first nod. 2) Conversations add depth. 3) Word of mouth gives the final push. So here's 5 things you can implement immediately that will help you book more calls. 1) Ask real questions first. Show you care. 2) Delay the pitch. Wait until at least message 30. 3) Drop a quick win. A tip, audit, or link that helps today. 4) Mirror their words. People trust voices like theirs. 5) Reply fast once warm. Under two hours keeps the fire hot. Humans trust in layers, not seconds. That’s why eight calls in ten grew from long, value-rich chats—not drive-by DMs. Want to learn how to sell in the LinkedIn DMs for FREE? Click Here - https://lnkd.in/gWQVCc_5 PS - What helps you build trust with prospects?