The Trusted directories were set up based upon the principals of good business, and the foundation of good business is integrity. Simply put, if you don't care about your customers needs as a business then you will never be trusted.

When Sara the Trusted founder came up with the ' Trusted directories concept '  she wanted to have clear, simple guildlines or ' guarantees' laid out for all to see , and she knew it was important for the Trusted partners to sign contracts to uphold those guarantees (and for the partners to be held to them by Trusted).  

The Trusted Guarantees

1.Provide the service and quality promised.

2.Complete the job on time.

3.Charge the price quoted with NO surprises.

4.Communicate honestly and be responsive to customer needs.

5.Resolve any issues with customer satisfaction in mind.

All 5 of these guarantees are important ..but the one that can raise a business from average to exceptional is number 5 ...you see it's easy to do business when everything go's to plan ..it's when something go's wrong that a business can truly shine ( or not)...who they deal with upset or angry customers shows how much they are invested in providing the best customer service...especially if the problem was not caused by anything they did! 

We received the following un solicited comment through the the Saskatoon directory recently, from a customer of TRX RV a Trusted Saskatoon RV dealer  and it really proves their worthiness as a Trusted saskatoon business, and we wanted to share it with you!

" We purchased a trailer in 2011 from TRX and while we liked it we found it did not fit our needs. We went back to TRX in 2012 (after researching a multitude of trailers and dealers) and decided to go with a larger version of the same trailer. To our dismay this particular trailer seemed to be plagued with a multitude of major issues, which in spite of the best efforts of the TRX team, were not resolved. We dealt with Tom regarding our frustrations and were pleased with the approach he took with us, and on our behalf, with the manufacturer. While the manufacturer didn’t offer TRX the help or resolution they needed Tom resolved our problems with a satisfactory and equitable solution. Throughout this process, TRX (Tom and his staff) went above and beyond to help us out. We would like to thank the TRX team for their excellent customer service and highly recommend TRX. "

Kudos to the TRX RV Team for the way they handled this issue and thumbs up from the Trusted team! 

Original post by Saskatoon Directory Trusted saskatoon.com

Original Post by Trustedsaskatoon.com - click here to read

Exciting week at Trusted HQ

HUGE announcement - the Trusted App created by Saskatoon's College Mobile (Trusted always want to support local) has been approved by Apple - download it on your iPhone and enter the contest to win $1000's of prizes over the next few months ! ( Android app coming soon!) - !!! Download here and enter to win

 The www.trustedsaskatoon.com team had a wonderful time at the Saskatoon Home Builders Association Homestyles Show 2013.

We had $1000's of prizes to give away all donated by Trusted Saskatoon Partners.

• Conexus Insurance - Smoke and carbon monoxide
• Imagery - Studio
• Bridge City Computers -Asus O! Play Live media player
• Frontier Vinyl & Glass - $200 gift certificates
• Wiseguys - 2 x 8 pc bed in the bags plus mattress protectors
• Caliber Air - $100.00 gift certificate
• Sunridge RV - Camp Chair
• Dexteriors - $250 Gift Cert
• Marla Janzen King size duvet + serving bowl and spoon set plus cushions
• Glass Slipper Cleaning Services-  $100 Gift Certificate
• Saskatoon Woodworks $500 Gift Certificate
• Palliser Rooms $300 Gift Certificate
• Hygeia Health Market -  Gift Basket and a $25 Gift Certificate
• Fitness Focus 1 month free membership + 3 personal training sessions

All winners have been drawn and they will be notified this week!

The public feedback was amazing!! People what we are doing in Saskatoon and the service we offer!

The Trusted Saskatoon.com team were really impressed by the Trusted Saskatoon partners booths at the show!

Enjoy the video compilation we put together .     

We are thrilled to be The only local Directories that work for YOU!

Look out for us March 2013 in Regina at the What Women Want Show where we are Platinum Sponsors and at the Regina Home Show.

Videos of these shows will be uploaded too onto our popular Trusted You Tube Channel   

The principals of Trusted are based on integrity, truth and transparency and for a while now I have been thinking about publishing this blog...so hear go's!

I feel bad for small businesses in Saskatchewan and in Canada as a whole - many are being mislead and duped, by companies they put their trust in...and felt I had to speak out.  

The Trusted team has good relationships with the Trusted Saskatchewan businesses and they share with us the communications they get on a daily , weekly, monthly basis from companies trying to solicit their business when it comes to SEO and Social Media. I have to say that i feel that this business is as bad if not worse than the ' stereo typical contractors' when it comes to ripping people off.- a serious lack of good customer service is evident in this industry.

You see, wherever there’s a knowledge gap between the people providing a service and the people buying it, you’ll always find dishonest practices and people taking advantage of their superior understanding. You’ll also find service providers who don’t know what they don’t know, but know more than the client knows and they talk a lot of 'techno speak'  whilst all the while doing nothing and charging for it! 

So what and who can you trust?

The things the 'dishonest companies' charge for is ridiculous- If you see detailed and broken down lists of services these companies charge for in the list below BUYER BEWARE:

• Setting up a business Google places
• Setting up a Google Plus account
• Setting up a Google adwords campaign
• Setting up a Facebook pages
• Setting up Twitter
• Linking Twitter to Facebook
• Managing Twitter account to know who follows and unfollows  

I will tell you the truth ... these things in reality takes 10 minutes maximum!

At Trusted we do this for our clients for FREE .. yet I have seen many other companies charge $100's for each item on the list ( I have seen up to $600 to set up a Google places page and 'manage it'  ..which outrageous!).

Also an issue can be that the companies set up these accounts and have control of them - with their own passwords and emails...therby shutting YOU out of your own online presence...how can this affect you? We have clients at Trusted who realized they were getting hosed by companies that 'set up and managed their Google places' ..when they ended the contract they were barred access to their accounts and were not able to add videos, pictures or even respond to reviews from the public on their own Google page ...because the accounts were not set up under their email and the company has not responded to multiple attempts to get hold of them and rectify the situation..because they don't CARE about the businesses, they care about the money and how long they can get away with taking it ..thats all!    

Check out these 12 Warning signs on SEO companies here for some tips. 

At Trusted we suggest that you deal with these businesses in the same way you should deal with a contractor...

1. Ask for 20 x references ( and call the businesses - do your due dilligence!!!! It could save you $1000's)

2. Ask them what you can do yourself quickly and easily to help your SEO and online presence. If they are unwilling to answer this move on!

The same go's for website companies....I have seen websites that have cost businesses $12-15,000 that are horrible, badly designed templates...I know of companies that charge a fortune for websites and after sales service and ' extras' ..yet they source all of their workers from 3rd World countries where the workers are paid less in a month then they charge the clients an hour! 

If you are a small business that doesn't have / require online purchasing on your website,  then you don't need to have a bespoke fancy website..and if you are paying more than $3000 for it ..you really have to ask why! 

Want examples?

These websites from TRIO web Design  cost less than $3000.....

Decora Homes

Saskatoon Woodworks

3 n 1 Construction 

Trusted is the real deal and we work hard towards achieving an ethical marketplace for all ! 

If you have any questions or comments please do contact us, we are happy to help.  

With latest stats out showing that Canadian Internet useage is leading the World yet again ...how does your companies marketing strategy plan to reach these people? They are not turning to Yellow Pages or the Newspaper for research or to find businesses anymore ..thats for sure!

Trusted businesses have a significant advantage in their local market in this area!!

The average Canadian spends 45 hours on the Internet each month and they are amongst the world's most engaged and savvy online users.

Accessing video online is particularly intensive in Canada, thanks to the country's investment in video-enabling broadband technology. According to ComScore, Canadians watched more videos online than anyone in 2011, averaging 300 views per month. Notably, every second one of those videos was watched on YouTube, where views increased by a staggering 170 per cent in 2011, indicative of the overall rise in viewing intensity by Canadians online.*

At Trusted we produce 30-90sec videos for our Partners FREE of charge .....who else does that for you ?

In this case, it's plain to see that if you keep doing what you have always done you WILL get different results....and your business will fall behind the times and your competition!

For more information contact us here 

*source CIRA 32013 Factbook