How do you know if your customers trust you?

Building Trust: The Equation You Need to Know

Trust is the foundation of any strong relationship, and that includes the relationship between a business and its customers. But what builds trust? It’s more than just providing a good product or service. It’s about creating a feeling of confidence and security.

Luckily, there’s a framework we can use to understand and build trust: The Trust Equation.

Trustworthiness = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy / Self-Orientation

T = (C + R + I) / S

Let’s break down the elements of this equation:

Credibility (C): Think of this as your expertise and knowledge. Do your customers believe what you say?

• How to score high: Be transparent, provide evidence for your claims, and showcase your expertise through valuable content and testimonials.
• Example: “I trust their advice on sustainable packaging because they’ve been industry leaders for years.”
• Rate yourself (out of 10)

Reliability (R): This is all about consistency and dependability. Do you do what you say you will?

• How to score high: Deliver on your promises, be responsive to customer needs, and maintain consistent quality in your products and services.
• Example: “I know they’ll ship my order on time because they always do.”
• Rate yourself (out of 10)

Intimacy (I): This refers to the emotional connection and sense of safety you create. Do your customers feel comfortable sharing information with you?

• How to score high: Show genuine care for your customers, protect their data, and personalize your interactions.
• Example: “I feel comfortable sharing my feedback with them because I know they’ll listen and take it seriously.”
• Rate yourself (out of 10)

Self-Orientation (S): This is the biggest trust-buster. Are you focused on your customers or just yourself?

• How to score low (remember, lower is better here!): Prioritise customer needs, actively listen to feedback, and show that you value their business.
• Example: “That company only cares about making a sale; they don’t seem interested in actually helping me.”
• Rate yourself (out of 10)

Putting it all together:

All the budding mathematicians amongst you will quickly spot the important factor: Self-Orientation. This is because no matter how good your other scores if you have a high S score than it quickly reduces all the good work you have done in building credibility, reliability and intimacy.

How are you sabotaging your score by focusing on talking about yourselves rather than focusing on your customers?

Increasing your credibility, reliability, and intimacy, while minimising self-orientation, will build strong, lasting trust with your customers.

Want to learn more about how to apply the Trust Equation to your business? Contact us today for a free consultation!