How do your customers choose who to work with? Turns out trust plays a major role.

How do you build trust?

Here is a simple equation by David Maister to the rescue.

T = (C + R + I) / S

T: Trust
C: Credibility – Words – Do you (appear to) know what you are talking about?
R: Reliability – Actions – Do you walk the talk? Do what you say?
I: Intimacy – Emotions/Feeling – Do you exude a sense of safety, security and comfort? Can things be shared with you?
S: Self-orientation – Motives – Are you acting in your own self-interest?

Take a customer or a key person in your life. Reflect how you are doing on each of the above. Is there any specific area you can work on to build trust?