Tips to turn trust into a scalable asset

Most creators start with the wrong question. Here's what they should be asking... When Isaac French built Live Oak Lake — a luxury cabin resort that sold for millions — he didn’t start by asking “How do I get more followers?” He started with: “What’s the most remarkable thing I can create?” Here’s the framework he used — and how you can apply it: 1. Design for emotion, not just function “Craftsmanship, design, and storytelling—that’s what moves people. That’s what scales trust.” Anyone can build a functional product or service. Few build something people are emotionally invested in. Isaac obsessed over design details — from the architecture to the texture of the wood — because he knew that’s what guests would remember and talk about. Whether you’re making a course, software, or physical product, ask: → What emotional response do I want my customer to have? → How can my design, branding, and story make them feel that? When your audience feels something, they remember you. 2. Use storytelling to scale trust Isaac didn’t just post polished “final product” shots. He documented the process: sketches, material choices, build challenges, even mistakes. This built trust and anticipation. Stop hiding the messy middle. Share how you’re building, why you’re making certain decisions, and what you’re learning. This transparency turns casual viewers into long-term supporters — people who feel personally invested in your success. The more your audience trusts you, the faster your sales cycles become. 3. Create something press-worthy from day one Most entrepreneurs build, then scramble to find marketing angles. Isaac built marketing hooks into the product — unique architecture, a beautiful location, & a personal founder story. Before you launch, ask: → What makes my project worth talking about? → What’s the “headline” someone could write about it? → If the answer isn’t obvious, tweak your concept until it is. Press and influencers are always looking for a good story — give it to them. 4. Build assets you can sell or scale When Isaac sold Live Oak Lake, the buyer wasn’t just buying cabins — they were buying the brand, media coverage, customer base, and operational systems. Even if you never plan to sell, think like you might. Build assets such as: → An engaged email list → A content library that ranks or gets shared → A productized service or course you can deliver repeatedly These assets give you leverage and optionality down the road. 5. Think beyond the first project Isaac saw Live Oak Lake not as the final chapter, but as the first rep — the experience that would make him unstoppable for his next venture. – ♻️ Share this post if you found it helpful. ➕ Follow me ( Ish Verduzco ) for more posts like this.

Most enterprise deals don’t start with sales decks — they start with behind-the-scenes conversations.  When execs are scouting vendors, they’re not browsing ads.  They’re swapping names in private Slack channels, group chats, and closed-door dinners.  The key currency in these conversations?  Trust.  And trust rarely comes from a case study. It comes from familiarity. From being known and liked by the right people. But if you’re not a household name, how do you earn that trust? You build real relationships - by showing up where your buyers are, offering value with no strings attached, and getting talked about in the rooms you’re not in. In-person connection is gold, but it doesn’t scale.  So, here’s how execs can build trust at scale: ➔ Partner with respected voices to create content (webinars, podcasts, etc.)  ➔ Host intimate, invite-only dinners — fewer people, more impact  ➔ Publish research that your buyers want to share internally  ➔ Create small, private peer groups with zero sales agenda  ➔ Spotlight your most passionate users at industry events  ➔ Host off-the-record virtual roundtables with meaningful conversation  ➔ Build an executive voice in channels where your audience pays attention Trust travels. Make sure it’s going in your direction! #B2BMarketing #B2B #Trust #MarketingStrategy 

Salesforce didn’t just build software. They built a tribe. Here's how Marc Benioff turned culture into their growth engine: In just 3 years, Salesforce scaled so fast that departments barely knew each other. Meetings overlapped. Burnout spiked. Star talent quit quietly. Execution looked fine, but the trust was gone. Benioff didn’t double down on strategy. He built something deeper: Ohana. Ohana wasn’t just a value; it was operationalized. When one employee lost their home, 50 coworkers helped rebuild. Culture moved from posters to real-life behavior. The trust engine ran on 3 key systems: 1. VTO → Volunteer Time Off was team-driven. Entire departments adopted causes, connection followed. 2. V2MOM → Everyone’s priorities were visible, top to bottom. No silos. No guessing. Just radical alignment. 3. Community spaces → Real decisions happened over ping pong or volunteering. Work and trust blended. Then came the 2008 crisis. Instead of layoffs, Benioff asked for ideas. The culture delivered: Engineers killed wasteful tools Sales redrew territory maps Marketing found $10M in savings Total savings: $50M Jobs lost: 0 While competitors cut people, Salesforce kept theirs and kept growing. The lesson for you? Trust isn’t built in off-sites. It’s built through shared action, transparency, and time. That’s the real infrastructure of scale. What’s one thing you do to build trust while growing fast? Want more research-backed insights on leadership? Join 11,000+ leaders who get our weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/en9vxeNk

Most partnership leaders won't say this out loud: An outdated playbook doesn't just slow your team—it suffocates your ecosystem. Too many programs chase vanity metrics: – How many partners do we have? – How many launches have we done? But they miss the only question that actually matters: Do your partners trust you enough to bring you into their world? Here’s the truth... growth through ecosystems isn’t about tech stacks or flashy campaigns. It’s about one thing: traction. And traction begins with trust. But trust? It’s not a task. It’s a currency you earn in micro-moments: – Spotlighting your partners. Elevate their personal brand before pitching yours. – Co-creating real, meaningful content. Not pumping out assets people ignore. – Helping them shine in front of their customers—not out of obligation, but by delivering value first. Now picture this: 900 partners invited to a campaign. 250 show up. 15% create content. That small, committed group sends ripples of traction across one ecosystem... that spreads to another. Because trust—when scaled—becomes a force multiplier. But here’s what kills most programs: Pipeline obsession over people. Flip it. Treat humans as humans—not logos. Loyalty doesn't just stabilize your program... It turns your ecosystem into a self-sustaining engine. When trust grows: – Partners stop staying quiet. – They show up boldly. Authentically. Confidently. – They champion your shared success. That trust? It scales itself. So ask yourself: What would happen if you managed fewer relationships but demanded greater collective outcomes? Where could your ecosystem be in 6 months? Think about it. Then build for it.

Here’s the hard truth: Most partner enablement efforts fail not because the idea is bad… But because they’re trying to scale too soon. So many teams think: 👉 “We built the portal.” 👉 “We uploaded the one-pager.” 👉 “We recorded the webinar.” And then they wonder… “Why isn’t anyone using it?” Because enablement isn’t about content. It’s about connection. The early stages of enablement aren’t scalable. They’re manual. Messy. Personal. ✅ Sitting in on sales calls ✅ Talking 1:1 with reps ✅ Repeating the same story 10 different times ✅ Building trust from scratch But here’s the magic: Once you’ve built awareness and trust manually, then you can scale. Scale what already works. Not what you hope will work. Here’s How Real Enablement Scales: 1️⃣ Start with the 20% of partners who are already active 2️⃣ Learn what’s working. What’s their better together story? What keywords are triggering action? 3️⃣ Package that knowledge into assets after the message is proven 4️⃣ Roll it out to the rest with confidence, because now you know it works PRMs, portals, and playbooks are powerful, but only when they’re built on real insights. If your partner enablement feels like it’s not landing… You may be trying to scale something that hasn’t been validated. Talk first. Train later. Then scale.

I’ve sold millions through my personal brand from 1 simple but overlooked principle: Attention gets you seen. Authority gets you chosen. See, 80% of strategies stop at the first one. They optimise for engagement and virality, but forget that none of that converts if people don’t believe in you. So here’s how we help founders scale trust at scale alongside growth: 1️⃣ Define what makes you ‘the one’ ↳ You don’t earn trust by being “famous” ↳ You earn it by being the most compelling option in your niche. ↳ That starts with clear, powerful positioning. 2️⃣ Back every claim with proof ↳ Trust is earned through evidence, not adjectives. ↳ Don’t say just things… back it up. ↳ Social proof, screenshots, and case studies are non-negotiable. 3️⃣ Teach from lived experience ↳ Most people share tips. Start sharing perspectives. ↳ That nuance builds credibility + shows you’ve done the reps. ↳ If anyone else could post it, you shouldn’t. 4️⃣ Engineer high-authority content ↳ Some posts are designed to entertain (which is great). ↳ But also create to build authority, educate, and earn belief. ↳ Must posts should act as a trust builder, not just spark curiosity. 5️⃣ Extend touchpoints ↳ Trust isn’t built from one post. ↳ Create full-funnel experiences. ↳ Live events, newsletters, giveaways, landing pages. ↳ Help people cross the commitment gap one bridge at a time. Sure, more visibility is great. But it doesn’t mean much if you can’t generate that attention into trust. So if you’re wondering why people may not be converting from your content… Ask yourself: Does the market trust me enough to buy? If not, fix that first. P.S. We’ve spent the last few months working in the background, and we’re about to release something that shows exactly how to build trust in the 2025 B2B economy, and why reputation is your most valuable asset. More details on this very soon.

Trust is the cornerstone of any successful business But most founders get it wrong. They try to earn trust. When in reality, trust is given; When you create the right conditions. Brian Halligan, HubSpot’s co-founder, has a clear approach to building trust fast. Here’s what he recommends: 1. Be ridiculously consistent ⤷ If you’re inconsistent, people will hesitate to trust you. ⤷ Create a rhythm people can count on. Whether that’s your: - Mssaging, - Response time, - How you handle problems. Example: Send follow-up emails the same day after meetings, with the same tone, even when you're busy. 2. Give before you take ⤷ Instead of chasing sales, start by adding value. ⤷ This flips the dynamic and puts you in a position of trust. Example: Reach out to a potential client with a resource that can help them (e.g., a blog post, tool, or connection) before pitching your product or service. 3. Own your mistakes ⤷ People don’t expect perfection. They expect honesty. Example: If there’s a delay in your service, don’t offer excuses. Acknowledge it, explain what’s being done, and let them know you’re committed to making it right. 4. Make others look good ⤷ People trust those who make them feel seen, appreciated, and valued. Example: Publicly celebrate a client's success on LinkedIn or in a meeting. This builds mutual trust. 5. Do what you say you’ll do ⤷ No explanations. No excuses. Just follow through. Every time. Example: If you say you’ll send an email or introduce a client by the end of the day, do it. Simple, yet powerful. Trust is your most valuable asset. It opens doors. It builds relationships. And in SaaS, where retention is everything, trust isn’t optional. It’s the difference between a transactional business and a category-defining brand.

We often think of trust as a single handshake, a quick agreement. But... Trust is an ongoing dialogue. It's about shared experiences and understanding. Here's how to transform trust from transactional to relational: 1. Narrative Sharing Campaigns: Encourage your team and customers to share their stories. When their experiences weave into your brand narrative. It creates a tapestry of trust. 2. Interactive Trust Builds: Create spaces - whether virtual or physical - where customers contribute feedback. This is more than just engagement. It's participation. It allows your audience to feel that they are part of your journey. 3. Human Touch Points: Train your customer service staff to engage in meaningful conversations. Move beyond scripts to foster genuine connections. When you shift your focus from transactions to relationships, trust blossoms. And brands can create a familial atmosphere where customers feel connected. Not just like another number on a spreadsheet. The world is driven by automated interactions. And the human touch is what sets you apart. How are you building trust with your audience?