Building Trust Through Your Consulting Brand Identity

The 5-figure mistake every consultant makes: They obsess over funnels, copy, and viral content. Meanwhile, their prospects remain unmoved. Here's what they're missing: Trust isn't built through marketing tricks. It's earned through understanding. When someone invests $50K in your consulting, they're not buying your funnel. They're buying your certainty that you can solve their specific problem. That certainty comes from one place: real conversations with real buyers. Not surveys. Not assumptions. Not competitor analysis. The consultants who command premium fees without resistance? They've spoken to dozens of prospects before they ever write a sales page. They know the exact words their clients use to describe their pain. They understand the failed solutions that came before. This is why their offers are happily listened to rather than feeling like a pushy sales pitch. When you truly understand someone's world, selling becomes serving. When you've validated the problem exists, confidence replaces convincing. When you communicate with their language, trust builds naturally. The market rewards understanding above everything else.

One bad conversation can stall a deal.  (Let's fix that.) Here's the trap even the best can fall into: ✅ You said, “Can I get 15 minutes?” ❌ They heard, “You’re just a name on my calendar.” ✅ You said, “Here’s our pricing page.” ❌ They heard, “You’d better be ready to commit.” ✅ You said, “Do you have any questions?” ❌ They heard, “I’m done talking, it's your turn to buy.” In client development, tone is strategy. And the difference between pressure and partnership? Just a few words. Because the real challenge isn’t getting time  with a client. It’s making that time count. Here are 12 proven phrases to build trust  (without sounding like a sales rep): 1. “How have things been going with [X]?” → Feels personal, not transactional. 2. “What’s your thinking around [this topic] these days?” → Opens a door, not a pitch. 3. “What would success look like if everything went right?” → Focuses on their goals, not gaps. 4. “What’s one thing you’d love to improve in 90 days?” → Specific, hopeful, and actionable. 5. “What feels risky or fuzzy about this?” → Makes doubt safe to share. 6. “Want to sketch some options together?” → Co-creates instead of prescribes. 7. “Want me to mock up a few paths forward?” → Shows flexibility, not a fixed pitch. 8. “Want to hear how others tackled this?” → Adds value, zero pressure. 9. “What would need to shift to make this a priority?” → Respects their timeline, invites partnership. 10. “Would a custom version be more helpful?” → Tailors the next step to them. 11. “Great point, can we unpack that together?” → Builds trust through collaboration. 12. “What’s the best way I can support you right now?” → Puts their needs first, signals partnership. These phrases do more than sound better. They feel better. Because they reflect how great BD actually works: 👉 With empathy 👉 With curiosity 👉 With clients, not at them Try one this week. It could turn a stalled deal into a deep conversation. Which one will you lead with? 📌Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies  that don’t feel like selling.

Before StealthX, I built a $10M/yr consulting practice from $0. Here are 13 things I learned along the way. 1. Do the little things. Take notes. ACTUALLY listen. Follow up. Follow through. Be the person who does what they say they will. These small actions build trust & credibility over time. 2. Focus on relationships, not deals. People remember how you make them feel. Be the trusted advisor they call when they’re stuck or need a sounding board. Play the long game. 3. Show, don’t tell. Actions always speak louder than words. Create prototypes, mockups, or models to demonstrate ideas. Don’t talk at people or assume they are on the same wavelength. 4. Be ready for long sales cycles, especially with big companies. Decide upfront if the potential payoff is worth the time and effort. For example, we were working on selling into a large Fortune 100 for 2 years before we got an MSA and then had a year after that before we closed our 1st deal 🫠 5. Never count on a deal until it’s signed. I learned this the hard way, more than once. Nothing is guaranteed until the ink is dry. 6. Build systems early. From wikis for shared knowledge to standardized sales processes, the right systems let you scale faster and more smoothly. 7. Focus on culture and hiring for 30% skills. I believe 70% of skills are hard skills, and 30% of skills are the soft skills. These are so much more important. Also hire for what I call the "Core 4. " Have a growth mindset, good communicator, high give-a-s***t factor, and a strong bias towards action (i.e., hire doers). 8. Walk away from bad deals. Not every opportunity is worth it. Protect your team and focus on doing work that aligns with your values and goals. Be willing to leave $ on the table. Focus on the inputs and the score takes care of itself. 9. Invest in yourself. Read books, listen to podcasts, attend industry events, get executive coaching. You’re the ceiling for your team. Raise it constantly. 10. Ask bigger questions. Get to the why behind the what. Help your clients think beyond the surface to understand the real problem they’re trying to solve. For example, “Why do you want to do this? What’s the ultimate outcome? Who's this for? How do you know this is the right problem? What might cause us to fail?” 11. Use storytelling to drive change. Don’t just present data. Paint a picture of what’s broken and the future you can help create. Connect emotionally and tailor your approach to your audience. 12. Start small, then scale. Land a small project first, prove your value, and earn trust. It’s easier to build momentum this way than pitching huge engagements upfront. 13. Don’t trap clients. Empower them. The consulting world loves recurring revenue, but clients hate feeling dependent. Deliver clear, goal-driven projects with measurable outcomes. Results bring them back, not reliance. These lessons shaped how I approach building teams, serving clients, & growing businesses. Now they’re the backbone of StealthX 🤘