In today’s B2B landscape, customers don’t want another vendor. They want a partner. Someone who understands them, adds value beyond the product, and can be counted on when the stakes are high.
In short, they want a trusted advisor.
But here’s the truth: Trust isn’t built on personality. It’s built on consistency, insight, and intent. And now more than ever, AI can help salespeople accelerate that journey.
Let’s explore how through one of the most practical frameworks for building trust: The Trust Equation, developed by David Maister.
Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) / Self-Orientation
This isn’t just a theory—it’s a practical guide. And with the right AI tools, every part of this equation becomes more actionable and scalable.
Credibility: Show Up with Insight
You build credibility when your customer sees you as knowledgeable and competent.
How to build it:
- Bring tailored insights, not general talking points.
- Share relevant benchmarks, trends, and ideas that link directly to your customer’s goals.
- When something is outside your expertise, bring in a specialist.
How AI helps:
- Use tools like Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT to prepare for meetings with deep insights.
- Summarize meeting notes and email history to refresh your memory before calls.
- Generate personalized proposals that reflect the customer’s unique context.
Reliability: Do What You Say, Every Time
Reliability is about consistency. It’s about following through.
How to build it:
- Follow up when you say you will.
- Set expectations and stick to them.
- Create regular cadences like monthly reviews or quarterly business reviews.
How AI helps:
- Use AI assistants to schedule follow-ups and task reminders.
- Summarize meetings with action items automatically and track them in your CRM.
- Automate reporting with dashboards that show progress toward customer KPIs.
Intimacy: Make It Human
This is the emotional side of trust—the feeling that you understand your customer and genuinely care.
How to build it:
- Ask thoughtful questions and listen closely.
- Show empathy in your responses.
- Be transparent and human—even when things go wrong.
How AI helps:
- Use AI-powered note-taking to remember important personal and professional details.
- Use sentiment analysis to better understand tone in emails or calls.
- Use AI to create relationship maps and identify who matters in the decision-making process.
Self-Orientation: Make It About Them
This is the multiplier—or the limiter—of trust. The less you make it about yourself, the more trust you earn.
How to build it:
- Lead conversations with your customer’s goals, not your sales targets.
- Avoid product pitches early—focus on their business outcomes.
- Ask, “What does success look like for you?”—and truly listen.
How AI helps:
- Use AI to eliminate admin work and free up time to focus on customers.
- Use scenario planning tools to assess risk and value from your customer’s perspective.
- Generate solution options that align with customer success, not just sales goals.
The Trusted Advisor Advantage
Becoming a trusted advisor isn’t just a relationship strategy. It’s a competitive edge.
You shorten deal cycles. You get invited earlier into strategic planning. You reduce churn. You move from price-based selling to value-based selling.
And now, with the right AI tools, building trust is no longer about working harder—it’s about working smarter.
Start small. Choose one part of the Trust Equation. Pair it with one AI tool. And start showing up in a way that earns trust, one conversation at a time.
