I’ve spent my whole career in B2B — across sales ops, marketing ops, analytics, and now enablement — always with the same goal: helping sales teams be more effective.

Back in the day, that meant building performance models in monster-sized Excel sheets (remember those?) Today, the tools look very different. But the fundamentals haven’t changed.

One thing that has changed, though, is trust.

Trust has always mattered in sales, of course. But in today’s environment — with longer cycles, tighter budgets, and more stakeholders at the table — it’s gone from important to absolutely 

So I’ve been digging into what actually builds trust in a sales relationship — not just anecdotally, but in academic research. A lot of great work in business psychology points to patterns that consistently show up in high-trust buyer–seller relationships.

Some of those trust drivers are out of your hands, like the reputation of the company you’re selling for.  There’s no formula that guarantees a buyer will trust you, and I certainly don’t have all the answers. 

But in my experience, there are certain behaviors and mindsets that consistently help. These aren’t flashy tactics. A lot of it is common sense. But in the rush of hitting numbers, it’s easy to forget the basics.

So what follows is a research-backed framework — not a playbook — for building trust. I’d invite you to take what’s useful, adapt it to your context, and keep coming back to the core idea: it’s the strength of the relationship that moves the deal forward.

You can also listen to my conversation about how to build trust in b2b relationships with Jack Naish on the Enablement Uncanned podcast. Here's a clip.

1. Expertise

Expertise consistently ranks as the most important factor when it comes to building trust. This surprised me a bit — I would have expected likability or similarity to come first. But, on reflection, it rings true to me. We trust someone who shows they’re an expert in their field — and, more importantly, an expert in our problems as a buyer. 

The buyer doesn’t just want to see that you know the industry and your product back to front. They want to know that you really understand their specific needs and problems. 

That means doing more than glancing at their homepage before the call.

How to show expertise as a seller: 

  • Do your homework. Show up for calls with a real understanding of their industry, their business, and what they’re up against. 
  • Ask thoughtful questions, share stories from similar customers, and connect the dots for them. That’s how you show you know your stuff and that you actually care about helping them solve real problems.

2. Reputation 

You can’t do much about the reputation of your employer. But you can certainly establish your own reputation as an expert on your buyer’s industry and challenges. 

These days, chances are good that the buyer will have looked you up before the chat. If you’ve spent the time establishing a solid reputation, they’ll be more likely to subconsciously start to trust you. 

One of the easiest ways to build your reputation is by showing up consistently on social. And yet, I still see so many sellers avoiding it. In my time in corporate, I've consistently heard, “Why should I be posting?” or “Marketing hasn’t shared anything new, so what am I even supposed to repost?” But that mindset misses the point.

Ten years ago, people worried about whether they were allowed to have their own voice on LinkedIn. Now, it’s expected. You can absolutely respect your company’s brand and still build your own. 

How to establish a good reputation as a seller: 

  • Start posting regularly on LinkedIn. Instead of reposting existing content from your marketing team, share your own takes. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. 
  • Talk about what you’re seeing in the market. Share stories you’ve gathered from prospects. Comment on industry trends. Post about the real challenges your buyers are facing and how you’re helping solve them. That’s how you start to build a reputation people trust — even before they’ve ever spoken to you.

3. Frequency of interaction 

One thing that trips up a lot of sellers — especially early in a relationship — is figuring out how often to reach out. You don’t want to annoy your buyer, but you also don’t want to disappear.  

If you're already deep in a deal, regular contact feels natural. You’re essentially running a project together. But in the earlier stages—when you're still building up the relationship—it’s a bit more delicate. Buyers need time to think, but not so much time that they forget you exist.

How to get frequency of interaction right

There’s no perfect cadence—but there are a few things that help:

  • Always follow up. If you’ve had a good call, send a note that day. Summarize what you discussed and suggest a time to reconnect.
  • Avoid extremes. Reaching out again in two days is usually too soon. Waiting a month is too long.
  • Use your judgment. Every buyer is different. Pay attention to how they work and match their pace. Most sellers have the emotional intelligence to figure that out—or at least ask.

4. Similarity

When we talk about similarity, it doesn’t mean that you need to be the same as your prospects in superficial ways. We’re not talking about liking the same football team here. 

In B2B sales terms, similarity is about shared values and working styles. It’s that subtle “we get each other” vibe that creates an early foundation of trust, especially in complex or high-stakes buying environments. It’s more: Do we approach challenges the same way? Do we care about the same outcomes? Can we have a productive conversation without friction? 

How to establish similarity with prospects

  • Find shared values early—again, these don’t have to be deep. Even something simple like both being a parent or thinking the same way about work can help. 
  • Mirror working styles. Is your buyer big-picture or detail-oriented? Do they prefer informal check-ins or formal decks? Paying attention to these cues and adapting your style accordingly can go a long way.
  • Tune into behaviour. Do they want to build the relationship first or get straight to business? Do they talk in outcomes or processes? Match them.
  • Don’t fake it. Authenticity matters. It’s not about manipulating rapport; it’s about genuinely recognizing when you’re aligned and leaning into that.

5. Likability 

We’re not talking about being charming for the sake of it. Likability in sales isn’t about being someone your buyer wants to grab a beer with. It’s about being someone they feel comfortable working with. Someone who listens well, communicates clearly, and respects their time.

Buyers are human. And in a high-pressure sales environment, being easy to work with can be a real differentiator. Likability won’t close a deal on its own — but it can absolutely keep the door open, especially when trust is still being built.

How to demonstrate likability

  • Be present. Listen actively, show interest, and don’t treat the conversation like a checklist.
  • Respect time and boundaries. Show up on time, end on time, and don’t over-message.
    Match their energy. If they’re formal, be formal. If they like a bit of small talk, lean into it. And don’t try to force rapport — we’re very sensitive to pseudo-friendliness. You don’t need to be best friends — just be consistent, helpful, and easy to engage with.

6. Integrity

Proving your integrity as a seller isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about the small, consistent actions that prove you’re dependable. 

One of the clearest ways to build or break trust is follow-through. Say you're on a sales call and say, "I'll get that to you by the end of the week." It might be something simple — a case study, a proposal, a follow-up note. But if you don’t send it when you said you would, you lose trust. Not because the item was critical, but because you didn’t do what you said.

That kind of slip-up undermines your predictability — the sense that your buyer knows what to expect from you. 

How to demonstrate integrity

  • Do exactly what you said you would. If you promise a follow-up, send it. It sounds basic, but it’s literally that simple. When buyers know you’ll do what you said, you earn the right to keep the conversation going.
  • If you can’t deliver, say so. Even a quick update like "I can't do X yet, but here's why and what we can do instead" keeps the trust intact.
  • Don’t rely on the buyer to chase you. Your reliability should be proactive, not reactive.

7. Communication

When we talk about communication in sales, you might well be picturing a great pitch or a careful presentation. But the foundation of trust-building communication isn’t even about what you say. It’s about how you listen. 

Active or empathetic listening makes the buyer feel like you’re truly present and engaged. It’s not about running through your slides. In fact, it may be better to skip the presentation altogether in early conversations with buyers, and focus more on really understanding their needs and challenges. 

How to communicate in a way that builds trust

  • Listen actively. That means paying close attention to what’s said, reflecting it back, and checking your understanding. “What I’m hearing you saying is that…”  Make the buyer feel like you’re fully present and invested in the conversation.
  • Ask thoughtful, relevant questions. If you’re well-prepared, it’ll be easier to think of follow-up questions instead of scrambling in real time.
  • Avoid hiding behind a standard set of questions or a generic deck. Buyers can tell when a pitch deck has just had the previous prospect’s name swapped out. 

8. Willingness to customize 

Of course, this may often be an organizational decision — how much you can customize isn’t always up to the individual seller. 

But it’s also a question of attitude — and that, you can control. 

Paying close attention to what the buyer needs, and prioritizing those needs over what you’d like to sell them, is key here. You want to show that you’re genuinely trying to solve their problem, not just give them a one-size-fits-all solution. 

For instance, if the buyer wants a feature that you don’t yet have, don’t shut down the conversation — but also, don’t overpromise. Instead, treat it as a joint exploration: “Could we potentially leverage our existing features to be able to do what you need? Is there a workaround here?” 

How to demonstrate willingness to customize

  • Be open to co-creating solutions. Even if the product doesn’t fully support a need yet, just showing that you’re willing to explore it goes a long way. That willingness to problem-solve signals partnership, not just pitching.
  • Recognize that this is a long-term game. Acting as a trusted advisor instead of a rep doesn’t just build trust with the company — it builds trust with you, the seller. Buyers remember sellers who genuinely tried to help them solve their problems. 

At the end of the day, B2B sales is complicated, and there’s no one formula that guarantees buyers will trust you. But there are consistent behaviors that signal you’re worth trusting.

These days, deals are harder to close and buyers are under more pressure. Sellers who show up having done their homework, with good listening skills and a genuine willingness to help, are the ones buyers will remember. 

This isn’t a checklist to follow line by line. I’m not suggesting it’s a substitute for a solid sales methodology. It’s more like a lens — a way to look at your own sales behavior and ask: Would I trust me if I were on the other side of the table?

Start there. And keep coming back to the basics — done well and done consistently, they’re what make the difference.