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The Four Foundations of Trust and Trustworthiness

  • Writer: Yoram Solomon, PhD
    Yoram Solomon, PhD
  • Mar 27
  • 4 min read

If you've been following along, you already know that trust is the single greatest differentiator in business today. It’s what drives loyalty, commands premium pricing, and turns customers into advocates. But before we dive into how to build trust through specific actions and behaviors, we need to step back and ask: What is trust really built on?


In Chapter 11 of The Trust Premium, I explore the four foundational principles of trust and trustworthiness. These aren’t tactics or strategies—they’re the lens through which every trusting relationship should be viewed. Think of them as the ground beneath everything else: the Relative Trust Model, the Laws of Trust, the trust premium itself. They are: relativity, empathy, no-BS, and nuance.


1. Relativity: Trust Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is believing that trust can be built the same way with every customer. It can’t. Trust is relative—it’s personal, situational, and constantly shifting.


What one customer sees as confidence, another sees as arrogance. What reassures one client might make another feel uncomfortable. Some customers want directness and data; others want warmth and connection. Cultural, personal, and industry-specific factors all shape how your behavior is interpreted.


Relativity means you need to adapt. It means that building trust starts with seeing the customer as an individual, not just another prospect. There is no script, no checklist that works for everyone. The more you recognize this, the more effective—and trustworthy—you become.


2. Empathy: See the World Through Their Eyes

Empathy is often talked about but rarely understood deeply enough in professional settings. It’s not about feeling sorry for your customer. It’s about truly understanding how they see the world, and what matters to them—not you.


You may believe that a certain solution is valuable. But unless the customer sees it that way, it doesn’t matter. Your job is to listen—actively and intentionally. And not just to what they say, but to how they say it. Their tone, their body language, even what they don’t say can tell you what they value, what they fear, and what they hope for.


You’ll never get this level of understanding just by asking a checklist of questions. You have to do the work ahead of time. Research them, understand their industry, their company, their role. Pay attention to subtle cues. The more you show them that you get them, the more they’ll trust you.


3. No-BS: Radical Honesty Builds Real Trust

We are living in a time when people are more skeptical than ever. They can spot insincerity a mile away. That’s why I believe so strongly in a no-BS approach.


Being trustworthy means being honest, even when it’s uncomfortable. It means telling the truth about what your product can and can’t do. It means saying “I don’t know” instead of making something up. It means not selling something the customer doesn’t need—even if it means walking away from the deal.


No-BS is not about being rude or abrasive. It’s about respecting your customer’s intelligence and giving them the information they need to make the best decision for themselves. It’s about setting expectations honestly and following through.


When you try to sugarcoat, stretch the truth, or dodge tough conversations, customers notice—and they start pulling back. But when you’re direct, transparent, and real, they lean in. That’s when trust begins.


4. Nuance: Trust Lives in the Details

In a world addicted to shortcuts and soundbites, nuance has become a lost art. But trust is often won—or lost—in the details.


Nuance means recognizing that there are rarely black-and-white answers when it comes to people. It’s about understanding context, tone, timing, and delivery. The same message can build trust or break it depending on how it’s communicated.


Think about it: a difficult message delivered with empathy and clarity might actually strengthen a relationship. But that same message delivered with a dismissive tone or vague language? It erodes trust.


Customers notice when you take the time to understand their specific needs, ask better questions, and tailor your message to their reality. That depth of consideration shows that you care. And caring builds trust.


Putting It All Together

Relativity, empathy, no-BS, and nuance. These are not tricks. They’re not formulas. They are principles—ways of seeing and showing up in the world that position you as someone worthy of trust.


These four foundations are what tie everything together. They are the why behind the how. They inform how you approach every interaction, how you assess every relationship, and how you adjust your behavior to fit the situation.


If you want to be trusted—really trusted—by your customers, these are the principles you need to live by.


And while this may be the end of Part II of The Trust Premium, it’s really just the beginning. Because understanding trust is one thing. Building it, intentionally and consistently, is another.


 

Want to read the whole story? Read the book: https://amzn.to/4j0n3GK 

 
 
 

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