Imagine standing at the edge of a cliff, harness strapped on, rope in hand. You’re about to rappel down a 180-foot wall. Now imagine the person holding your rope is someone you barely know. Would you lean back and take that first step?
That’s how your potential clients feel when they’re deciding whether to trust you with their time, money, and reputation. They’re looking for more than just a solution — they’re looking for someone they can rely on. And whether they realize it or not, the real question they’re asking is, “Can I trust you?”
If you want to build trust with customers, you have to earn it — not just through your services but through your messaging, your content, and every step of their buying journey. It’s not enough to be good at what you do. You have to prove you’re the one holding the rope — and that you won’t let go.
Your Marketing Strategy Has to Reach Buyers at Every Stage
Business owners and CEOs know the nuanced importance of the customer journey. It’s not just one moment — it’s a series of stages that start well before someone makes first contact or clicks a CTA and long before they sign a contract.
We call these stages:
- Contentment (they’re unaware of their problem),
- Search Trigger (they realize something needs to change),
- Curiosity (they start looking for options),
- Enlightenment (they’re evaluating who they can trust),
- Commitment (they’re ready to move forward), and
- Customer (they’ve made a decision and are looking for follow-through).
If your marketing strategy isn’t intentionally engaging buyers at each of these stages, you’re missing opportunities to build trust with customers. And that’s where many firms get stuck. You might have a strong close rate once you’re in the room — but if you’re not guiding buyers through the early stages of their journey, you may never get that meeting in the first place.
That’s why we always start with marketing strategy and messaging—not tactics.
Before you ever update your website or launch a campaign, you need clarity on who your ideal customer is, what problem they’re trying to solve, and how you help them win. When your messaging is rooted in empathy and focused on your buyer’s needs, it sets the tone for everything else.
One of the most impactful shifts you can make is moving from company-focused language to customer-focused messaging — it’s a simple change that can dramatically improve engagement and close rates. If your marketing is filled with “we do this” and “our process,” your buyers may tune out. But when your content speaks directly to their challenges and goals — when you say “you” more than “we” — you instantly become more relevant and trustworthy.
That subtle shift builds connection. And connection builds trust.
Ready to Grow? Start by Generating Your Strategy and Your Story
Trust Is the Real Product You’re Selling
A lot of business leaders, especially in service-based industries like accounting or consulting, think they’re selling expertise. But here’s the truth: your customer can’t evaluate your expertise — not really. They don’t know what makes your approach better than someone else’s. What they can evaluate is how you make them feel. Are you reliable? Helpful? Clear? Do you seem to understand their challenges?
In other words, they’re not just buying your service. They’re buying trust.
To do this well, you need to deeply understand who your ideal customer is and what matters most to them. Developing a detailed B2B buyer persona can help you uncover the fundamental pain points, objections, and motivators your messaging should address. When you speak directly to those needs, your audience is far more likely to trust that you’re the right fit.
So, if you’re still asking yourself how to do a better job building trust with customers, it starts by shifting your perspective. Your service may be the deliverable, but trust is the currency. And when trust is built intentionally, it shows up in shorter sales cycles, higher close rates, and stronger client retention.
Read More: How to Set Clear B2B Marketing Goals That Actually Drive Results
How to Build Trust with a Customer: Show, Don’t Just Tell
One of the most powerful ways to build trust with clients is also one of the most overlooked: testimonials… especially video testimonials.
Here’s why they work: when someone hears your past clients speak positively about working with you, it bypasses the skepticism filter. Suddenly, you’re not the one claiming to be trustworthy. Someone else is vouching for you. That changes everything.
You can share testimonials in several places:
- On your website (especially on high-traffic service pages)
- In proposal decks and sales presentations
- On social media
- In email campaigns
Don’t have any yet? Start small. Ask one or two satisfied clients if they’d be willing to record a short video. Most are happy to do it — they just need to be asked.
Don’t Skip the Trust-Building Step
It can be tempting to jump straight to the sale. After all, you’re confident in what you offer. You know you can help.
But if you skip past building trust, it’s like asking someone to lean over the edge of a cliff without knowing who’s holding their rope.
Here are a few more ways to build trust with customers:
- Respond quickly. Timeliness signals reliability.
- Provide helpful, relevant content. Blogs, FAQs, white papers — show your expertise without a sales pitch.
- Be clear and consistent. From your messaging to your pricing, clarity reduces anxiety.
- Share your process. Let them see the path ahead. Uncertainty breeds mistrust.
Your potential clients are evaluating risk. They’ve got limited time, limited budget, and a lot riding on this decision. If they’re going to move forward with you, they need to believe you’ll guide them safely.
Read More: B2B Content Marketing 101: Answer Questions, Build Authority and Grow Your Business
How to Build Trust with Clients Over Time
Building trust with clients doesn’t end after the first sale — in fact, that’s when it really begins. Long-term client relationships are built on delivering consistent value, communicating proactively, and showing that you care about their outcomes, not just your invoice.
One of the best things you can do? Follow through.
If you say you’ll have something done by Tuesday, make sure it’s done by Tuesday. If you don’t have an answer, say so — and then go find it. Clients can handle the truth. What they can’t handle is being left in the dark.
Just like my college roommate holding my rope when we went rappelling down that 180-foot cliff near Nashville, your clients want to know that you’ve got them. That they’re safe. That you’ve done this before — and that you’re not going to let go halfway down.
Want to Know If Your Marketing Builds Trust at Every Step?
If you’ve never mapped out your buyer’s journey — or if you’re not sure your website and messaging speak to each stage — this is the perfect time to start. A well-aligned strategy doesn’t just bring in more leads; it builds confidence with the right buyers from the very beginning. Curious how your marketing stacks up? Take our free B2B Marketing Assessment to see where you’re strong and where there may be trust gaps in your process. It’s quick, practical, and designed to help you create a strategy that truly connects with your buyers — at every stage of their journey. At the end of the assessment, you will receive a free copy of our B2B marketing framework designed to work hand-in-hand with your unique results.
So take the assessment, review your results, and let us know if you’d like to discuss your marketing results with our team. We’d love to help you build trust with your prospects and grow your business.
FAQs: Building Trust With Customers
Q. How do you build trust with customers in professional services?
A. Building trust with customers in professional services starts with clear, client-focused messaging that speaks directly to their needs. From the first interaction, show reliability through timely communication, demonstrate expertise with helpful content and offer social proof like testimonials. Trust is built over time, but it starts by putting the client’s success at the center of every message and action.
Q. What role does messaging play in building customer trust?
A. Messaging plays a critical role in building customer trust. It shapes the buyer’s perception from the moment they discover your brand. When your messaging is empathetic, relevant, and focused on solving the customer’s problems (rather than listing your features), it builds confidence and moves them closer to making a decision.
Q. Why is trust important in B2B marketing?
A. Trust is the foundation of B2B relationships. Buyers are often making high-stakes decisions that affect their company’s performance. Without trust, even the most qualified service provider will struggle to close deals. When trust is strong, it shortens sales cycles, increases retention, and drives referrals.
Q. How can testimonials help build trust with clients?
A. Testimonials — especially video testimonials — provide third-party validation that reassures potential clients. They demonstrate that you’ve delivered on your promises before, which is far more powerful than self-promotion. Testimonials help potential buyers see the results others have experienced, making them more confident in choosing you.
Q. What are some signs that a marketing strategy isn’t building trust?
A. If you’re seeing low engagement, high bounce rates, or stalled sales conversations, your strategy may not be building trust. Other red flags include content that talks more about your business than your buyer, or a lack of clarity around your process and outcomes. A trust-centered strategy focuses on the buyer’s needs, pain points, and success — not just your services.
