As Chris Brogan said in his book The Trust Agents, "The basis of trust is still the same; it's the signals that have changed." In order to understand how to develop trust, it's essential to learn how other people construct the trust bridge.

I don't mean to belabor this point, but how do you think people find people, firms and products to trust? How would you go about doing that? Well, luckily, there is a lot of research we can look at to learn how other people do that.

Which sources of information do people trust?

In order to get a picture of what information and information sources are perceived as the most credible, let's take a look at three studies. These bullets show you their main conclusions:

1. Forrester Research shows that: 1) email from people you know and 2) consumer product ratings/reviews are the top 2 trusted information sources.
2. Nielsen Research found that the most trusted advertising came from: 1) Recommendations from people known; and 2) Consumer opinions posted online
3. Edelman Trust Survey suggests the three most credible sources of information about an organization are: 1) stock/industry analyst reports; 2) articles in business magazines; and 3) conversations with company employees.

Bottom line. The main point for you to remember is that the number one most trusted source is another person. Sometimes that person is an expert, other times it's someone you know. Why is that? Because the person you already know probably has no hidden agenda for sharing information with you. He's not trying to sell you anything. He won't get a finder's fee. If that person is an Analytical, you can safely assume that he has already done a great deal of research prior to giving you his opinion.

Now, let's look deeper into the research from Forrester, Nielsen and Edelman.

Most Trusted Information Sources – Forrester

When it comes to advertising information online, which sources do consumers trust? According to the latest Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries, the answer is resounding – "Other People."

Ninety percent of consumers surveyed noted that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70 percent trusted consumer opinions posted online.

"'The explosion in Consumer Generated Media over the last couple of years means consumers' reliance on word of mouth in the decision-making process, either from people they know or online consumers they don't, has increased significantly," says Jonathan Carson, President of Online, International, for the Nielsen Company.

What can you learn from that? If you're not already doing it, you should start bending over backwards to make everyone love you. That would imply that you install a Client Satisfaction Strategy. What else could you do (that you're not already doing) that would make your clients smile?

Edelman Trust Barometer

The Edelman Trust Barometer is a survey released in February 2010. It looks at 4,475 "influencers" across the globe (defined as college-educated people with household incomes in the top quartile for their country, per age group, who report significant media consumption and engagement in business news and public policy).

The survey finds that trust in businesses has fallen by more than 20 percent in the past year. And, goes on to determine what sources people go to for credible information about a business.

Edelman ranks the three most credible sources of information about an organization:

1. stock/industry analyst reports (47 percent)
2. articles in business magazines (44 percent)
3. conversations with company employees (40 percent)

Others include CEO speeches (27 percent), corporate communications (26 percent) and business blogs (19 percent).

This suggests that people need to get information about a company from three to five different sources to trust them. Why are these findings important to you and your credibility? Because they validate a significant communication vehicle – conversations with your employees.

Simply, the information and opinions that your employees share about your brand have substantial influence on your company's reputation. The information can be spread through online social networks (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) and offline (church, lunch, kids' soccer games).

Ninety-one percent of opinion leaders aged 25-64 in 20 countries said that being able to trust a company affects the company's overall reputation. And, since conversations with employees ranks so high, corporate leaders now have a well defined communication channel for distributing positive news about their firms. Employees who are armed with the best information about a company tell the best stories.

"Employees' Trusted Role in Building Reputation," Strategic Communication Management. Melcrum Publishing. 2009.

Develop a Better Communication Strategy

This probably falls under the domain of Communication Management. Picture it as a target. The inner-most circle (bull's eye) represents everyone working at your company. The next circle is your existing network of clients. The third circle are your clients' networks.

Circle #1. Improving your firm's trust means training all your people on the good things your firm represents. That would include your charitable work, your community involvement, and your in-house resources. It would include how far you go to help your clients. It would also include your morale-building efforts. It also means teaching all your employees how to deliver the good message.

For every employee you treat well and train to serve as a positive spokesperson, the quality and quantity of Word of Mouth advocacy increases. This is public relations 101 – your employees are your first line of positive press – and negative press if you don't treat them right.

Circle #2. Increase the WOW factor for your clients. Excite them to the point that they turn into advocates for your work. If they're not wowed, they will not say good things about you or your firm. Why would they? But, they might drag your name through some mud.

Circle #3. Devise the most appropriate ways to get your message to your clients' personal network. One tool we've used very effectively is a little booklet patterned after a golfing tip book. It uses golf (water, sand, rough, distance, dog legs) as the metaphors for life's problems and shares possible solutions. You simply give your clients a few copies and invite them to share the booklets with their friends.

In Conclusion

If you develop a Communication Strategy like the one above, you will find that people trust you more easily. Trust is the key to reducing the time it takes for people to make a buying decision. You'll also find that your clients talk more about you and their friends reach out to you. Those two will make your business more profitable, and you'll find your employees more motivated.

Your Reward

I understand that developing a Communication Strategy is outside the normal training of most advisors. If you get stuck or have difficulty developing your Communication Strategy, I will gladly share some ideas with you. Just email this paragraph to me, along with your contact information. ([email protected]) We can schedule a short conversation and I'll help you as much as I can. It's my way of saying "Thanks for placing your trust in me."