I recently traveled to Queenstown, New Zealand, where there is a winery called Amisfield. I had heard of this winery and it lived up to its reputation. It has a beautiful restaurant with amazing food, overlooking the vineyard and sitting on a beautiful lush green lawn. You can sit in the sun and gaze at the surrounding snow-capped mountains. It really is impressive.

In the restaurant, they have a concept called “Trust the Chef”, where diners let the chef decide what to cook for them based on the fresh produce available that day and what will complement the wines.

The day I visited I was with some friends and we went for lunch. I decided not to choose the “Trust the Chef” menu as I had not been there before. I thought “I don’t know what I’ll get. What if I don’t like it?” It was a bit like a mysterious flight where you don’t know the destination, so I decided to choose my own order from the menu to find out what I was going to eat.

When I work with thought leaders, trusted advisors, and industry experts, I often find that they are a bit light on building trust with their audience. Sometimes they expect the client to “trust the chef”, but the client is not always ready, especially if it is the first time you are working with them.

When building your brand and positioning yourself as an Influencer that your audience can trust, you really need to consider two things:

1. Where you focus your attention.

2. How your customers make decisions.

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung identified that people make decisions based on one of two things: one is justification, outcomes, or outcomes; the other is feelings, emotions, or values. When creating a connection with your audience, you need to ensure that there is a balance of attention. Attention must be distributed evenly between the audience and you as the Influencer.

In each of the four quadrants, there are three activities that build trust. These activities create the 12 Pillars of Trust and address the questions your prospect will have about you.

POSITIONING

1. Clarity: Is it clear who you help and what you help them with? Do you express who is your ideal client and your message? In which category do I buy them so that I can easily get them involved?
2. Visibility: How easy is it for me to see you? Do you appear in the places where I go out? Do you actively communicate with people who need help?
3. Monetary: The price you assign to your services helps me understand the program and the value I am buying. Am I buying economy, business or first class? What is the value of your offer?

COMPETENCE

1. master’s degree: How competent are you? My situation is complex; Can you really help me get results? Can you articulate the sequence of what to do next? Have you felt every step of the pain of the journey I’m on? Have you made the same mistakes as me? How successful have you been on that journey and did you overcome the obstacles? What guarantee do you have that proves your dominance above the rest? Ideally, this is a book.
2. Credibility: Your social proof is important to your buyer. What do others say about you in the testimonials? Do they appear in places I trust? E.g. magazines, newspapers and events as a speaker. What results have you achieved for others? Of those who recommend you, who do I respect? Do you deliver what you say deliver?
3. Consistency: Do you contact me regularly to show me how you solve problems and demonstrate your expertise? Is your message consistent about your area of ​​competence? Are you clear in the titles of your articles, blogs, videos, white papers, and books?

PROBLEMS

1. Validity: When I find more information about you, does what you say match what I am looking for? Do your guarantees articulate my problem?
2. Relevance: How well do you know my world? Can I see myself in you? Do they define my aspirations and who am I trying to become? Can I see how you relate to me and your ability to identify where I need help?
3. Controllability: How well do you take charge when things go wrong? Do you communicate and solve problems? Likewise, do you read the writing on the wall and stay away from situations that do not serve you? When I ask others about you, what do they say?

PERSONALITY

1. Remarkable: What makes it unique? How is your uniqueness related to my problem, my values, and my personality? What part of me do I see in you that creates a connection and allows me to trust you? I can meet you? What experience do you create to help me feel like I’ve met him before, so that when I meet him, we can move the relationship and his program forward?
2. Vulnerability: Are you open about your vulnerabilities? As Extreme Trust authors Don Peppers and Martha Rogers put it: “What is our reaction when someone presents an image of great strength and total control, without weaknesses? We don’t trust them … If someone only presents strengths and achievements, we know they are not sharing the whole picture with us. If they don’t trust us enough to share their weaknesses and vulnerabilities, why would we trust them? “
3. Empathy: You don’t judge? Can I be open with you and share what is really going on? You are sincere.Can I share my fears with you? Do you really care and will you keep my information confidential?

Not everyone scores high in all of these areas. But the 12 Pillars of Trust is a good place for you to start building trust in your brand so that you can have a greater impact with your message as an industry influencer.

I love knowing your thoughts.