In a world where buyers are more informed, cautious, and skeptical than ever, the ability to build trust has become the true differentiator for sales professionals. Features can be copied, pricing can be undercut, but genuine trust (the kind that makes a buyer feel confident saying yes) is a differentiator.  

For Business Development Reps, Account Executives, and Customer Success Managers (the persona we’re calling “Dealmakers”) every conversation is a high-stakes opportunity to earn or erode that trust.  

In that environment, trust is your competitive edge and understanding how to build it intentionally can change your entire approach to selling. About this Series 

About This Series 

This article is part of an ongoing content series from Relate, exploring the five archetypes our platform supports, from the Dealmaker to the Growth Coach, Trusted Adviser, and Rising Talent. 

We kicked things off with our first post, Building Trust Early: How to Stand Out in Interviews and Conversations That Matter, written for early-career professionals and job seekers. Now, we’re shifting focus to the Dealmaker, the people driving revenue and relationships every day. 

Dealmakers are the lifeblood of any growth organization. They drive revenue by turning conversations into deals, having to effortlessly build relationships and trust quickly in discovery calls and first conversations and continue it through demos and renewals. They’re experts in reading buying signals, building rapport quickly, and guiding complex decisions. 

But it’s also one of the hardest environments to sustain trust. Today’s sales landscape is digital, distracted, time-poor, and data-heavy. Buyers research independently and often enter conversations skeptical of “sales talk.” According to recent research, only 19% of customers say they trust salespeople, yet 79% of business buyers say they want their sales reps to act as trusted advisors who add value.  

Hybrid meetings mean less in-person connection and fewer cues to gauge engagement.  You need to work harder online than you to in person to establish high levels of credibility, reliability, and intimacy quickly and retain it. Dealmakers who master the psychology of trust don’t just sell more, they build relationships that compound over time. 

1. Credibility: The first sale is believability 

Before a buyer ever trusts your product, they have to trust you. Credibility is the first gateway. It’s built through how you speak, the insight you bring, and the confidence you convey. Here are some tips on how to show up more credible: 

• Lead with insight, not intros. 
  Buyers don’t need another pitch deck; they need perspective. Opening with something that teaches them something new like saying “We’ve seen X trend across companies like yours,” establishes authority faster than any title slide. 

• Speak their language. 
  Credibility increases when your language mirrors the buyer’s world. A healthcare leader thinks in outcomes and risk; a fintech executive thinks in compliance and growth velocity. Generic buzzwords dilute impact, while specificity earns trust. 

• Be transparent about limitations. 
  Ironically, admitting where your product isn’t the perfect fit increases trust. It signals honesty and long-term partnership over short-term gain. Buyers trust sellers who prioritize alignment over persuasion. 

• Close the meeting by summarizing next steps. 

Make sure to recap what was decided, what comes next, and who’s responsible.  

• Don’t be afraid to ask for the business. 

Confidence builds credibility, so when the conversation feels right, clearly articulate the value and ask for the commitment or next step. 

2. Reliability: The follow-through that builds confidence 

If credibility earns you the first meeting, reliability earns you the second. It’s demonstrated not in what you say, but in what you do next. Here are some tips on how to increase your reliability: 

• Follow up. 
  Send recaps that clearly capture decisions, next steps, and responsibilities. Reliable reps make it easy for buyers to take action. 

• Be predictably prepared. 
  Before every meeting, review notes from prior interactions. Remembering details tells the buyer you listen, care, and respect their time. 

• Deliver small promises first. 
  Trust compounds when you keep even small commitments. If you say you’re going to do something like sending a resource, looping in a colleague, or scheduling a follow-up, you want to make sure you do. When you consistently deliver, buyers start assuming you will, making trust reflexive.  

• Don’t let automation replace accountability. 
  CRM triggers and follow-up sequences are useful, but reliability still needs a human touch. Personalize your outreach, reference context, and make it clear there’s a real person behind the notes. 

3. Intimacy: Connection wins where persuasion fails 

Intimacy in sales means emotional closeness, which is what can transform sales transactions into feeling more like partnerships. Here are some tips on how to practice growing intimacy: 

• Ask questions that invite vulnerability. 
  Instead of “What are your priorities this quarter?” try “What’s been the hardest part of getting alignment internally?” This shifts the tone from business transaction to human understanding. 

• Listen without an agenda. 
  True listening isn’t waiting to speak, it’s making space for the buyer to think out loud. Resist the urge to jump in with solutions. Let silence do some of the work. 

• Acknowledge emotion as data. 
  When a buyer sounds frustrated or hesitant, don’t plow through. Reflect it back: “It sounds like this has been a challenge for your team.” Emotional recognition builds safety, which builds honesty, which builds trust. 

• Share stories, not scripts. 
  Vulnerability is reciprocal. When appropriate, share your own experience like a challenge you overcame or a lesson learned. It humanizes the interaction and makes you more relatable and therefore the buyer to open up more or feel more comfortable with you. 

4. Self-Orientation: Trust dies when ego walks in 

The most common trust-killer in sales is self-orientation. It can show up when the seller’s focus shifts from solving the buyer’s problem to meeting their own quota. Here are some tips on how to lower self-orientation:  

• Reframe your goal. 
  Your job isn’t to “convince” someone but rather it’s to help them make a good decision. That mindset alone changes how you show up. 

• Detach from outcomes. 
  High self-orientation thrives on anxiety when you think “I need this deal.” Let go of that pressure by focusing on the process: be curious, be useful, be consistent.  

• Ask before advising. 
  Before diving into solutions, pause and confirm: “Would it help if I walked you through how others have tackled that?” Asking permission keeps the focus collaborative, not coercive. 

• Coach yourself mid-call. 
  Notice the moment you start talking more than listening. That can be a signal self-orientation has crept in. Take a breath, redirect attention to the buyer, and re-center the conversation. 

• Say no when appropriate. 

  In fact, saying no can be the biggest trust building action you can take. Saying your solution is not appropriate for their needs in this instance is the best expression of low self-orientation there is. 

Dealmakers often think of trust as a byproduct of closing deals, but in reality, it’s the engine. 

When you apply the Trust Equation: 

• Credibility earns the first meeting, 

• Reliability secures the next, 

• Intimacy opens the buyer’s true challenges, and 

• Low Self-Orientation turns one sale into a long-term relationship 

The best sales professionals aren’t persuaders, they’re partners in problem-solving. They make buyers feel understood, respected, and confident in their decision. 

For more on how trust drives measurable business outcomes, check out our post 5 Ways Trust and Collaboration Boost Sales, Retention & Productivity. 

See how well you build trust in sales conversations today. Start using Relate ->