When you have many trust based relationships you have enough leverage to move the world.
Enough people trust Seth Godin to write inspiring, thought provoking pieces that his blog posts are retweeted and posted all over the internet within minutes of being published. His books hit the web with a force that I have never seen before in my life, and his views are sought after by marketers throughout the world.
Great for Seth... how can you reproduce that in your own industry niche? The key here, I believe, is to do it one at a time.
In my own game of asset engineering I have built up several trust based assets. Assets that have allowed me to dramatically increase revenues, increase the client base (in many ways) and to create the platform for future repeat business to existing clients.
And it was all done one relationship at a time, one engagement at a time, and one conversation at a time. At every turn you need to foster the view that you are a person who is ethical and honest (which you should be or get out now), and that you are capable of delivering what you say you can deliver.
Here are some tips for building a trust based asset to the point where you can leverage it to move mountains.
1. Always try to start rtelationships with a corporation at the level of the person who will be signing the checks for the work that you do. It is futile and energy sapping to start relationships at levels lower than this.
That does not mean that they are not productive relationships to hold. Of course they are. But starting high is like splitting a diamond. If you hit it right then the entire organization splits open, if you do not then it is a bad situation all round.
2. Have a list of people who are lining up to tell the world what a great job you do. Inferred trust is very powerful when it is from a peer. Another reason why LinkedIn is such a powerful tool.
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