Build Trust in Business by Telling Your Background Story

build trust in business

Do you struggle to be seen as an authority or expert in your field?

Have you ever wondered why those superheroes we see in the movies are so believable?

For example, we quickly believe that Spiderman can shoot webs from his wrists because he was bitten by a radioactive spider. We accept that Superman can fly and is incredibly strong because he is from Kryptonite, a planet with a red sun.

So what is the secret to giving your credibility a shot in the arm just like superheroes?

It’s a simple technique that will not only increase your customer’s view of your credibility, but it will also build trust in your business.

And it’s as simple as having an origin story.

Pay close close attention and you’ll notice that other business gurus and leaders have origin stories that build credibility and trust.  People hire them because they trust them.

A clear origin story can do the same for you.

Let’s talk about how you can develop your origin story in such a way that customers and clients resonate with you and want to work with you.

Use these examples as they stand or combine them in a way that makes sense to you and makes it super clear to customers and clients.

Been There; Done That

This is the simplest and most frequently used method. You may want to consider using it if your teaching or training about something you’ve done yourself. For example, if you’ve been an entrepreneur for 40 years like Richard Branson and you have the credentials to teach others how to be a successful entrepreneur. Granted, you don’t necessarily have to have 40 years under your belt, but even if you have 10 or 20 years, this can be an excellent method to use.

If you don’t have the years of experience, consider another method.

The Researcher

Do you love to research an area to the degree that you can apply it other areas and/or make it work better? Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great and Built to Last, does.

Even though he doesn’t run a large corporation, he has studied a ton of them and gets paid to consult with businesses and make them run better.

Another example is Neil Rackham who has spent a lot of time in sales meetings studying the psychology behind sales and learning what works and what doesn’t work.

Maybe you don’t have the experience of running a major corporation or maybe you’re not a leading salesperson but you’ve done a ton of research and you are able to help others become better at what they do. If so, you may consider the research method.

In My Previous Life…

This is an excellent method for those who have done something in their past that can be applied to a new area today. Consider Joe Navarro as an example. Joe trains people in the art of body language.

But Joe didn’t start out teaching people about body language. Instead, he was one of the founders of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. After decades of working with the FBI, he has gained credibility that people recognize in the business world. Another example includes a former journalist teaching people how to be interviewed or appear on TV or radio.

The point is…you don’t have to have an exact match from your previous training or skills to what you are doing now. Look for themes from what you’ve done before and what you’re doing now.

The Power Behind the Throne

Are you a behind-the-scenes person who has helped others reach their goals? Maybe you were able to get people to do what you are teaching now? Then this method may be one to consider.

Not sure if you’ve done this? Consider Mitch Russo who what head of operations for a business owned by Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes. He took that tiny company and scaled it quickly to a large successful business. It wasn’t his own business, but he helped someone else achieve success.

This is a great method if you’re in the-done-for-you-service arena.

The Trailblazer

I have to admit, I really like this method. It’s a modified version of the Been There; Done That method. This is terrific for those industries that change rapidly, such as Facebook advertising.

It doesn’t require you to have 40 years of experience under your belt. Instead, you can be 2 or 3 steps ahead of those you want to help…and you’re transparent about where you are in the journey. You let them know you’re just learning. As long as you're honest about it, people with respect that.

Richard Branson sticks out as an entrepreneur who is a Trailblazer. He discovers something new happening in Facebook advertising, tests it out and then shares the results. He is open and transparent with what he is doing.

Use What Works for Your Customers

These are just some of the methods you can use to develop your origin story.

Whether you use one or combine a couple, make sure it is clear to the people you want to reach. When you convey your story in such a way that it is clear and makes you believable as an expert in your field, people will resonate with you and hire you.

Ready to become the sought-after expert your clients will want to work with and be willing to pay a premium to do so? In Just 5 Days, Discover What it Really Takes to Become an Authority in Your Field – and Build Your Roadmap to Get There.  CLICK HERE to start the challenge.

About Ian Brodie

Ian Brodie helps consultants, coaches and other professionals to attract and win more clients. "Top Sales World" magazine named him as one of the Top 25 Global Thought Leaders in Marketing & Sales and "Rain Today" called his website one of the "resources of the decade" for professional services marketing. His first book, Email Persuasion has been a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic.

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Ian runs the 5 Day Authority Challenge: a free program that's helped thousands of experts learn what it takes to become authorities in their field. You can get free access to the the challenge at by CLICKING HERE

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