In the world of business, building trust is the foundation upon which successful relationships are built. Whether it’s with clients, colleagues, or within the organization itself, trust is the bedrock that drives growth, productivity, and a thriving business. In this episode of the Predictable B2B Success podcast, we dive deep into the art of building trust with the remarkable Natalie Oldfield, President of Success through Trust.
Natalie Oldfield is a renowned thought leader in trust and a powerhouse when it comes to helping business leaders and owners achieve their objectives. Her expertise lies in understanding and harnessing the power of trust within organizations, specifically in the B2B environment. Through her insightful conversation with host Vinay Koshy, Natalie unravels the secrets to creating a culture of trust, elevating the customer experience, and achieving predictable success.
Join us as Natalie shares invaluable strategies, mindsets, and inspiring stories that will reshape the way you approach trust in your business. Get ready to unlock the remarkable benefits that trust can bring to your organization and propel it toward unparalleled success.
Watch the episode
About Natalie Oldfield
Natalie Oldfield, the founder of Success Through Trust, experienced a transformative event that led her to start her own company. While working full-time as the chief marketing officer in a software company, she took on a new role that involved sales and marketing responsibilities. However, the sudden financial crisis caused a decline in sales for software as a service, leaving Natalie in a challenging position.
This experience prompted her to establish Success Through Trust, a venture aimed at helping business owners and leaders navigate difficult situations and achieve success through trust-based strategies. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, Natalie is thrilled to share her knowledge and inspire others through her work.
Building Trust for Predictable Revenue Growth: Insights from Natalie Oldfield
In this episode of the Predictable B2B Success podcast, host Vinay Koshy interviews Natalie Oldfield, president of Success through Trust. Natalie is an expert in helping business leaders and owners achieve their objectives by developing a culture of trust within organizations. Through engaging conversations and real-life examples, Natalie provides valuable insights into the importance of trust in the B2B environment and how it can drive predictable success.
The Power of Trust in Business:
Natalie starts by highlighting the power of trust within organizations. Citing a study, she shares astonishing statistics about the benefits of high-trust companies, such as reduced stress levels, increased energy and productivity, improved engagement, and greater job satisfaction. However, Natalie also points out that many leaders struggle with building trust within their teams and organizations and are unsure about the specific actions to take.
Understanding the Business Case for Trust:
Natalie stresses the importance of understanding the business case for trust. She explains that trust is crucial in decision-making processes, influencing customers’ buying decisions, investments, and partnerships with a company. Building trust starts within the organization and creates a culture of trust that extends to clients and customers.
Natalie’s Journey into Trust:
Natalie shares a personal anecdote that triggered her journey into understanding trust-building within organizations. As a marketing professional, she witnessed declining sales and cancellations, which intensified her focus on providing value and building customer relationships. Seeking advice from successful salespeople, Natalie realized the pivotal role trust plays in business relationships, prompting her to research trust in the B2B environment extensively.
The Pillars of Trust:
Natalie introduces an effective trust-building model with eight key principles. The first principle is listening carefully with empathy and compassion. She emphasizes the importance of software development teams putting themselves in customers’ shoes and honing their empathy skills to meet their needs better.
Trust-Building Success Story:
Natalie shares a transformational story about Carl, a professional who lacked natural trust-building skills but participated in a trusted advisor certificate program. Over six weeks, Carl improved his confidence and developed strong customer relationships. As a result, Carl was considered for a promotion and brought in new projects and leads due to his role as a trusted advisor. This story demonstrates trust-building skills’ impact on individual and organizational success.
Putting the Customer First:
The episode delves into the importance of understanding the customer and their needs. Natalie accentuates the significance of managing expectations and building trust internally, leading to exceptional service and customer experience. Frontline employees play a critical role in representing the company to customers, and assessing their customer focus and skill sets is essential.
Using Data and Tools for Trust:
Natalie introduces a proprietary diagnostic tool she has developed that assesses the trustworthiness of a company. This tool uses algorithms to evaluate customer statements and generates a trust equity score. By using this tool, companies can gain valuable insights into their trustworthiness and identify areas for improvement.
The First Impression and Trust:
The episode also touches upon the importance of making a good first impression and being perceived as trustworthy from the outset. Natalie shares interesting research that shows it takes just 33 milliseconds for someone to determine whether to trust another based on their face. She provides tips on making a positive first impression, such as maintaining eye contact, smiling, and being punctual and attentive in meetings.
Improving Communication and Relationships:
Natalie emphasizes the importance of continuously improving communication and relationship-building skills. She acknowledges that while some individuals may naturally excel in these areas, everyone has the potential to learn and improve. She mentions a certification program focusing on effective communication, social styles, and body language, helping participants become better listeners and effectively build trust in business relationships.
Challenges and Solutions for Software Development:
Natalie discusses the debate around shipping partial projects versus complete components by addressing specific challenges software development teams face. She emphasizes effective communication and alignment to understand the customer’s perspective and adjust operating methods accordingly. Organizations can overcome these challenges and deliver better outcomes by fostering a culture of trust and open communication.
Building Trust: The Key to Predictable B2B Success
In a rapidly evolving business landscape, trust is more crucial than ever. Trust took center stage in the Predictable B2B Success podcast episode featuring Natalie Oldfield, an expert in helping business leaders achieve their objectives. In this blog post, we will delve into the episode’s main theme and provide actionable takeaways that you can implement to build trust and achieve predictable success in your B2B endeavors.
1. Understand the Business Case for Trust:
Natalie Oldfield emphasizes that trust is not just a buzzword but a tangible asset that can significantly impact your bottom line. High-trust companies experience reduced stress, increased productivity, and greater engagement. By recognizing how trust impacts your organization’s objectives, you can start prioritizing building trust as a fundamental strategy for success.
Actionable takeaway: Conduct a trust audit within your organization to assess the current trust level and identify improvement areas. This can be done through anonymous surveys or open discussions to gauge employee and stakeholder perceptions of trust and its impact on business outcomes.
2. Invest in Trustworthy Leadership:
A study revealed that a significant percentage of leaders lack trust in their organizations, and only a fraction trust their direct managers. To build a culture of trust within your company, leadership must embody trustworthiness and set an example for others to follow.
Actionable takeaway: Invest in leadership development programs focusing on trust-building skills, fostering open communication, and leading with integrity. Enable leaders to be trustworthy, empathetic, and accountable role models for the rest of the organization.
3. Cultivate Trust in Customer Relationships:
Addressing the customer’s perspective and building and maintaining relationships are critical elements of trust-building. By understanding your customers’ needs, delivering exceptional experiences, and managing expectations, you can create a trustworthy foundation for long-lasting partnerships.
Actionable takeaway: Encourage cross-functional collaboration and alignment within your organization to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding understanding and meeting customer expectations. Implement customer empathy exercises, such as role-playing scenarios or persona development, to enhance your team’s understanding of customer needs.
4. Be a Trusted Advisor:
Becoming a trusted advisor to your clients can open doors to new opportunities and establish a competitive advantage. You can be an indispensable partner in their success by developing strong relationships, actively listening, and providing value-added insights.
Actionable takeaway: Invest in trusted advisor certification programs or training to enhance your team’s ability to build credibility, understand customer perspectives, and provide valuable guidance. Encourage active listening and ongoing learning to improve as trusted advisors continuously.
5. Customer Experience Starts with Your Frontline:
With frontline employees often being the face of your organization, their ability to represent your company’s values and deliver exceptional service is crucial. Assessing customer focus and skill sets is vital in creating a consistent and trustworthy experience.
Actionable takeaway: Regularly evaluate and provide training opportunities for frontline employees to enhance their customer service skills, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving abilities. Empower them to be brand ambassadors who can build customer trust at every touchpoint.
6. Leverage Technology to Assess and Improve trust:
Natalie Oldfield has developed a proprietary diagnostic tool that analyzes trust equity within companies. Consider adopting technology-driven tools and analytics to evaluate and enhance trustworthiness at individual and organizational levels.
Actionable takeaway: Explore available trust assessment tools and diagnostic solutions that can provide insights into your organization’s trust equity. Leverage this data to develop tailored strategies for trust-building initiatives and continuous improvement.
Conclusion:
Building trust is not an option; it’s necessary for predictable B2B success. By aligning leadership, fostering a customer-centric culture, and developing trust-building skills, you can create an environment that fosters engagement, productivity, and long-term client relationships. Implement the actionable takeaways from this podcast episode to cultivate trust and unlock the full potential of your B2B endeavors.
Remember, trust doesn’t happen overnight, but with deliberate actions, consistent commitment, and a genuine focus on relationships, you can build a foundation of trust that will support your organization’s growth and success.
To learn more about Natalie Oldfield and her expertise in trust-building, visit her website “Success through Trust.com” or connect with her on LinkedIn.
So, what steps will you take today to start building trust in your B2B interactions? Please share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments below.
Some areas we explore in this episode include:
- The importance of trust in achieving predictable growth in business
- Understanding the business case for trust and developing a culture of trust within companies
- The role of trust in sales and customer relationships
- The power of being a trusted advisor and building strong customer relationships
- The impact of trust on promotions, important client meetings, and leadership positions
- A transformational story of developing trust-building skills and confidence
- The importance of customer experience and prioritizing customer relationships
- Assessing frontline teams’ customer focus and skill sets
- The use of proprietary diagnostic tools to assess the trustworthiness of a company
- Techniques and strategies for making a good first impression and being trustworthy in initial interactions
- And much, much more
Listen to the episode
Related links and resources
- Get a copy of The Power of Trust: How Top Companies Build, Manage and Protect It
- Check out Success Through Trust
- Learn from Fred Copestake – 5+ Ways to Building Trust With Clients That Drive Predictable Growth
- Learn more from Craig Andrews – How to Craft Trust Building Offers That Drive Growth and Foster Loyalty
- Learn from Henry Wong – 7 Keys For Building Your Personal Brand to Drive Growth And Sales
- Learn from Alan Versteeg – 5 Methods for Sales Coaching to Gain Trust and Achieve Sales Success
- Learn from Sharekh Shaikh – From Fraud to Quality: How to Use Trusted Market Research Environments to Drive Growth
- Learn from Todd Caponi – How To Build Trust With Customers: 9 Rules To Abide By
- Check out the article – 8 Ways to Gain Customer Loyalty and Trust Through Design
Connect with Natalie Oldfield
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