Instead of cold outreach, Accel Events hosts dinner events for potential customers and partners. They create a valuable community space for senior professionals to discuss shared challenges, without ever pitching their product. This builds trust and generates inbound interest and direct requests for calls, proving more effective than traditional sales tactics.

To get meetings with busy leaders before her product was ready, founder Janice Omadeke explicitly stated, "I am too early for you to purchase this." This non-threatening approach lowered their guard, reframing the conversation from a sales pitch to a collaborative session focused on learning their problems.

When entering a new domain, don't feign expertise. Build trust faster by openly admitting "I don't know" and explicitly leaning on stakeholders for their subject matter knowledge. This positions you as a partner who values their expertise, rather than an outsider imposing solutions.

Jane Wurwand argues that the key to selling premium products is educating the consumer first. This approach builds trust and desire, making the consumer ready to buy rather than feeling sold to. This fundamental principle of building trust remains effective regardless of changing marketing channels like social media.

The common approach to pitching is trying to convince doubters. A more effective strategy is to treat it as a high-volume search for "true believers"—people who already share your vision. The goal is to filter for existing allies, not waste energy on futile attempts at persuasion.

Molly's approach to building trust centers on "affective presence"—focusing on the subconscious emotional footprint you leave. Instead of pitching, she works to disarm people and make them feel understood through fully present listening. This creates a sense of safety and certainty that is more persuasive than any sales script.

In a domain dominated by fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), Wiz intentionally avoids it. They believe customers connect better with empowerment and humor. Instead of scaring clients about potential breaches, they frame their product as a tool that enables teams to build securely and confidently, fostering a healthier partnership.

Instead of a feature-focused presentation, close deals by first articulating the customer's problem, then sharing a relatable story of solving it for a similar company, and only then presenting the proposal. This sequence builds trust and makes the solution self-evident.

Instead of fighting with hostile community members who hated vendors, Spectora's founders consistently responded with helpful, non-promotional answers. This persistent, positive engagement eventually won over the harshest critics, demonstrating their long-term commitment to the industry and turning detractors into allies.