A Matter of Trust

Sales is about developing relationships, and good relationships are built on trust. But what is trust exactly? How do we, as humans, decide who to trust? What are the traits we look for, either consciously or subconsciously? What is happening in our brains when we feel as though we trust someone?

Perhaps you think you’re a trustworthy person and believe that others can sense that about you. But the way humans determine who to trust and what makes someone trustworthy doesn’t always make a lot of sense. For example, today people all over North America are trusting a ten-pound rodent to predict the weather. I think I’ve made my point.

WHAT IS TRUST?

You and I might not be able to define trust in a scientific, succinct way, so let’s look to the experts. There are sociologists, psychologists, and neuroscientists who study the intricacies of trust every day. Surely, they must have a definition nailed down. Right? Unfortunately, no. Even the professionals who study trust have a difficult time telling us what it is. Some describe it as a brain process, while others focus on the feeling of trust.

Just as there are varying definitions, there are many ways to study trust as well. We have covered game theory extensively in our blogs (here, here and here), and that is one method researchers have used to learn more about human social interactions and how trust is determined. Newer fields like neuroeconomics and social cognitive neuroscience use functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to uncover what parts of the brain are involved in determining and feeling trust.

So, the definition is a little fuzzy, and the mechanics of it are not wholly known, but there is a lot we do know that can help sales professionals and leaders foster trust in their relationships. That’s what we’ll be examining this month. For the purposes of exploring interpersonal trust as it relates to sales, Director of Intelligence Studies at the University of South Florida, Randy Borum, has what I think is the best definition of trust. According to Borum, it is “a willingness to accept vulnerability of risk based on expectations regarding another person’s behavior.”

Much of how we judge someone’s trustworthiness is automatic. It involves things like facial expressions which are processed in 100–200 milliseconds, and whether we consider someone to be part of our group or an outsider. Other decisions regarding trust develop more slowly in the controlled processing systems of the brain. These are conscious assessments we make of others. Has this person kept promises she has made in the past? Has this person provided me with information of value?

As someone reliant on the trust of others, whether as a leader or a sales professional, it’s critical to understand both the conscious and subconscious mechanisms underlying it. What are the heuristics people use to make determining trust easier? What are the biases we all have that can impact our trust in others? But first, a peek inside the brain.

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON TRUST

Oxytocin is the hormone thought to have the largest role in producing feelings of trust. It’s what fosters maternal behavior and mother-infant bonding. It also reduces anxiety. I was going to make a joke here about how unfortunately it’s not available on Amazon, but guess what? For $29.95 you can get a bottle of PherLuv oxytocin spray.

Yvonne gives it five stars and says she noticed her significant other paid more attention to her. Maybe it was the oxytocin. Or maybe it was the fact that her boyfriend found out she was buying hormones on Amazon and he figured that probably meant he wasn’t paying enough attention to her. We’ll never know.

A study published in Nature used game theory to determine oxytocin’s impact on trust. In it, participants were paired up and played the “trust game.” Here’s how it works. Two anonymous players are given the same amount of money. Player 1 has the choice of giving some of his money to Player 2. Whatever he sends is tripled and then given to Player 2. Finally, Player 2 has the opportunity to send some amount of money back to Player 1.

It’s similar to The Prisoner’s Dilemma. Let’s say each player starts with $5. If Player 1 gives all of his money to Player 2, Player 2 ends up with $20. He can then give $10 back to Player 1. Each Player doubles their money. But Player 2 can also choose to give no money back to Player 1 and instead keep all $20 for himself. Should Player 1 trust Player 2 or not?

The study found that when Player 1 was given an intranasal dose of oxytocin, he gave more of his money to Player 2. It should be noted that while this study is cited just about everywhere I researched information on oxytocin and trust, other researchers have not been successful replicating the results. It should also be noted that you can’t go around giving people intranasal doses of oxytocin without them noticing.

WHERE DO YOU BEGIN?

We mentioned that some of how we judge trustworthiness is automatic and subconscious. That means that when you interact with someone for the first time, they are making judgments of your trustworthiness before having much to go on. You don’t start at zero and then earn or lose someone’s trust based on how you treat them. It’s more likely that you start at another number based on biases, stereotypes, and in-and-out-group labeling. As a salesperson, this does not work in your favor.

Research from HubSpot tells us that only three percent of people consider salespeople to be trustworthy. What about B2B sales? A DiscoverOrg study found that 18 percent of those surveyed said the B2B salespeople they met with in the past year could be classified as trusted advisors whom they respect. You’re not starting at zero—you’re starting below zero. Most prospects start out not just not trusting you, but actively distrusting you.

That’s why we’re devoting this month to understanding trust. What are the predictors others are using to determine your trustworthiness? What are some ways you can foster trust and mutual respect with your prospects? Hint: It does not involve oxytocin spray.

Even though it’s Groundhog Day, you don’t get any do-overs. Schedule a Maestro workshop for your team and get things right the first time. Contact us at mastery@maestrogroup.co.