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Sales reps, if you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to win a customer's trust, it's a bit like dating. Yes, you read that right—dating. I’m talking about Charles H. Green’s Trust Equation. It's like a relationship guide for sales:

Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) / Self-Orientation

Let’s break it down—and have some fun along the way.

1. Credibility: First Impressions Matter

In dating, first impressions are everything. The same goes for sales. Credibility has two parts:

• Professional knowledge: You can’t wing it on a date—or in a meeting. You need to know your stuff. Understanding your customer’s challenges and knowing how your product fits is like showing up to a date knowing their favorite band. At Oracle, we don’t just stop at knowledge; we have a broad array of business and industry value consultants, technical experts, and specialist teams ready to assist our customers. This means we can ensure that the realized business outcomes align perfectly with customer needs, just as you’d want to make a great impression on a first date.
• Professionalism of delivery: But it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. You’ve got to deliver your message with confidence and clarity—just like you wouldn’t show up to a date in sweatpants (at least, not on the first one!).

Pro Tip: Put in the effort! The more you prepare, the more confident you’ll be, and your customer will trust you just like a date would when you arrive polished and prepared.

2. Reliability: Keep Your Promises (It’s Not Just About the Big Gestures)

In relationships, you build trust by being reliable—showing up when you say you will, following through on promises. Same in sales:

• Doing what you say: If you say you’ll send a proposal by Thursday, don’t wait until next Tuesday. Follow-up, be on time, and don’t ghost them!
• Proving dependability: This is where things get tricky—customers truly see how dependable you are when times get tough. Take one of our Melbourne-based PAYG customers, for example. They tested a small workload in our Middle East cloud region, which experienced a brief outage, prompting them to test Oracle’s finance-backed SLAs. After reaching out through our inbound chat team, one of our VIC account executive went above and beyond to assist them in claiming a $3 refund. But it wasn’t about the money—what stood out to the customer was how our team took responsibility and supported them throughout the process. Now, this multinational customer is loyal, not because of the refund, but because we demonstrated that we care and that the ‘buck stops with us.’

Pro Tip: Reliability starts with the little things. You don’t have to propose after the first date. Just be there when you say you will!

3. Intimacy: Be Present, but Don’t Get Too Personal

In the dating world, intimacy is built over time, not in one dinner. Similarly, in sales, it’s about gradually deepening the relationship:

• Frequency of Interaction: Being present is crucial, but there’s a fine line between engagement and overdoing it. You want to check in often enough to stay memorable without coming across as overly eager or intrusive. It’s essential to show up at the customer’s premises, grab a coffee together, or run into them occasionally. This way, you avoid the “out of sight, out of mind” attitude and reinforce your commitment to being there for them.
• Personal connection: Relying solely on personal relationships in the B2B environment can be risky, especially given the recent significant turnover in C-suite positions across top companies. If you're too dependent on one contact, you may be left vulnerable when they leave. At Oracle, we've been fortunate to develop executive relationships that transcend companies, ensuring we maintain valuable connections even as individuals move on.

Pro Tip: Balance is key. Don’t mistake getting close to one person for sealing the deal with the entire account. Trust is about the whole package.

4. Self-Orientation: Don’t Make It All About You

We’ve all been on a date with someone who talks only about themselves. Guess what? Customers hate that too. They need to know you’re in it for them, not just for your quota:

Think about their success: What will your product do for their company — and for them personally? For example, if your prospect persona is a data analyst, highlighting that your solution delivers x factors and reduces costs is great, but how does that impact them directly? Maybe their dashboard hangs for five minutes every time they open it, and when they remove a filter, it adds another five minutes. If they need to look at five dashboards to produce critical business insights, that could mean hours spent on data retrieval instead of time at home with their kids. Demonstrating that you understand their day-to-day challenges shows that you genuinely care about their needs, not just your sales targets.

The Bottom Line: Balance Is Key in Building Trust

In B2B sales, focusing on intimacy alone—like thinking you’ve “got the account in the bag” just because you’re close to one contact—is risky. People move on, but trust sticks around. Build trust by showing you’re credible, reliable, and in it for their success.

It's also essential to recognize that B2C sales differ significantly from B2B. The trust equation must be approached differently in these contexts, as B2C often relies on emotional connection and brand loyalty, whereas B2B hinges on demonstrable value and long-term partnerships. Additionally, whether you’re a hunter (focused on acquiring new business) or a farmer (nurturing existing accounts) will shape your strategy.

Start small—landing a $1K deal is like getting that second date. It’s proof you’re trustworthy. From there, who knows? The next budget cycle could be $100K or $100M more, and they’ll be ready to commit because you’ve shown you’re reliable over time.

Happy Selling