How to earn customer trust in the age of AI | MarTech

"Without your customer's deep and abiding trust, a long-term relationship simply isn't possible. It builds confidence in your technology's ability to deliver. It's trust in you, the people behind your company, that sets the direction and creates the value. That kind of trust exists only between humans."

"This level of trust can only be earned. It hinges on your customer's belief in your commitment to their current and future success, especially when times get tough. I was interviewing a senior executive at one of my customers' key accounts. At the end of our discussion, I asked, "What is the greatest value you get from the company I represent?" The exec replied, "Our salesman. He's part of our team. He understands what we need and gets it.""

"If the humans behind your key customer base believe in you, as proven by your word and deed, and trust you with their future, you possess the single greatest competitive advantage and driver of customer lifetime value. CLV is the single greatest driver of long-term profitability, especially in B2B SaaS. Hint: you can't back into this. Earning trust requires you to walk the talk and be human."

"Here's a quick survey that will identify gaps between where you are and where you want to be in working to earn your customer's trust. It's based on the seven best practices of B2B companies that have established long-term profitability, and those that have not. Where are you in each of these best practices? Score on a scale of 1 (least) to 10 (most). You conduct regular qualitative research (e.g., enhanced NPS) to better understand your customer's progress, marketplace threats, and satisfaction with your service and support."

Long-term customer relationships require deep, earned trust that confidence in technology alone cannot provide. Trust grows when customers believe a company’s people are committed to current and future success, particularly when conditions become challenging. Trust is demonstrated through consistent word and deed, and it is fundamentally human. A senior customer executive described the greatest value from a vendor as a salesperson who is part of the customer’s team, understands needs, and delivers accordingly. When key customer stakeholders trust the humans behind the company and allow them to shape the future, the result is a major competitive advantage and a driver of customer lifetime value, especially in B2B SaaS. Trust cannot be reverse-engineered; it must be earned through actions. A self-assessment survey can score gaps across best practices such as qualitative research, centralized customer knowledge resources, and ongoing leadership content publishing.

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