How To Earn Trust

by Nick Laight | Jun 24, 2026 | Blog | 0 comments

This week saw the resignation of the UK Prime Minister.

I’m sure you have your own opinions on him!

And there are plenty of political factors behind Sir Keir Starmer’s downfall.

But one common criticism was that people were never sure exactly what he stood for, ideologically.

He presented himself as a pragmatic leader who would always make sensible decisions.

And this made him come across as a bit wooden, and lacking in a deeper moral conviction.

Even his own Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, called him “Mr Rules”.

But beneath his ‘rules’, what did he stand for?

Who was he trying to help in society?

What was his passion in life?

What was his political goal, other than the management of the country or the retention of power?

The verdict is that Starmer didn’t communicate a powerful message that resonated with people emotionally – and that was a big reason why they didn’t vote for him.

Because it’s all well and good to lay out rational facts, set rules, and promise people a ‘system’…

But that’s not really what makes people vote.

We vote, primarily, on the basis of deep emotions (even if we are not conscious of doing so).

We vote for people we trust.

And trust isn’t just about the pragmatic systems that a leader promises to put in place.

You need to feel that a politician understands your struggles, hopes and dreams.

That they are looking out for your interests…

That they’re honest about their intentions.

And that they’ve got the passion and conviction to carry through what they promise.

It’s a similar problem when you’re trying to succeed in a home business.

The Missing Piece That Stops You Making Money

When you set up a home business of any kind, you naturally think first of the mechanics.

What am I going to create or build?

What’s going to be in it?

How do I set it up?

Where do I find the customers?

All important factors to consider, of course.

But too often, the temptation is to focus on the specifications of a product or service – all the practical, functional elements that you have worked hard on.

Or you focus on producing lots of factual information, believing that the more you throw at a customer or subscriber, the more impressed they’ll be.

You think….

“I’ve got great content… I’ve got lots of features… and I’ve got a system that works – NOW I CAN MAKE MONEY.!”

But there’s a missing piece..

The Three Pillars of Persuasion

You’ve no doubt heard of Aristotle?

Almost 2500 years ago, he was a Greek philosopher and polymath who studied at Plato’s famous Academy.

Among his areas of expertise was something that I mentioned last week…

The concept of eudaimonia.

It’s a form of human happiness in which we find fulfilment and meaning – rather than quick gratification, excitement or pleasure.

One aspect of eudaimonia is the ability to communicate with others, making deep emotional connections. and getting people to like you.

Which also happens to be THE secret of persuasion in business and marketing too.

Artist said that persuasive communication needed three things:

Ethos (Character/Credibility) – showing people that you are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and have good moral character.
Pathos (Emotion): Appealing to someone’s emotions and values so that they’re receptive to your message.
Logos (Logic): Using reason, evidence, and logical structure as proof.

For many people who start a home business, it’s that first element – ethos – which is the most challenging and, usually, the missing piece.

Because you might reasonably wonder…

How can I establish trust if I am not an expert… have no track record… and no impressive qualifications?

But Aristotle argued that true ethos isn’t about your pre-existing social status or your reputation.

It’s about how you come across in your content and marketing.

You can build trust, he said, by showing three qualities:

Practical wisdom (phronesis) – you share useful advice that helps them avoid a mistake, achieve a goal or make a better decision.
Virtue (arete) – You are honest about what you know, what you don’t know, what you truly believe and what you recommend.
Goodwill (eunoia) – you are on their side and looking out for their interests. You are genuinely trying to help them, not just trying to extract money from them.

This is what modern experts in persuasion believe too.

For example, Robert Cialdini is famous for his expertise in the area of ‘influence’, and he includes these three factors:-

Liking – we’re influenced by people we like, relate to or feel a connection with.
Authority – we trust people who appear knowledgeable or useful.
Reciprocity – when someone gives us value consistently, we feel warmly towards them, and more likely to pay them.

And in the 1990s, a research paper, titled ‘An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust’ by Mayer, Davis and Schoorman. proposed that trustworthiness was based on three perceptions:

Ability – you have the power to help
Benevolence – you sincerely WANT to help
Integrity – you won’t mislead them in the process

So as you can see, both ancient and modern wisdom are very much in accord!

Ultimately, people don’t just judge the message….

They judge the messenger.

And that’s down to you.

How To Be Trusted

When we’re faced with a marketing message, and we’re being asked to hand over money (or give up our email address) we need to know…

Do they really care about me and my goals?

Will they give me something that will help?

Are they being honest about their intentions?

So how can you show this to them?

Show Your Personality

People trust real human beings who they can relate to.

So you need to have a distinct voice, strong opinions and a clear personality.

This will make you much more likeable – and distinguish you from all the generic marketing spiel and AI-generated slop that’s out there.

For practical advice on how to do this, please check out these two issues of What Really Makes Money

But there’s more you can do…

Give Them Something Of Value For Free

Before you ask for any money, make sure you deliver useful helpful advice for free, not just once or twice, but week after week.

This way, your subscriber will think, “If this is what they give away, imagine what they charge for!”

Don’t Just Recommend Your Own Products

If you only ever mention your own products, and only ever link to your own content, it can feel like you are just in it for the clicks and sales.

You don’t really want to help… you’re just in it for whatever you can get out of your customer.

This is a surefire way to lose trust.

So try to be genuinely helpful…

Recommend a free tool…. link to a useful website or scientific report… quote another expert… suggest further reading…

This will show your potential customers that you are on their side, and have their best interests at heart.

Always Be Honest!

Nobody trusts that person who claims to know everything and pretends they have NO flaws or weaknesses.

It’s what you might call a ‘red flag’!

We’ve all been burned by that type before.

So don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know.

When you say “I’m no expert, but here’s what worked for me”… people will believe you more, not less.

It’s okay to share weaknesses or flaws, as long as you also share your strengths, passions and convictions.

Because you don’t have to position yourself as a guru.

You don’t need to show off your sports car… or pretend you’re sat by a pool with a laptop and a cocktail, making £10K a day at the touch of a button.

In fact, for most people these days, this is a total turn-off.

People relate more to someone who’s been in their situation… who understands their struggles… and is perhaps a step or two ahead on the same path.

So you can admit things like “I wasted three months doing this the hard way” or “I didn’t have the patience and concentration span to make this work.”

And you can recommend strategies, systems and tools that you are currently trying out yourself… even if you are not yet a full-blown success in your field.