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People don't buy products. They buy trust.
Every purchasing decision filters through one equation:
Trust = (Credibility × Reliability × Intimacy) ÷ Self-Interest
When trust is high, sales are easy. When trust is low, no amount of persuasion works.
Most entrepreneurs focus on the wrong variables. They build credibility (credentials, experience, expertise) but ignore reliability, intimacy, and self-interest.
The result? Impressive profiles. Zero sales.
Here's what changes everything: Understanding which variable is blocking trust and fixing it systematically.
The Trust Equation Breakdown
This framework comes from "The Trusted Advisor" by David Maister. It explains every sales decision mathematically.
Note: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Variable 1: Credibility (Do They Believe You Know What You're Talking About?)
What it measures: Your expertise, knowledge, and capability.
How subscribers evaluate it:
Do you demonstrate deep understanding of their problem?
Can you explain complex topics clearly?
Do you reference experience, data, or case studies?
Have you proven you can deliver results?
If credibility is low, they think: "This person doesn't know enough to help me."
How to build credibility:
Share detailed frameworks (shows depth of thinking)
Reference specific results (proves capability)
Teach advanced concepts (demonstrates expertise)
Show receipts (screenshots, testimonials, data)
Common mistake: Trying to appear credible through credentials alone. Degrees and certifications help, but demonstrated expertise through teaching convinces faster.
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Variable 2: Reliability (Will You Actually Deliver What You Promise?)
What it measures: Consistency, follow-through, dependability.
How subscribers evaluate it:
Do you show up consistently (newsletter every week)?
Do you deliver what you promise (if you say Tuesday, is it Tuesday)?
Have others vouched for your reliability (testimonials)?
Do you admit mistakes and fix them?
If reliability is low, they think: "This person might disappoint me."
How to build reliability:
Publish on schedule consistently
Deliver promised lead magnets immediately
Under-promise and over-deliver
Share how you handle problems (shows accountability)
Common mistake: Being inconsistent with content. Posting 4x one week, disappearing for 3 weeks. Inconsistency signals unreliability, even if your actual service delivery is solid.
Variable 3: Intimacy (Do They Feel You Understand Them Specifically?)
What it measures: Personal connection, empathy, understanding of their unique situation.
How subscribers evaluate it:
Do you speak their language?
Do you understand their specific struggles?
Do you acknowledge their context and constraints?
Do you make them feel seen and understood?
If intimacy is low, they think: "This is generic advice. They don't understand my situation."
How to build intimacy:
Reference specific pain points they face
Acknowledge their fears and frustrations
Share vulnerable stories that create connection
Speak to "you" not "people" or "entrepreneurs"
Common mistake: Writing for "everyone" instead of "someone." When you try to speak to everyone, no one feels personally understood.
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Variable 4: Self-Interest (The Trust Killer)
What it measures: How much you appear to be serving yourself vs serving them.
How subscribers evaluate it:
Are you helping me or selling to me?
Do you care about my success or your commission?
Are you being honest or just saying what I want to hear?
Do you recommend what's best for me or what's most profitable for you?
When self-interest is high, it divides the entire equation. You can have perfect credibility, reliability, and intimacy, but if you seem self-serving, trust collapses.
If self-interest is perceived as high, they think: "This person just wants my money."
How to reduce perceived self-interest:
Give away your best insights for free (proves you care about helping)
Recommend competitors when they're better fits
Be honest about who your offer isn't right for
Focus on their transformation, not your features
Admit when you don't know something
Common mistake: Only creating content that pitches products. Every email selling something. This screams self-interest and destroys trust faster than anything else.
The Trust Diagnostic Framework
Use this to identify which variable is blocking your sales.
Scenario 1: High engagement, zero sales
Diagnosis: Credibility and intimacy are likely strong (they consume content). Reliability or self-interest is the blocker.
Fix: If reliability is low (inconsistent publishing), fix your schedule. If self-interest is high (too much pitching), increase free value ratio.
Scenario 2: People click your offers but don't buy
Diagnosis: Credibility got them to click. But something at the decision moment breaks trust. Usually self-interest (sales page feels pushy) or reliability (unclear if you'll deliver).
Fix: Review sales page. Remove hype. Add guarantees or clear deliverables. Show proof of past delivery.
Scenario 3: You get replies but no purchases
Diagnosis: Intimacy is strong (they feel comfortable replying). Credibility might be questioned (they're not convinced you can solve it) or reliability (they're not sure you'll follow through).
Fix: Share more case studies (builds credibility). Show your process (builds reliability).
Scenario 4: People say "I'll think about it" repeatedly
Diagnosis: Trust exists but isn't strong enough to overcome decision friction. Usually credibility or reliability needs strengthening.
Fix: Provide more proof (credibility) or reduce perceived risk with guarantees (reliability).
How to Apply This to Your Email Sequences
Your sequences should systematically build all three trust variables while minimizing perceived self-interest.
Welcome Sequence (Focus: Credibility + Intimacy)
Emails 1-6: Demonstrate expertise through teaching. Show you understand their struggles. Zero pitching.
Email 7: Low self-interest invitation. "Here's how I can help if you want it."
Result: They trust you know your stuff and understand them. Self-interest is low because you gave first.
Nurture Sequence (Focus: Reliability + Credibility)
Consistent delivery builds reliability. Deep teaching builds credibility. Occasional mentions of offers maintain awareness without triggering self-interest alarm.
Result: They see you show up consistently and know your stuff deeply.
Launch Sequence (Focus: Reducing Self-Interest)
Be transparent about who it's for and who it's not for. Share honest ROI calculations. Admit limitations of your offer.
Result: Even though you're selling, low self-interest makes the pitch feel like service.
The balance: 80% content focused on their success (credibility, reliability, intimacy). 20% invitations to paid support (managed self-interest).
What You've Built This Week
Monday: Identified that sales feels wrong because of values misalignment
Tuesday: Learned value-first selling that matches your values
Wednesday: Diagnosed the engagement without conversion problem
Thursday: Built the four-sequence system that converts systematically
Friday: Chose your implementation path
Saturday: Understood the psychology that drives every purchase decision
You now have:
The ethical framework (value-first selling)
The systematic architecture (four sequences)
The psychological foundation (trust equation)
Everything you need to sell without feeling like a salesperson.
Week 11 Preview: Content Systems for Authority
You have the sales infrastructure. Now you need content systems that build the trust variables before people ever see your offers.
Next week:
Content frameworks that build credibility systematically
Publishing systems that demonstrate reliability
Writing techniques that create intimacy at scale
The editorial calendar that compounds authority
Sales sequences convert. Authority content makes conversion inevitable.
See you Monday.
Ready to implement? Choose your path from Friday's article and take action this week.
The system works. But only if you build it.
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