A while ago I interviewed my old friend Charlie Green for a podcast.

You may well know Charlie as the author of Trust Based Selling, the co-author with David Maister and Rob Galford of The Trusted Advisor and with Andrea Howe of the Trusted Advisor Fieldbook.

So it's pretty fair to say Charlie's a bit of an authority on building trust.

One question I asked him was “if you were starting at ground zero with a potential client – what's the best way to build trust?”

I was really surprised by his answer.

Before reading on – have a little think about how you would answer that question.

I was expecting an answer about relationship building or “soft skills” somehow.

But Charlie's answer was “have a point of view”.

His point was that the best way to earn trust quickly is to add value.

Don't waste your client's time.

If you don't have anything to say, no point of view that might give them new insights or challenge their way of thinking, if you just nod and agree with what they say: what's the point of you being there?

Of course, Charlie added that you must get across that point of view respectfully. Suggest ideas. Tell them about what you've found with other clients and that might likely be an issue for them.

Don't bash them over the head with your stunning insights or come across as Mr Arrogant.

What struck me was that this approach involves risk. What if you're wrong? What if the client disagrees?

But as Charlie said: without risk there is no trust. You have to put yourself on the line to earn trust. You have to risk failure. Playing it safe doesn't earn you anything.

Definitely food for thought.