The Trust Factor

Buyers today are not the same as they were even a few years ago. They are more informed, more cautious, and far more skeptical.

For anyone selling cleaning services, chemicals, equipment, or complete facility solutions, the familiar playbook of scripts, buzzwords, and rehearsed pitches no longer works. In many cases, it pushes prospects away.

This shift is central to a conversation with Larry Levine, author of “Selling from the Heart: How Your Authentic Self Sells You!” and co-host of the Selling from the Heart podcast. Levine argues that today’s sales professionals are operating inside a trust gap—one that has widened due to inconsistency, broken promises, and an overreliance on technology. The gap between the seller’s offering and the buyer’s needs must be bridged if dismissal is to be avoided before the conversation even begins.

“You really don’t realize how important trust is until there is no trust,” Levine said. “As I work with companies and executives, I always ask this question: ‘Are you in the people business, and are you in the relationship-building business?’ And 100% of the time, everyone says, ‘Yes.’ Then I ask, ‘What are you doing to develop your people skills and relationship-building skills in a world where trust is at rock bottom?’”

How technology created distance

Levine believes technology plays an influential role in that erosion. Many professionals hide behind digital tools, allowing technology to communicate for them.

“We’re allowing technology to speak for us,” Levine explained. “My movement at Selling from the Heart is this: It’s still human-to-human. We’ve got to push ourselves in front of technology.”

But technology isn’t the only culprit. Years of unkept promises and inconsistent follow-through have shaped buyer expectations.

“They’re walking into every conversation already saying this: ‘I already know what’s going to happen. They’re going to act like the other ten salespeople. They’re going to say all the right things. They’re not going to follow through,’” Levine said.

Why the basics still matter

In the earliest part of his career, Levine asked customers what they liked and didn’t like about salespeople. The answers were simple and timeless.

“It was the same things: Listen to me, see me, value me, pay attention to me, follow through when you say you’re going to, don’t break your promises,” he said. “All of that stuff I learned in the ’80s still plays out today.”

The problem, in his view, is that sellers often overlook these fundamentals. “We forget that it’s still me selling to somebody else who is a human who has feelings, who wants to be seen, who wants to be heard,” Levine said.

Levine struggled with scripts early in his sales career. “It just wasn’t me,” he said. A mentor eventually told him to understand the framework, but make the delivery his own.

Buyers can quickly sense inauthenticity in body language, tone of voice, eye movements, and inflection. “They’re going to sniff it out,” Levine explained. “And when they do, everything turns to price because they know they can get away with it.”

Trying to behave like a stereotypical salesperson, he argues, only increases skepticism. Levine uses two words to explain genuine connection: connect and relate.

“The more comfortable I made them feel about me, the more comfortable they became,” he said. “And when they became that comfortable, they started sharing business secrets with me that they weren’t sharing with other salespeople.”

But he also warns against leaning too heavily into rapport. Overdoing it can push sales professionals into what he calls the friend zone. “I can be the friendliest person there, but if I’m not bringing any business substance, we’re just friends, and you’re buying things inconsistently from me,” he said.

Connection needs to be paired with value, including insight, expertise, and relevance that help the buyer think differently, Levine said.

The four components of trust

Levine outlines four elements that help salespeople build trust right from the start:

1. Build genuine, authentic relationships by getting to know the customer personally and professionally.
2. Bring meaningful business value that helps them become smarter.
3. Create an inspirational experience. “Breathe life into people… inspire them to see things they don’t see.”
4. Develop disciplined habits that show consistency in preparation, communication, and follow-through.

“Some of you might be going, ‘This is really simple stuff.’ Guess what? It is—but not for everyone,” Levine said.

One of Levine’s strongest viewpoints is that rapport building has been dramatically overvalued. He believes that starting with business immediately elevates credibility. Personal conversation naturally emerges once trust is built. Instead of forcing friendliness up front, he recommends delivering insight early, showing relevance, and honoring the buyer’s time. Rapport then grows organically.

Trust in an AI-driven world

As AI, automation, and digital tools reshape the landscape, many salespeople fear they’ll be replaced or need to reinvent themselves. Levine sees the opposite opportunity.

“Technology doesn’t have a heartbeat,” he said. “Humans have a heartbeat. If you want to rise above all the empty suits and stand out, learn how to connect to someone’s heart.”

The future will reward professionals who double down on empathy, communication, consistency, and relational intelligence. These cannot be automated.

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