Trust Is Not Scalable

…but you can build it faster than ever before.

Last week, a reader asked me:

“Dieter, how did you build trust when you launched your consulting business — especially after 20 years abroad?”

A great question.

And an even better opportunity to show you how trust is built today, not only how I did it back then.

Because here is the uncomfortable truth:

👉 Trust is not scalable.

It is built with one conversation, one insight, one moment of credibility at a time.

But you can scale the speed with which people start trusting you.

Here’s how.

Part 1 – When I Started, I Was Invisible

Imagine this:

You return home after 20 years abroad.
You are a seasoned industry executive.
You’ve built teams, opened markets, led turnarounds.

And yet…

➡️ You have zero presence on LinkedIn, Xing, Experteer.
➡️ Your name means nothing in your home market.
➡️ There is no brand behind you anymore— just you.

That was me in 2015.
No social media.
No network.
Only a burning desire to build my consulting business.

So how do you get people to trust you enough to give you a mandate?

I started where all trust starts:

→ With empathy for your ICP.

I knew their world because I had sat on their side of the desk.
I knew their pressures.

Their fears.
Their dreams.
Their KPIs.
Their hopes for the next quarter.

This became the essence of my elevator pitch.
Not clever. Not creative.
Simply true.

And because every sentence was rooted in 20+ years of leadership and transformation work, it created instant credibility!

It looked like this:

• Their language → in my profile
• Their challenges → in my offer
• Their goals → in my positioning

This is how trust begins.

Part 2 – What Actually Worked Back Then

Ten years ago, marketing looked very different.
So I focused on three decisive activities:

1. Industry Events

Still one of the deepest trust builders today.

At exhibitions and conferences, I could…

• Meet decision-makers face-to-face
• Discover A-Players — crucial for Executive Search
• Stay close to industry developments
• Identify and focus on ~20 inspiring companies
  • 3–5 became long-term clients
  • 15–17 became short-term projects
  • The rest I intentionally ignored

All of this came from 2–3 events per year.

2. Old-School Letters

Yes, printed letters.
I sent ~60.

Most got filtered out by assistants.
These CEOs worked like me.                                                                                

I should have imagined this.
I dropped the idea quickly.

During this time,                                                                                                       very few were present on LinkedIn.

3. Early Video Calls (Pre-Covid)

A breakthrough.

I started connecting connecting more and more on LinkedIn.                              And I started talking to at least 3-4 people per day.                                              First mandates were signed. 
Over time I reduced travel from 70% to ~20% by focusing on building deep relationships with 3–5 A Clients and some smaller clients.

Trust grew through consistency, responsiveness, and industry expertise. 

All of them had experience by working with other providers.

I myself had to handle with many "NOs". Not easy to digest after working as a President or Region Head where the doors were always wide open.

So it was all about having patience and persistence to get my first chance supporting A-Customers. And solving urgent, successcritical needs with my first, second, third or fourth B-Customer.

Part 3 – How YOU Should Build Trust Today

Phase 1: Build Authority Fast

• Attend industry events — this still works better than anything else.
• Show up on LinkedIn daily — it’s the only platform you need at the start.
• Build a value ladder from day one:
  • Free content
  • Entry-level product
  • Signature consulting offer
  • High-end engagements

People trust you faster when they can experience your expertise in low-risk ways.

Phase 2: Avoid LinkedIn Dependency

This is where most new consultants fail.
At some point the algorithm will work against you.

So start early and in parallel:

👉 Build your mailing list.
👉 Start your newsletter.

I started far too late.
You should not repeat that mistake!

Phase 3: Scale Trust Distribution, Not Trust Itself

When your business runs smoothly it looks like this:

• Processes → defined
• Offer → validated
• Delivery → excellent
• Cashflow → predictable

Then you expand channels:

🎥 YouTube
🎙️ Podcast
🧩 Long-form content
👥 Slowly added headcount
⚙️ Systems to automate and optimize

This is how trust reaches more people — but the trust itself is always personal.

The Lesson

You cannot scale trust.

But you can scale:

• Your message
• Your visibility
• Your consistency
• Your proof of expertise
• Your number of conversations

Do this, and trust grows faster than you ever thought possible.

What are the obstacles you would like to understand and solve for taking the right decision for your next professional chapter? 

Don't forget: your excuses are someone else's opportunities.