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Loved learning about the numerator variables in the trust equation. Will try and keep it in mind.

Question about the cultural difference. I've heard you speak about the Chinese concept of Guanxi--sort of reciprocal altruism--that drives personal/professional transactions and is the force behind collective Chinese entreprenuerial success, for example. Why is it that the starting point for Western and Eastern culture broadly are "tit for tat" and "reciprocal altruism"? In a sense, reciprocal altruism is also tit for tat but with assumed positive outcomes.

On a related note, my observation would be that digital creators freely model reciprocal altruism or Guanxi. If you notice on Twitter and LinkedIn there are networks of influencers who like and comment on each other's posts and drive reach/engagement. This is rife everywhere. Assuming the original East-West difference in attitude to trust is cultural, what do you think explains explains this lowering of Western threshold for trust on digital social networks?

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Love this piece Aditya, especially the cultural part; it’s on point. In my practice, I use both approaches depending on where my clients are. The one most critical factor, especially for those on the instant trust side is, “be patient.” Trust doesn’t happen over night. It takes time to build. However, once built there’s a successful platform from which to create strong bonds and top business practices. You know you’re successful when you can see your global network build and work. I have found that trust also needs to be maintained by connecting with your network and touching base with others whose trust you’ve earned. Humans need the human connection. Love this framework and the tools you provide.

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Thanks, Candida. Love the comment about the ‘network effect’ of trust

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Nice article Aditya. I do agree with your statement that "The best salespeople don’t sell. They help their buyers buy". But it becomes difficult to gain trust of the buyer if the buyer can source what he needs from a known friend/ relative etc. This becomes a big problem when the buyer is a family owned/ promoter driven company.

How do we overcome bias in such situations?

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Clearly in this case the buyer has a very high degree of intimacy with his known friend. And that raises a high barrier to overcome. For such people, you may want to work harder on building your credibility and also becoming a ‘known person’. However, if the person is unethical as a buyer you want to consider if you should do business with them. Normally there are many fish in the sea and there is enough variety to allow you to avoid the poisonous ones. If you are in a sea where all fish are poisonous you better find another sea of you want to survive without becoming poisonous yourself 😀

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