Every day in business—whether you’re closing a high-stakes deal in a Fortune 500 boardroom, networking at an event like Kingdom Entrepreneurs, or just having a hallway conversation—people are asking themselves one critical, subconscious question: “Can I trust you?”
That question is the foundation of every decision, every partnership, and every opportunity that comes your way. When the answer is a confident “yes,” doors fly open, deals close, and great things start to happen fast. But when the answer is hesitation, resistance follows, and your growth stalls out.
Leaders, coaches, and high-performing consultants: you already know this. You understand that your expertise only takes you so far. There is an invisible currency in the marketplace that is more powerful than your marketing budget, your sales pitch, or your pedigree. That currency is Trust.
In fact, I want you to remember this simple truth, which is the whole heartbeat of my book, Can I Trust You?: Trust is the invisible currency that either accelerates or stalls our success.
So, how do we measure this “invisible currency?” We don’t measure it with feelings or hopeful wishes. We measure it with a proven framework I developed called the Trust Credit Score. Just like your FICO score measures your financial credibility, this score measures your personal and professional credibility. And today, I’m doing a Reputation Retool to show you the five non-negotiable areas you must master to boost your score and step into your next level of impact and income.
Behavior, Not Words, Is the Scorekeeper
Think about your financial credit score, your FICO. What does it really measure? Your money. How well you take care of your money, whether you pay your debts, and your overall debt ratio. It determines if you are financially credible—a good risk, or a bad risk. It doesn’t care if you had a “good excuse” for missing a car payment. It doesn’t care about your feelings. It only cares about your behavior.
Now, imagine you missed a mortgage payment or bounced a few checks, and your FICO score dropped 75 points. If you called FICO and said, “I’m so sorry, I had some bad things happen, will you please forgive me and put my score back up?” What do you think they would say?
Just like FICO, which looks at repeated, long-term behavior, the Trust Credit Score is built over time, through Vetted Trust—the confidence people have in your character based on your repeated actions, not just what you say. It takes months, even years, of intentional, positive behavior to earn those higher scores.
This is the power of the Reputation Retool: it’s a methodical, actionable look at the five components of your behavior that determine your Trust Credit Score.
The 5-Point Trust Credit Score
There are five key areas where you are either accelerating or deteriorating the trust people have in you. You have power over every single one of these. You have to be intentional.
The first thing people notice is your Vibe. It’s your body language, your posture, your willingness to make eye contact. Did you know that 55% of all communication is non-verbal? Most of it is unconscious to you, but it’s screaming a message to the world.
- Your Costume: Everyone has a costume on. The way you dress—your costume—sends a message. I once spoke for New York Life, and I didn’t wear a tie. A managing partner wouldn’t talk to me for a year because, in that environment, a tie was a non-negotiable part of the “costume” that signified credibility and respect. Did I want to wear a tie? No. But I wanted to be credible. You must dress for the credibility you want to exude.
- Energy: Are you a downer, or do you fill the room with excitement? When you walk in, people feel your vibe, and that feeling is a direct deposit or withdrawal from your Trust Credit Score.
The second area is your Motives. Are you straight up solid? What is your real intention in what you’re doing?
In the entrepreneurial and sales world, we talk about “commission breath.” You can smell it when they walk in the room: “Hey, how are you doing? How much money you got? I need to sell you something!” People read that intent instantly.
If you are only focused on the transaction—on getting a sale—you will stall long-term trust. To build credibility that lasts, your intention must be clearly aligned with helping others, not just making a sale. You must demonstrate that your motive is genuinely to serve their needs. When you are up front about your intentions, you eliminate commission breath and secure a higher trust rating.
The third point is Integrity—your core values. Two men can’t walk well together unless they agree. Now, you can do transactional business with almost anyone, but you cannot successfully partner with someone—you cannot be a long-term referral partner—if your core values are not aligned.
- If a person is a lying, cheating, stealing person, we’re not going to work well together.
- If they talk behind your back, “ghost” people, or gaslight, that’s a massive red flag on their Integrity score.
People are unconsciously looking to make sure you share their values, and when you can consciously confirm that you operate by a clear, solid set of core values, your Trust Credit Score rises significantly.
The fourth area is your Expertise and Skill Set. Are you even built for this? Can you do what you say you can do at a high bar of excellence?
Think about the trades industry—plumber, electrician. There are three levels:
- Apprentice: Just learning, figuring it out.
- Journeyman: After many hours of training and passing tests, you move up.
- Master: The best of the best. And here is the critical point: Only a master can go to the city and pull a permit.
You need to ask yourself: Am I a master? Do I have certifications, designations, or advanced training behind my name? Actively pursuing this excellence and publicly displaying it isn’t bragging; it is raising your Trust Credit Score. It shows you have gone the extra mile to achieve a bar of excellence that the market can rely on. People trust masters because they have the necessary receipts of competence.
Finally, there are your Receipts. What is your track record? This includes:
- Positive Outcomes: Consistently delivering what you promised.
- Long-Term Reliability: Showing up and being consistent over a long period.
- Reputation for Excellence and Awards: People need to know that you have achieved something.
For a long time, as an entrepreneur, I couldn’t get any awards. But when I joined BNI and we took the Austin region to the top 2% in the world, I started getting major awards. I took that award home, put it on my wall, and posted about it. People are looking for those awards. They’re looking for evidence that you’re worth following, worth contracting with, and worth being referred to. Put it out there so they can see it.
Your score is not concrete; it’s fluid. You have the power to influence it every single day. If you have fractured trust with a client, a vendor, or even a family member, remember Steven Covey’s powerful line: “You can’t talk your way out of a problem you behaved your way into,” but you can behave yourself back into trust—often faster than you think. Every day, pick two areas of your Trust Credit Score to intentionally work on. Don’t tell everyone you’re doing it; just do it. As you become intentional, your credibility will begin to rise.
Accelerate Your Trust, Accelerate Your Success
The journey to a high Trust Credit Score is a journey of intentional, repeated, and vetted behavior. When you master these five accelerators—Vibe, Motives, Integrity, Expertise, and Receipts—you transform your reputation, unlock high-stakes opportunities, and elevate your personal and professional impact.
You can’t give me credibility; I have to earn it in my behavior. And if it is to be, it is up to me—and it’s up to you. Take control of your invisible currency today.
This blog post is just the executive summary. If you are serious about your Reputation Retool and want to hear the full, high-energy talk where I detail the entire Trust Credit Score framework and share the stories that brought these points to life, you need to listen to episode 17 of The Change Energizer Podcast.
Want the full framework for mastering the Trust X-Factor?
Subscribe to The Change Energizer Hot Seat Podcast now!
Find the full episode and all of our content on YouTube:
…and wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
And while you’re there, don’t forget to:
- Subscribe to The Change Energizer Hot Seat Podcast for future interviews with high-trust leaders and experts.
- Share this post with a friend, family member, or business owner who needs an expert guide.
- Connect with Host Scott Carley: Book a call to discuss how the Trust X-Factor can energize your organization at calltheenergizer.com
Don’t wait for success to find you—tune in now and start energizing the change in your business and your reputation!
Recent Comments