…or The #1 Asset No Amount of Money Can Buy: Trust
When you hear about fractured trust, what comes to mind? Is it a massive, dramatic betrayal? Often, it’s not. As host of The Change Energizer Podcast, I often say, “Trust is earned in drops, lost in buckets.” In the world of finance and professional advisory, trust isn’t a bonus, it’s the foundation.
I welcomed wealth advisor Scott Schiller on the podcast in March to discuss this topic, using the framework of the Trust Credit Score. Over 20 years in financial services, Schiller has seen how easily trust can shatter, and what it takes to rebuild a reputation one brick at a time. This post breaks down the three most critical lessons for advisors and clients alike on navigating the two-way street of professional trust. To see the conversation in full, click the link below:
Understanding the Pillars of Trust: The T.R.U.S.T. Acronym
Before you can rebuild trust, you have to understand what it’s built on. The Trust Credit Score is calibrated using Five Pillars—a simple, powerful acronym that helps you evaluate any professional relationship.
True Motives: Is Your Heart in the Right Place?
Are you serving your client, or are you serving yourself? As a fiduciary, Scott Schiller’s motives must be pure—to act in the client’s best interest. Even when compensation is involved, the core motivation must be service. Fractured trust often begins when motives are questioned.
Radiance: How You Show Up Matters
This is your presence—your body language, your energy, and your consistency. It’s about being present and approachable. Scott Schiller notes that he brings a positive, educational, and even fun vibe to the often-serious business of finance to show clients he’s a partner, not a lecture.
Underlying Core Values: Honesty Over All Else
Your core values are the non-negotiable rules you live by. This is the pillar that will force you to walk away from a bad fit. When Scott Schiller refused to promise a prospective client unrealistic double-digit returns, he was upholding his core value of honesty—a move that saves you from potential legal issues and builds a bulletproof brand reputation.
Skill Set and Expertise: Deliver What You Promise
This is the competence to execute. An advisor must have the knowledge to help a client achieve their goals. However, expertise is just one piece; without the other pillars, competence alone cannot sustain trust.
Track Record: Actions Over Words
Trust is not rebuilt with words, but with actions over time. Your history of showing up, delivering on promises, and navigating crises is your track record. It proves that your motives and values are consistent.
Case Study 1: The Compensation Conversation—Don’t Get Blindsided
A typical fee-based model should be a standard discussion, but for Scott Schiller, it led to a complete shutdown and a “trust score of zero.”
The Misstep: Assuming Acceptance
In this situation, Scott felt great after three meetings—he had built rapport and felt prepared to deliver an “amazing plan.” The one thing he failed to do was pre-vet the client’s feelings about his compensation model. He learned that simply having a standard, justifiable model isn’t enough; the client’s aversion to that model, regardless of its fairness, is the deciding factor.
The Crucial Lesson: Ask Deeper Discovery Questions
Schiller’s process changed forever. He realized he needed to ask two critical questions much earlier:
- Direct Transparency: “How do you get paid?” He now puts an easy-to-read flyer on a screen in the first or second meeting to address compensation proactively.
- Past Experiences: “Please share with me your previous experience working with professionals. How’s it gone? What do you like? What do you not like?” This discovery is the key to hearing their underlying aversion, which allows an advisor to pivot to an alternative solution and say, “I heard you. You told me you didn’t like this. Here’s another option.” This act of listening and adapting is a huge trust accelerator.
Moving On: Not Every Client is the Right Client
Even after doing the right things, the relationship did not recover. The final takeaway? Sometimes, a mismatch in expectations or models means the client is simply not the right fit for your practice, and being able to move on with pure motives is essential to maintaining professional integrity.
Case Study 2: When Honesty Means Walking Away from a New Client
Not all clients are looking for a fiduciary; some are looking for a miracle worker. Scott Schiller recounted a referral who was seeking very high rates of return, “talking double what maybe the stock market would average over a 20 or 30 year period of time.”
The Fiduciary Line in the Sand
For any financial professional, promising returns above guaranteed fixed interest rates is a major red flag—it’s misleading and dangerous. Scott immediately had to say, “Sir, I cannot deliver that for you or at least verbally and promise you that. It’s just simply too high.
Upholding Core Values: The Long Game vs. the Short Gain
By choosing honesty over a new client, Schiller prioritized his core values and professional reputation. This difficult choice saves him from the high likelihood of a lawsuit down the road (as he points out, “You’ll see the billboards: ‘Unhappy with your financial advisor, call us someattorneys.com‘… in every bear market”). Telling a client the hard truth—the message they don’t want to hear—is a powerful trust builder. It proves that honesty is a permanent company policy.
The Hardest Battle: Rebuilding from Negative Trust
What if a potential client comes to you already damaged—a victim of a “big-name insurance company” that prioritized product pitching over planning? They are starting from a place of “negative trust.
The Power of Patience and Venting
Scott Schiller’s strategy was simple, but required extreme patience: let them vent. His first meeting was not an introduction of his services, but purely a space for the couple to “rant” and get all their frustration and bad experiences off their chest. By genuinely listening and asking follow-up questions, he did the opposite of what their previous advisor had done.
Accelerating Trust Brick by Brick
This approach extended the onboarding process from one meeting to three, resulting in a relationship built on a foundation of feeling heard. This patience and long-game focus builds trust and replaces the client’s industry-wide “bashing” with a new, positive experience.
The Professional Network and Final Word
Trust extends beyond the client relationship; it defines your professional network. Scott Schiller is intentional about vetting his network—from insurance agents to CPAs—to ensure they share the same core values. When he makes a referral, the integrity of his entire brand is on the line.
The most valuable asset for a small business owner is their reputation. Trust is where that comes from. Scott Schiller’s journey is a powerful reminder that while trust can be lost in buckets, a commitment to consistent honesty, active listening, and unwavering core values will always earn it back, drop by drop, for a successful lifetime relationship.
The discussion on compensation, unrealistic returns, and rebuilding trust is a crucial listen for both professionals and clients.
Check out the full episode of The Change Energizer Podcast with Scott Schiller!
Don’t wait to start your next great season. Get in touch with Scott Carley, The Trust Energizer, today: calltheenergizer.com
Find the full episode and all of our content on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ScottCarley
…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!
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