(5:41 Summary Video) “Trust as the Unseen Driver of Revenue and Growth”

In this 5:41 video, Dawn Werry and Jamie Gier tackle the hidden challenge of balancing short-term demands with long-term brand and trust. They cite Forrester data showing that boardrooms rarely discuss brand, despite trust being their top strategy. They outline metrics, churn, retention, and lifetime value to quantify brand ROI. Their guidance helps leaders make trust tangible and actionable.

In many boardrooms, brand and trust take a back seat to short-term performance metrics. But according to Dawn Werry and Jamie Gier, this is a costly oversight. Trust is not an abstract value; it’s a quantifiable driver of customer retention, sales efficiency, and lifetime value.

Speaking from their experience leading high-growth strategies, Dawn and Jamie explained how companies can translate trust into tangible metrics that boards pay attention to. They also addressed the delicate balancing act between meeting immediate pipeline goals and investing in long-term brand equity.

“If you are building trust, your customers are gonna stay for a while. It’s so much less expensive to keep selling to the same, trusted customer than building a whole new set of customers every time.” – Dawn Werry

To learn more, watch the 5:41 video or read the article below.

To catch the full interview with Dawn and Jamie on “How to Keep the Trust Crisis From Killing Your Pipeline,” CLICK HERE.

Article: “Trust as the Unseen Driver of Revenue and Growth”

This article is based on an interview with Dawn Werry, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer & Partner at Chief Outsiders, and Jamie Gier, Chief Marketing Officer at DexCare

Making Trust a Measurable Business Driver

Too often, leaders treat trust as something soft and immeasurable. Dawn countered this perception by grounding it in hard metrics: “If you are building trust, your customers are gonna stay for a while. It’s so much less expensive to keep selling to the same, trusted customer than building a whole new set of customers every time.” She pointed out that retention rates, churn reduction, and higher lifetime customer value all point directly to trust as the cause, and these numbers can be tracked over time.

Jamie agreed, emphasizing the importance of reframing trust for decision-makers: “They have to understand that it’s the DNA and everything is connected to trust. They have to start seeing that and how people purchase based on it.” By making trust a quantifiable part of the business strategy, executives can shift the conversation from “brand building” as an optional marketing effort to trust-building as a required investment in growth.

Balancing Immediate Results with Long-Term Equity

Leaders often feel pulled in two directions: hit the quarterly pipeline target or invest in initiatives that may not pay off until next year. Jamie’s approach is to balance both. “I am going to invest in some of the longer-term programming that naturally builds trust while helping to generate pipeline or advance deals already in the pipeline.” This dual-focus strategy keeps the sales engine running today while laying the foundation for sustained growth tomorrow.

For Dawn, trust-building is also about improving the efficiency of sales cycle. “It’s a much more friendly, wonderful relationship and especially if they trust you.” A strong brand reputation reduces the buyer’s perceived risk, meaning deals close faster and with less resistance. This is particularly valuable in complex B2B sales where multiple stakeholders need reassurance before signing a contract.

The message for executives is clear: long-term trust work doesn’t compete with short-term goals, it supports them by making the path to revenue shorter and smoother.

The Role of Brand Recall in Competitive Markets

Another reason to prioritize trust-building is that most buyers aren’t in-market at any given time. Jamie explained, “You only have so many buyers that are in the market at a given time. Your ability to be recalled at a moment in time is absolutely critical that recall stems from your brand-building efforts.” In crowded markets, this recall can be the difference between winning a deal and being overlooked entirely.

Dawn expanded on this point by addressing risk perception: “If they don’t trust you, have a bad reputation that’s a whole other story.” A strong brand backed by a track record of trust reduces the personal and professional risk for the buyer, something that carries significant weight when making high-stakes purchasing decisions.

When brand recall and trust work together, they ensure that when the buyer’s need arises, your company is not only remembered but also preferred.

Bringing Trust Into the Boardroom

One of the recurring challenges both leaders see is that trust is rarely discussed in board meetings. Jamie pointed out that many board members, especially those representing investors, naturally focus on short-term returns: “They wanna see what’s happening if the momentum is building for when that three-year mark hits or that five-year mark.”

The solution is to connect trust to the outcomes boards already track. As Dawn suggested, this means framing trust-building initiatives in terms of churn reduction, improved customer lifetime value, and pipeline efficiency. Jamie reinforced that this isn’t about selling the board on a feel-good concept; it’s about showing them how trust is directly tied to hitting growth targets.

By reframing the conversation around measurable outcomes, executives can secure the buy-in and resources needed to make trust-building an ongoing strategic priority.

Conclusion

Dawn Werry and Jamie Gier’s insights make one thing clear: trust is far from intangible; it’s a measurable, actionable growth driver. By balancing short-term revenue goals with long-term trust investments, companies can build stronger customer relationships, improve sales efficiency, and ensure they are remembered and preferred when buyers enter the market.

For executives, the call to action is to bring trust into the metrics that matter to the board. Track it, measure it, and treat it as the strategic asset it is. In a market where reputation and recall often decide the outcome, trust may be the most valuable currency your business holds.

ELEVATING CONTENT MARKETING STANDARDS RAISES A CRUCIAL QUESTION:
Why shouldn’t the very act of creating thought leadership content also spark new conversations with in-pipeline deals, top prospects, and high-priority customers for revenue expansion? Or serve as the cornerstone for learning and applying voice-of-customer strategies? That’s the power of ABM Podcasting—engaging B2B buyers and customers in meaningful conversations that uncover essential go-to-market insights, support long sales cycles, reinforce your market perspective, build peer-level trust, and dismantle objections that kill deals.

Steven MacDonald

Steven MacDonald is the founder of Content Strategies, CEO of a MarTech SaaS Company, fractional CMO consulting with leading B2B companies and former Director of Strategy and Client Service at top ten digital marketing agencies.

Follow Steve on LinkedIn.

Steven MacDonald

Follow Steve on LinkedIn.