Episode Summary
Seth Carpien, Chief Growth Officer at Tricon Infotech, and Misti Fragen, VP of Change Management and Digital Transformation at Tricon Infotech, explore why trust must come before selling in modern B2B environments. They explain how leaders who invest time in building authentic relationships create stronger opportunities for collaboration, long-term partnerships, and sustained growth across industries. Their discussion highlights how genuine engagement, community building, and human connection allow organizations to develop meaningful credibility that influences buying decisions and strengthens professional networks over time.
Highlights
Introduction
YouTube Short
Episode Q&A Videos
2:33 |Trust-First Relationships Strengthen B2B Business Opportunities
“When I started working in financial services, I realized very quickly that if someone was going to give you their money to invest, they first had to trust you. That trust was built through relationships, referrals, and credibility, and once that trust existed, the conversation about business naturally followed.”
2:05 | Authentic Engagement Strengthens Trust Throughout Customer Journeys
“Customer journey matters because it shows people that you genuinely care about them, their business, and their success. When they feel that authenticity, that trust becomes the foundation for everything that follows.”
4:05 | Trust-Driven Cultures Enable Long-Term Sales Leadership
“Culture is what ultimately determines whether trust becomes part of the strategy or whether it stays as a talking point. When leaders reinforce relationship-building through the organization's culture, people naturally approach customers and partners in a completely different way.”
4:37 | Relationship Communities Create Powerful Professional Networks
“Building relationships ahead of time is what allows you to even be considered when companies start evaluating solutions, because if they already trust you, you are naturally part of the conversation from the beginning.”
6:19 | The Table Strategy Expands Networks Through Meaningful Conversations
“There really is no secret formula behind the table. It is simply about bringing people together around a table to talk, laugh, and get to know each other. What we began to see was that those conversations started creating real communities, with people supporting each other and building relationships that extended far beyond a single dinner.”
2:21 | Human Connection Remains The Foundation Of Leadership Trust
“When we remember that everyone we meet is simply another human being going through the same things we are going through, it changes how we approach conversations and relationships in business. If we approached more of our conversations with authenticity and intentionality, we would see stronger trust and far fewer broken relationships across our careers.”
Key Takeaways
Trust Before Conversations Begin
Trust must be established early to shape access, credibility, and influence, enabling meaningful buying conversations and deeper business opportunities.
Relationships Drive Opportunity Access
Authentic, consistent relationships create stronger access to real business needs, enabling leaders to move beyond transactional interactions and uncover meaningful opportunities.
Culture Enables Scalable Trust
Trust becomes scalable when embedded into company culture, ensuring teams consistently prioritize relationships, authenticity, and long-term value over short-term transactional outcomes.
About Seth and Misti
Seth Carpien
Seth Carpien is Chief Growth Officer at Tricon Infotech, where he leads relationship-driven growth strategies for custom software development solutions. With decades of experience in B2B technology and services, Seth focuses on building long-term trust with executive buyers rather than relying on transactional sales tactics. He is also the author of Unintentional Mentors, a book exploring the impact of authentic leadership and everyday influence. Seth’s approach blends strategic patience, executive alignment, and human connection to drive sustainable growth.
Misti Fragen
Misti Fragen is Vice President of Change Management and Digital Transformation at Tricon Infotech, where she focuses on aligning people, culture, and strategy to drive successful business transformation. Her background spans enterprise organizations, small business ownership, and early roles with the NBA and NFL, shaping her human-centered approach to leadership. Misti specializes in change management, communication, and culture design, helping leaders navigate transformation while strengthening relationships and long-term growth.
From the Guest
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Full Episode Article
The Trust-First Advantage in Modern B2B Growth
This article is based on an interview with Seth Carpien, Chief Growth Officer, and Misti Fragen, VP of Change Management & Digital Transformation at Tricon Infotech
Introduction
For many B2B organizations, growth conversations still begin with messaging, campaigns, pipeline targets, and quarterly performance. Seth Carpien, Chief Growth Officer at Tricon Infotech, and Misti Fragen, VP of Change Management & Digital Transformation at Tricon Infotech, make the case that one of the most important growth drivers starts much earlier. It starts with trust.
Their perspective matters because it reframes trust as a business advantage that shapes who is considered, who is heard, and who earns the right to deeper conversations. In a market where buyers are more cautious and skeptical, trust can no longer be treated as a soft concept alongside strategy. It has to become part of how leaders think about growth, positioning, and long-term business development.
Why Trust Has to Come Before the Sale
Seth makes the point clearly: “Be okay with building relationships first and building that trust first.” That idea is easy to agree with in theory, but much harder for companies to operationalize when revenue pressure is high. Still, he argues that the order matters. “I have to build that trust, earn that trust first, and then at that point I can ask the questions, the difficult questions.” For leadership teams trying to improve close rates or expand into new accounts, that insight is highly practical.
Trust changes the kind of access a company receives. Without it, most conversations stay surface-level and transactional. With it, leaders are more likely to hear what is actually happening inside an account, what priorities are shifting, and where they may be able to help. Seth also puts it bluntly when he says, “Until then, it’s transactional, it’s commoditized, and that’s not how you build a successful business.” That distinction matters for companies selling services, expertise, and transformation rather than simple products. In those environments, the offering often cannot be separated from the credibility of the people behind it.
Growth Improves When Leaders Focus on the Journey
Misti expands the conversation by showing why trust erodes when companies focus solely on outcomes. “People are too focused on the end result. They’re focused on the dollar and the sale, they’re not focused on the journey of how that gets there.” That observation speaks directly to leadership teams trying to improve customer experience, shorten stalled deals, or strengthen long-term retention. Buyers notice when interactions are designed only to push them toward a transaction.
Her point becomes even more practical when she says, “If that’s all you’re focused on, you’re never looking at the actual person.” That line captures the broader issue many B2B organizations face. When every interaction is filtered through quota pressure, it becomes harder to build credibility. Misti also points to what actually earns trust over time: meaningful actions, helpful connections, and consistent interest in the other person’s priorities. “That’s the stuff that matters. That’s the journey.” For leaders, the takeaway is clear. Growth is more durable when teams are trained to invest in the relationship, not just the opportunity.
Culture Determines Whether Trust Becomes Scalable
One of the strongest parts of the conversation is the connection between trust and company culture. Seth explains that many experienced leaders would likely say their success came from relationships, yet many organizations still hire and operate as if speed alone is the answer. He notes that some companies lack the runway or patience to support long-term relationship-building, even though it often drives sustainable success. That tension creates a leadership challenge: how do you build a trust-centered growth model in an environment driven by immediate targets?
Misti offers the answer indirectly through culture and authenticity. “It’s always a win-win when you invest in someone else, and you ask the questions, and you’re truly there for them, not for the transaction.” Seth reinforces the broader leadership implication by emphasizing the importance of an organization that believes in this approach. Without cultural support, trust stays a talking point. With it, teams are more likely to act in ways that strengthen relationships consistently across sales, partnerships, and executive engagement. That is where measurable business impact begins to take shape over time.
Community Builds the Kind of Credibility Metrics Miss
One of the most distinctive ideas in the discussion is “The Table,” a recurring dinner-based community that Seth and Misti created to bring leaders together without pressure, sales agendas, or forced structure. Misti explains, “There’s no secret sauce. It’s literally putting people together around the table who just talk and get to know each other.” That simplicity is exactly what makes it powerful. By removing the sales frame, they created a setting where real relationships could develop.
The business lesson is not that every company needs a dinner series. It is that community that creates a level of trust that formal outreach often cannot. Misti says, “We’re just seeing these amazing little communities pop up and people just being so excited about passing things forward and being a part of each other’s lives.” Seth adds that the effort continues to grow across cities and even around conference events, showing that meaningful connections have compounding value. For B2B leaders, this is a reminder that a pipeline is not built only through outbound activity. It is also built through ecosystems of trust.
Conclusion
What makes this conversation especially useful is that it does not position trust as a vague leadership ideal. Seth and Misti describe it as requiring work, consistency, and intentionality. Seth says, “You have to get your hands dirty, and you have to be willing to work on it.” Misti brings the human side into focus when she says, “We’re just human.” That is not a small point. It is the foundation of how executives should think about every relationship they are trying to build.
For leadership teams under pressure to deliver measurable results, the temptation is to prioritize activity over depth. But the deeper message here is that trust is not separate from ROI. It shapes who gets invited in, who stays in consideration, and who earns the opportunity to create lasting value. The question leaders should leave with is simple: are your growth efforts creating transactions, or are they creating the kind of trusted relationships that continue producing value long after the first conversation?
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.
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.
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