PETRICHOR

Plain-language answer

How can I tell whether my B2B company looks trustworthy to a cold prospect?

A B2B trust surface is the set of public signals a cold prospect can inspect before speaking with you. The scorecard checks eight signals across owned clarity and proof, founder legibility, third-party corroboration, and narrative consistency, then identifies which surface to repair first.

Short answer

Check the public surfaces a buyer sees before they meet you.

  1. Evaluate four dimensions: Owned surface integrity, Founder legibility, Third-party corroboration, and Narrative consistency.
  2. Score each of the eight observable signals from 1 to 4, where 1 is strongest and 4 is weakest.
  3. Add the eight responses to produce a Trust exposure score from 8 to 32.
  4. A score from 8 to 12 is Trust Compounds; 13 to 22 is Trust Leaks; 23 to 32 is Trust Deficit.
  5. Average the two questions in each of the four dimensions.
  6. The weakest surface is the dimension with the highest average score.
  7. Repair the weakest surface first, then rerun the same eight checks.

Worked example

See the decision in a fictional case.

Owned Clarity
2: They can assemble it from two or three sections
Owned Proof
2: A testimonial or logo strip further down
Founder Profile
1: Clear buyer, outcome, and recent relevant thinking
Founder Publishing
2: A handful of times without a rhythm
Third Party Search
3: Only our own claims
Third Party Objection
3: Reassurance from the sales call only
Narrative Alignment
2: Mostly aligned with one surface behind
Surface Maintenance
3: The website only

Worked result: 18 of 32: Trust Leaks. Third-party corroboration is the weakest surface at 3.0 of 4, so it is repaired first.

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