Early one morning, the phone was already ringing. It was a director at Co-Op Atlantic. He told me that he already signed with our biggest competitor in the US, but since they were the underdog in their market, he wanted to see what I had to propose. 

This abrupt 6 am call turned into a three-hour conversation, which led to an in-person demo at their headquarters in Moncton. It was my third or fourth demo. I was really green and about 5 years out of college. I was like Cary Price, making one save after another as management asked me questions left and right.

The last question was from one of the VPs. He asked me what would happen to their company if I fell in love with a girl abroad, moved away, and the company was ultimately sold off. I answered the question to the best of my knowledge. 

In retrospect, this was a question about trust. 

After almost a full day answering questions, they stepped out of the room and came back in with the news: 

“all right, you got the deal.” 

When I reflect on what I’m selling to customers, it's not software. It's trust. Trust in me as a third-party advisor, and trust in the company’s business processes so your people know what to do and you can trust that they are doing it. 

Trust is the oil that makes the machine turn. I’ve noticed that the businesses that thrive in the petroleum market are the ones that invest in a trusted third party who can help them build their businesses stronger than they built them.