If I had to do it all over again, I’d rewrite the list of six risks to take to build trust to add a seventh: bring humor to your conversations. This Weekly Tip recounts a story told by a big accounting firm partner that perfectly illustrates why, and provides four ways you can use humor to connect with your clients.

I got a flyer in my mailbox the other day that first I loved, and then I hated. Emotional roller coaster aside, I recognized a critical trust lesson for us all that has to do with true customer focus. It’s more evasive than we realize.

It’s once again a popular vacation time in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Out-of-office messages (OOMs) abound. They’re a curiously potent way of making a lasting impression. Are you making the most of yours—now and always?

Have you ever run across a phrase that you never want to forget? I did, just a few weeks ago. I’m sharing it with you in turn since you’re likely reading this in search of ways to be more than just plain good at relationship-building; you want to be masterful. This phrase will help you do exactly that.

The Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle is reported to have said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” And so it is with trustworthy behaviors. This tip shares a simple structure to help you develop habits that can improve all your stakeholder relationships, with ease and maybe even a little fun.

Last week’s tip about high self-orientation reminded me of a funny and instructive story about Big S issues (mine). It includes important signs to look for that will help you up your trust game.

Some years ago, I had an experience with an airline that shed light on the difference between a fake win-win and a real win-win. In short, the difference boiled down to incentives. The lesson for us all:  mind your motives. Are yours always as squeaky clean as they could be?

We’re continuing our focus on trust-based networking from last week, because it’s a challenge for so many.

Networking has been a hot topic in my workshops lately because most of my clients honestly dislike it. Some are good at pretending to like it, while others find clever ways to avoid it. In the good news realm, it doesn’t have to be that way; specific best practices can help.