This episode of Sell With Authority is part of our special series exploring one of the most vital dynamics inside every agency's sales process: trust and distrust.

You've been hearing from agency leaders who are leaning into this issue head-on. These conversations are not only timely — they're also forming the research foundation for my next book, The Trust Architecture, and a new series of Field Guides we'll be sharing with our community.

As we've seen time and again from our work alongside agency owners and their teams — trust, or the lack of it, is often the biggest obstacle to having a sales pipeline that feels like a steady stream of right-fit prospects flowing into your agency.

Which makes today's conversation a perfect fit for this series.

Our special guest expert is Jerry Gennaria, President and CEO of TOKY.

Jerry brings more than 30 years of experience helping professional service firms tell their story more effectively, build stronger businesses, and reach their full potential. He's also the host of The Intangible Brand podcast — where he explores what brand really means beyond the surface-level tactics.

Here's why Jerry's perspective matters so much for this series…

In a recent LinkedIn post, he made an incredibly sharp observation — when Southwest Airlines cut away the very things customers loved most about their experience, it wasn't just a rebrand.

A brand isn't just graphics or identity — it's about who you are internally and how customers experience you externally. When you change that alignment — you break trust.

That ties directly to what we saw in the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer — when trust erodes, grievance and frustration take over — but when trust grows, optimism and loyalty follow.

That's exactly the kind of work Jerry and his team at TOKY do every day — helping clients align their brand and their actions so that trust is reinforced at every single touchpoint.

When your agency's brand and your actions are aligned — trust isn't an abstract idea. It's felt — in every interaction, every proposal, every conversation.

When trust is felt at every touchpoint — selling more of what you do stops being about persuasion — and starts being about consistency.

That's why we wanted Jerry's perspective to be part of this series.

When I say we — I mean Hannah Roth, our Director of Strategy and Mad Scientist, is here with me for this conversation to bring her data-driven perspective into this discussion with Jerry — because when you combine brand alignment with real-world strategy — that's when trust becomes measurable and scalable.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to make prospects feel seen — and why that matters for conversion
• Jerry's "brand is a promise delivered" philosophy for agencies
• The art and science of pushing back — and how it earns deep respect from right-fit clients
• Why authentic storytelling aligned with your brand delivers exponential results
• Ways to boldly show your expertise without being self-aggrandizing
• Why trust is not built in the big gestures

Resources:

• Website: toky.com
• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gennaria/
• The Intangible Brand: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-intangible-brand/
• TOKY: https://www.linkedin.com/company/toky-branding/
• The Intangible Brand Podcast: www.theintangiblebrand.com