How Trust Is Key to Growth in Today’s AI World With Kristin Oelke

About Guest

Kristin Oelke is the Managing Director for Growth Services at Brightrose Ventures, an enterprise software advisory and investment firm that provides strategic guidance, fractional executive teams, and execution support to mid‑market business software companies. In 2024, her firm Green Street Advisors merged with Brightrose to expand its reach and deliver efficient, trust‑driven marketing capabilities to investors and management teams. At Brightrose, Kristin leads go‑to‑market advisory services and is the author of Trust: Unlocking B2B Growth in Today’s AI World.

In this episode…

Trust is the invisible force that drives B2B growth. But in an AI-driven world flooded with content, automation, and noise, earning that trust is more difficult than ever. How can companies prove their value and credibility when buyers are skeptical and overwhelmed by options?

According to Kristin Oelke, a B2B growth strategist and marketing expert, trust is built through validation — not volume. She highlights that companies struggling to move prospects through the funnel often lack the third-party proof, consistent messaging, and real-time feedback mechanisms that signal credibility. The result is a stalled pipeline, even when product-market fit exists. Kristin emphasizes that building a “public trust profile” is essential, especially in complex B2B sales, and that trust can only be earned when happy customers, aligned teams, and transparent data come together to support the brand promise.

In this episode of the Revenue Engine Podcast, host Alex Gluz is joined by Kristin Oelke, Managing Director for Growth Services at Brightrose Ventures, to talk about why trust is more important than ever for growth in today’s AI-driven world. They discuss how companies can actively manage their public trust profile, align cross-functional teams around shared goals, and use AI without losing the human element. Kristin also shares insights on helping companies navigate strategic pivots.

A glimpse of what you will learn

• [02:06] Kristin Oelke shares how her B2B marketing journey began at Sun Microsystems
• [02:53] Why Kristin wrote Trust: Unlocking B2B Growth in Today’s World and how trust impacts pipeline velocity
• [05:26] How businesses can build a strong “public trust profile”
• [08:57] Practical strategies for B2B companies to earn trust
• [13:46] How Kristin helps companies align teams and messaging during strategic pivots
• [25:11] Kristin shares mentor advice on data, customers, and skill building

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• T.A. Monroe Digital Agency
• Alex Gluz on LinkedIn
• Kristin Oelke on LinkedIn
• Brightrose Ventures: Website
• Brightrose Ventures: LinkedIn
• Trust: Unlocking B2B Growth in Today's AI World by Kristin Oelke
• Gartner
• Sirius Support

Quotable Moments

• “You have to have the happy customers and you have to have a good product.”
• “The human in the interactions of a B2B transaction will always be there.”
• “Bring the data, be transparent — have an opinion and share your opinion.”
• “We recommend that you actually do assess your reputation, your trust profile, through a variety of means.”
• “What really got me thinking about this was, you know, at the advent of AI.”

Action Steps

1. Assess your company’s trust profile across channels: Understanding how your brand is perceived helps identify gaps that may hinder conversion and growth.
2. Align sales, marketing, and customer success goals: Shared objectives eliminate friction between teams and drive unified execution across the customer journey.
3. Leverage third-party validation platforms: Analyst ratings, customer reviews, and awards build credibility and move prospects through the buying funnel faster.
4. Use real-time feedback to improve trust signals: Immediate input from customers enables rapid response, which strengthens brand perception and customer satisfaction.
5. Prioritize human insight in your AI strategy: AI can optimize processes, but human experience and influence remain critical in complex B2B decisions.

Sponsor for this episode

This episode is brought to you by T.A.Monroe Digital. At T.A.Monroe, we build world class revenue engines for B2B SaaS companies. What that means is we do everything behind the scenes to generate you tons of qualified leads, opportunities and customers.

1. We build highly effective marketing systems and scale their profitably through our demand generation strategies.
2. We think scientifically on how to scale your demand and revenue.
3. We bring decades of experience.

Email us at alex@tamonroe.com or visit www.tamonroe.com today to schedule a strategy session or learn more about our mission.