The three scientifically proven dimensions of trust in your About Us section. The most cited trust model (14,000+ citations) reveals that ethics weighs three times as heavily.
"We are a young and dynamic company with a passion for innovation."
If this sentence appears in your proposal, you have a problem. Not because it is untrue. But because it says nothing. It does not build trust. And trust is precisely what your About Us section must accomplish.
In 1995, Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman published an article in the Academy of Management Review that has since been cited more than 14,000 times. It is the most widely used trust model in organizational research. Their conclusion: trust consists of three dimensions.
Ability: can you do it? Do you have the skills, knowledge, and experience to deliver what you promise?
Benevolence: do you want the best for me? Are you focused on my success, or only on your own revenue?
Integrity: do you do what you promise? Do you act according to principles I find acceptable?
Most About Us sections focus exclusively on ability. "We have 15 years of experience. We are certified. We work for major brands." That is important, but it is not enough.
The Edelman Trust Barometer (2023) investigated what people value most in organizations. The answer: ethical perception is three times more important than competence for institutional trust.
Read that again. Three times more important.
This means your About Us section should not only show what you can do, but also what you stand for. What are your values? How do you handle mistakes? Which projects do you decline? This type of information builds trust on the dimensions of benevolence and integrity, precisely the dimensions that most proposals ignore.
The meta-analysis by Colquitt et al. (2007; 132 samples) added a crucial insight to the Mayer model: when clear trustworthiness information is present, it overrides the reader's natural trust propensity.
What does this mean in practice? You cannot rely on the evaluator being naturally trusting. You must explicitly demonstrate your trustworthiness. Hope is not a strategy. Concrete trust signals are.
As early as 1951, Hovland and Weiss discovered that credibility is the product of two factors: expertise and trustworthiness. Ohanian (1990) refined this into a validated scale. The formula is simple:
Credibility = Expertise x Trustworthiness
If either is zero, your credibility is zero. A company that appears highly competent but comes across as untrustworthy does not inspire confidence. And a company that seems likeable and honest but shows no proven expertise does not either.
A specific founding or origin story. Not "we were founded in 2015" but the why. What problem did you see? What drove you? This builds benevolence: it shows that your company was born from a mission, not solely from profit motives.
Concrete numbers. "347 projects for 89 organizations in the past 5 years" is more convincing than "extensive experience." Numbers are concrete and verifiable. Ahmad and Laroche (2015) demonstrated that concrete language is more persuasive than abstract descriptions.
Relevant certifications and qualifications. ISO 27001, Lean Six Sigma, SOC 2, industry-specific certificates. These are external validations of your ability. Cialdini's authority principle (2001) explains why this works: externally validated expertise is more persuasive than self-declared expertise.
Values that truly mean something. "We stand for quality, innovation, and customer focus" says nothing. "We decline projects where we do not believe we can add value" says everything. Concrete values build integrity.
Photos of real people. Nielsen Norman Group (2020) confirms in usability studies that team photos provide "extra reassurance." People do business with people, not entities. A professional photo of your team makes your organization human and approachable.
Score 8 opens with: "In 2018, we noticed that accounting firms spent an average of 14 days preparing proposals, while 60% of those proposals did not result in an engagement. That was the problem we set out to solve." It continues with ISO certifications, concrete project numbers, a clear mission, and team photos.
Score 3 opens with: "We are a young and dynamic company with a passion for innovation and quality. Our team of professionals is ready to help you with your challenges." No numbers. No certifications. No photos. No reason to trust.
Read your own About Us section and ask three questions:
If you can answer "yes" to all three questions, you have a strong About Us section. If not, you know exactly which dimension needs attention.
Ahmad, N., & Laroche, M. (2015). How do expressed emotions affect the helpfulness of a product review? International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 20(1), 76–111.
Cialdini, R. B. (2001). Influence: Science and practice (4th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
Colquitt, J. A., Scott, B. A., & LePine, J. A. (2007). Trust, trustworthiness, and trust propensity: A meta-analytic test. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 909–927.
Edelman. (2023). 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer. Edelman.
Hovland, C. I., & Weiss, W. (1951). The influence of source credibility on communication effectiveness. Public Opinion Quarterly, 15(4), 635–650.
Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9508080335
Nielsen Norman Group. (2020). About Us pages: Best practices for establishing trust online. Nielsen Norman Group.
Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Journal of Advertising, 19(3), 39–52.