Kelly Stepno on Building Trust and Reputation in Crisis Communication

To learn more about Charles Bernard’s book Enabling Buying in a World of Selling, visit https://enablingbuying.com.
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In this episode of Enabling B2B Buying with Charles Bernard, we explore building trust and reputation in crisis communication with Kelly Stepno, Senior Leader at APCO, a global advocacy and advisory firm. Kelly has spent her entire career in consulting, helping major organizations navigate crisis, litigation communication, and high-stakes reputation challenges.

Although she never set out to work in sales, Kelly explains how consulting placed her in the center of the buying and selling dynamic. Over time, she learned that the key to winning trust, especially during crisis, is not about pitching, but about listening closely, understanding what leaders are responsible for, and helping them solve real problems.

Kelly shares how the volatility of today’s environment has intensified pressure for both buyers and sellers, and why honesty, active listening, and relationship-building are now more important than ever. She also discusses how building trust and reputation in crisis communication shape every interaction, from crisis response to long-term advisory work.

In this conversation, Kelly and Charles explore:
00:00 Intro
00:14 Welcome to Enabling B2B Buying Podcast
00:41 Get to know Kelly Stepno
05:25 Improving in the world of buying and selling
13:59 On developing relationships with new clients
21:26 What it takes to crank up the flywheel
29:19 Why it matters to see people in person
34:36 Advice to Leaders
40:48 On the Pressure to Perform
45:05 What Inspires Kelly Stepno?
48:14 Learn More About Enabling Buying in a World of Selling
48:44 Outro

Resources Mentioned:
~APCO Worldwide - https://apcoworldwide.com/
~Crisis communication and reputation frameworks
~“What? So what? Now what?” model
~C-suite and KPI alignment strategies

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