Trust is one of the single most important things I look for in a busines relationship, whether I'm the client or the vendor/service provider. In my experience it's also probably the single biggest factor in getting business, especially huge jobs. People buying huge/high-end system want to work with someone they can trust. It's importance cannot be over-rated and the fact that we have contracts doesn't change that. I'm surprised you would downplay it.

I'm NOT saying I agree with all of Trunkslammers comments.