How to Choose a Realtor

Year after year the National Association of Realtors annual survey lists reputation, honesty and trustworthiness as the top three selection criteria that sellers use to choose a real estate agent.  Here's a question for you - in your experience, how do sellers (and buyers for that matter) actually determine these qualities?  What kind of process are clients using to select their agent?  Are they interviewing several, and if so, do they tell you that?  Do they go strictly by word of mouth?  And how do you, as an agent, show reputation, honesty and trustworthiness, especially if this is a prospect you don't know very well?