Take a moment to try this thought experiment … At what point in your life did you look at your birth certificate to confirm that you were indeed born on the day that your parents said you were born?
For most people, the answer is never. You simply took your parents’ word. Because you trusted them.
Your parents hopefully did a lot of things to help build that trust — like feed and clothe you, teach you lessons, play with you, and protect you. People who don’t have that experience, however, feel something entirely different: they question everything. They don’t inherently trust.
For most of us, though, if we read or hear something from someone we know, like, and trust, we accept it without question.
As an entrepreneur, you need to think of your customer as a child who’s been burned one too many times. Who’s been hoodwinked, ridiculed, and neglected. Who’s defensive, reserved, and hard-nosed.
In fact, this is the case. Your job is to win the trust of that child.
Five simple methods
Joanna Wiebe presents a concept called “So What? Prove it.” It’s a blunt way of examining how your prospect views your product claims.
To make your prospects care, you need to show them how your product can make them see a better version of themselves. And then you need to prove it.
The conventional way to prove a claim is to present testimonials, endorsements, or press mentions — leveraging the power of a source that is known,