Hello again my friend,
We live in a world of incomplete information and imperfect trust. Yet most business owners operate from the opposite assumption.
They assume their customers are clear about their needs and aware of the solutions available. This is rarely the case.
To make matters worse, once they get in front of a potential client they assume the client trusts them.
If you want to boost your sales faster than a gas station during hurricane season you need to create one thing,
Certainty
Creating certainty is easier said than done. So let me lay some science on you for a minute.
When we shop we want to believe we weigh our options and go with the best possible choice. This is especially true for people who consider themselves analytical thinkers.
But that’s not the way we make decisions. We make decisions by asking two questions.
1. How good is this likely to be?
2. What is the likelihood I’m going to get screwed?
Certainty isn’t about convincing your prospect you’re the best. It’s about assuring them you’re not going to screw them over.
This has to do with a cognitive bias called Prospect Theory. (I told you…science.)
The details aren’t important. What you need to know is that we feel the pain of loss twice as severely as we do gain.
This makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. Can you imagine if we valued gain twice as much as loss? We’d likely be extinct.
One of my idols Rory Sutherland said it best, “We aren’t evolved for efficiency. We’ve evolved to reduce downside variance.”
How to Kill Uncertainty in
the Minds of Your Prospects
Now that you understand the way we make decisions let’s discuss how to reduce uncertainty in the mind of our buyers.
1. Frequency – The more familiar your brand is, the more trust you will generate. I know, it doesn’t make sense, but it works. The more places you’re seen the more authority and credibility you will have.
2. Relatability – An easy way to do this is through extraordinary disclosures. By sharing your struggles you humanize your brand in the minds of your prospects.
Have a bankruptcy? Been through a divorce? Former alcoholic? Share that in your content marketing.
**IMPORTANT**
Share the scars, not the wounds.
Don’t make the mistake of using your audience as your therapist. You are not a member of the Real Housewives.
The stories you share should build trust and credibility. They are not an opportunity for you to document your journey through hell.
3. Relatability – The more timely your message the better. If you look at any political polling data you’ll find huge differences in what people care about.
After 9/11 it was all terrorism. Recently it’s been the COVID. The better job you do of tying your message to what relevant today, the more relatable you’ll be.
I refer to this as “entering the conversation they are already having in their head.”
Remember we’re all wondering around with our umbilical cord hanging out, looking for a place to plug it in. We all want to pass the responsibility of decision making off to someone else.
Your goal is to get your prospect to the point they no longer fear the risk of a catastrophic loss. Once you’ve done that the walls come down and the sale is certain.
Jason
P.S. If you’d like some help with your marketing and/or brand strategy I have 2 spots that just opened up. Go here to schedule a time for us to chat.
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