| The reality of small business growth: You have to convince your prospects you’ve got the goods. They come to your website and read your lead magnet with questions like, “How do I know you can deliver what you promise?” And “Are you in this for the long haul? Or is this a hobby?” They rarely ask those questions out loud, even if you offer discovery calls. Maybe especially on discovery calls. If you’re like most businesses, you use testimonials as social proof. You get referrals so prospects begin with a positive attitude. They want to like you. You might try to strengthen your case by describing your strengths (“amazing, caring, good listener”) or facts (“over 10 years in business”). The truth is… A lot of people will ignore what you say about yourself. They’ll jump right into your content. They read your blog, react to your lead magnet, and listen to your podcast, videos and webinars. They don’t consciously make a decision to trust you. They absorb impressions by the way you create content. This goes beyond power words. Your content needs to convince them Your content needs to convince them… …you’re a credible straight shooter. …you deliver on your promises …you’re highly motivated to keep your clients satisfied … you deserve those prices you’re asking You need to make these promises believable. And that calls for credibility. Credibility is one of those atttributes we take for granted. It’s like airline safety: we don’t plan a trip based on which airline will be safer. We’re more likely to look for signs that it’s missing. Some clues will surprise you. For instance, a study found that airline passengers question the airline’s safety if the tray tables look like they haven’t been cleaned in awhile. In my course Content for Credibility, you’ll discover the qualities of content that lead prospects to trust you…and some will be surprising. For instance, clients are more likely to believe you can deliver when you show you’ve developed an original way to solve problems. You might have a framework (like my 5 story archetypes of small business branding). You might have a repeatable 5-step program, a set of fill-in-the-blanks templates, or unique software that changes the way you offer an activity. |
| You don’t need a clever name or acronym for the process – just a way to create aha moments for prospects as they consume your content. “I’ve never thought of that before” can be the first steps in a trust building process. On Episode 62 of the Strategic Storytelling podcast, I interviewed Mitchell Levy – a credibility expert. |