Tell them how you help, not who you are.

We’ve all heard of the “know, like and trust” factor. People have to know about you. They have to like you. And they trust you.
I’ve heard people say they trust you when they see you as a person. Ultimately they like you so much they want to be you. If they see you as a selfish money-grubber, well…
Yes, people buy from people they like. Unfortunately, the people we like are often not the best people for the job. I’ve hired people I consider friends. It never works.
Of course, I won’t put up with rudeness or with someone who’s hard to work with. But that’s different from liking them.
So the know, like, and trust model may not be the one you follow.
(1) The model doesn’t work if you’re selling a service that’s not a business service. For instance, suppose you’re an accountant or an interior decorator. Your clients don’t want to be like you. My accountant is super detail-oriented. An interior decorator would look at my apartment and shudder.
(2) Just because someone’s nice doesn’t mean they’re competent. After you’ve worked with someone and realized they’re an expert, you may want to know more about them. But if they’re not competent, who cares?
Instead of “know, like, and trust,” I’d rather think about empathy and expertise. There’s a delicate balance. Empathy means being easy to work with. Expertise means being able to help you.
And you have to be credible. You can promise the moon but they probably won’t believe you.
“I started out selling encyclopedias door-to-door” may make you feel closer to the solopreneur…or you may feel more alienated from someone who’d choose this option. But if you’re a business coach, this story won’t help you decide who to hire as your guide.
You have several ways to present yourself as an expert when you write your content. I have a DIY self-study course to help, already marked down to $37. If you buy this course at that price, I will send you a coupon for 50% off a video critique of any piece of content.
And drop me a line to know how you feel about specific services. How does their personal story make a difference in your hiring process?