How to build credibility with your prospects

New prospects are a skeptical bunch. The unfortunate reality is that when someone doesn’t know you, they tend to look for reasons to fire you rather than looking at your value proposition with an open mind.

So how do we go about building credibility with potential customers? Naturally, the easiest method is to avoid cold marketing altogether. Being referred by someone who knows you has a great benefit in reducing the inherent mistrust we often have when meeting new people. However, strictly relying on referrals is one of the main reasons so many small business owners experience the proverbial feast or famine business cycles.

It is easy to understand why. When we trust referrals, we are giving up control of our new business endeavors. We hope that our network is large enough to generate a certain minimum number of referrals each month. The sad reality is that hardly anyone’s existing network is large enough to accomplish that goal.

The main reason for this is that most small business owners use labor-intensive methods to meet new people. While networking events, lunches, and dinners certainly have their place, when you’re busy with work, these activities generally start to fall into the background. Over time, the number of new people in one’s relationship circle begins to shrink rather than expand. During tough economic times, it’s easy to “keep track” of this finite group and suddenly realize with horror that referrals have been exhausted.

Many small business owners view the process of acquiring new clients with a mixture of apprehension and fear. They worry that they will come across as the stereotypical used car salesman, and the thought of cold calling someone fills them with dread. Fortunately, by using one-page websites that clearly communicate the benefits you offer to a specific group of prospects and offer compelling free information, it is a relatively straightforward proposition to attract new prospects.

But the question still remains: “How can I build trust and credibility with these people?” After all, it’s easy for me to say “I’m cool.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t do much to reduce the level of skepticism. The most powerful method you can use to build credibility is to offer proof. Proof that you can do what you say. Proof that others have achieved the desired results you offer.

What is the best way to provide evidence? As you may have guessed, it is by using testimonials. If your website and other marketing materials do not have numerous testimonials, you are missing a great opportunity to build credibility.

But not all testimonials are created equal and it is important to note that your reader remains skeptical. A testimonial that says “You’re great” pales in comparison to one that says “Using your system, I increased the number of new customers I got by 45%.” So when you ask for testimonials, be sure to ask, “What is the biggest benefit you got from using my products or services?” The more you get quantifiable responses, the more your credibility will increase.

Not surprisingly, many prospects think you’re just making up your testimonials (which you should never do). Here are a couple of ideas to reduce that lean. First, include the website of the person giving the testimony. This adds a layer of credibility and underlines that you are, in fact, a real person. Second, consider using video testimonials. Since more than 50% of web content is now video, using video not only provides strong proof, but also positions you as a leading provider of your particular service. Keeping these thoughts in mind will easily reduce the skepticism that new prospects have about doing business with you.