It takes work to make someone know, like, and trust you. When marketing your business over the internet, you don’t get to meet people in person. Your prospects don’t get to see your face and your professional outfit or hear the tone of your voice. This usually means you have to use a lengthy, intricate sales funnel to capture the trust of your prospects and convert viewers to clients.
Key is to Trust
The only way to gain the trust of a prospect earlier in the process, without needed to implement a funnel, is through referrals. If you’re looking for an auto repair shop, for instance, and you ask your friend for a recommendation, you’re going to trust the shop they recommend over say, a TV advertisement.
Power of Virtual Referrals
This understanding of referrals can be used to transfer trust virtually. Having your best customers share their personal experiences with your business in their own words can be a powerful tool. Your prospects relate to your past customers more than they relate to you. They likely are experiencing similar problems or feelings. This makes these stories more trustworthy and easier to relate to.
If these customer stories are shown to prospects several times, this forms the basis for a successful virtual referral. You’re no longer selling yourself, something that can be tedious and ineffective. Your best customers are selling you in their own words with their own stories, and that’s an invaluable level of trust.
Listen to the latest episode of the Garlic Marketing Show podcast to hear more from Ian Garlic about the power of referrals.
What you’ll learn:
- Why referrals are so valuable
- How to build on a transfer of trust
- The value of using case stories
Links and Resources:
- Iangarlic.com/plan
- Garlicface.com
- Episode 86: Marketing Your Business from Your Couch with Tabitha Carro
- Episode 85: The Power of Customer Stories with Rick Cesari
- Episode 84: Using Business Credit to Grow Your Business with Ty Crandall