I’ve written before on the trials and tribulations my family and I have endured as we continue to adjust to moving 1300 miles away from the state where my husband and I both grew up. Most of our angst centers on making major sale purchases, which almost always involves the hiring of independent service professionals.
One factor that has amplified our problem is moving to America’s fastest-growing city (2005). At one point last year, there were 60 new residents moving to our fair city each day. This means about 22,000 people moved to our city last year. Twenty years ago, this city had only 330 residents. That means that not only are we living in a new and unfamiliar landscape, but so are our friends and neighbors. We’re all awash in a sea of the unfamiliar.
Many who moved here to escape the “Miami” experience tend to continue to use their old providers. One of our neighbors continues to take his son to their pediatrician in Fort Lauderdale, a two-hour drive each way. Another neighbor drives nearly that far to take her dogs to the vet. I’ve personally experienced this. When we moved two hours south in Indiana, we happily made the 2-hour trek up to our trusted and familiar dentist after a couple of awful dental experiences.
If you are engaged in a YMYL (your money, your life) transaction, or, as I call it here, making a major sale, read the above paragraph carefully again. These successful and busy professionals are driving past HUNDREDS of other providers of the same service to maintain a relationship with their familiar provider.
The thing about the major sale is people can’t judge your competence up front. If you’re a tax professional, your clients won’t know how good you are until the IRS comes a-knocking. If you’re a chiropractor, it’s only after someone has been your client for months that they will be able to tell their friends that you really know your stuff. This means giving away a free session really won’t help someone judge whether or not you’re competent to provide the services you do.
So how do you demonstrate your competence? You begin by sharing customer testimonials, and lots of them.
Offering compelling testimonials is the key to winning the major sale. Building trust is a key component in making the major sale. The more authentic your testimonials, the more powerful a tool they will be.
Testimonials are an essential key to closing the major sale.
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