Most people today are skeptical of new and unfamiliar things. If we are “new and unfamiliar” our “know-like-trust” score is zero. ZERO.

And if you are a startup or a freelancer reaching out into a market full of strangers, you are “new and unfamiliar”.

How can we improve our score? How can we provide some evidence that we are not a scam, that we do have something to offer, that we are intelligent, that we do understand the business we’re in and the business our prospects and clients are in?

Short and fast answer … a free sample … one that is a collaborative experience where we interact with the prospect for maybe one-hour on Zoom.

Design an exercise or a discussion that produces a real value for your prospect and allows them to experience your knowledge and character so that in the end, you have increased your “know-like-trust” score.

And then design another step in this buyer’s journey, another “product”, that is small in price and time, and also, of real value.

Let the prospect try the free sample and then buy the next small sample.

So that they know the kind of person you are, your expertise, your character, and what your main product offering is. And you can simply ask if they might like to take the next step?

If you’re brandless, figure out how to reconfigure your value proposition into this three-step process to build your “know-like-trust” score.

The long-term benefit is that this will shorten your “sales cycle” and every prospect who experiences one or both samples then know more about you than any other prospect you have ever tried to sell. . . and they feel better about you because you did not try to sell them.

One last suggestion: speak about the outcomes you produce, rather than the work you do, and when reaching out to the market full of strangers, mention only your free sample as being the first step towards the glorious result you achieve for your clients.

For example . . . If you have a business idea or are just beginning your entrepreneurial effort, allow me to help you better understand your idea. I offer a free, one-hour Zoom visit called Examine the Idea. In most cases, we will simplify and accelerate your efforts to acquire clients.

Please share your thoughts and comments. . . . and let me know if you might want to examine an idea. 1-hour is all it costs.