As you know, my goal as an entrepreneurial coach is to help you raise finance to reach the Holy Grail of financial independence. Much of my work is directed towards this goal today, and I don’t miss an opportunity to share with you what I discover.
In my training, I offer you methods to produce quality content and real value so that you can not only start real businesses but also sustain them over time. This is essential because our community values quality.
But even if I have in my toolbox the best training on the French-speaking web, if I don’t know how to persuade you, you will never invest. That’s why, as entrepreneurs, we must know how to use this incredible tool that is persuasion. And that’s what I’m talking about in this article, through 3 keys that are not well known by the general public and that give you an important competitive advantage over the competition.
Secret N°1: The Reciprocity Principle
We start directly with one of the best-kept secrets, and for good reason, one of the most powerful, reciprocity. Imagine: during an informal meeting with a friend on a particularly cold winter’s day, he spontaneously offers you an excellent cinnamon tea, which warms and invigorates you. You are naturally grateful for this warm and friendly gesture.
If, five minutes later in your conversation, this friend asks you to do him a favor, for example, to return for him an object he has just bought in a store a few streets away, will you refuse? Personally, I know that I would accept. I would remember that he thought of me when he gave me that tea, and I would be dishonest to refuse him that little favor.
The small and harmless gesture of offering a tea for 2€ is in fact not so harmless and turns out to be a powerful psychological resource in the hands of web pros like us. Translated into our world, the principle of reciprocity implies that you offer quality content for free to your customers, without any commitment on their part. A real gift. Later, when you offer them something, they will naturally be more likely to accept it, because they will feel indebted to you.
Secret #2: Tell Stories
There is a misconception that when someone buys your product or service, they do so primarily because of its qualities. But the reality is a little different. In fact, when I buy something, I buy the story that surrounds it, i.e. the emotion that this object, this training, this book provides.
To better understand this principle, let’s take the example of buying a sports car. Let’s say I buy a Ferrari that will cost me as much to maintain as it did to buy, whose insurance will be exorbitant and that I will only dare to take out of my garage 5 times a year. It is obvious that there is no logical reason to spend several hundred thousand euros on a few trips per year.
But that doesn’t matter. You buy a Ferrari because the name itself evokes a thousand images. The brand exudes prestige and exclusivity, luxury, and vacation. When you think of Ferrari, you imagine mountain roads, the roar of the engine, and the exhilarating sensation of speed.
In short, we tell ourselves a story to convince ourselves that the purchase is worth it, and the salesman will not fail to help us, it is his job. This example is a bit extreme, but the principle applies to everything. If you’re selling a fitness program, tell the story of the girl who felt bad about herself and found confidence, success in school, and love after taking your course. Before you sell your product, sell the dream!
Secret #3: Demonstrate Your Authority
Finally, if I buy from you, it is first of all because I trust you. You have proven to me that you know what you are talking about, you are not a charlatan but a person who knows his subject, who believes in what he says and what he does. To show your authority, here are three basic principles:
Know your subject inside and out. This is critical. As a buyer, I just feel that you are the expert I need. Not one of my questions should embarrass you.
Show your passion. That’s why I’ve always recommended that you work with subjects that are important to you. Passion is something you can see and something you can pass on. When your subject is a driving force for you, your potential clients will feel it.
Don’t be stingy with information. This idea is similar to the one I mentioned earlier in this article, but it’s here again. Because if you are a big shot in your field, any discussion we can have with you will teach us something.