Does bragging about how many burgers, cars or books you’ve sold help to sell more? Sure!
Customers love having their buying decision affirmed by others. It even has a name: social proof.
One way you can show them they are making the right decision is by telling them how many people have already made the decision to buy from you. That’s why you see sales figures on book covers, car dealers all seem to be the largest dealers in the nation, and McDonald’s now simply says “Billions served.”
You can affirm your customers’ buy decision several ways. One is by telling them how many (presumably happy) customers have preceded them. They can be part of the group that bought from you–you’re not an untested commodity.
What can you do if you haven’t sold millions, thousands, hundreds or even tens yet? Another positive affirmation is given when you offer testimonials from customers who were happy with their purchases. Get those testimonials and use them.
Encourage customers to refer their friends and colleagues by making it easy for them to do so. Give a supply of business cards to them to hand out. Ask for the names and phone numbers of people they think would benefit from your product or service, and reward them for successful referrals.
Yes, there are rebels out there who make decisions entirely on their own; however, most of us feel more secure in making a decision that others have made before us. And if the decision was made by a lot of people, that implies that many of them were happy about their purchases and told others to buy. Let customers know they’re not alone!
