Buyers of IT services can't easily tell what "good" is, and after too many fake promises, anything you claim without evidence gets discounted. So you have to prove your case. Most buyers want someone they can trust to make IT decisions for them; your marketing should educate them on what good looks like; they must see you as a trusted authority before you can sell them anything; and failing to prove any part of your case means no sale. Start with an abundance of client testimonials and 5-star reviews, then audit every touchpoint, from your website and phone to your follow-up, for whether it builds trust or detracts from it.
I'm HOT.
Not because of the weather, but because I'm still getting waaaaaay too many websites, sales processes and marketing campaigns submitted to me for review, many from MSPs who've been around long enough to know better, that have ZERO testimonials incorporated into them, NO PROOF of superiority or differentiation and nothing to showcase authority and trust.
It's frustrating because the market for IT services is HYPERcompetitive right now and is not going to get better until some of the cheap competitors die off from starvation. And, given the fact that you're selling to a largely unsophisticated buyer who does NOT know what "good" is, cannot easily discern if your services are better than a competitor's AND is struggling to maintain margins, you MUST be able to prove your services are worth the extra money.
Why Claims Without Proof Get Discounted
Look at it this way…
Far too many people have been fed far too many fake promises to start believing any vague platitudes you're promoting about being "better" or "more responsive" or whatever you're saying about your company when you're trying to get a check out of someone. In this low-trust world, anything you claim WITHOUT sufficient evidence to back it up will be instantly discredited, instantly discounted, instantly disbelieved.
Even when you have evidence, people are skeptical. For years we offered a money-back guarantee on our program and it helped to increase conversions by about 10%. When we took it away, conversions initially dipped, but they came back up to the original close rate, something that shocked me.
But I learned right then and there that the people who weren't buying had reasons OTHER than money stopping them. They weren't sufficiently sold on us, the program and the appropriateness of the program for them.
To operate on any assumption that people should "know" or "see" how you are better/faster/more professional, or the obvious choice over cheap competitors, is supreme arrogance. We ALL have to prove our case, given that every institution, group or government entity the public has trusted at some point has royally screwed everyone over at least once, if not multiple times. I haven't even gotten an accurate weather report in three months.
The 4 Principles Of Proving Your Case
For the record, here are the principles:
- Most buyers don't want to know all the details required to make a good decision about IT. What they want is to find someone with deep expertise in IT they can TRUST to make decisions for them. They want to abdicate their responsibility. This is both good and bad for reasons I'd have to get into on another occasion.
- When I say you should use marketing to EDUCATE people (E.D.R. marketing), I don't mean you educate them on how to do what you do but rather educate them on what GOOD is so that your solution and your company become the obvious choice.
- Before you can sell anyone anything or even influence their behavior and buying criteria and decisions, they MUST see you as a TRUSTED AUTHORITY. (That's the whole idea behind authority positioning.)
- Failing to PROVE any element of your case as to why someone should buy from you over the (cheaper) competition will result in no sale being made.
Where To Start: Testimonials And Reviews
So, where do you start with all of this?
Well, one really good place to start is by compiling an abundance of great client testimonials and 5-star reviews. What your clients enthusiastically say about you is 1,000% more convincing and compelling than anything you can say about yourself.
Studies have proven over and over again that online reviews and testimonials have the single biggest positive impact on whether or not someone entertains doing business with you. People see an abundance of reviews as truthful evidence that your company is legit.
Even your current clients feel more comfortable referring you to someone else IF you have a lot of great reviews on your website and Google Business Profile.
Audit Every Touchpoint For Trust
I would also encourage you to look at EVERY touchpoint with a prospective client and ask yourself whether or not it is building and enforcing trust or detracting from it. Such as:
- The design, copy and functionality of your website
- How easy it is to book an appointment with you
- How your phone is answered and a prospect can get help
- How you confirm appointments
- Your entire sales process, especially your Shock-And-Awe box contents
- Your pitch deck and other sales presentation materials
- How you follow up (or if you even follow up at all)
58 Trust-Building Marketing Elements
Since I see this as such a big area in need of improvement, here is a master list of trust-building marketing assets you can use to brainstorm ideas on how to strengthen your website, Shock-And-Awe and sales presentations.
People buy on emotion and justify with logic, so the list is split the same way.
Logical Proof (25)
- Test Results: Validation Of Claims With "Clinical Trials"
- Survey Data (4 In 5 Dentists Approve)
- Authority Position By Being A Source Of Data
- Statistical Evidence: Graphically Chart Data
- Certifications, Education
- Trust Seal(s)
- Awards Won
- Specialization
- X Ways We're Better Comparison
- Research Findings
- A Large Number Of Reviews, Clients
- Guarantee, Warranty
- Case Studies
- Testimonials
- Dramatic Demonstration
- Diagnostic Analysis
- Before And After
- Local Business
- Apples To Oranges Comparison
- Published Author
- Weird Science
- The Sinatra Test
- Years In Business (Long Tenure)
- Best Value For Money
- Proprietary Process/Formula
Emotional Proof (33)
- Media Interviews
- "As Seen On TV"
- Host Of Real Media
- Contributing Writer To Magazines And Media
- Origin Story
- Made Especially For…
- Affinity Marketing
- High Price
- Scarcity
- Admitting A Flaw
- Celebrity Endorsement
- Celebrity Client(s)
- Metaphor Or Analogy
- Longevity In Business
- Takeaway Selling: Not For Everyone, Only Those Who…
- Repetition
- Omnipresence: We See You EVERYWHERE
- Consistency (Image, Words, Actions)
- Costume (Lab Coat)
- Strong Point Of View
- Tactical Empathy
- Genuine Caring
- A Shared Common Enemy
- Cause-Driven, Not Profit-Driven
- Dog Whistle Copy
- Large Social Media Following
- FOMO
- Language
- Confidence
- Passionate Enthusiasm
- Theater In Environment (Herjavec's SOC)
- Simplification Of Complex Ideas (Atkins)
- Secrets
The Bottom Line
The ultimate question is, how will you STRATEGICALLY DESIGN your marketing and sales process to build unshakable trust in who you are and what you do? Do that, and you'll find most sales objections, stalls and delays melt away.
Proof is also what makes your answer to "why should we buy from you?" believable.
If you want the full playbook for building trust into your marketing, get my free eBook, Trust-Based Marketing For IT Service Businesses.
And if you want help building trust into every touchpoint of your marketing and sales process, that's the work I do one-on-one as an MSP marketing consultant.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do MSPs build trust with prospects?
By proving their case instead of just making claims. Prospects must see you as a trusted authority before you can sell them anything. Start with an abundance of client testimonials and 5-star reviews, then audit every touchpoint, including your website, how your phone is answered, how you confirm appointments, your sales materials and your follow-up, for whether it builds trust or detracts from it.
Why don't prospects believe MSP marketing claims?
Because people have been fed far too many fake promises. In a low-trust world, vague claims about being "better" or "more responsive" are instantly discredited, discounted and disbelieved unless you back them with evidence. And because most buyers can't tell what good IT looks like, you can't assume they'll see why you're the obvious choice.
Why are testimonials so important for an MSP?
What your clients enthusiastically say about you is far more convincing than anything you can say about yourself. Online reviews and testimonials have the single biggest positive impact on whether someone entertains doing business with you, and an abundance of reviews reads as evidence that your company is legit. Strong reviews also make current clients more comfortable referring you.
What is E.D.R. marketing?
It's using your marketing to educate prospects, but not on how to do what you do. The goal is to educate them on what GOOD looks like, so your solution and your company become the obvious choice when they compare you with cheaper competitors.
What are examples of proof an MSP can use in marketing?
Logical proof includes case studies, testimonials, a large number of reviews, certifications, awards, guarantees, before-and-after results, diagnostic analysis, research findings, years in business, being a published author and comparisons that show the specific ways you're better. Emotional proof counts too, such as media interviews, an origin story, a strong point of view, genuine caring and consistency in your image, words and actions.
Do buyers of IT services want to understand the technical details?
Mostly no. Most buyers don't want to know all the details required to make a good IT decision. They want to find someone with deep expertise they can trust to make those decisions for them. That's why being seen as a trusted authority matters more than explaining how your tools work.
What happens if you can't prove your case to a prospect?
You won't make the sale. Failing to prove any element of why someone should buy from you over a cheaper competitor results in no sale. When I removed a money-back guarantee, conversions dipped and then recovered, which showed the people not buying had reasons other than money: they weren't sufficiently sold on us or the fit.