🌟 Salutations- it’s me, Kev - The Case Study Guy
In this week’s issue, I’m digging into the concept of trust building.
This is actually my third attempt at writing the newsletter this week. The first two drafts focused on “Live” Case Studies - where your client (the Hero) and you (the Mentor) share a story on stage. I’ll save the full story for another edition.
So why the change? Because I’ve been reading… a lot. One book I revisited was The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. It got me asking:
What’s the one thing I can do today to better illustrate my core belief about trust.
That led me (with a little help from ChatGPT and Canva) to - yes - another bridge metaphor.
My take on trust
If you just rolled your eyes at another ‘bridge’ analogy - first, rude, second, yeah, I know. And, yes, a confession, I created it as much for me as I did for you dear reader.
Getting to TRUST is everyone’s business.
Think about how many times someone’s tried to skip the bridge and go straight for your trust:
Random Stranger - “Hey I love your content, let’s connect.”
My inner voice - “I am loved! + Another connection on my route to FAME.”
Random Stranger - “How’s Tuesday at 2pm so I can pitch you my AI tool.”
Random Stranger - “Hello… where have you gone.”
Random Stranger - “Have you had a fall. You look old… like ‘falling age’…”
Yes, it still happens. And it happens ALL the time. The Promise is the collection of value propositions, marketing messages and claims that we are bombarded with every single day. This is where the majority of marketing budgets go. It’s the battle for our attention, our time and our trust.
My default position - one of the three sharks - doubt, disbelief or distrust, depending on my level of grumpiness. My challenge to them - prove it. Prove to me that you are worthy of my time and attention. And, no, the proof doesn’t have to be a case study. It could be -
a testimonial
a report
a nugget of data
a logo of a business I recognise
a graphic (but please… not another bridge illustration…)
The point is: proof compounds. One proof point turns a “hell no” into a “maybe.” Enough of them, and trust grows - especially when the stakes (and the spend) are higher.
It’s basic stuff. It shouldn’t really need repeating, yet the amount of businesses operating with nothing more than a promise is staggering. Some are ‘chancers’ with no proof to offer, but the majority simply haven’t prioritised proof. They’ve done lots of great work, they’ve just never taken the time or the trouble to gather the evidence. Their stories go untold.
If you want to stand out, if you want to punch above your weight, if you want to be trusted - you must prioritise proof.
Take the first step. I’ll even help you. Here’s your homework.
“What’s the one new proof point that I could work on next week that will help us build trust?”
Don’t get lost in the weeds. Find just a single proof point and work on it. If you’re brave enough to share, hit reply, send it to me and I’ll give you some advice and share some ideas on how to squeeze the most value from it.
That’s it for Proof Points Issue 3. Thanks for reading.
Have a wonderful week!