Proof of your product and service claims are acceptable to a prospective customer, or they aren’t. Anytime people consider purchasing your solution, they will immediately stop any further consideration when they feel you are dishonest in your claims, so don’t do it.
Use the fifth and sixth P’s in the 7-P Framework to ensure your employees are aligned with fulfilling the promises being made in your marketing and sales claims.
Overview
Proof in marketing exists when your prospective customer believes the benefit claims of your customer value proposition. If they believe your product and service claims to be true and the anticipated value of buying your solution is more than the cost, they will likely buy if they want their need met or want to be satisfied today.
As consumers move from ignorance to awareness of your products and services, they begin looking for proof that what you are communicating to them is valid as soon as their interest becomes active. The more interest they have in acquiring your solution, the more effort they will make to acquire knowledge about how your product will help them. They will stop acquiring knowledge at the first sign of deception in your marketing and sales process.
As their knowledge passes through their truth filters and their interest remains high, they will develop an affinity for your solution. The greater the affinity they have for your solution, the higher the probability they are to buy. When they feel they have been told the truth and like what they have seen and heard, they are ready to be persuaded to make the purchase. The purchase transaction is what triggers money coming into your business. Up to this point, all that has happened is money went out trying to convince a prospective customer to buy from you.
Once the purchase has been made, the experimentation phase in the consumer-to-retained customer progression model begins. A customer’s experimentation with your product will either confirm that everything they have seen and heard during their consideration process is true or not. A failed purchase experimentation occurs every time an over promise under deliver occurs. If your customer believes you have violated their trust, you will not only lose a customer; they will tell at least ten people about their negative experience with your company.
When their experiment with your solution exceeds their expectations and what they perceive to be accurate, they will likely become a retained customer who will buy from you again when the need or want arises. They are also likely to promote your business to those with a problem that your solution solves. Getting prospective customers to this point is like finding a vein of gold in a gold mine. Little marketing and sales investment is required to tap into the lifetime value of a customer who believes and trusts what you say and do.