When you’re in the business of making sales (PS – if you’re a small business owner and there’s no salesperson on your payroll, you’re in the business of making sales), credibility is key.

Forget about your qualifications and experience. True credibility is achieved by demonstrating proof and depth of knowledge, delivered with elegance and integrity.

In the new way of living, your website is the first interaction a prospect will have with you. Does it pass the ultimate credibility checklist?

1. A key sales message

What do you do? If your homepage fumbles to answer that simple question, prospects won’t stick around. The main statement on your website, or H1 tag as the SEO geeks call it, must clearly state exactly what a client will achieve by working with you. At SalesSPACE, our main statement is MAKE BIG MONEY IN SMALL BUSINESS. Simple, straight to the point, and with a keyword thrown in there too.

2. Testimonials

A survey by Big Commerce revealed 88% of customers trust online testimonials as much as personal recommendations. To convert leads into clients, you must show proof of your results, and proof of your rigour.

People love to know what others have experienced with you and an extensive testimonials page will accelerate your lead’s decision-making process.

Get into a habit of collecting testimonials regularly and using them everywhere. Hand out a feedback sheet at the end of a workshop or email a link to an online form (check out the SalesSPACE feedback page), and remember to always ask for permission to use them.

If you don’t have testimonials littered across your website, why not?

3. Satisfaction Guarantee

A Satisfaction Guarantee surpasses the common money back and risk-free guarantee. Why? It’s a beautiful blend of both. Rather than offer a free trial before you buy, or simply refund a customer’s money, you allow them to experience your service. That’s a win for you, and for your customer.

A satisfaction guarantee virtually reduces your client’s risk because you’re guaranteeing a great result for them and their satisfaction with the outcome. For your client, there are no regrets.

At SalesSPACE we offer a satisfaction guarantee on all our training, whether its online training or a three-day NeuroInfluence Sales Intensive. We’re proud to say not a single client has used the guarantee, and it has allowed us to convert leads into clients that would have otherwise said no.

4. FAQs

An FAQ page, when written strategically and with sales messages scattered throughout, will instantly boost your credibility. A sales-driven FAQ isn’t buried deep in your site’s navigation. It stands front and centre, alongside testimonials and your satisfaction guarantee.

When writing your FAQ, follow these rules:

• Write each question to position you and your brand. Frame the question as: How does a certain feature, uniqueness or strength ensure a particular benefit? For example, if you manufacture jerry cans, ask ‘Why is Stainless Steel better than plastic?’

• Seed questions that highlight your unique selling point that leads would never think to ask, for example, ‘Why are models so important in a sales system?

• Prioritise your top 10: Three that answer your target market’s pains and frustrations, three that highlight your point of difference with your competitors, followed by your satisfaction guarantee and four more questions that support your positioning.

Finally, avoid technical jargon.

5. Products and Rates

A beautifully designed website that fails to clearly present your products and services instantly depletes its credibility. As the main point of research, it’s critical to present the same information as you would in a sales conversation. Don’t be scared to discuss prices.

Business owners who follow the 10-step SalesSPACE System To Seamless Sales™ address price objections at Step 4 – upfront and out of the way. Failure to clearly articulate your base products and starting rates on your website is a serious misstep that will cause visitors to leave. It makes you look like you’re hiding something and fires off the threat response in your prospect. Their instinctual brain tells them to flee. You can’t sell a secret.

Whilst offering an online purchase portal is not essential, showcasing your unique products or services is.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a small business owner, professional service provider or thought leader, failing to clearly present your offering is an unnecessary barrier to converting leads into clients.

The Ultimate Credibility Checklist

Take half an hour to review your website. Does it tick all the boxes? If not, click here to find out how SalesSPACE can help you create Million Dollar Sales Messages for your business.