The Tale of Two “Trustworthy” Contractors

Imagine you’re building a new house. You know what you want but you need a contractor to help you make it real.

Let’s say you don’t know much about the process. So you ask some friends.

You get a few names and call up a couple at random.

Saturday rolls around and you have two appointments.

Contractor #1 shows up first. He’s well dressed with a clean vehicle and a smart looking binder to show what he’s done.

It’s full of pictures of his. It’s full of testimonials from happy customers along with their names and photos. It contains a list of all the standard costs associated with the project.

Contractor #1 doesn’t have to do much selling. He just guides you through the binder and answers your questions. He doesn’t push; he’s an expert here to help.

A little while later, Contractor #2 comes by. He’s also well dressed with a clean vehicle. But there’s no binder.

Instead, he talks about how long he’s been in business. He talks about his projects and his expertise. He talks about all the customers he’s worked for in such-and-such neighborhood.

And yes, it does sound impressive. But after Contractor #1, you really want to see proof of all this. And so you ask:

“Can you show me examples of your work?”

He responds,

“Trust me.”

Do you? If you’re like most people – and if you’ve just been exposed to a professional pitch full of proof – “trust me” just ain’t cutting it.

So you go with Contractor #1. Just like everyone else.

We all know this.

And yet, why do so many marketers – no matter what they’re selling – act like Contractor #2?

They may have what it takes, but the consumer doesn’t want just talk.

They want to see it.