Imagine this…
You want to reduce your caffeine intake. Rather than quit caffeine cold turkey, you decide to swap out your morning coffee for some type of brain supplement a few times a week.
You do a quick Google search of “nootropics” and find a brand that looks promising.
But, when you click on their product page and start reading the product description, you’re a bit thrown off.
The brand promises their nootropics “will make you 50x more productive” and “improve your brain health by 100x”.
The skeptic in you has to wonder, how they could possibly have figured out those numbers?
You look around for links to studies that prove their claims, but there aren’t any.
As you hover over the buy button, you think back to the last time you bought a “miracle vitamin” that promised to reduce stress. You took that vitamin religiously for two weeks, but your stress level stayed the same
You look at the screen for a few more seconds before closing your tab.
Why did you choose not to buy?
In today’s edition of Why We Buy, we’re taking a look at Belief Bias – why we often over-rely on preexisting beliefs and knowledge when evaluating the conclusions of an argument.
Let’s get into it…
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The Psychology of Belief Bias 🧠
We’re more likely to nod along and agree with a claim if it supports our prior beliefs, experiences, and knowledge.
If something seems far-fetched or too good to be true, we assume it is. This is Belief Bias at work.
Prior to Roger Bannister breaking the world record for the 4-minute mile in 1954 nobody believed it was possible.
It was too good to be true.
Running experts believed there was absolutely no way a human could run that fast for that long.
Yet two months after Roger broke the record, another runner ran a 4-minute mile. Ten years later, a high schooler ran a 4-minute mile.
Roger Bannister broke the Belief Bias in the running community that a 4-minute mile was impossible.
Once he achieved the record, many more runners suddenly found themselves capable of this impossible feat.
Roger shifted the Belief Bias of the running community.
(1,663 athletes have run a mile in 4 minutes or less as of April 2021.)
Why do we rely so heavily on our Belief Bias that we’re willing to let it determine our reality… even when it limits us?
Inside Your Buyer’s Mind🧐
Your buyers are skeptical of big, audacious claims.
They believe that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
When evaluating your solution, they’re biased by their own beliefs and past experiences. Buyers are wired to avoid making decisions they’ll regret, and making HUGE promises can trigger alarm bells.
When Axe claims their body wash will turn someone into a “ladies’ man” simply by using their body wash… it’s funny, but hard to believe.
The smell of Axe is the reason women are attracted to men? Highly unlikely.
Outrageous claims about your product’s benefits can actually drive customers away.
Skeptical buyers may assume that you’re just looking to make a quick buck and they’ll be less trusting of your brand.
To build trust, show buyers testimonials from happy customers that make your claims feel more believable.
Your goal is to only share the claims that make buyers think, “I will definitely get what I want out of this product.”
How To Apply This 🤑
Alright, so how can we apply this right now to sell more?
Make realistic claims about the benefits of your product or brand
Don’t say your products are life-changing or that you’re the absolute best in the business. Claims like these feel like too much of a stretch and scare buyers away.
Instead, explain exactly what will change in their lives and use numbers to show you’re a pioneer of your industry.
Realistic claims build trust between the brand and the buyer. Take a look at how Dave Gerhardt promotes his handbook, 10 Laws of Copywriting.
Instead of saying that you’re guaranteed to make 6-figures or 10x your conversions after buying he says,
Use social proof to back up big promises
Having other people back up your big promises naturally makes them more believable. Especially when those people are everyday folks like them (customers) or people they already know, like, and trust (authorities in your niche).
This is why user-generated content is so effective. If you don’t have a library of user-generated content yet, just ask micro influencers to create some for you through minisocial.
TULA uses minisocial to make their landing pages feel less like a brand harping on how great they are and more like happy customers sharing a positive experience.
Do customer research to handle objections
What do your buyers think is too good to be true? How have they been disappointed by products like yours in the past? If you don’t know, that’s a problem. You can’t overcome Belief Bias if you don’t know what buyers believe.
This is where review mining can be a lifesaver. You can analyze reviews from past buyers—your own buyers or your competitors—to see what buyers already believe. You’ll learn what disappointed them about products like yours or what objections they needed to overcome before they were ready to buy.
I created my review mining system specifically to help unearth “golden nugget” insights like these.
I could tell you that review mining can completely change your life—“go from totally broke to a billionaire in weeks!”—but that’s not very believable, right?
Instead I’ll tell you this, marketing is a lot easier when you understand your buyer’s beliefs and know how to overcome them.
The Short of It 💥
Buyers always have their skeptical hat on looking for claims that prove a brand is making claims that are too good to be true.
Make them feel comfortable taking off that hat by showing buyers that your claims are backed by happy customers and real numbers.
Until next time, happy selling.
Wanna really get inside your buyer’s head?
There are a few ways I can help:- Get explosive clarity about what works with buyers by learning how to conduct 1:1 Clarity Calls (2000+ happy students)
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