The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

by Chris Guillebeau

The core concern for each of these objections relates to trust and authority. You must create consumer confidence in order to overcome the objections. As you craft the offer, think about the objections…and then flip them around in your favor. You want to send messages like these: • This really works because… • This is a great investment because… • You can trust us with your money because…(alternatively, You don’t have to trust us with your money, because we work with an established, trusted third party…) • Other people think this is great, and here’s what they say… • You have to pay to get this product or service (alternatively, The free versions aren’t as good, it takes a lot of work to get it on your own, etc.) • Your information and privacy are 100 percent secure because… See how it works? The point is not to be defensive (you want to avoid that) but rather to be proactive in responding to concerns. One model you can use when describing your offer is outlined below in what we’ll call a “rough awesome format.” It works like this: Point 1: This thing is so awesome! [primary benefit] Point 2: Seriously, it’s really awesome. [secondary benefit] Point 3: By the way, you don’t need to worry about anything. [response to concerns] Point 4: See, it’s really awesome. What are you waiting for? [take action] In the rough awesome format, point 1 is the main benefit, point 2 is a reinforcement of the main benefit or an important side benefit, point 3 is where you deal with the object...