Page 113 - The $100 Startup_ Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love

• How do I know this really works?
• I don’t know if this is a good investment (and/or I’m not sure I have the

money to spare).
• I’m not sure I can trust you with my money.
• What do other people think about this offer?
• I wonder if I can find this information/get this product or service without

paying.
• I worry about sharing my information online (or another privacy concern).

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 objections, and point 4 is where you bring it all together and
nudge buyers toward a call to action. You won’t always get it right at first—