What Is “Too Good To Be True” Syndrome?

Have you ever read something or seen a terrific offer and thought…wow that’s amazing! But is it for real?

Suddenly you become very suspicious and your next thought is usually…
What’s the catch?

Whenever a prospect reads your ad, you want to make sure they believe any claims you make about your product or service. Because if there’s any doubt in their mind, they won’t buy …no matter how amazing your offer.

In fact, if something is “too good to be true” it virtually guarantees a lost sale…even if it is all true!

So what can you do to increase the believability of what you’re selling?

What must you do to make sure your copy is accurate and truthful?

And how can you increase your chances of moving your reader to action?

Here are 11 Tried and Tested Methods To Help You Get Results

1. Deliver as Promised…and Emphasize that Trust.

When working with existing customers who already know you…Always deliver as promised…and emphasize that trust.

Make your customer stop…sit up and say, “You know what…The ABC Company has never done me wrong before. I can trust them.”

2. Include Testimonials of Satisfied Customers.

This is a terrific social proofing technique (see this blog post for more…).

Be sure to put full names and locations, where possible.
Remember, “J.S.” is a lot less believable than “John Smith, Cape Town, South Africa.”

If you can also include a picture of your customer and/or a professional title, that’s even better.

It doesn’t matter that your testimonials aren’t from somebody famous or that your prospect doesn’t know these people personally.

If you have enough compelling testimonials, and they’re believable, you’re much better off than not including them at all.

3. Use Facts and Research

Sprinkle your copy with facts and research findings to support your claims. Be sure to credit all sources, even if the fact is common knowledge.

A neutral source goes a long way towards credibility.

4. Showoff Your Awards and Reviews

If you can…display any awards or third-party reviews that your product or service has received.

Here’s your one opportunity to show off “I” and not “you” in your copy.

However, for maximum pull in your ads, the trick is to switch it back to “You” again, for example…

”I’m the best salesperson in the whole town, with a number of awards and the largest client base for company ABC.

But that’s not important. Because imagine what your business and my expertise could do for your bottom line…imagine what could happen when…(blah blah etc)”

5. Show Me the Numbers

If you’ve sold a lot of a particular product or service…then say so.
For example…Over 1.3 million people swear by this product

What your reader thinks…
”Well if so many people swear by this…then it must be good”

For greater believability…rather use exact numbers like this, 1 353 789 people swear by this product

6. Include a GREAT Guarantee…Then Stand By It!

This is just good business practice. Many times, offering an excellent guarantee for certain products will result in higher sales.

Yes, at times it might seem like you’re taking a big risk, but chances are you’ll probably sell three times as many products and, only have to refund maybe now and then.

So it may be worth it. This does depend on your offer and return on investment.

Don’t forget to test different guarantees!
Crunch the numbers and see what makes sense for your business.

Make your reader think… “Gee, they wouldn’t be so generous with their guarantees if they didn’t stand behind their product!”

7. The Celebrity Factor

If you can get this…oooh then…your business will be flooded with customers overnight. What is it?

It’s getting a celebrity to endorse what you’re selling.

This will give you instant cred!…however…it’s not the easiest to do so good luck.

8. Third Party Testimonials

What are 3rd party testimonials?
If you’re selling a product that uses recycled material you might want to gather quotes from industry experts or academic papers highlighting the massive pollution facing the planet.

Take these quotes and use them to support what you’re trying to sell. But…be sure to get their consent or permission from the copyright holder if there’s ever any question about copyrighted material as your source.

9. Show You’re Not Perfect

Revealing a flaw in your product or service is refreshing in advertising.

We’ve been conditioned to always show “perfection”, however by revealing a flaw about your product or service, it’ll help to alleviate the ”too good to be true” syndrome.

By revealing a flaw in what you’re selling shows that you’re being upfront about your product’s shortcomings.
For example:

Stand out and be the talk of the town with your new designer coat - only pay 50% of the cost price!

What’s the Catch? Well, actually there are two…
First, you see your new coat isn’t exactly “brand new”.

Due to shipping and handling, some of our designer coats have minor factory flaws…such as…a missing label, a small mark here, a frayed stitch there, and so on…you really won’t be able to tell the difference.

Second, we have an oversupply of designer coats, that is why we can offer it at such a great price. So if you’re able to live with these “two catches” you’ll be
scoring a deal of the century.

We’re bombarded daily with thousands of…”perfect ads”! Why not catch your prospect off guard with a minor flaw…you’ll definitely stand out with your sincerity.

10. Stick to Deadlines

If you have a limited offer with a deadline date, be sure the deadline is real and does not change.

Deadline dates that change every day are sure to reduce your credibility. Your prospect will suspect, if your deadline date keeps changing, that you’re not telling the truth.

They might also wonder what else you’re not telling the truth about so,
stick to your deadlines to build trust.

11. Avoid the “Hype”…and Just Say What’s Right

I like to think of this point like a firecracker…

You buy it…you light it… and watch closely to see the massive explosion, the pretty colors or the whizzing through the air but instead, there’s a lame fizzle, minor pop, and a waste of time and money.

Hype is fine but, when you don’t deliver then, there goes your reputation, business, and sales.

So rather just say what’s RIGHT about what you’re selling in a simple, clear, and easy to understand way.

Don’t make your customer have buyers regret.

12 . Undersell…and Over Deliver!

This is a bonus tip that works every single time and, that is to undersell…and over deliver.

If you do these two things you’ll probably (no certainly) get

1. A BIG smile and 2. A future client…not bad at all, wouldn’t you say?

But not only that, it’s the only known cure for…

The ”Too Good To Be True” Syndrome

Bye for now.