Bridging the Credibility Gap: 3 Things You Need To Do To Gain Prospects’ Confidence and Improve Seminar Response! (Part 1 of a 3 part series)

In today’s ultra-competitive, fast-paced and social-media-driven marketplace, your prospect’s first impressions about YOUR FIRM could be the single most important factor in prospecting for new clients – especially when marketing a seminar!
There are THREE important things you can do to improve or start building credibility with todays “wired” consumer:

1. Become an “Accredited Business” with the Better Business Bureau
2. Use social media to promote your firm and your events
3. Create and promote a “Charitable Giving and Voluntarism” policy

In the first part of my 3-part series, I will examine why it’s important that you become Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau.

First, let’s look at some facts about how consumers (your prospects) view and use the BBB:

• The Better Business Bureau has been a non-profit consumer-focused organization for 100 years
• Consumers asked BBB for help more than 132 million times in 2013, up 6.5% from 124 million in 2012.
• 99% of all contacts received at BBB are pre-purchase information requests on the reliability of businesses, and only 1% are actual complaints. The majority of these complaints are against Non-Accredited Businesses.
• According to a recent 2012 Nielsen Research findings – BBB leads as the preferred resource of choice for hiring a company and online shopping.

✔ 77 out of 100 CONSUMERS are familiar with BBB.
✔ 84 out of 100 CONSUMERS likely to consult BBB would consult it for contractor purchases.
✔  71 out of 100 CONSUMERS likely to consult BBB would consult for in-person purchases in a business or store.

So, why is becoming an accredited business so important to your firm? Because the standards the BBB uses in the accreditation process should be a direct match for how you conduct business:

1. Build Trust
2. Advertise Honestly
3. Tell The Truth
4. Be Transparent
5. Honor Promises
6. Be Responsive
7. Safeguard Privacy
8. Embody Integrity

In addition to the powerful credibility you’ll gain by being able to promote your BBB accreditation on your website, marketing materials and seminar invitations, most local Better Business Bureaus provide some great benefits, including:

✔  BBB Business Reviews
✔  The BBB Drives Customers To Your Business 
✔  Dynamic Seal for your website – SUPERCHARGES YOUR SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO) AND GETS YOU LISTED ON THE FIRST PAGE OF A GOOGLE-SEARCH!
✔  Your firm will be listed on the BBB’s Mobile Web Site
✔  Dispute Resolution Services
✔  Better Business Newsletter – this is great content to share with your clients and prospects on your social media pages and your firm’s newsletter.

For more information on becoming an accredited business and a full list of advantages, you can find your local bureau by visiting www.bbb.org.

Jorge Villar is President of Response Marketing Excellence (RME), with more than 26 years of direct marketing experience, he is known in several industries for his ability to create mail packages that garner the highest response rates. He is responsible for the Seminar Success program that for the last 17 years has accounted for more than 65% of the events being held in the nation, with over 17 million individuals making reservations. Mr. Villar has also been very successful marketing to physicians and business owners regarding Succession Planning and Asset Protection. RME’s marketing programs are presently being utilized by over 10,000 clients, including: top producing financial advisors, estate planning attorneys, large financial organizations, health care organizations, franchises, universities and many other industries. Mr. Villar is a frequent key note speaker at national financial symposium and marketing training conferences.

Academy Guest Blogger
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com