Street Cred: How To Command Respect For Your Online Business At Any Stage

Even though internet shopping is ubiquitous these days, people still experience some angst when it comes to purchasing online services like coaching and consulting.

One reason for their anxiety is the price point. Hiring a coach is usually much more expensive than purchasing the new shea butter curling cream sold online by your favorite natural hair guru. As a service-based business owner, people are paying you for your years of expertise and time.  For the most part, that can’t be mass produced or replicated. So the price goes up.

Also what you are really selling online as a coach is transformation.

I don’t know about you, but the word “transformation” alone vexes me.  Unless you’ve experienced transformation for yourself, that word can sound flighty or new agey or something that the children of hippie parents try to pass off as actual work when in reality it’s just a scam for more weed money.  

But transformation is a real thing. It’s an experience that changes the way you see the world for good. Selling that concept, though, ain’t easy.

Given these challenges, how do you get people to buy your services online anyway? The answer is credibility, my friends. Street credibility that is.

Credibility is how you demonstrate to your prospective clients that you are worth their time and money.  It’s made up of everything that you do to show your authority and create customer loyalty. If you are looking to build some street cred for your business, here are some things you can do even if you are just starting out.

Customize Your Website

When you are just starting out spending thousands of dollars on a custom-built website seems out of reach. And quite frankly, it’s unnecessary. But your site does have to look impressive enough to show that you’ll be around for a while and you’re invested in your business. So it’s essential to have a clean, crisp, clear, and working business website if you want street cred.  These days you can easily create a site like that using the templates on Wixx or Squarespace. So don’t miss this low hanging fruit in the credibility game.

Brand Your Business

Again, there’s no need to break the bank here, but consistency across your color scheme, font choices, and the overall look and feel of your brand online can go a long way. For simplicity in your branding, choose two neutral colors and one stand-out or pop color. Then select and use only two fonts – one for headings and another for the body or text of your online communications.

Be Honest

Honesty in business is a little different from honesty in your day-to-day life. Both are rooted in the truth, of course. However, honesty in business means not selling yourself long or short.

Be honest about the results you’ve helped clients achieve and avoid making broad claims that are misleading or can’t be verified. However, if you know you can increase your client’s revenue by 10,000% because you’ve done it before, say so even if you did it in your former full-time role. If you have something to brag about, you’ve earned those bragging rights, and it will attract customers to you.

Be Consistent

If consistency was easy we’d all have 6 pack abs by now, am I right? Although consistency is the textbook definition of simple but not easy, it’s a muscle you can build over time with practice.

While you are building that muscle, stop beating yourself up over your lack of consistency. Instead, put measures in place to force habitual action no matter what. This is where virtual assistants, accountability partners, and coaches can help. You can use those aids to trick yourself into consistency until practice makes perfect.

Be Emotionally Intelligent

Show empathy toward team members, clients, and venture partners. Sincerely praise your team when things go right. Set an intention to actively manage the tension between entrepreneurial optimism and the actual numbers of your business. Apologize when you are wrong. These are just a few of the hallmarks of an emotionally intelligent leader.  People relate to emotionally intelligent business owners, and then they buy from people they can relate to.

Publish Testimonials

If you do all the things mentioned above, people will hire you and like your work.  When they do, have them document their praise by writing a testimonial or recommendation for you.  Demonstrating that other people know, like, and trust your work helps prospective customers make the decision to trust you too.

What are some things that you can do to add some street credibility to your business? Let’s start a discussion in the comments below.