Creating trust in you is fundamental if you want to succeed in business and even more so crowdfunding.
Every single day I work with organisations trying to get governments to give them a contract for work. Sometimes they get caught up in telling the customer what they do and not enough about the problem they can solve for them or who they are. This often works against them as the tenderer doesn’t want to give a contract to someone who is an unknown or has little credibility
If you want to succeed in business, crowdfunding, a position of power, or even as a local volunteer, forming relationships and developing confidence in your abilities is fundamental. In tendering for contracts it’s often hard to do that at a personal level. That’s why Pinpoint Grants and Tenders helps organisations write their story to create confidence in their business and trust of them as individuals.
This is even more important for crowdfunding campaign. It’s a new, disruptive style of funding. Traditional finance sources are upset that part of their business is going to crowdfunding and consumers i.e. the public, are just a little hesitant to give money to projects when they have no guarantee they will get what they paid for.
Credibility is the key to getting support.
So how do you create credibility for your campaign?
Be yourself
When you put together your campaign write it from you, as a person. People relate to people. Not businesses. Not products. But you. Write your story from your personal perspective, sharing the highs and lows and your experience with your potential supporters. This creates an emotional connection to your reader and draws them into your journey.
A video telling your story is a great way to show yourself as a person and makes you seem authentic. Remember, campaigns with a video increase your chances of success by 250% and there’s a good reason for that – they get to know YOU. If you need help creating a video contact one of the Ready Fund Go recommended experts.
Be honest
Being open and honest with people will build your credibility. Have you ever met someone who made a mistake in a job but didn’t tell you? Eventually you found out and asked them about it. Their reasons just sound like excuses, even if they may have merit. I’ve always told my staff, people make mistakes, just be honest and we can work out a way to fix them. By not owning up or covering up past mistakes you may be undermining your potential supporters’ ability to trust you. Past behaviour is often an indicator of future and if you aren’t honest about your past people may not trust you with their money.
Be consistent
Be consistent with what you say across all platforms and media. Information about you, your business, your blogs, your social media posts and your comments should be consistent. People do ‘Google’ (when did Google become a verb??) people and businesses before they give money and inconsistencies between your campaign, your website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and the myriad of other online (and offline) media that’s out there undermines your credibility. Take time to ‘Google’ yourself to see what your supporters will find and if you think it will undermine your campaign tidy it up or disclose it as part of your story.
Be knowledgeable
Have you’ve ever watched the TV show Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank where entrepreneurs come before ‘Dragons’ or ‘Sharks’ who are successful business people willing to mentor and invest in good ideas? If you haven’t seen it, watch one on YouTube as part of understanding how to create credibility.
The most successful entrepreneurs on these shows are the ones who know their stuff. They know what their product is – inside out. They know how much it costs to produce. They know their markets, what they’ve sold, how much they expect to sell and they are generally knowledgeable and can convince these very experienced business people that they know what they’re doing. You need to do that for your crowdfunding campaign. In fact it’s even more important as you don’t have a chance to answer your supporters’ questions directly – you have to convince your supporters you are knowledgeable and know your stuff in your story, your video and in what you communicate to them.
Be supported
When I talk to people about creating confidence or credibility for their campaign I often use the food court analogy. We’ve all been in a food court and wandered around looking for just the right thing to eat. Put to one side the amazing variety of food and think about the people at each of the stores. Some are packed, with lines down the street, some have a good group of customers and others have little or none at all. Which one do you go to? I bet it’s not the one where no one is and why? Because we automatically assume that because there is no one buying their food there must be something wrong with it. People are fickle. They do follow other people. They do what others do.
So when you set up your campaign, get yourself some bone fide support with genuine testimonials, recommendations and when the campaign kicks off make sure you have your supporters all ready to contribute so you’re not the store with no one at it.
Finally, do your best to be you. Be authentic and genuine and engage with people. People want to trust you so help them know you, establish your credibility and you can all be part of your crowdfunding success.
Brenda Stephens
Brenda has over 20 years’ experience in public and private sector organisations, holds a Graduate Certificate in Management, a Diploma in Project Management and is completing her Masters of Business Administration. She was awarded the Public Service Australia Day Medal on two separate occasions (1999 and 2004) for her outstanding contribution to the public service.
Pinpoint Grants and Tenders is offering all Ready Fund Go members a FREE 30 minute consultation to help you create your own authentic, engaging and credible story. Contact us at 1300 79 63 43 or brenda@pinpointgt.com.au and quote this article on Ready Fund Go
