The Social Proof Framework that Increased Sales by 20% with Louis Nicholls (GMT060)

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Have you ever walked past a restaurant with a line of customers outside eagerly waiting to get in? Did you join the line because you thought that with a line like that, the food must be outstanding? That’s social proof in action! In this episode, Louis Nicholls, author of the Social Proof Handbook, and founder of Sales for Founders, describes his four-step process for crafting social proof that increases conversion by up 2% to 10%.

In episode 60, you’ll learn:

Choose the right source of social proof for each step of your funnel
Craft the perfect social proof content that converts
Get buy-in from your customers and teach your team how to continue the success

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Tweet Some Quotes from This Episode

The first question you want to ask yourself with social proof is what effects do you intend with it. Is it to build trust, create attention or build up your own authority? – @louisnicholls_ from @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full… Click To Tweet Pricing isn't really a valid objection. That either means that you have bad positioning or they're a bad fit. – @louisnicholls_ from @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full episode 👇 Click To Tweet You can't just slap on social proof on your site. Understand your customer's journey and use social proof to respond to their objections along that journey. – @louisnicholls_ from the @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full episode 👇 Click To Tweet Social proof is so effective because when people aren't certain how they should act in a specific situation, it's ingrained in us to imitate what others are doing. – @louisnicholls_ from the @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full episode… Click To Tweet Social proof is always there. It's not a call-to-action but an inherent message. You're either using the right kind of social proof or not. – @louisnicholls_ from the @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full episode 👇 Click To Tweet

My Takeaways from This Episode

Start with understanding your customer’s journey and knowing their objections. When it comes to social proof, I’ve usually just dropped a testimonial or a logo on the front page. I really like Louis approach of starting with understanding your customer’s journey and the different touchpoints, knowing their objections and responding to them with social proof. This is a more structured approach to using social proof to increase your conversions.
Talk to your customers. I know. I know. I’ve heard this before from other guests. This was Louis one advice to founders and marketers. I tend to agree. I love looking at numbers and video recordings of what my users are doing on my app. But talking to customers brings a deeper sense of empathy and understanding.
Pricing isn’t really a valid objection. I had a conversation with a founder recently of a specialized marketing tool for eCommerce companies. We were discussing why trial users weren’t converting to paying customers. He brought up that it could be the price because they’re priced a little bit more than a competitor that’s targeting all types of companies. I said that price isn’t really the issue. It’s that the customers didn’t see the value in the product. There’s a reason why some people buy Toyota Corolla’s and others the latest Ferrari model – it solves a need or meets a desire.

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About Louis Nicholls

Louis Nicholls isouis Nicholls, a founder, developer and marketer based mainly in Zurich, Switzerland. What makes Louis’ story so different is that it’s a 180-degree flip from our typical script. Louis went from co-founder of Gymhopper.com to setting up his own freelance consulting business. Louis Nicholls, founder of Sales for Founders, where he teaches sales skills for a mostly tech founder audience and author of Social Proof Handbook.

Show Notes

4:13

Louis journey from starting a company, selling it and becoming a sales and marketing consulting
5:30

Why should marketers learn sales
7:45

Louis’ social proof framework for increasing conversions and sales
12:07

How do you use social proof to drive more leads at the top of the funnel?
13:44

What are some of the biggest objections for buyers?
14:52

What are examples of good and bad social proof?
18:39

What are other types of sources and formats of social proof?
20:44

What type of social proof should you use in different communication forms – landing pages, emails, pricing pages, etc?
22:50

A case study of how adding the right social proof at the checkout page increased the sales conversion by 20%
25:40

How do you get social proof if you have very few customers?
27:58

How do you get a customer to agree to a case study?
30:40

Who should own social proof in a company – marketing, sales or customer success?
32:22

What does social proof look for B2B companies versus eCommerce companies?
35:40

When is it not ok to use social proof?
37:20

What is Louis one advice to founders?
39:42

Where can you find Louis online?