Want to meet one of the most skeptical, cautious, assume-the-worst-in-people individuals in the world? Walk into any small business, and shake hands with the owner.
They've been lied to. Cheated. Tricked. Ripped-off. You name it, they've seen it. For the most part, I find, small business owners are six degrees of separation away from locking themselves away in a cabin up in the mountains like the Unabomber. It's a tough group to sell to.
So, remember all this the next time you present them with an offer. Couch your proposal with guarantees - the money back kind - that gives the owner piece of mind, and an "out" in his or her mind if they think you're going to rip them off.
Making the small business owner feel comfortable and at ease with your offer is a necessary step in landing the deal. If you find that a lot of your proposals to small business owners are not getting anywhere, it's probably because there isn't a high enough comfort level in what you're asking them to do with your company.
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