You're either generating revenue, retaining revenue or both - either way, this newsletter is my way of distilling 16 years of GTM experience into weekly nuggets to help you and 2000+ other industry leaders get unstuck and grow your business.
Alex Hormozi did it again. I tuned into part of his latest live book launch and, beyond the spectacle, one thing stood out (as always): his obsession with proof. He’s said it a million times “proof will always beat promise” and after watching him architect a whole experience that demonstrates his principles in real time, I’m all in. You feel it, not just hear it.
So let’s talk about proof, not as a nice-to-have, but as a GTM advantage you can operationalise this quarter.
The Main Thing
When buyers are overwhelmed and trust is wobbly, proof lowers perceived risk and speeds decisions. Three fast datapoints worth taping above your desk:
Peer proof moves deals. In G2’s 2024 Buyer Behavior report, 82% of buyers say their peers’ experiences significantly influence provider selection; most use testimonials both early and late in the journey. (research.g2.com)
Helpful, deal-specific evidence reduces regret. Gartner finds buyers are 3x more likely to purchase a bigger deal with less regret when suppliers provide information that advances the purchase process (think calculators, diagnostic tools, deployment plans). (Gartner)
Economic cases de-risk change. Forrester’s TEI work exists for a reason: quantified, third-party ROI narratives equip sellers to build custom business cases faster and with more credibility. (Forrester)
Trust in institutions has been shaky the last two years (hello, innovation anxiety), which makes evidence even more valuable in the sales moment. (Edelman)
Critical Insight
Proof isn’t one thing, it’s a ladder. The mistake I see is relying on a single testimonial or a logo wall. Instead, build a Proof Ladder that maps to the buyer’s job-to-be-done at each stage:
Problem validation (early): benchmark data, “state of” stats, third-party research snippets; micro customer quotes tied to the problem (not your product). (research.g2.com)
Solution credibility (mid): implementation snapshots, integration diagrams, security one-pager, team certifications, sandbox access, pilot plans. (Gartner)
Outcome certainty (late): ROI model with customer-sourced inputs, before/after metrics, time-to-value evidence, peer reference calls, and a mutual success plan that spells out day 0 → day 30 → day 90. (Forrester)
We’ve been circling this theme all year, trust, buyer regret, and the power of lived outcomes and it keeps showing up in your pipeline math.
Food for Thought (do these this week)
Inventory your “Proof Stack.” List every asset you have, then tag it by stage (early/mid/late) and risk it reduces (financial, time, resources, effort, social). You’ll instantly see the gaps. (If late-stage outcome proof is thin, that’s often your stall point.) (Gartner)
Engineer new proof deliberately. Take a “lighthouse” client in a new vertical/regional at a lower cost in exchange for: data rights, a named case study, and two reference calls per quarter. Put this in the MSA. Run a 30-day micro-pilot with a crystal-clear success metric you can screenshot later (e.g., time saved, error rate down). Then turn that into a 1-page “win card.” (Forrester)
Operationalise buyer enablement. Add three proof moments to your standard process: a 3-minute ROI explainer loom, a living mutual action plan, and a peer-story slide that maps to each stakeholder’s risk. (This directly aligns with what Gartner shows reduces regret.) (Gartner)
Make proof visible on your website. Prominent testimonials, customer counts, security badges, and “as seen in” citations still increase conversion, especially on pricing and checkout adjacent pages. (CXL)
G2: 2024 Buyer Behavior Report (visual summary). Handy charts on testimonials, peer influence, and ROI expectations. (research.g2.com)
Gartner on Buyer Enablement. Why tools and information that advance the purchase drive bigger, lower-regret deals. (Gartner)
CXL on Social Proof. Practical breakdown of what proof types actually move conversions (with experiments). (CXL)
April Dunford – Value vs. Objection Handling. Great reminder that proof should demonstrate value, not just swat objections. (aprildunford.substack.com)
Hormozi: “Everyone can make the same promise… but no one can have the same proof.” A crisp north star for your next launch. (X (formerly Twitter))
P.S. If you liked this, forward it to a founder or sales leader who’s shipping more promises than proof right now. Their win rates will thank you.
Until Next Time ✌🏾
PS
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You're either generating revenue, retaining revenue or both - either way, this newsletter is my way of distilling 16 years of GTM experience into weekly nuggets to help you and 2000+ other industry leaders get unstuck and grow your business.
