Naked Business – How Jason Cohen made more money through honesty than through typical business behaviour.

Lying and BS don’t make money. Marketing copy on most corporate websites is in the best case meaningless and in the worst case simply not true. Honesty has become a critical policy for every company on Earth.

Would it turn your customers away if you admitted your products are flawed, or introduced uncensored reviews? By admitting your products have faults, you can really get your customer to focus on the product’s advantages.

Jason found that by admitting that products are not the best (although also cheaper), revenue went up and returns went down – customers new exactly what to expect. Jason closed deals of $12,000 or more after enterprise sales meetings during which he admitted that his product had flaws.

Be proactively honest

Being honest about limitations earns believability in advantages. People appreciate the truth, even if you’re failing them.

Presentation vs omission

“We don’t have 24/7 support. But when you do call we will actually help you.”

Why do we lie?

– Continuing a lie. We were embarassed about our position/company/product and were compelled to lie about it. However, the benefits from lying are marginal – the penalties of being found out are massive.

– Fear. We fear that people won’t buy our products because they may not be suited to their needs. By lying we tackle their apprehenions, but then lose reputation and time dealing with the fall out.

Being honest is everywhere. But in truth, it is very, very rare.