Why Prospects Don’t Trust You: The Curse of Mastery

Being an expert often comes with what I call “the curse of mastery” – when someone tells you about their problem, you immediately begin trying to solve it – because you can.

The curse of mastery also comes with this belief: solving problems for your prospects up front, is how you prove your value by showing them you know your stuff.

But the truth is, trying to solve their problems by providing information and insights in your initial sales conversation, could be the one thing that stops them from deciding to work with you.

When a prospect mentions they’re struggling with a problem, you may tempted to share your knowledge and give them a range of solutions… and it may feel like the more knowledge you share, the closer they’ll be to engaging you.

But what often happens is, they want to “go away and think about it”, which leads you into chasing and ultimately getting ghosted.

The key to overcoming the curse of mastery, is to be aware that your prospects cannot always process the level of knowledge and information you possess as an expert.

And although they might listen, nod, and look impressed, behind the scenes, they’re disengaging with you in their mind.

Trust is lost in this very moment.

You see, at this early stage, your prospect isn’t interested in how their problem can be solved… that’s your concern as an expert.

What they really want to know is if you’re the one they can trust, to solve their problem.

Building trust with your prospect comes down to one simple principle: staying in their world, not shifting to yours.

That means keeping the conversation focused on helping them understand the depth of their own problems, but not offering any potential solutions at this stage.

You might think, “How will they know I’m up to the task, unless I show them my competence up front?”

Before the sale, your only priority is to help them understand the gravity of their situation and the impact if they don’t prioritize addressing it.

An expert who merely understands a problem is competent.

But an expert who understands a problem so deeply they can explain the depth and context of it at a much deeper level than the person who has the problem understands themselves
— that creates a higher level of perceived competence and trust.

They’re not just experts attempting to display their competence to convince the other person to choose them.

They’re experts with the desire and patience to help others understand what they don’t understand themselves.

Big difference.

Doubt is a natural response when you’re facing a problem you don’t understand, and this is the situation your prospect is in when they meet you.

When you stay in their world and focus on the depths of their issues, doubt is disarmed and trust is created.

The opportunity to prove your competence and value comes after they become your client.

Trust is your only priority, before they become a client.