It's not about 'conveying the quality,' it's about 'who is doing the conveying.'

Hello, this is Iguchi.
As a sole proprietor, I am learning about marketing and copywriting while repeating the process of practice and verification every day.

My service is great, but it's just not getting across...
Have you ever had that frustrating experience?

I have, many times.

I used to think, "If I explain it more carefully, it will get across," so I would polish my materials and refine my words.

But when I saw the other person's reaction, it would just end with a "Hmm, I see."
I'm trying so hard to convey it, but for some reason, it doesn't resonate.

It's a bit heartbreaking (laughs).

This "lack of communication" isn't actually our fault.

It's because people have a psychological tendency to trust 'the quality mentioned by a third party' more than 'the quality mentioned by the person themselves.'In this article, I will explain this psychological effect, the

Windsor Effect about, simply and clearly with examples.By the time you finish reading this article, you should naturally think, "I can use this for my own service right away!"

It will surely be a hint, especially for sole proprietors and freelancers who are worried about how to build up "trust."
Let's get started!

What does the "Windsor Effect" actually mean?

Simply put, it is a psychological effect where people are more likely to trust information conveyed through a third party than information conveyed directly.For example, isn't it easier to honestly believe "Oh, really?" when you accidentally hear friend B telling someone, "Friend A is really good at cooking!" than when friend A tells you directly, "I'm good at cooking!"?

It's exactly that kind of feeling.

Let's think about a familiar example. "I heard that ramen shop is delicious!"

For example, imagine you are very hungry and are in a town you are visiting for the first time. Let's say there are two ramen shops in front of you.

Ramen Shop A: The owner is enthusiastically appealing in front of the shop, saying, "Our ramen is the best in the world! We use the best ingredients!"

Ramen Shop B: There is a crowd in front of the shop, and you can hear customers coming out saying excitedly, "Wow, the ramen here was exquisite!" and "I want to come back again!"

Which ramen shop would you enter?

I would choose Ramen Shop B without hesitation.
After all, even if the owner tells you, "It's the best in the world!", don't you think, "Well, of course they'd say that, it's their own shop"?

But when you hear other customers say, "It's delicious!", your sense of trust increases significantly, thinking, "Oh, it's that good!"

This is exactly the "Windsor Effect."

For some reason, information from a third party is more persuasive.
Humans are interesting, aren't they?

How can we sole proprietors and freelancers use this? Why "customer testimonials" are the strongest weapon.

Don't you think this "Windsor Effect" can be an incredibly powerful weapon for us sole proprietors and freelancers?

The "information from a third party" in our business is exactly customer testimonials.For example, no matter how much I say as a Web writer, "I'm good at writing and can write articles that resonate with readers' hearts!", people might think, "Really?"

But what if my client posts on their blog or SNS, "When I asked Iguchi-san, they wrote a truly wonderful article! I'm grateful because inquiries have increased!", or if they let me post it on my website as a "customer testimonial"?

Surely, it would be easier for people to believe in my writing ability.

• Set up a "customer testimonials" section on your website

• Quote-repost posts from customers about your service on X (formerly Twitter)

• Introduce it during business meetings by saying, "I received these kind words from a previous customer"

And so on, there seem to be many ways to utilize it!

No matter how wonderful our services are, there is a limit to just promoting them ourselves.

But just by having a third party, the customer, say, "This is really good!", the level of trust and persuasiveness increases significantly.

I realized that the "Windsor Effect" is a reassuring ally that supports our business.

Summary: To be chosen by customers

Learning about the "Windsor Effect" made me realize the importance of "customer testimonials" all over again.

Until now, I only thought about "having to build a track record," but it is truly important to express that track record in the form of "how customers evaluated it."

I also want to collect customer testimonials more actively from now on and share them.

I would be happy if this article served as a trigger for you to think even a little bit about whether you can utilize customer testimonials more in your business!

Thank you for reading until the end.

I would be happy if this article led to a small realization like "I see, that's what it was!" or a hint for your ideas.

Following me would be very encouraging.
I will follow you back too ^^