What is Evidence?

One dictionary definition of evidence is:

“The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.”

We may look for evidence to prove or justify to ourselves that what we believe is true or untrue, valid or invalid.  The credibility of the evidence and the manner in which we use our senses can make the evidence more or less compelling.  Third party evidence or external validation of something seems to give more credibility.  If I was to say “I am great at doing this” it has less “worth” than if one of my clients says “he is great at doing this”. 

When we want to buy something, we often need additional evidence to give us confidence in the products or services we are purchasing…and the manner in which this is provided has changed over the years.  In the not too distant past, evidence may have taken the form of a personal recommendation from a friend, family member or colleague.  With the advent of e-commerce and internet companies such as TripAdvisor, Amazon TrustPilot and many, many others, the invisible reviewer or testimonial is becoming a more prevalent method of endorsing and supporting our belief in a product or service. 

…and it may seem crazy to rely on someone you have never met or even know to give you their opinion of something which informs your own choice.  Yet we tend to use them to help us make decisions…and that’s fine.

Our senses, heart head and gut in combination give us a “steer” on what we are given as evidence. 

In my map of the world, I use case studies, testimonials and reviews to inform my decision for online purchasing, even more so of services than products.  For services, I will go into much more detail than for a product mainly because the service is more expensive and the outcomes have, potentially, more consequences. 

According to many research projects (just Google “Why are product reviews important?” and you will see a list of online sources giving you their research), I am joined by over 90% of online purchasers in using these forms of evidence to make my buying decisions for products and services.

We encourage our Members to use all the true evidence they can to prove the efficacy of their services and their use of NLP.  In my map of the world, when I am purchasing something, it must be done with honesty and integrity because it if isn’t, I will ask for my money back and never use them again…what’s more, I may use all means at my disposal to provide evidence that I was dissatisfied!

So, evidence can take many forms and being able to influence your clients and potential clients by using the modality of evidence that they connect with becomes an important part of a convincer strategy for them.