All business ideas are questionable, in that, if you hope to run a business, you better question every element of it to think through all scenarios. This way, you don’t launch a store in an area with three near-carbon-copies of what you have to offer already.

But it’s also true that sometimes, a business idea or product can take a bit more convincing than most. The first time someone heard of “activated charcoal” in a health drink, for example, they probably had the most puzzled expression on their face. But now you can find it in so many health-focused goods, for better or worse.

Because competition is so intense, it forces people to continually invent newer and more interesting variants on tried and tested products or services. There’s nothing new under the sun, so they say. However, if this does lead you into questionable territory, it’s important to use a few techniques to sell it appropriately. 

In this guide, we’ll help you achieve that:

Emphasize The Problem You Solve

Let’s continue that activated charcoal example. Health drink companies didn’t succeed by talking about how innovative charcoal beverages were with a vague kind of declaration, yhey focused on detoxification, digestive health, and removing free radicals from your system. The charcoal was just the method, not the main message.

Start every conversation about your business by explaining what frustration or challenge your customers face daily, and make people nod their heads in recognition before you reveal your solution. Once they understand the problem intimately, your questionable idea suddenly becomes a logical answer to something that bothers them. Sometimes you just need to deliver the idea correctly.

Frame The Idea As An Opportunity

You need to focus on positioning if you’re trying to sell, which might raise eyebrows initially. If you present your idea as a chance to be ahead of the curve instead of asking people to take a risk on something unproven. See how much better it sounds?

You may be surprised at how much early adopters love being the first to discover something valuable before everyone else catches on, because they want to feel smart for recognizing potential that others missed. If you patiently position your “questionable” business idea as exclusive access to an innovation instead of an experiment, that could help gain preference.

If your business model is unusual or your payment processing needs don’t fit standard categories, working with Humboldt merchant services can help you accept transactions smoothly while you build credibility in the marketplace.

Use Social Proof To Build Trust

You’ll find nothing quite supposed a questionable idea like evidence that other people are already embracing it successfully, which means that if you show testimonials, case studies, and examples of similar concepts working in other markets or industries, people are much more likely to trust you..

For this, you have to deliver, and ensure that payments are processed reliably and that there’s always recourse, so customers never feel like their finances are being exposed to a risk. Trial periods and refunds with no questions asked can help with that, too.

With this advice, you’ll be certain to sell a questionable business idea with confidence.