210: The Trust Recession

 Welcome back to the Shoot It Straight podcast, my friends. Today, I’m going to be maybe more real with you than I ever have on the podcast. I’m going to be so honest with you. The topic that I am speaking about today makes me very, very angry. Not just a little bit annoyed, but actually I’ve crossed the annoyed line and I’m pissed.

I’m pissed because there are actually people out there selling promises that they can’t keep, and poor people are paying for them, and the photographers, the entrepreneurs, the people that trust them are getting burned, and I’m gonna talk about it. I’m gonna talk about why people are burned and guarded and skeptical, and what it means for those of us who are doing things right.

So this is gonna be a little bit of a turn from a lot of episodes. I know that there are many of you here listening that are coaches or educators in your own right, and that’s kind of what I’m speaking about today. That’s specifically what I’m speaking about today. But hear me when I say, as always, there are still bits and pieces that you will be able to pull and apply to your business, whatever it is.

So I’m speaking about this. The stories I’m going to share are from the education role, from me being a business coach, having courses and programs, but read between the lines, okay? If you are not a coach or an educator, read between the lines because stuff still applies to you, I promise.

Welcome to Shoot It Straight, the podcast for women building businesses and lives they actually want. I’m Sabrina Gebhardt, and around here we believe in clarity over hustle, alignment over burnout, and giving yourself permission to want more: more ease, more beauty, more income, more space to live. So if you’re ready to grow without losing yourself in the process, you’re in the right place.

I finished recently my Root to Rise mastermind launch, and part of that launch, as always, includes having conversation with- conversations with women. I love to chat with people. I never want somebody to just blindly join a program, especially something that is such a large investment like my mastermind.

I want them to ask questions. I want them to reach out. I want them to get to know me. I want them to feel confident in giving me their time and money and trust, right? And so I have a lot of conversations with women during the launch, and I love it. And what I heard over and over again during this launch specifically, but also I heard it several times in the last launch, and so that’s launches number seven and eight for this program, okay?

And these are things that I don’t really recall hearing before that, okay? So launches one, two, three, four, five, and six, maybe I heard it one or two times, but it definitely was not a common theme. Launch number seven, I heard it from several people. Launch number eight, I heard it from probably half of the women that I spoke to.

And it’s this feeling that everyone is distrusting of educators. And when I’m having these conversations with women, I never, never ask them to tell me a name. I don’t want to know who your old coach was. I don’t wanna know what program you joined. You know, I don’t wanna know what course it was, what mastermind.

Like, I don’t need you to name-drop, and we’re not gonna start having catty, gossipy conversations. So I don’t know any of the names of the people. All I know is that over and over and over again, I have heard from women who are interested in either working with me or my program, but they’re scared because they have made investments before with educators and were absolutely burned by those experiences.

They would give me some details about the experiences a- and I just … I had no words. I had no words. And it’s just absolutely riles me up and makes me so angry, and that’s where this episode is coming from today. And I want to kind of break it down, like, what’s happening in the market, why this makes me mad, what this means for people that are selling things.

Like, we’re gonna get into it, but just know that this is where this is coming from. You may have heard the term trust recession, um, and if you haven’t, you’re hearing it now. We are in one. This is my perspective on this situation based on what I’m hearing and what I’m experiencing. If you are in the coaching education space, this episode is 100% for you.

If you are not in that space, you are still going to be able to get nuggets out of this because the trust recession exists for people across the board in various industries. People just are not as trusting as they used to. So let’s get into it, right? From what I’m hearing, people have been burned by coaches, um, and programs, coaches who overpromised results about the experience, courses that under-delivered, didn’t actually do what they said they were gonna do, um, by educators who worked really hard for a sale and then kind of disappeared, uh, for people who promised all kinds of things and then walked away, ‘kay?

Scams. Um, and maybe not even scams per se, but just under-delivering, not being genuine, not doing what they said they were going to do, not caring about their stu-students, um, or their students’ results. And all of these people getting burned has created this result. There’s this, we’re gonna call it like a generation of photographers, or beyond that, a generation of entrepreneurs, a generation of buyers that are skeptical.

People are skeptical. People are guarded. People are slower to invest. And my gosh, the slow to invest I can vouch for over and over and over again. It is taking me longer to get people from hello to I’m ready to join, here’s my credit card. And I don’t say that from a crass perspective, so please don’t hear that.

I’m not saying that because I’m chasing the money. I’m saying I’ve launched this program eight times. It didn’t used to be this much. I didn’t used to have back-and-forth conversations with women for a whole week before they trusted me. It used to just be here’s a DM, let me send them a voice memo. Okay, they can tell that they trust me.

It’s a good vibe. They’re ready to join. And now it’s taking so much more, and I’m happy. Please hear me say this. I am happy to spend that time. I am not frustrated that it’s taking me longer conversations. That’s not the complaint that I’m having. I love talking to women. I want women to be confident in their decision.

If it takes a woman a week of back-and-forth conversation to feel that confidence, let’s do it. I’m happy to do that all day long. What pisses me off is the fact that this is happening because of other people’s behavior, that I am paying the price For other people’s behavior. That’s what pisses me off, that this trust recession is happening because of things that are out of my control.

Because I know that I’m genuine. I know that I’m the real deal. I know that I care about you. I know how I treat people. I know the results of things of women that come out of my program. But people are hesitant, despite hearing all of those things from me and from testimonials and all that, they’re hesitant because of the actions of other people.

That’s what pisses me off. Okay? So hear that loud and clear. So we’ve got this generation of people who are skeptical, guarded, and slower to invest, okay? Here’s the thing, though. This isn’t necessarily a weakness. This is something that is being born from experience. A couple of episodes ago, I referred to the fact that we learn a lot when things go wrong.

We learn a lot when things are bad. We learn a lot when things don’t go as planned. This is, this is that. The market is in a trust recession. It’s not ideal. We’re having to work harder and longer for a sale to get clients. This isn’t necessarily weakness, but we have got to take from this experience. We have got to glean the wisdom from what’s happening and make shifts in how we are running our business and how we are selling, okay?

Before we get into what those changes are and what this trust recession means for how we’re showing up, let me… I, again, I wanna be clear on, like, why I’m so angry about this. I kinda jumped ahead and got to that a minute ago, but I am genuinely angry. I don’t think I’ve ever been angry on the podcast before, so welcome to angry Sabrina.

When I get worked up, I get worked up. And if you and I were sitting together, if you were in my office right now, and you were sitting in one of my cute pink and white striped chairs, and I’m sitting in my desk chair, and we’re just looking at each other having a conversation with, with you, my voice would not be this calm.

I would be a little bit rage-y. Um, I would definitely be a lot louder than I am now. I’m trying not to blow out your eardrums. I’m trying to keep my tone even here. But you would hear it in my voice. I would be going off a little bit, okay? And there would definitely be some expletives. I am very, very, very angry about this.

The dishonesty in the coaching industry is hurting people. It is hurting people’s finances. It is hurting their confidence. And I think worst of all, it’s hurting their willingness to try and their willingness to try again You’re burning people. I do not understand how these people are still in business.

Again, I don’t know who any of these people are. I didn’t ask for any of the names, but I’m assuming that these people are still rocking and rolling in business. I’m assuming they’re still taking people’s money. I’ve been told that a couple of the examples that people were talking to me about were, quote-unquote, big names.

I don’t know what that means ’cause I don’t know who they are, but that they are, quote-unquote, big names. What do you mean you have built a successful business and you are now coaching others to do the same, and you are on such a high horse that all you are focused on is money, and you don’t actually care about the people that you’re taking the money from?

That is so far off from how I go about life and relationships that I, I literally cannot even fathom. When I say what do you mean, what do you mean? Like, uh, does not compute. Legitimately does not compute with me. I do not understand how this is possible, but it is hurting people. It’s, it’s hurting their willingness to try again.

It’s knocking them down when they’re already down. If somebody invested in wanting to learn about whatever it is you’re teaching, learning how to do a very specific thing, or something more generalized, or a short-term thing, or a long-term thing, a one-on-one coaching, a group co- whatever it is, they need something.

They are looking for a solution, and you’re knocking them down and running away with their money. Let’s just play devil’s advocate. Even if you’re not doing it intentionally You obviously don’t care enough to fix something that’s not right. It is so far removed from how I think about the women that I serve and the way that I serve.

I just… It makes me so angry. Here’s the other part that pisses me off. It also makes it really hard for people like me and a lot of my educator friends who are doing work with integrity. I know that my program, and my programs, and courses are done with integrity, and I know that a lot of my peers are building the same thing.

They genuinely want to serve people and see people do better, get better, win, okay? But when there’s people out there that are screwing over people, everyone gets painted b- with the same skepticism. We all get labeled the same, that you can’t trust educators, that masterminds don’t work, that don’t buy courses because they’re a waste of your time, and that’s just not fair.

It’s not fair. I would like to think that there’s more good people than bad. I would like to think that there’s more people in integrity than not, but the whole industry is getting painted with this negative connotation, and it’s not fair for people like me and my peers who genuinely want to serve as many people as possible, not because it’s about making money.

Yes, we’re providing for our family. Yes, it’s our job, and it’s how we’re getting a paycheck, but we’re doing it because we genuinely love the people that we’re serving, and we genuinely want to see them win. It also really makes me angry because when you think about it, the people who can’t afford to be burned are the ones who keep getting burned.

I can’t tell you how many women I had conversations with during my mastermind launch who were saying that the investment would be a really big stretch for them. They know they needed some really drastic changes in their business. They know that things could be better. But they were really, really hesitant because they didn’t have a ton of money in the bank or a ton of, you know, flexible income every single month to make payments, and they were hesitant because they had been burned before, and th- this is who is getting hurt.

It’s the people who are already not financially thriving that need support so they can become financially thriving. That’s who you’re just taking money from. That’s who you’re taking money from and then not caring about the results they get. This is why I’m so pissed off It is why I just, I am so angry about this whole situation.

So let’s move past that. Let’s move past it. We got it. Sabrina’s angry. What does this mean? What does this trust recession mean for how we show up, how we sell, how we are running our businesses? Number one, social proof matters more than ever. This is why I tell people that your social proof needs to be screenshot-able.

It needs to be screenshot-able or audio testimonials or video testimonials. If you’ve never used a platform like VideoAsk, I’m sure there’s other ones out there, it’s great. Audio and video testimonials and then screenshotted things, that’s how we prove that we’re not making stuff up. That’s how we prove that our testimonials are not manufactured, they’re not AI, they are real, they are specific, and the outcomes are real.

They are putting faces and names with what’s happening. Could you scr- could you, you know, manufacture a screenshot? Sure. Could you use AI to manufacture? Yes, you can, but we’re talking about integrity right now, so I would hope that you would not do that. I want you to screenshot things. I want you to get audio and video testimonials when you can.

This stuff matters. So I know that you’ve got a beautiful website that has built in, you know, the really pretty, like, client testimonial section where you, you know, put it in your pretty script font, and then you have the client’s name, you know, Jenny A. That’s great. I would much rather you put a screenshot of a text that says, “Oh my gosh, we couldn’t stop crying when we got our gallery.

Working with her was the best investment I ever made in my business.” The screenshot may not be as sexy as what’s built into your website, but it is way more powerful. Way more powerful. Social proof matters more than ever, and so if you are not making an effort to collect social proof, it’s time to buckle down.

You better follow up with every student, every client, every person you can. You don’t need to harass them, but you do need to be making an effort to get that social proof. When you’ve worked with somebody and they’ve loved working with you, you should have no problem asking for it. I have zero problem asking my students at the end of the program, “Hey, I would love to get a testimonial from you that I can screenshot, so could you text it to me or email it to me or put it here in Voxer or send it in a DM?”

Basically, I’m telling them, “I would love you to send me a voice memo, but what’s more important is I would rather you type something out that I can screenshot.” I have no problem asking that, and they have no problem delivering it. Social proof matters more than ever Another thing, transparency about what your program, product, or offer is and is not is a actual competitive advantage.

We don’t want to gloss over and say that we’re the solution for everything, because you’re not. You’re not the solution for everything. Your product, your offer, your m- mastermind, whatever it is, you’re not the solution for everything, so get real clear on what you are the solution for. What is included in your program, and then what is not included in your program?

Who is your program for, and who is it not for? The more specific you can be, the better, because you don’t want anybody joining your program because they’re unsure about what the result is, what they’re gonna get, what they’re gonna learn go through your program, leave your program, and then say, “Ugh, that was such a waste of money.”

But they’re actually upset because they weren’t clear on what they were getting, and what they needed was something you didn’t offer. Do you see what happened there? There was a disconnect. The expectation was not in the right place. Now you have somebody that is unhappy, that is claiming that your product or service or offer was not right for them, was a failure, wasn’t great, whatever, but it actually never was about what they wanted or needed.

Specificity is needed in today’s world. You have got to be extremely transparent and specific about what your program is and is not We need a slower, longer runway for selling. Okay? I, I alluded to this earlier when I said that it’s taking me much longer, I’m having longer conversations, I’m having to go back and forth more, which I love doing, but we need to build these things in.

You definitely need to nurture before you pitch, okay? I tell all of my students this. Just don’t go straight out and start selling. We need to build a relationship first, nurture first, but having a longer selling runway is essential. If you are trying to hard sell, cold sell to an audience that has been burned, you will fail, period.

You will fail. If I tried to sell something like Root to Rise, okay, an education mastermind for photographers bettering their business, if I tried to sell this to my photography audience and gave it a five-day window for enrollment for this high-ticket six-month mastermind, I’m not gonna get anybody that joins.

I’m just not. There’s not enough, that’s not enough time for me to give out content, for me to have conversations, for me to have enough emails, for me to really explain what the program is, is not, who I am, who I’m not. Like, it needs a longer runway. There, you need to build in more time, so when you are mapping out your launch strategy and your plans, build in more time.

And then the fourth thing. What this trust recession means for how we are showing up is that your consistency over time is your proof. Your consistency over time is your proof. Showing up as the same person for years, saying the same things for years, standing behind the same things for years, believing in and supporting the same people for years, that is something that a scammer cannot fake.

That is something that can’t be taken away from you. You have got to know who you are, who you serve, what you believe in, what you do, what you’re about. You’ve gotta have that locked in. I’m not saying that you can’t change and grow, but the core of you and who you serve needs to stay the same, and showing up that way consistently gets people to trust you, and that’s something that can’t be taken away, okay?

Time is currency in this. Longevity is currency in this. Now, I want to speak to somebody who’s listening who maybe has been burned. If you’re still listening at this point and you’re like, “This is all great. I’m gonna take this information with me in how I run my business, but also I am that girl. I have been burned,” I have a couple things I wanna leave you with.

Number one, I’m sorry I really am. And I know that doesn’t do anything for you. That doesn’t give you the money back that you lost, the time back that you lost. It doesn’t… Whatever. If I could give you a hug, I would. I’m sorry. It shouldn’t be this way, and I hate that you feel that way, and I hate that not, not all service providers and educators and businesses are created equal, but there is a lot of good out there, and I hope that you will trust again.

The next thing is your skepticism is valid. You got burned or scammed or whatever. It is valid, but please do not let it make you stop investing in yourself. Find the right thing. Find the right person. There is so much good out there that can help you and your business, so don’t give up. Okay? And then I wanna tell you, there are some green flags that you can look for, okay?

If you’re going to be really careful in what you’re looking for in an educator, here’s some green flags. Educators who share the messy parts and not just the magical perfect things. If someone is sharing about the messy, the behind-the-scenes, the things that didn’t go well, the honest truth, that is something that can be trusted.

People that are willing to be vulnerable and share, you can trust them. Another thing, people who have receipts. Remember those testimonials and the transpa- the, the social proof? That. I want you to look for people who have that, and you can tell that it’s not manufactured. Okay? So we’re looking for screenshots, audio and video testimonials, people who have affiliates for their program that you can talk to the affiliates.

“Hey, you went through this program. Tell me your experience. What were you nervous about? What was your biggest win? What did you not like about the program?” Okay? Talk to people who have been in it, people who have receipts, right? If it is only the educator themselves talking about their program and you can’t find any true receipts anywhere, run.

And then people who are still doing the work for themselves, educators who still are in programs trying to better themselves, educators who are still working with coaches trying to better themselves, educators who are still investing in growing, you can trust them too. People who think that they’re the best of the best and they don’t need support anymore in that growth way, uh-uh, nope, we’re not trusting them.

They’re not God. People who are still investing in themselves, still doing the work, still seeing therapists, coaches, whatever, people who have receipts, and people who are sharing the messy parts, the not pretty parts, those are generally green flags The next thing I wanna share with you if you’ve been burned is a couple of questions that you can ask before you invest.

Because you can always have a conversation with this person, and if they’re not willing to have a conversation, run. Okay? But ask them, “What do your clients say publicly about you?” Or ask them for referrals. So, “Hey, I am really interested in this program, but I would love to talk to a few of your past students.

Could you give me some names?” Okay? I’ve done that many, many, many times. I’m always happy to do that. What does this not work for? Again, get that clarity and, and make sure you understand the transparency of what the program is for and is not for. Get really, really, really clear. That may include you telling this person specifically what you need support with.

“Here’s my business. Here’s what I’m struggling with. Does your program help with this, and how?” Be very clear. And then ask them what happens after they purchase, join, buy, sign up, whatever. What’s the next step? When will I hear from you again? When will we start? When will I get access? What happens next?

Okay? So those are some conversations that you can… or some questions that you can ask the educator to get going and to see what happens and how they respond to you I wanna end with this thought. Again, I’m pissed. I could go on a tangent about this for a really long time, but we’re gonna keep this into a succinct podcast episode.

And I know this is different, ’cause I know that normally I come into your ears in a really positive way, and that’s what I want. I love to be a positive space. I don’t love for this to be an angry space, but I’m angry, and so we’re talking about that because I like to be real with you. The trust recession is real, and it’s here, and it’s not my fault, and it’s probably not your fault either.

But other people’s actions are causing us to have to do things differently, okay? And that’s not a bad thing. It’s not. It’s not a bad thing. Having social proof is not a bad thing. Being transparent about your program, not a bad thing. Having a longer selling runway, not a bad thing. Being consistent, not a bad thing.

None of those are bad, but we need to be aware. We need to be aware and be willing to do things differently to kind of push back on this trust recession. And if you’ve been burned, the, uh, answer is not to stop trusting. It’s just to get a little bit better at discerning who deserves your time and money.

Asking those questions, looking for those green flags, those will all serve you in making your next decision in who you invest in or what you invest in. So that’s where I wanna end it today. Thanks for listening. Thanks for being here. I promise next week I’ll be back with something a little bit more positive.

I would love to hear from you on Instagram if this resonated with you. If you’ve got a story, again, I never want you to share names, but let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about it. What, what did you pick up from this episode? What are your thoughts on this? Come find me at xo.sabrinagebhart and let’s chat.

That’s it for today, my friends. We’ll see you next time. Thanks so much for listening to the Shoot It Straight podcast. You can find all the full show notes and details from today’s episode at sabrinagebhart.com/podcast. Come find me and connect over on the gram at xo.sabrinagebhart. And if you’re loving the podcast, I’d be honored if you’d hit that subscribe button and leave me a review.

Until next time, my friends.