Company size as indirect proof claim

We continue the section on proof claims, which are pieces of evidence you include in your prospecting conversations to demonstrate results in an attempt to convince prospects of the value of your products.

We have discussed the direct proof claims, in which sellers use result information from customers to justify the strength of their products or services.

There is an alternative form of proof claims, the so-called indirect proof claim. In this case, you are not providing customer-related data, but information about the characteristics of the organization that allow customers to indirectly surmise that you are able to offer quality solutions or products.

The most popular indirect proof claim is the company size. You can claim you are the largest or one of the largest companies, generally in terms of employees or assets. Customers assume a relationship between the size of the company and the size of your revenues, which is directly related to the number of satisfied customers you have. If you managed to grow in size, it must be because you were effective at satisfying a large number of clients.

It is a valid argument, although it is subject to a major limitation. Company size shows past effectiveness, not necessarily current performance. You must have satisfied many customers in the past to grow in size. However, it does not mean you are effective in satisfying customers at the moment.

Size comes with challenges, and if the company is unprofitable, a large size could often require making compromises in the quality of the services offered. Large sizes with low profitability could be a dangerous situation for companies, and the argument that they are able to satisfy customers becomes flawed.

However, company size is a simple and effective indicator to convey important information to your customers, and this information is often interpreted as a signal that you have been effective at satisfying customers.

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