What Was It About This Man’s Clothes That Took “Yes” From 42% to 92%?

I can admit it freely now. For years, I was sure "As Seen On" logos were decoration.

Then I read about a series of studies by social psychologist Leonard Bickman.

His basic procedure was to ask passers-by on the street to comply with some odd request.

In half of the instances, the requester, a young man, was dressed in ordinary street clothes.

In the rest, he wore a security guard's uniform.

In one version, he pointed to a man standing by a parking meter 50 feet away and always said the same thing:

"You see that guy over there by the meter? He's over-parked, but doesn't have any change. Give him a dime."

Then he turned a corner and walked away.

In street clothes, 42% did it. In the uniform, 92%.

Same man. Same words. Nothing about him had changed but the clothes.

But I didn't expect the last finding.

When college students were asked to guess, they got the street clothes about right: 50%.

For the uniform, they guessed 63%. The actual was 92%.

We all underestimate the uniform. Your customers do too.

None of them will ever tell you it's why they called someone else.

So when a stranger looks up your business, is it wearing street clothes?

Before anyone reads your website… compares your prices… or sits down with you…

…they've already looked you up and decided whether they trust you.

So try it. Google your name right now.

For most business owners it's a LinkedIn page, an old directory listing and somebody else with the same name.

That's what your next customer sees too.

The people on Bickman's street had no way to check the young man's credentials. They went by what he was wearing.

A stranger looking you up can't check your work either.

They can't see how good you are. They can only see who has vouched for you.

And it isn't just Google anymore. More of your customers are asking AI who to hire.

Ask ChatGPT about you, and for most owners the answer is some version of "I couldn't find much on this person."

News features are the signal Google and AI use to recommend someone.

One news feature is your business's uniform.

It turns out proof of expertise has a halo.

A therapist's office with diplomas and certifications on the wall produces higher ratings of his or her proficiency.

It also produces higher ratings of the therapist's kindness, friendliness, and interest in clients.

Your "As Seen On" logos are the diplomas on your wall: on your website, your email signature and your profiles.

If proof on the wall makes a therapist seem kinder, what does it do for a contractor, a lawyer or a financial advisor?

The third study is the one I keep coming back to.

In one set of studies, a single newspaper op-ed written by an expert had a large and lasting effect on readers.

It lifted readers' agreement with the expert's opinion by 20 percentage points.

And it held whatever the reader's sex, age or politics.

That's what a news feature is: one article, in a news outlet, about you as the expert in your field.

Still, a study is a study. I wanted a business that had tried it on itself.

Nic built a local-services company in Los Angeles to $35 million a year.

Then he changed one thing and left everything else alone. Here's how he put it to me:

Same company. Same ads. It just put the uniform on.

Nic is also the founder of AnotherZero, which does the same thing for other owners.

One of them, Art, runs a home-improvement business. He got featured and added the logos too.

I'll admit the price is the part that made me suspicious.

AnotherZero charges $97, one time.

PR agencies charge $3,000 a month. So how can a real news feature cost $97?

So I asked. Here's the answer I got:

Then I asked to see the article that ran for AnotherZero:

Here's a PR agency next to AnotherZero, line by line.

Here's how it works:

AnotherZero told me the $97 price is going away. The new price will be at least $197.

$97 now. At least $197 after the change.

Anyone who orders before the change still gets it for $97.

Order after the change, and the same article costs at least $197.

Whether your business keeps wearing street clothes is your call.

You can still get featured for $97 right here.

Here's what I found:

On Bickman's street, the power of the uniform lasted even after the young man was long gone.

Your "As Seen On" logos work the same way, every time a stranger looks you up.