How to Use Real Examples to Reduce Uncertainty

1. Start Here

People often delay because they are unsure what will happen or whether the experience is right for them. General promises rarely resolve that uncertainty. A relevant example can.

In 15 focused minutes, you can preserve one real customer or participant experience and begin turning it into an example that helps someone else move forward.

Your biggest opportunity: Show one person in a recognizable situation, what helped them decide, and what became possible afterward.

Start with one completed experience, the person's goal and uncertainty, what helped and changed, and one quote, photo, or useful fact.

2. Observe & Capture

Observe

Look for a recent experience where someone:

• Asked whether the experience was right for their situation.
• Hesitated because they did not know what to expect.
• Needed help choosing a practical next step.
• Reached a useful result that another person may want too.

Choose the specific experience most likely to make a future customer think, “That sounds like me.”

Capture

Preserve the details before they become a vague success story:

• What was the person trying to accomplish?
• What question, concern, or uncertainty did they have?
• What almost stopped or delayed them?
• What information or guidance helped them decide?
• What did they choose, and what changed?
• What exact quote, photo, or fact makes the experience real?
• Do you have permission to share identifying details, photos, and quotes?
  

Useful questions include:

1. What were you hoping to accomplish?
2. What were you unsure about at the beginning?
3. What helped you feel comfortable taking the next step?
4. What would you tell someone in a similar situation?

Capture preserves the real experience. Recognition will format and publish it so future customers can see themselves in it.

3. See an Example

This composite example shows how one experience can reduce uncertainty for the next customer.

What You Capture

The goal: A family wanted to host a graduation dinner at home for 18 guests without spending the afternoon cooking.

The uncertainty: They assumed catering was only available for large events and were unsure how much food to order.

What helped: The restaurant explained its pickup packages, recommended portions for the group, and provided a clear pickup time and reheating instructions.

The result: The family served dinner on time and spent more of the celebration with their graduate and guests.

Customer quote: “I thought catering would be too much for a small dinner. The package made it simple.”

What You Recognize and Publish

Suggested title: How One Family Made Graduation Dinner Easier for 18 Guests

The story: A graduation dinner at home sounded meaningful, but cooking for 18 people did not. The family was also unsure whether catering made sense for a smaller gathering. A clear pickup package, portion guidance, and simple reheating instructions gave them a practical option. Dinner was ready on time, and the family spent the afternoon celebrating instead of preparing food.

Why it matters: Instead of claiming catering is flexible, the example helps another family with a similar guest count recognize that it may fit them too.

The reader’s next step: Planning a small gathering? Share your guest count, timing, and serving plans so we can help you choose a practical option.

The same pattern works in many settings:

• Community Organization: Show how a first-time participant found the right program and knew what to expect.
• Professional services: Show how a client moved from a confusing situation to a clear next step.
• Retail: Show how a shopper chose the right product for an unfamiliar repair or project.

4. Recognize & Amplify

Recognize

1. Start with the person's goal or situation.
2. Name the uncertainty that made action harder.
3. Explain what information or help made the next step clearer.
4. Show what they chose and what changed.
5. Include one quote, photo, or useful fact.
6. Give someone in a similar situation a practical next step.
   

• How [Person or Group] [Reached Useful Result] Without [Common Concern]
• What Helped [Person or Group] Feel Ready to [Take Next Step]

Amplify

• Use the website link when someone asks a similar question.
• Include it in a relevant estimate, welcome email, appointment reminder, or follow-up.
• Adapt the introduction for email and social media, then link back to the complete example.
• Share it with referral partners who meet people in similar situations.
• Use Local Connections when the example is useful to the broader community.

5. Get Going

Choose one completed experience from the past 30 days that began with a clear question, hesitation, or uncertainty.

Spend 15 minutes recording what the person wanted, what they were unsure about, what helped, and what changed. Capture one exact quote, photo, or useful fact if possible. Confirm permission before publishing identifying details.

Use the One Real Example Worksheet to complete one useful OCRA cycle. Publish the example on your website, share it in one relevant place, and then notice the next experience that could make a future decision easier.

Download the One Real Example Worksheet →