I was driving back to the Porsche Centre today in a lovely brand-new Macan.

My Cayman had been in for its two-year service, and the Macan was simply the courtesy car they had given me while the work was being done.

Except, as I was driving it back, I realised it was not just a courtesy car.

For two days, I had been able to sit in it, drive it, live with it, test the controls, feel how comfortable it was and imagine what it might be like to own one.

Whether I intended to or not, I had effectively been given a two-day “try before you buy” experience.

And it worked.

I liked the car considerably more at the end of those two days than I had before they handed me the keys.

That is one of the enormous advantages of selling a physical product.

People can see it.

They can touch it.

They can sit in it, try it on, taste it or take it for a drive.

They have something tangible in front of them that helps them understand what they are buying.

Services are far more difficult.

A coach cannot place a transformation on the table and say, “There you go. Pick it up and see how it feels.”

You are asking somebody to pay for something they cannot inspect in advance.

They cannot see the clarity they may gain.

They cannot touch the confidence they may develop.

They cannot test-drive the healthier habits, stronger business, better decisions or improved results you believe you can help them create.

That is why selling coaching and other services requires us to do everything possible to make the invisible feel more real.

We have to explain what we do.

We have to show how we think.

We have to share useful knowledge.

We have to demonstrate that we understand the problem and have a credible way of helping solve it.

Sharing your expertise is one of the closest things you can offer to a test drive.

It allows someone to experience your ideas before they experience your full service.

It helps them understand how you approach problems, what you notice that others miss and whether they trust you enough to take the next step.

Over the last week or so, I have been talking a lot about testimonials.

That is another important part of selling the invisible.

A testimonial gives the prospect access to someone else’s experience. They may not be able to try the transformation themselves yet, but they can hear from someone who already has.

Over the coming weeks, I am going to share more ways to make an intangible service easier to understand, trust and buy.

For now, take a look at what you are currently putting into the world.

Does it give people any real experience of how you think and how you help?

Or are you asking them to buy the car without ever letting them sit behind the wheel?