How Airbnb overcomes “stranger danger” and engenders trust

Stranger danger!  It’s drummed into us as kids.  Don’t talk to strangers.  Certainly don’t trust them.

Which has major implications in sales where we have natural barriers getting over the “know, like and trust” steps in the buying process.

But what if you’re selling strangers the ability to stay in your home?  Your private space?  People you’ve never met and have no idea about?

How could you get over the fear of them trashing the joint, or worse, being an axe murderer?

Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb tells a fascinating story about how Airbnb overcomes our natural negative bias towards strangers and generates familiarity and two way trust in a way that is surprising in its conceptual simplicity.