Words That Impact Your Business
By Sarah Sarbacker, Tingalls
It’s simple; let your happy clients speak FOR you. They will be the best people to talk for your product or service, and the most believable!
Testimonials-done right, can be incredibly useful when trying to get new business. Not only will it open the door to new clients, but also it will take the pressure off those who fear that a company is “bragging” or “tooting their horn” if you will.
What Makes A Great Testimonial?
1) Specifics. Don’t stop at “they did a good job” or “the product made a difference in my life”. Really try to get the client to explain why the service was a great one or how the product made a difference.
2) Believable. Testimonials should be trustworthy because they aren’t sugar coated or fake sounding. They are “straight from the horse’s mouth”.
How To Collect A High Quality Testimony?
1) Listen. You may find that a client makes a comment during a project meeting or at the end of the finished project. Ask if you can use the quote along with permission to post the customer’s name and information.
2) Check In. It is important to call or email your clients to see how they are doing—how is your service with them? Ask if they’re pleased and how you can do better. This will not only show that you care about customer service, but the response could turn into a great testimony.
3) Ask Specific Questions. Pose certain questions to clients in order to get a specific response. Compel them to give valuable and specific answers. Asking specific questions will help you in getting your more valued testimony rather than just requesting a testimony from a customer and leaving the rest up to them. Some examples of good questions are:
- “What has my services helped you achieve with the product or service we provided?”
- “What results have you seen come from working with us?”
- “How did you feel after receiving our product or service?”
- “What objections did you have before working with us? What reassured you?”
- “I am looking for success stories from customers like you. If you have a success story to share, please summarize it or give a testimonial.”
What to Do with Testimonials?
Now that you have collected your valuable and believable testimonials, what’s next?
- Post them on your web site. Placement matters.
- Ask clients to put them in a social networking site such as LinkedIn under Recommendations.
- Publish them on your marketing materials.
- Upload video testimonials to services like YouTube or Facebook.
- Write a success story blog entry that explains a problem and how you solved it. Use the clients’ quotes in the story.
The list is endless of possible ways that a testimony can benefit you. We are talking about not just your average testimony where the client is “happy you did a good job”—but a great testimony where the specific results you delivered will serve to be the best believable marketing tool you can offer.
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