Here’s one of the quickest, easiest ways I know to get more sales. It won’t cost you a dime, and everything you need for the strategy to be successful you already have at your disposal. What’s the Secret? Start collecting compliments. For the next month start collecting all the compliments you’re getting from your customers. Every time they tell you you’re doing a great job, or that your product/service rocks ask that customer if they mind if you use their comments as a testimonial. Make it easy for them to give you a testimonial by having a simple page on your website devoted to getting their feedback. Or, if in person perhaps an easy to fill out form will do. However, be sure that they know you are using their statements as a testimonial, you have their express consent to use it, and run it by them before you publish their praise for the world to see. Collect them and arrange in an Excel spreadsheet, and if you don’t know how to do that look at this guide (or just give ask someone!), and sort the most useful ones out.
Where to Use the Testimonials?
Once you have a nice selection of customer praise, integrate it into your marketing materials, brochures, your website, or anywhere you directly interact with your customer. To help get the most bang for your buck here, use testimonials that are:
Specific – “Jim’s expert advice on small business writeoff’s saved me $500 on my taxes this year alone” is a lot better than “Jim is great at taxes”
Authentic/Genuine – These shouldn’t sound like a sales seminar, in fact quite the opposite. You want to use comments that sound genuine and authentic
Relateable – Some customers have a way of giving you feedback that will easily translate to the masses. Use the comments that the majority of your customers will relate to.
Why Does it Work?
Simple. A testimonial is proof you don’t suck. Consumers want to know that somebody before them has used your service and loved what you do, or they have your product and can’t live without it. Testimonials act as a kind of social proof. When consumers talk about your products they are automatically thought of as more credible than when you talk about your products. Consumer testimonials build trust, aide familiarity, and reinforce your marketing message.
Remember:
– 2/3 of the United States Economy is driven by word of mouth
– 10% of consumers influence the purchasing decisions of the other 90%
– 92% of consumers “prefer” a word of mouth recommendation
Final Thoughts
Many business owners don’t like to toot their own horn, that’s fine with testimonials your customers do it for you. Many times you’ll find that they enjoy giving you feedback, and will get a kick out of seeing their statements or quotes on published material of yours. If you’re good, customers want to tell the world about you. This takes no real time, cost no money, and you’re getting the “data” anyway, so tell me where you’ll get a better deal than that?
Your Turn
If you’re not using them, take a couple weeks to collect the praise and use the feedback – then come back and let me know how it went. If you do use testimonials in your marketing let’s hear about how it’s working out for you.
