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When I talk with my clients about adding
testimonials to their marketing toolbox, I
get a lot of nodding heads and agreement.
And yet, many businesses put testimonial
gathering on the back burner. It becomes one
of those "important but not urgent"
activities. I'd love to see you turn up the
fire on this no-brainer marketing tool that
yields strong benefits at miniscule expense.
Here are a few tips and compelling reasons
to begin creating your inventory of client
testimonials:
Credibility - We simply believe another
person's touting of a business more than
whatever the business may say on it's own
behalf. Testimonials provide external
evidence of your success and abilities.
TIP: Get your clients' permission to use
their full name, title and company name
along with their quote.
Human Interest - People, and what they say
and do, are always more interesting than
straight-up information (well, to most of
us, that is!). Your audience will read
quotes from other people before they read
your carefully worded marketing bullets.
TIP: Put your best testimonials in prominent
places on your website, brochure, proposals
and other marketing materials.
Trust - Testimonials show your prospective
customers that you are trustworthy with
other clients who are willing to brag about
you.
TIP: Strive to create testimonials that
convey specific benefits and results - these
are more powerful and come across as more
authentic.
Community - Most people have a natural
inclination to belong to and be "part of"
successful ventures. By displaying your
roster of happy clients, you invite new
joiners into the fold.
TIP: Be strategic about gathering
testimonials from your ideal clients so that
you attract more just like them.
Here's an example from my own stash of
testimonials (yes, I do follow my own
advice!):
"Martha has a wonderful ability to bring
fresh ideas to a situation, which
continually helps you look at things in a
new way. She is fun to work with, she makes
me feel comfortable and challenges me all at
the same time."
~ K.M., Senior Engineer, Colorado Springs,
CO
Take these steps to get started immediately.
Make a list of your happy clients (okay,
they are all happy, so this will be a list
of ALL of your clients).
Begin with those who you know are chatty and
have been forthcoming with praise and
positive comments in the past (some folks
are just more expressive than others).
Contact each client - by email or phone or
in person, depending on how they like being
communicated with - and ask if they would be
willing to provide a testimonial for you.
Make it easy for them to provide the kind of
testimonial you'd like to have by providing
them with "prompter" questions. Examples:
What have been the most notable benefits of
using my services? What makes our company
unique? How has your business improved as a
result of the work we did for you?
Make it easy for them, period. Some of your
clients will zip off a quick email to you
with a great testimonial. Others will take
this on as a "project" and may be slow to
get it done. They truly want to do a good
job for you and may put more work into it
than necessary. Take the pressure off -
offer to have a quick phone conversation
with the client, where you can ask pointed
questions and jot down notes from what they
say. Then, you can write up a quote and have
the client review it. This minimizes their
workload and increases your ability to get a
great quote from them. A win-win!
No matter what, always give your client a
chance to review the testimonial before you
put it on any of your marketing materials.
You want them to feel proud of how their
comments are portrayed so they continue to
be in your fan club.
Going forward, be sure to collect a
testimonial from each and every client after
you complete an engagement - the success
will be fresh in their minds, which creates
an even better quote. (Plus, you won't have
to backtrack later.)
If you provide a service that calls for
discretion, or are in a highly competitive
industry that requires client
confidentiality, you can still make use of
testimonials, but may have to use the
individual's initials or skip their identity
altogether. A real name is better, but not
at the cost of exposing clients who want or
need to remain anonymous - always give them
the choice.
About the Author:
Martha Carnahan is president of MC3
Strategies, is an Atlanta-based company that
champions entrepreneurs having a prosperous
business AND a fabulous life. Learn more
about Martha Carnahan and MC3 Strategies by
visiting
www.mc3strategies.com (which is
currently under construction, but bookmark
it for future reference!). Or, visit my
coaching services website:
www.YourBrilliantLife.com.
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