Here is your NoSpin Debunker for October 2007
Testimonials That
Help You Sell
A lot of web sites (and other print media) are either
lacking testimonials from clients/customers altogether, or they have a few that
are not appealing to prospects. Testimonials are more "real" and more tangible information than a lot of the things that you'll come up with to
describe what
people think and feel about your products and services. Serious prospects do
take a look at what others say (even if they know by definition, testimonials
are mostly positive). And if you really pay attention while collecting your
testimonials, you'll get some terrific feedback, plus ideas in positioning your
stuff -- and maybe even some help in framing a better unique selling
proposition. Here are a few helpful hints in getting a leg up on the
competition with better testimonials online (and offline):
Keep an ongoing handy
(digital) log of all comments (pro and con) that come in online or offline
as reference so that you're not stuck having to solicit a bunch of customers in a short time
period.
Don't be bashful but be patient.
Ask customers for testimonials, directly. In most cases if you've done a good
job, they'll be glad to oblige. But a word of warning: you'll need to remind
them, and usually remind them again - nicely! Testimonials are hard to get in a few days...or sometimes in a few weeks.
Encourage customers
to write them in their own words, and short is fine: a few sentences (or
less) are plenty (but the occasional longer ones are good, too.
...Or write it for them.
If a customer tells you to ahead and write a testimonial for them, do it.
But don't overdo it, and make sure that you get it approved before publishing
anywhere. Make it conversational, honest, and not stilted.
Ask them to talk
about concrete benefits vs. just "they are great folks."
Try to get a range of
responses talking about different benefits, features, service...and if
appropriate, different types of individuals by title, location(s) of the
country or world, etc).
Include as much
personal information as you can: minimally first and last name, and ideally, title and
organization (if applicable), and city/state. Sometimes this is impossible, and
sometimes because of confidentiality or "business policy" reasons you'll only
get partial information. "Jane" at the end of the testimonial with nothing else
looks pretty fishy.
Get as many as you
possibly can. There is no magic number, but more testimonials is better
than fewer. Sites that have a couple testimonials, only, always look
questionable.
Toss any that might
be dated (from wayward, past clients, etc) and keep adding and deleting.
Use them (or part of
them) as "teasers" for longer "customer stories" and meaty case studies"
for really interested prospects to find out more.See a few pages of testimonials for one of my clients
ZHealth Publishing at
http://www.zhealthpublishing.com/testimonconfer.html.
Advanced hints:
Use testimonials
throughout your site; you may have various pages devoted but sprinkle them
across several pages.
Don't ask clients for
testimonials until they've had a reasonable chance to use your product/service.
Encourage some
customers to compare and contrast your products/services to a prior, lousy experience with
another business (without naming products or companies in the testimonial).
If you can handle the
logistics, try for video testimonials e.g. at your customer meetings etc (even
webcam clips are OK).
Or include actual customer
ratings (e.g. on a 5 star scale) for products, in particular, but you need
to be confident of your performance.
P.S...The objection that some companies have in not putting
testimonials (or client lists online) is that competitors will swoop in.
Hogwash! If you're confident of your products and services that is an
incredibly small risk compared to the benefits.
Looking for a great table lamp? Check out Lumen Lamps, co-developed by NoSpin Marketing, iDesign, and Smithware. And if you
live in the
Nashville area, you can drop by the store. Very cool lamps!
Tom Ranseen
www.NoSpinMarketing.com
615-661-6042
