The Marketing Power of Testimonials
by Wendy Maynard
Offer proof to your prospects.
Testimonials are one of the most powerful and cost effective selling tools you can implement in your arsenal of marketing.
Why? Because you are offering social proof to your prospects from their peers attesting that your services/products actually
work. If you say you are good at what you do, it's self serving. But, if others say you are good...it's credible.
Providing testimonials from current and prior customers of their actual problem and the specific results from
your company enhances your company's credibility. It's not enough to say that you solve problems - you have to show
your prospects the direct results of other people. Testimonials offer proof that you are the real deal.
People
receive a lot of information and they are often skeptical. But, they will be more inclined to buy from you if you show examples
of their peers who have achieved positive results. An effective testimonial is filled with specific benefits and substantiates
the claims you are making. Whenever possible, testimonials should offer tangible, quantified results. (ex: I lost 65 pounds,
I raised my income by 42%, I saved $300, and so on.) To show it comes from a real person, a good testimonial includes a first
and last name, a city and state, a business name, their industry, and a website URL.
Be sure to ask people for
a photograph. You can add their picture next to their testimonial in your office or a in brochure. It's a great strategy
for your website's testimonial section. And, you can take your website to a higher level of interactivity by including
audio and video for an even greater impact. If you want to include audio testimonials on your site, I recommend Audio Acrobat
for an easy-to-use recording system.
If you are offering a new product or just starting your business, you can
contact business associates and offer them a free session or product sample to try. In exchange, ask them for a heartfelt
testimonial. Most of the people you contact will be delighted to do a trial run of your offering and provide a testimonial.
On your website, your brochure, and in your presentations, provide testimonials from current and prior customers
of their actual problem and the specific results from your company. These third-party endorsements work to sell for you -
even when you are not around. Your testimonials also help close the sale with prospects. Depending on your type of business,
you can even cover your walls with pictures of happy customers. Or you can create a notebook that shows pictures of customers
with your products.
Even after you've been in business for a while, don't stop collecting testimonials.
You can use an autoresponder service like Professional Cart Services to automatically follow up with a customer who has purchased
something from you to ask them how they are doing. Ask them to provide a testimonial. Incorporating a testimonial into an
advertising campaign and/or direct mail marketing is also very effective.
You'll find that incorporating the
power of social proof into your marketing arsenal will help spread word-of-mouth advertising. It will also help you easily
close sales. Often, a person will review your testimonials and be prepared to buy before you've even met. The reward of
collecting testimonials is always worth the effort!
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Wendy Maynard, your friendly Marketing Maven, publishes REMARKABLE MARKETING, a weekly marketing ezine
for business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. If you're ready to skyrocket your sales, easily attract customers,
and have more fun, subscribe at
http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/ezine_3.html
