[Marketing Matters] The Awesome Power of Testimonials

Do you collect testimonials from your customers and use them to market your business?

If you don’t, you need to start right now…TODAY! I’m dead serious.

There is nothing more powerful than a great testimonial to persuade other people that YOU are someone they should be doing business with.

FACT: What someone else says about you is a thousand times more powerful than what you say about yourself.

You should get testimonials from anyone and everyone who is willing to say something good about you and your product/service. Show those testimonials to as many people as you possibly can via your marketing and advertising.

You should include at least one really good testimonial on your…

• Websites
• Ads
• Sales presentations
• Brochures
• Fliers
• Door hangers
• And yes, even your business cards
   

I use testimonials on all of my websites and ads and I can honestly say that those testimonials have played a major role in bringing new clients and new customers to my door ready to do business with me.

And, the more information you can include on a testimonial the better. (I’m referring to the person supplying the testimonial.)

I always include (with permission from the testifier) first and last name, city, what business they are in and their telephone number. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone refuse to allow me to include their contact information. And, the more contact information you can include, the more believable and credible the testimonial is. Just putting someone’s first name and last initial, such as “John D.” creates doubt in the mind of the reader and tests confirm that they seriously question the honesty of the testimonial.

Example of a POOR testimonial:

“ABCXYZ is a good company and I would recommend them to anyone needing pest control.” — Mary S.

Example of a GREAT testimonial:

“ABCXYZ showed up on time and solved my pest problem when three other companies had failed to do so. I’ve been using them for five years and they have never been late a single time. And they always deliver more than what I expected. Their technicians are clean, neat and polite. They truly are an honest company you can trust to do the job right!” — Fred Johnson, attorney, Atlanta, Ga., 770/777-7777

Here’s a simple and highly effective technique you can use to gather great testimonials. Anytime someone tells you how much they appreciate the good job you did or how you were able to solve their problem quickly and efficiently, simply ask, “Do you mind if I use what you just said as a testimonial?” That’s what I do and I can’t recall ever having anyone say “no.”

Then you write down what she told you and email it to her for approval (or call and read it to her over the phone).

When I owned and operated my pest control business, I even offered to pay my technicians a bonus when they brought in a testimonial. Testimonials are like gold. They lead to more sales.
 

Bottom Line.

I can’t think of anything that will help you close more deals and get more new business than the proper use of great testimonials. You need to start collecting them TODAY!

The author is president of Coleman Services, and a professional speaker, coach and motivator. He can be reached at 770/993-0004 or email hcoleman@giemedia.com.