10 Steps to get more Customer Testimonials
Win customers over before they evaluate your product or service.
Instantly build trust.
Put their fears at ease.
Ten Strategies for Successful Customer Testimonials
There’s more to obtaining testimonials than just asking your customers for their comments and feedback. If you want to have powerful testimonials that catch your prospects attention and build a relationship of trust, you should consider the following testimonial strategies.
Strategy # 1: Try to get a testimonial from your customer as soon as possible. This could be the day you make the sale or within the first week after you make the sale. Your customer will be at their “giddiest” and most motivated to write you a great testimonial during this time period. Don’t wait until the honeymoon period is over. Consider having them write the testimonial before they leave your office or store.
Strategy # 2: Always ask your customers to include your unique selling proposition (USP) in the testimonial. For instance, if your USP includes exceptional customer service, same day installation, and a money-back guarantee, then ask your customer to attest to those qualities.
Strategy # 3: Don’t ask for customer testimonials in survey requests. Many businesses make the mistake of sending out customer surveys to get feedback from their customers, in addition to testimonials. Your customer needs to have the freedom to stay anonymous and say negative things in your survey, which is the opposite of what you’re looking for in testimonials.
Strategy # 4: Have your customers be specific in their testimonials. For instance, if you delivered your product the same day your customer purchased it, tell your customer to include the time that it arrived. If you delivered some kind of outrageous act of customer service have them write specifically about what you did and how it helped your customer.
Strategy # 5: Ask your customer to talk about the struggles they were having previous to receiving the benefits of your product or service. Most likely, the reader will have had the same or similar struggles and will empathize. This will only make your prospect more interested in receiving the benefits of your product or service.
Strategy # 6: Have your customer state their credentials. This will make their testimonial even more persuasive because their comments will be perceived to come from a credible source. People tend to believe people in positions of perceived authority.
Strategy # 7: Always try to get a picture with them using your product or service. As a matter of fact, try to take the picture yourself so that you know you’ll get a good one. Take several and make sure they are showing the benefits of the product or service. Pictures double the effectiveness of your testimonial and bring the testimonials to life.
Strategy # 8: Make sure you get permission from your customers to use their testimonials in your advertising. Thank them profusely and let them know that it is testimonials like theirs that help your business grow.
Strategy # 9: Ask them if you cannot only use their name but the town (suburb) they live in. Addresses, even if it’s just a city name, increase the believability of the testimonial. It demonstrates that they are real people who live in the same community as your prospects.
Strategy # 10: Now here is a controversial tactic but it has worked every time for me. Let’s suppose your customer procrastinates to send in their testimonial. Call them up and mention that you know they are very busy but that you value them as a customer and their testimonial is important to you.
Suggest that to save them time and hassle, you will draft a testimonial to them and they can make any editing changes they want. Then send it back. Of course, you’ll want to send a self-addressed envelope. You get the perfect testimonial and they don’t have to do any work. Again, this tactic has worked 100% of the time for me.
source: businessknowhow
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