7 Sure-Fire Ways (Business)

7 Sure-Fire Ways Testimonials Can Attract You More Sales
By Sherryn McBride


Testimonials are a great way for customers to learn about your products, services and capabilities. Coming from a third party they certainly add more credibility to your business.

Here are 7 ways you can utilize customer testimonials:

1. Keep a word document building to attach to quotes and tenders

Build a word document as you receive testimonials, put the testimonial itself in quotes and add the name, title and business name of the person giving the testimonial. When you are pitching to a new customer this is a credible document to support the rest of the information you provide them. If you are emailing this, remember to convert it to a PDF. Never use a testimonial if you cannot display full details, it always looks fabricated.

2. Add a page or toggle testimonials around your website

Prospective clients are reading your website to glean more information about you, so this is a perfect place to promote your testimonials. Set up a complete page devoted to testimonials, or if your website has the capability, you can store the complete list and have them toggle around. That means every time someone clicks to another page of your website, a different testimonial will appear. Another method is to pick appropriate testimonials that apply to specific pages of your website, and permanently display them on that one page.

3. Write in case study style

This is an excellent way to present your abilities. The first paragraph would be the scenario or problem the client engaged you for, the second paragraph would be how you resolved it, and the third paragraph would be the client's comments on your results. Several case studies in this format promotes your capabilities expertly. It is always good if you can include some measurement, eg. it saved an amount of money, increased business a certain %, saved productivity time, or increased overall numbers or profits.

4. Use testimonials as an intrigue statement

Turn a testimonial around to say something to spike a client's interest. One I have used is "One quirky targeted mail out from a medical supplier to surrounding businesses increased their sales by 45%. What can Marketing Talk do for you? Look hard at a testimonial to see how you can turn the same words into a different order to create intrigue. A perfect way to sell your services on a flyer, brochure or website.

5. Gather one for each product offering you have

Publish testimonials from a variety of clients that covers all the ranges of work you do. For example a mortgage broker could publish 3 testimonials as follows. One from a young couple looking for help as they secure their first loan, one from a property investor and one from someone still overseas and purchasing before they arrive. People reading your testimonials will also learn of other services they may not have been aware of, and this reinforces your skill set.

6. Using grabs from testimonials

Don't think you need to use a testimonial whole. If a client's testimonial is 3 paragraphs long, it is quite okay to lift some words from one sentence and use it to validate one part of your business. For example one client might have written 4 paragraphs that covered various areas of your business. Selected sentences might work for "service" "products" "problem solving" etc. Use them as you need them to showcase areas of your business or product offerings.

7. A collection of grabs from testimonials

You could choose a few short strings of words from several testimonials that sum up your business and display them on your brochure or website like excerpts. Always add the name and details, as previously mentioned, if you cannot display full details, it looks fabricated.

In Summary

Actively source testimonials and promote them on your website, in work samples, brochures, proposals etc. If you think the word testimonial might scare people off, then ask customers "for their story" instead.

When customers email you with praise, copy what they wrote and ask them if you can use that statement in advertising material and in your website with their information attached.

Sherryn McBride is a freelance marketer, workshop presenter and industry trainer. Her knowledge is drawn from 25 years managing national corporations and consultancies. For easily understood marketing talk without breaking the budget or to purchase CDs and ebooks from the "Making Sense of Marketing" series click on http://www.marketingtalk.com.au or http://www.marketingtalkonline.com

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