How to put the power of testimonials to work for your business. Let happy customers sell for you.
Brian Sullivan is president of Kansas City-based PRECISE Selling, and delivers seminars and training programs on sales, customer service, leadership and presentation skills to companies of all sizes. He writes regularly on these issues and his recent post on testimonials naturally caught my eye.
Brian does a nice job below of covering the details of how and why customer testimonials (or success stories) work and how they can work for any business. Here is his post:
Think of a recent vacation you planned for. If you are like most, as you did your web research on your possible destinations and places to stay, you were heavily swayed by the customer reviews posted. Next, to prepare for some good reading while on your trip, you maybe stopped by Amazon, checked out the book description page and quickly went again to customer reviews.
Reality is, we trust the opinion of the customer over the opinion of the seller. And guess what…your customers feel the same way. But if the only opinion they ever get about how great your product and service is comes from somebody who is paid to say it (you!), then you risk delaying or preventing a ton of orders. In short, prospects want to know what others think of you and your solution. So the question is, “What are you giving or showing them that will convince them that what you are saying is really true?” If you said, “Not much,” don’t sweat it. But it’s time to fix it.
A testimonial letter is a tool that can increase the number of sales you make as well as decrease the time it takes to get the order.
What Is a testimonial letter? A testimonial is a brief summary, note, or letter of positive customer comments that become a regular part of your sales process.
How many do I need?
To power up your sales presentation, you need to be armed with at least five testimonials from customers who are happy they have you as a business partner. But don’t stop at five. There is no downside in having a presentation binder or a folder full of different types of decision-makers addressing specific benefits.
How do I get them?
Customers are not going to be chasing you down, throwing unsolicited testimonial letters at you. Which means the only way to get them is to ask.
Why would they offer one?
The short answer is because you asked. But you can only ask if your product has done what you promised and your follow-up service is even better than the product you sold. It will be your five-star service that has earned you the right to ask for help.
How do I ask?
“Mr. Customer, I always like to check in to make sure you are satisfied with our solution and the service we are providing.” Assuming you get good feedback, follow with, “I was wondering if you would be willing to help me. I frequently have potential clients ask me for referrals or third-party opinions about my company and me. Would you mind if I put some of those positive comments you just shared with me into a short note and if you agree, allow me to share them with interested customers?”
Notice how it will be you writing the letter. All they have to do is approve what you write. And the good news is that you will do an even better job than them at writing it! The outcome is a great testimonial letter that they don’t have to spend time writing.
Isn’t that too pushy?
No, it’s not. Great service is rewarded. Asking for a testimonial letter should be easier than asking for the order because you have already established a trusting relationship.
How do I make asking a habit?
It is not expected that you get a testimonial from every happy customer. But as with sales goals, you do need to set a testimonial letter objective. For example, for every three new customers you get, you need to get at least one new testimonial. By making asking a habit, you will have a binder full of comments that can be used in many sales situations.
Where do I use them?
The positive comments of a testimonial can be used to support a key feature or benefit while delivering your presentation. For example, let’s say you were discussing a time-saving feature of your product. You then open your testimonial binder or folder and quickly show three customers’ letters about how your solution saved them a ton of time. They will be more interested in those “reviews” than they will be in that fancy brochure you are holding.
You have a real opportunity to separate yourself from the pack. And when customers sit down in their office to review your proposal and the proposal of your competitor, one pile of information will have a brochure and pricing, and your pile will have a brochure, pricing and a bunch of great trust-building comments that add credibility to your story. And those comments will not only land you the order, but only a few short weeks later, you will have yet another happy customer to grab a testimonial letter from!
Special thanks to Brian for letting us share his post. Put the power of happy customers to work for you, either through testimonial quotes and letters, or through more detailed success stories. Then use them everywhere – your website, proposals, presentations, social media, direct mail and email marketing.
Have a great week!
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