Nothing sells products and services like good comments (testimonials) from current or past customers. Prospects will believe the word of a customer before they’ll buy into the best written ad or the most lavish television commercial. However, as some business owners will tell you, one of the toughest chores to do is to ask a customer for a testimonial.
1. Nobody says YOU can’t provide the testimonial. What I mean is, most business people are busy and really don’t want to be bothered with writing a testimonial, so offer to write it for them. Ask them what they like about your company and your products and tell them you will write a few lines for them to approve before it is published. It doesn’t get much better than that. You get to write it yourself.
2. Get someone who is a recognized name in your field to say something good about what you sell. Let them mention their own interest in the testimonial. This is why blurbs on book covers go, “Best book I’ve ever read,” Joe Blow, author of How to Get Rich. Joe lends his good opinion as a way to get a mention for HIS book.
3. Include a form on your web site for comments. Clearly mention that some comments may be selected for your promotional literature. Some people will say good things (which I’m sure they mean sincerely) just to get their name in print.
4. If possible, always include the person’s first and last name along with the city they live in or the business they work for. Otherwise, people will think you made up the testimonial.
Testimonials are a powerful marketing tool. You can tell people how great your service is, and how effective your products are until you are blue in the face. A lot of potential customers will not believe you until they hear it from someone else.