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Great testimonials are fantastic sales tools that shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to collect. Three ideas on how to do it:
1> Get them on camera
2> Get them on the phone
3> Get them online
1> Get them on camera
Whether in your store or at your events, be ready to interview anyone who wants to offer some praise. You don’t need Hollywood-quality footage — most modern digital cameras take great video. Just keep the clips short and unscripted and you’ll find yourself quickly collecting authentic testimonials you can use in a bunch of different ways.
2> Get them on the phone
An old-fashioned phone call is a great way to reach out to your customers and collect a few testimonials. Start by making sure they’re happy with their service and if they start saying nice things, ask if it’d be OK to use it as a testimonial. Not only will you build relationships with existing customers, but you’ll also pick up a few lines of praise you can use to earn new ones.
3> Get them online
One of the fastest ways to gather testimonials is by asking online. If you’ve earned friends on Twitter or Facebook, try sending them a quick, polite request for a short testimonial. Done right, you’ll instantly collect a fresh batch of loving blurbs from a wide range of fans.
We can’t say it enough: Your customers can write better sales copy than you. Nothing beats genuine love from a true fan.
When asking for a testimonial, remember to keep them short and specific. Most customers don’t have the time to write an essay on how great you are, and even fewer of your prospects have the time to read it anyway.
How a word of mouth supergenius does it:
WiseGrass is a Pennsylvania-based, husband-and-wife operated lawn care business that does a fantastic job of putting short, fantastic testimonials to use throughout their website.
On every page, they feature gems like this:
After trying to take care of my lawn needs and failing miserably, I called Paul. After just a few months the results are amazing. My lawn is now #1
—Chris Millersville PA • 9 months, 3 weeks ago
But the best feature is how they openly collect them: A simple web page asks, “How was your experience?” and gives customers 150 characters to tell the world. Check it out here.
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Great testimonials are priceless word of mouth assets. Here are three things the best ones have in common:
1> It’s short
2> It says something specific
3> It’s from someone fantastic
1> It’s short
You don’t need a book to show potential customers that people love you. It’s especially critical on the web, where a lengthy testimonial is likely to get overlooked by a busy shopper scanning your site. Keep your blurbs short — around 6 words — to ensure they’re being seen.
2> It says something specific
A great testimonial conveys something specific about how great you are. Numbers, results, and comments about specific features are the strongest forms of endorsements. Help your customers leave better testimonials by asking them specific questions about how your stuff has made their businesses better rather than using vague, open-ended questions.
3> It’s from someone fantastic
The more recognizable and respected the person saying something nice about you is, the more influential that testimonial will be. Take the extra time to actively pursue your big-name clients, event attendees, and high-profile industry analysts for their opinions on your work. While this isn’t to say a fantastic review from a “regular” customer is worthless, mixing in a few reviews from well-known individuals and brands can mean a lot to a new customer.
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Often your best testimonials are nice notes hidden in emails or a couple reviews buried on Yelp. If you’ve got fantastic word of mouth, get it out there where everyone can see it.
1> Put it on the wall
2> Put it on your website
3> Put it in your publications
1> Put it on the wall
Put your word of mouth on the wall of your store where it’s impossible for anyone that comes in to miss it. Print off your Yelp reviews, post any nice notes you get, and let fans write fresh testimonials from inside your store. A wall of genuine love from your happy customers is worth more than any logo or slogan you could slap on the wall.
2> Put it on your website
Put the words of your satisfied customers all over your website. Put testimonials you’ve collected in your sidebars, on your sales pages, and on a dedicated “testimonials” page. When people are looking to buy, they’re not interested so much in what you have to say — rather, they want to know what everyone else is saying about your stuff.
3> Put it in your publications
If you’re sending a publication to clients and prospects, make sure it’s got plenty of comments from your happy customers sprinkled in. Just like your website, feature testimonials in your sales brochures, your newsletters, and your annual reports. There’s nothing you could write that could be more effective than some love from a real customer.
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