By: Maria Flynn
Customer Testimonials…
" What others say about you and your product, service, or business is at least 1,000 times more convincing than what you say, even if you are 2,000 times more eloquent." Dan Kennedy
Why not let your satisfied clients do your marketing for you? Think about it. If someone tells you how great their experience is or was with a particular product or business, aren\'t you much more likely to use it? First, it saves you the work of going out and doing a lot of research. You should probably still do some sort of checking if we\'re talking about a high end product or service, but usually your findings support the recommendation. In other words "LET THEM SAY IF FOR YOU", ("them" being your happy, satisfied, and knowledgeable customers). Just remember that the same goes for a bad experience. Even more people will tell about bad experiences than good ones.
What to do next: Ask your clients if they would provide you a testimonial. Most will be happy to do so. Obviously, you need their permission and you should have them give you the testimonial in their own writing, but If you help them with it, make sure before use that you get them to sign off on it in some way. You can coach them a bit, but don\'t put words in their mouths. Use their full name and location for the best results. The more specific they are the better.
You can use customer testimonials in several ways. Put them all on a page to send out with prospecting letters, frame them for your office, etc.
How about pictures? You know the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words". It\'s true. It\'s also a great way to illustrate the "relationships" that you have with your happy and satisfied clients. I know several people that do this, and not only is it a great conversation piece, (not to mention a great idea!) it\'s also really easy to do. Just get a cork board or something similar and start collecting and/or taking pictures! If your business is strictly on line, then put them all on a page of your site. (Oh, and by the way, these should be relevant pictures, meaning your CLIENTS, not fantasy pics of calendar men/women, centerfolds, etc. That\'s not what we\'re going for here, ok? Keep those in your desk…...)
Remember, successful people do the things that unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.
