Monday, May 07, 2007

Strategy 5 - Testimonials - Use Them In All Your Promotions

Testimonials
Sharing a testimonial is the most powerful advertising you can ever do. Many customers don’t readily believe advertising anymore, they think it is false, overstating, exaggerated and discount it. Ask your customers for testimonials.

If you have gone out of your way to satisfy your customer they will happily give you one. Post them everywhere a customer goes so your prospective customers can see how you will treat them when they become customers.

CustomInk.com has amassed 10,000+ testimonials. When they can get a customer to visit their testimonial webpage they have a five times higher chance in making a sale! Does any of your current marketing have a response rate this high? I’d suggest that you visit their testimonial page and learn from them.

Gather and post as many testimonials as you can. It will have a significant impact on your customers buying decisions!

Tip: To be more creditable use as much info about your customer as you can. Full name, city and state, photo, and even a signature.


Examples of Testimonials

“These guys are great! It is a pleasure to do business with them, every time. I wish every e-store was this easy to work with.”

—David Rasmussen

“Brian went out of his way to give me excellent customer service and very sincerely addressed any concerns I had.”
—A. Hymans

“This shopping experience is everything a person could ask for.”

—Jaime Stanczyk


This one, and many other great testimonials, can be found on Filson.com

“I was attacked by an enraged bull. I was hit hard and thrown up about 15 feet, tumbling head over heels. I landed in front of the bull who then butted me, rolling me to my back and running over me, planting his left foot squarely on my upper chest. When he stomped on my chest I was certain that he would crush it and my heart and lungs. Amazingly, my only injuries were a broken sternum and some subluxed ribs and clavicle joints. Quite sore but alive! Next day I cleaned the muddy hoof print off the left upper chest surface of the coat I had been wearing...my FILSON TIN CLOTH PACKER COAT. I feel that the almost armor-like quality of the caped part of that coat probably saved my life.”
—Bruce Ashley
West Union, OH

WOW! It is because of testimonials like this that I own a Filson product! How about you and your products… Are you using testimonials to help you sell? Testimonials are a competitive edge you can use!





This strategy was taken from my book Benchmarket: How the Best of the Best Keep Customers Running.

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