Client Testimonials - The Ultimate Sales Tool

Let's think about how you made your last personal buying decision. What factors contributed to your purchase of product X over product Y? Why did you see movie A instead of movie B? What lead you to eat at restaurant G as opposed to restaurant H? In more cases than not, your decision was swayed by a third party’s recommendation, endorsement or testimonial. Did your friend suggest you eat at restaurant G because they had an excellent dining experience there last week? Perhaps you bought product X because your favorite celebrity said it made her hair silky smooth. Or maybe you chose movie A because the critic gave it two thumbs up and movie B was panned.

Promoting your business shouldn't be any different. Potential clients want to hear how your products or services helped similar businesses and qualities that make you stand out as the best in an often crowded industry. In his book, Influence: Science and Practice, Robert Cialdini speculates that "we determine what's correct by finding out what other people think is correct." In other words, clients will feel more comfortable with their purchasing decision if they believe others have made the same choice.

Here are some important things to consider when requesting testimonials from clients:

• Use real clients and list their full names.
• Use testimonials as a sales tool – not just to inflate your company’s ego! Be sure each testimonial highlights one or two key traits of your business. One may push a specific and unique service your business offers like free consultations while another may give an example of how an employee helped out in a pinch.
• Spread your testimonials out on your web page instead of designating one page on the site for client feedback.
• Be sure your testimonials match your target market. If 60% of your client base is local businesses, ensure that 6 out of 10 of your testimonials come from local clients.
• Don’t wait six months to ask for a testimonial – get it immediately after the project is complete. If you know you’ve done an exceptional job for a client, ask for a testimonial. A satisfied client should be happy to give a glowing testimonial on your behalf.

Check out our website to see how we used client testimonials to showcase our services. www.promoterinc.com Wondering what questions to ask clients to optimize the effectiveness of their testimonial? Contact ProMoter Inc. for help! 502-562-1969 or promoterinc@promoterinc.com.