Testimonials

Word of mouth happens when your customers talk to other potential customers about their experience with you and your product/service.  They are in essence “testifying” to another person about the work you performed for them. 

Testimonials are those good things your customers said, captured in writing or on audio or video.  If you’ve got good word of mouth going on, testimonials will happen naturally.  If you’ve got incredible customer service and a great product, the testimonials should be flowing.

Testimonials are earned. 

I had a brief stint in the Girl Scouts when I was young.  They didn’t just hand out badges because we were cute – I had to work for them; I had to earn my badges.  I remember sewing hundreds of buttons on a piece of fabric to earn my sewing badge.  I thought it took forever, but in the end, I got a little patch to put on my sash (which I sewed on myself!) to show the world.  Testimonials are your badge or your medal to wear proudly on your chest to show your perspective customers.

How do you get testimonials?

The best testimonials are totally unsolicited.  An email you receive from a happy customer or a hand-written thank you note, or maybe a phone conversation where a client is profusely thanking you.  Write it down and ask permission of that customer to use their words.

It’s ok to ask for them, though.  Just make sure that your customer service is up to snuff.  A lot of people will have a great experience with you, but they don’t go any further to let you know about it.  It’s ok to ask a bride for a statement about their experience with you – maybe just phrase the question differently than, “hey – can you write me a testimonial?”  If a customer verbally tells shares some praise with you, ask them if they wouldn’t mind writing that down for you.

What should your testimonials say?

Think about the 3-5 most popular objections you hear from your brides?  Too expensive?  A competitor’s package had more options?  Too expensive?

Testimonials that directly combat your biggest objectives are ideal.  If you lost one sale because of price, I’m sure there have been others.  (Losing on price is a whole different ballgame – we’ll address that too, later on.)  But if one bride thinks it, you bet more will follow.  If you had a customer that thought, “wow, it seemed like a lot of money at first, but it was totally worth it” those are the types of testimonials that will help you overcome that objection in the future.  But be careful, don’t make anything up - it’s not worth it in the long run.

What do you do with the testimonials?

GET THEM ON YOUR WEBSITE!  Yes, we’re working on this right now too – so don’t go digging around our site looking for them – we’ve got them, they’re just not live yet!  Here’s an example of a website with great testimonials.  The business owner emailed some of her best clients and told them that she wanted to get some quotes from customers on her site.  She was overwhelmed with the response – she had no idea how much people loved her products because she never asked!  Click here to see the testimonials on Baby Goin’ Places Website.

Here’s one I just received via email from one of my Idea Machine clients:

“Can't tell you enough how much I love the site. Every time I go on it I go on it thrills me just to look at it. I like the chicken on this one. It really pulls it together. You have a great talent Kerri. Keep pushing ahead and you will pass them all.”

-~     - Dave

Am I tooting my own horn?  You bet I am!  There’s a fine line, though, between bragging and being too modest.  You’ll know when you cross the line.  (The chicken is in reference to an article on his consulting website.  It's a great "how-to" on business plans.  Click here for the article.)

Why put them on your website?

Like we’ve talked about before, your audience meets you on the internet before they ever meet you face to face or talk with you on the phone.  How can you sell them before you see them?  Tell your prospects about someone else’s experience.  Make them feel comfortable before you even talk with them. 

Your customers identify with someone else’s experience.  They want to know that someone else has gone through it – they want assurance that it will all turn out ok. 

Testimonials are a mirror

Testimonials are a reflection of you – your company, your service, your business practices, and your character.  Testimonials are like a mirror – there’s nothing better than looking in the mirror and feeling good about the person looking back at you.  Testimonials reflect what your customers think about you.  They’re an invaluable tool in your box.