When was the last time you asked for a testimonial from a client or sponsor?
If you are not using testimonials as a regular part of your marketing approach, you may not be maximizing your potential to attract business.
Why use testimonials?
A testimonial from a credible person or organization can go a long way to building trust and credibility for you in the eyes of someone who has little or no experience of you.
Testimonials bring presentations, proposals and websites to life. They spark interest, inviting the prospect to find out more. They can take your message from the ordinary to the compelling.
What should a testimonial contain?
Use testimonials that talk about the outcomes that result from working with you, in particular, what you have helped to increase or decrease, for example, increased revenue, sales, prospects, clients, awareness, confidence or clarity of thinking or a reduction in time and costs.
You have to ask for them
If you don’t ask for a testimonial, you probably won’t get one. It’s unlikely that someone will volunteer one without asking.
A warning
Make sure that the person you ask to provide a testimonial is someone that you are 100% comfortable with being approached by one of your prospects to talk to about you and your organization.
If there is no name attached, don’t bother!
To have credibility the testimonial must have a full name and organization attached. A testimonial from J.P. from Texas or N.R from London does not provide the required level of trust and confidence.
So get to it!
Look at the clients, customers and sponsors that you are proud of and approach them to provide a testimonial. Ask them to outline what they saw as the benefit of working with you and the outcomes they feel they obtained.