Client testimonials offer a highly effective tool for building your sales and earnings.
Marketing expert Sheri Doyles once wrote, “Six years ago, insurance agent Mary Patrick needed to get the word out about her new insurance agency. So she turned to her existing customers for help. By adding quotes from satisfied clients to her direct-mail pieces and Web pages (as well as including a toll-free number), Patrick’s annual revenues increased nearly 28%.”
As this California business owner can attest, word-of-mouth marketing is an effective way to win new business. And testimonials are actually referrals — in writing. Sprinkled in everything from brochures and newsletters to ads and Web sites, clients’ words of praise may give prospects the push they need to try your product or service. Here’s how to make the most of customer remarks.
SOLICIT CLIENTS TO SPEAK UP
Why wait for someone to say something nice about your business? Elicit positive feedback as a regular part of your customer service. Send each happy customer a satisfaction form via regular mail, E-mail, or fax, and leave ample space for comments. If you use the U.S. Postal Service, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. If you call on the phone for kudos, do so only when clients have the time to spare. Otherwise, their glowing comments might quickly turn to unflattering criticism. Then cull through your responses, scouting for spokespeople your prospects would be interested in hearing from.
Potential customers are most likely to believe testimonials from trustworthy clients. Choose customers who are credible or who hold an esteemed position. If you can, obtain written permission to use their photos in your materials.
The credibility of your testimonials will increase if you cite experts. Although your words of praise needn’t be from clients who hold Ph.D.s, you’ll pique your prospects’ interest if you quote people in positions of authority. To make sure you pick the perfect spokesperson from among your satisfied respondents, include enough room on the form for the client’s full name (avoid using initials), address, job title, background, and other credentials. Better yet, if someone of high esteem has sent you a positive letter, include a copy of the whole letter in your press kit.
For instance, Egberto Willies, owner of Willies’ Insurance Center, has increased sales 30% by adding the testimonials of clients and companies to his Web pages, direct mailings, and brochures. Because he sells insurance to programmers, he scours his database for high-profile decision makers. If a corporate executive compliments your company directly, ask to include the firm’s logo on your marketing materials.
PLAY UP THE BENEFITS
Prospects shop with their gut. Often, before making a purchase, they’ll look for information that justifies their premeditated decisions. That’s why testimonials work: They confirm to prospects that your company is a wise choice.
To help reduce the apprehensions of first-time buyers, use positive recommendations that highlight the unique advantages of your product or service. “Your testimonial can’t just say, ‘Great service!’” insists Patrick. Instead, ask satisfied clients to elaborate on benefits. For example, Patrick’s Web page includes a remark saying, “Patrick’s agency gives me peace of mind. I don’t have to spend endless time on the phone dealing with other agencies, and I know that each of the recommendations will be well thought out and important to my business.”
Similarly, if you’ve saved clients money, get them to quantify an amount. If your services have improved your customers’ lives, ask them to qualify their reasons. In Marketing Your Services (Contemporary Books), Rick Crandall writes, “suggest specific areas they might address: the quality of finished work; on-time delivery; how easy you are to work with. Have at least one testimonial that covers each benefit described in your marketing materials.”
For instance Crandall’s book opens with testimonials from more than 40 experts and service providers. Each is tied to a specific benefit, such as, “You have to bend over backward not to make money with the information in this book.”
KEEP CLIENT KUDOS LEGAL
When trolling for testimonials, there are two ways you can land in legal hot water. The first is using the name, image, or words of a client without permission. To comply with the law, include a checkbox on your customer-feedback form that states, “If appropriate, would you allow us to use your words and name in our marketing and promotional materials?”
The second potential problem might get you in deeper trouble and have the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) knocking at your door. Don’t use spokespeople who are part of your company or who are paid advertisers!
Remember Art Linkletter, that TV icon for the aging? According to Mary Gilly, associate professor of marketing at the University of California at Irvine, this onetime spokesman for an insurance carrier caused quite a stir when it was later discovered that he was also on the company’s board of directors. The FTC interpreted his testimonials as deceptive advertising. If you plan to pay someone to tout your product or service, as is commonly done in infomercials, clearly state that it’s a paid testimonial.
Despite these regulatory requirements, a few lines from satisfied clients on your marketing materials can go far to boost your bottom line.