“The words of happy customers can bring about amazing increases in conversion rates.” - Dave Smith

Think about the last time you were looking to hire a Contractor, or some type of Professional for a service. Or, say, the last time you were about to purchase an expensive item.

Who did you consult with before making your decision? Did you ask a friend or colleague for recommendations? Did you consult a consumer report about the expensive item's performance? Or did you go with your own instincts?

Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful forms of Marketing out there. Buyers want to confirm that they are making the right decision by hearing about positive experiences from other buyers and friends.

As a Business Owner, you can use testimonials to harness the power of word-of-mouth Marketing. Testimonials will help overcome objections and break down barriers in the sales process. Prospects weighing their purchase decisions will have more confidence knowing that someone else has had a positive experience or seen the promised results. A strong testimonial program will generate more conversions, bigger sales, more credibility, and more qualified leads.

Sound good?

When I address Testimonials, I will cover:

How testimonials boost conversions
How asking for testimonials can boost repeat business
Types of testimonials
How to get testimonials for your business
What makes testimonial “good” or credible

The presence of testimonials in your Marketing materials, in your business and on your website will increase your conversion rate.

Your conversion rate is related to you and your staff's ability to build immediate trust with prospective clients and break down natural barriers. When you use testimonials (as well as outstanding Marketing strategies), some of this work is already done for you. Testimonials tell prospective customers about the opinions and experiences of other buyers, which builds trust, establishes credibility, and reduces perceived purchase risk.

Trust:
People have an inherent skepticism towards salespeople and Marketing collateral, and it takes time to build trust and rapport with prospective buyers.

Credibility:
Testimonials show that you have been in business for a while and that you have a base of happy customers. This sends a positive message about the quality of your products or services.

Perceived Purchase Risk:
Another person has bought the product or service, and been satisfied or pleased with the results, so the risk involved in the purchase seems lessened.

The process of gathering testimonials naturally encourages repeat and referral business.

Clients who give testimonials generally stay loyal to your product or service and will tell their friends and family about it. Happy customers will be returning customers.

However, when a customer shares an opinion or an experience and attaches their name to it, there is an added sense of loyalty created. They have publicly declared that they are a supporter of the product or service in question and will back up that decision if questioned - even if they find that their decision was wrong at a later date.

When you ask a customer for a testimonial, you are also asking them to contribute to the growth of your business. Customers who feel they are helping you out will feel a sense of both pride and loyalty to your product or service.

Testimonials are also a great indicator of word-of-mouth Marketing. If a customer has taken the time to tell you about their positive experience or commit it to paper, maybe they have also shared it with their friends. This verbal chain of testimonials can act as an informal Referral Strategy and will boost your referral business.

If you are going to make the effort of collecting testimonials, do what you can to make sure that they are credible ones you can use.

At the end of the day, asking for a testimonial is often like asking your customers for a favor. While you want to make sure their testimonial is detailed and specific and all the things that make it credible, there is a limit to what you can ask for, and that is okay. Sometimes you will get two-line emails, and other times you will get five-page letters. Work with what you can gather and remember that testimonials are always most believable when they have been written organically by the customer.

PS: I can't fit everything I want to say about testimonials here, but make sure you use your testimonials in a way that supports the message you want to communicate to your customers. If you need this explained, just ask.