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Tricia Littlefield, Marketing Strategist, Ledgers Branding.

How to Get Powerful Testimonials That Help You Close More Deals

A picture of a lonely person wondering why nobody visitors his website.

Summary

How do you sell to prospects who don’t know if they can trust you? A key factor is including trust indicators on your website such as testimonials.

Real, genuine testimonials on your website and marketing materials improve your chances that a prospect will reach out to you but how do you go about getting them?

You will learn

Why do you need testimonials?

Testimonials are an integral part of any business. They build a sense of trust and have the potential of converting prospects to customers.

Every great website has a testimonial page containing persuasive quotes from current customers. Effective testimonials make a service or product attractive to your ideal clients.

A powerful testimonial tells your prospects that not only is your business genuine, but your services also deliver as promised. Studies have shown that 92% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision.

If you don’t have a testimonial page on your website, how should you go about it?

All you need to do is either use existing reviews or simply ask your customers to write reviews for you.

Read on to learn how you can encourage your customers to write testimonials for you.

Essential Things to Consider When Getting Testimonials

Be proactive. You must ask your current customers for testimonials. Failing to do so will only get you a slice of the testimonials you could have obtained if you asked.

Get the testimonials in writing. To prevent any privacy or legal problems, ensure that you get your customers’ permission to display their testimonials on your website or other public information material.

Create a sense of urgency. It’s natural for people to procrastinate. When asking your customers for testimonials, add a sentence that says something like, “If you can do this within the next two days, that would be great.”

Give examples. Sometimes clients can get writer’s block when trying to write a testimonial. Provide them with sample testimonials from other clients to guide them on how to write one.

Transcribe a testimonial based on previous emails or conversations. You might email the client and ask their permission to write a testimonial using the praise they gave you on a project. You reassure them that you are only writing up the words they used from your conversation.

Use both names. Displaying your customer’s first and last name will increase the authenticity of a testimonial. If privacy is an issue, you can use their first name and the first letter of their surname.

Add a headshot. Putting a face to your customer’s testimonial boosts authenticity. You can get a photo from their social media profiles but be sure to ask them which photo you can use.

Should you offer an enticement or incentive for a review?

I would avoid offering an enticement for a review. Google Support states, “Reviews are most valuable when they’re honest and unbiased. For example, business owners shouldn't offer incentives to customers in exchange for reviews.”

How to Ask Your Customers for Testimonials

1. Ask them immediately:

Ask for testimonials directly after you have made a sale or when they start seeing the value of your product or business. If you delivered excellent service and value, your customers would be happy to write you a testimonial.

2. Make it easy for them:

Instead of asking for a testimonial, guide the clients, so they don’t feel nervous trying to write a good testimonial. Ask clients how their experience is so far with your product or service. When they reply positively, you can ask for more details such as what kind of results they are getting. Summarise their response and ask them if you can use it as a testimonial.

3. Follow up politely:

Once you find a moment when your customers are happy and feeling grateful for your business, you can send them an email and ask them for a testimonial politely. Don’t nag them though. If they don’t respond, you can ask again in future if they make another purchase.

4. Make sure it helps you sell:

This means that you should ensure the testimonials cover the benefits and results of using your product or service. Fundamental to an effective testimonial is a transformation for the client. For example, if a customer never got any leads from their website but after the website redesign, they got an average of 12 new leads/month, that is a transformation.

5. Ask at the right time:

The best time to ask is when your customer has successfully used your product. If you don’t ask, you don’t get that vital feedback that your business needs.

6. Create a process for compiling testimonials:

The most effective way of getting testimonials is gathering them way before you need them. You, therefore, need to develop a method of how your business will look for, capture and organize testimonials.

Whatever that process looks like, be sure to engage your sales and support teams. After all, they are the ones who interact with customers the most by directly communicating with them. Clearly outline the process and empower them to participate in finding these testimonials.