If you had to guess, what percentage of people are visually oriented: that is, they need to see something before buying it – you know they need to drive a car, feel the material of a suit/dress or preview a house before purchasing it? More than 95% of people are visual consumers. So how do you a service provider create this opportunity?
Why not start with a testimonial from a client who has had a very positive experience working with you? How many times have you heard, “I don’t know how to thank you”? That is the perfect time to ask them to put their gratitude in writing. Testimonials can become part of your powerful arsenal for opening the door to new prospects. Something magical happens when you read those testimonials, a special relationship develops with that customer opening the door to relaxing the “discomfort” of taking the next step and asking for referrals.
Testimonials should be used in all of your promotional materials, they can be developed into case studies that you can verbally convey when someone asks, “How do you do that?” Testimonials are one of the most effective and powerful strategies, they create an air of credibility for your business and gives you confidence when approaching new prospects.
Here are some tips on getting testimonials:
- Ask for the testimonials
- Ask people to share them on their social networks
- Ask what the bottom line results were that they got from your product or service
- Ask if you or someone else can interview them
- Ask if you can quote them on something they casually said or wrote in an email
- Ask if you have their permission to post it on your web site, BLOG, or any other promotional material you put out.