Testimonials have a bit of a chequered history. In the past they were over-used in press advertising and some unscrupulous advertisers even faked them. It's only in comparatively recent times, when advertising in most industrialized countries has been regulated, that readers know testimonials have to be genuine - or else.
There may still be the odd person or two who sneers at testimonials and endorsements, but in the main people now accept them for real, and believe in their honesty. This makes them powerful.
Testimonials aren't just useful in advertisements, either. They can be used to strengthen your case even when putting forward business proposals, writing reports, in email signatures, and so-on.
However getting good testimonials isn't easy. Robert Middleton, US professional service marketing guru, agrees. Here is an excerpt from his excellent newsletter, "More Clients"...
"The dilemma is that it's damn hard to get a good testimonial. Even if you get a willing client, it
often takes ages for them to write it. And when they do write it, it doesn't say what you hoped it would. And if you write it for them, all your testimonials start sounding the same. It often ends up being a hassle and, after several unsuccessful attempts, it drops off the radar screen.
There is really only one way: get someone else, such as a marketing or PR person, to interview your client, transcribe the interview, edit it to emphasize the most important points and then get the client's approval to use it.
And, believe it or not, clients are almost always happy to be interviewed. They are delighted to help you if you helped them. And this approach makes the process so easy."
Who does the interview?
Although Robert very kindly suggests you should get someone like me to do the testimonial interview for you, I feel duty-bound to share with you how to DIY (do-it-yourself!)
Another reason why you can be the wrong person, in my view, is because your client or customer may feel a little intimidated if you are the person s/he has actually acquired the product or service from. A neutral third party will not intimidate the interviewee in the same way, and can probably get away with asking more pointed questions than you can, anyway.
You don't necessarily need to go outside your own organization to find the right person to do the testimonial interview. It could be someone from a different department, or from a different branch or office. It could even be someone who works in the next room - as long as they know the background and do not know the interviewee.
So, how should this third party set about interviewing the testimonial giver?
Well, as with so many projects, the key is not "what do we want to say - or ask, in this case - but what do we want to achieve?"
Robert Middleton again...
"Above everything else, you want a testimonial to convey the biggest result your client achieved by working with you. If they increased their profits by 27%, say that; if you helped them find the job of their dreams, say that. The more specific you can be, the better. Stay away from vague generalities.
Sure it's nice to get a testimonial that says how professional you are and how beautifully you interacted with their staff. Include that as well, but more than anything else, zero in on the bottom line results you helped them achieve."
The basic needs
Obviously the finer detail of the responses you want to get from your testimonial interviews will vary according to the nature of the project you're working on.
But essentially they will have common denominators like these, about how your product / service / system / consultancy / software / IT solution / etc:.........
- Solved their problems
- Saved them money
- Made their business more efficient
- Improved employee morale
- Enabled greater productivity
- Improved service to their customers
- Increased their sales
- Helped them get ahead of their competitors
- Got them the winning tender
- Made their patients better
- Improved their sex appeal
- and so-on.
Okay. We know what we want to get out of the testimonial interviews. What questions do we put together for our third-party interviewer?
The basic questions
We can begin by taking a leaf out of a journalist's book, and never ask a question that can be answered with a "yes" or a "no." The easiest way to do that is to start all questions with, once again, the journalist's old favourites of "who, what, why, how, when and where."
Questions like "what do you think of So-and-so's" product/service" are too vague and are likely to elicit a weak response. "Do you think So-and-so's service has increased your profitability?" is likely to get a "yes" without the specifics or worse still, a "no!"
Here are various versions of some strong questions which should get more interesting and useful responses. You can mix and match them to suit your own needs.
Questions that lead to good testimonial responses
- What is it that you think makes XXX different from their competitors?
- Earlier on, you mentioned that XXX is better than their competitors. Why would you say that is?
- Just how much better than the competition do you feel XXX really is?
- Why do you feel that XXX is more efficient than other, similar (whatever)?
- How would you rate your experience of working with/using XXX?
- Compared with their competitors, how would you rate your experience of working with/using XXX?
- On a 1 to 10 scale, how would you rate your experience of working with/using XXX, and why?
- What difference has using XXX made to your business's/department's performance?
- What is it about XXX's performance/service that makes the different?
- What was it that made you choose XXX in the first place?
- What was it that made you choose XXX instead of their competitors?
- What was it that made you change from your previous (whatever) to XXX?
- What additional benefits have you found through using XXX?
- Of all the benefits of XXX we've talked about, which is the most important to you, and why?
- What are the three main benefits of working with XXX?
- In summary, then, what would you say is the key benefit of working with XXX?
- In summary, then, what difference has working with/using XXX made to your bottom line?
- How important is it to you that you should work with/use XXX in the future?
- What sort of future do you think XXX can look forward to?
- If I were someone considering using XXX, what advice would you give me?
What happens next
As Robert Middleton goes on to say in his newsletter, once your interview is done - preferably audio recorded - you need to get that transcribed, and then edit the quotes you want to use. Try always to use real quotes without making up bits to compensate for shortcomings, and don't polish them up too much. The occasional grammatical mistake or bit of harmless slang makes it much more realistic.
When editing testimonials, try to keep them short. Readers have a way of switching off if there is more than a sentence or so to read. If necessary, you can split one person's testimonial into two, three, or more sections, but always be honest and attribute each section to the correct person
Then always, always run the finished testimonial past whoever has said it, for their approval. Often people will tell you not to bother but I feel that it's a courtesy you should not ignore. Also, if ever there should be any comeback, you have covered yourself; for this reason, ensure that the person responds to you saying they have approved the quote.
The other point you need to clarify with the testimonial giver is how they want to be acknowledged. Some will want to retain their anonymity but if you are to be believed, you must ask them to agree to substantiate their quote privately if someone were to challenge it. Very few people will refuse to do that.
Others will want some sort of credit; for example, their website's URL. Don't feel irritated by this - it may be free publicity for them, but it makes the testimonial look even more genuine, so you win, too.
Finally, who should you pick as a testimonial giver?
Usually your first inclination is to approach the person you have had the most contact with during your business relationship. But whether that's a good idea or not depends on who they are in the pecking order. It may be that instead of, or in addition to that person, you also want to get someone else in their organization to be interviewed.
Judge that on the basis of what sort of decision maker your document, website, brochure or whatever is aimed at. Then, see if you can get equivalent decision makers in the testimonial-giver's organization to give you quotes. Because they are coming from the same place as your target audience, they are likely to say things that will appeal.
And that's it for now. As always, feedback is welcome.
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