When Canadian pharmacist W.K. Buckley created a new cough syrup in 1919, his customers kept saying the same thing: “It tastes terrible. And it works.”
Instead of hiding that response, Buckley turned it into a testimonial as he marketed his cough syrup against the products of much larger, much better-financed consumer product companies.
“I developed a chronic dry cough, which allowed me only an hour or two of sleep every night, and I tried every over-the-counter and prescription remedy without success,” writes one user of Buckley’s Mixture. “Now that I’m hooked on Buckley’s, I need only one teaspoonful at bedtime to get six to seven hours of undisturbed rest…I am now recommending Buckley’s to everyone I know. You are right; it is absolutely the worst tasting stuff I have ever used. But it works. Thank you.”
Such backhanded compliments have boosted Buckley’s from a one-man effort in the back of a drug store to a 30-employee company.
Testimonials work.
Why? People are more likely to take the word of your customers than all of your ads, brochures and slick presentations combined, according to advertising guru David Ogilvy, retired chairman of WPP Group PLC, the world’s largest advertising agency.
Ivan Misner, founder of Business Network International networking organizations, agrees. “Having someone tell a group of people how good your product or service is beats anything you can say about yourself.”
And that’s good news for the self-employed who usually have more satisfied customers than advertising dollars.
Here’s how you can get testimonials from your clients and then use them to boost your business.
What Is A Testimonial?
A testimonial is an honest, straightforward statement about the merits of your products and services. The best ones are brief. Generally, they follow a format: I used this product or service and here’s what happened. Therefore you should use it too because…
Testimonials should improve the public image of your business, products or services. They can create excitement, raise trust levels and help people remember you.
“Testimonials are really good to sell the benefits,” says graphic artist Liz Schroeppel, owner of Intelligraphics in Foothill Ranch, Calif. “It’s so hard to convey that about a service. Testimonials do it for you so you don’t sound like you’re bragging.”
Some self-employed professionals worry that consumers distrust testimonials because a company never uses negative statements. However, Buckley’s Mixture is a good example of how a critical comment can be turned to an advantage if the benefit offsets the criticism.
Still, Peter I. Hupalo, author of Thinking Like An Entrepreneur: How To Make Intelligent Business Decisions That Will Lead To Success in Building & Growing Your Own Company (Hupalo, Ltd., 1999), won’t let long-time personal friends review his book on his Web site (www.thinkinglike.com) or Amazon.com. “How can a close personal friend be at all objective?” he asks. “Their loyalty is to me and not really to the end reader.”
He compares it to a faith healer who plants people in the audiences who profess to be cured.
How To Solicit Praise
You don’t have to rely on Mom and your best buddy to receive legitimate comments that can be turned into testimonials.
The easiest way to get testimonials is to ask for them. Call or write to people who have done business with you in the past and ask for a brief assessment of your work. Ask if they’re willing to tell others about your business.
Many customers are happy to help but don’t know what to say. Show them samples of other testimonials you’ve received. Suggest that they tell how long they’ve used your product or service, how it compares with competitors and what the tangible results have been. Encourage them to be specific, because testimonials that relate to real-world situations are more believable.
Some customers may even ask you to write the testimonial for them. Experts agree that this approach is ethical so long as you develop the statement from the comments made by the customer and get his written approval of the resulting testimonial.
If a customer gives you a compliment about your business, ask him or her to put it in writing. Professional speaker and seminar leader Jacque Daniel writes down a client’s oral praise, shows the written version to the person, then asks, “Do I have this right, and may I use it in my marketing?”
Thomas Myers, owner of Myers Building Maintenance in Tustin, Calif., sends postcards to clients soliciting their comments about his work.
Graphic artist Schroeppel sends surveys to her clients after a project is completed. Her initial purpose in developing the questionnaire was to ferret out problems and find ways to improve her services and business. The survey rates her service in 15 different ways.
“I find that asking specific questions makes it quick and easy for clients to respond,” she says. A survey is also a great way to get client comments in writing, she adds.
At the bottom of page, the survey asks if the client can be quoted. Schroeppel never uses testimonials without permission. She saves the returned surveys in a book, which she shows to prospective new clients. But if prospects want to see responses from clients in similar industries or with similar types of work, “it’s very easy to go through and pull out specific testimonials.”
The easier and cheaper you make it for customers to give you feedback, the higher the response rate is likely to be. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request for comments. E-mail brings even greater response because it’s easy and fast to hit the “reply” key. Both Buckley and author Hupalo solicit testimonials on their Web sites.
Networking expert Misner encourages self-employed professionals to be proactive in seeking testimonials. He suggested to a chiropractor, whose practice was just getting started, to offer special discounts to members of his networking group in order to persuade at least one to give his services a chance. One member who accepted the offer, stood up at the next meeting and praised the chiropractor for alleviating a chronic backache. The chiropractor, Misner says, gained four new patients the next week.
It’s also important for you to give testimonials as well as receive them, Misner adds. Only give compliments that are sincere and deserved. “But when you have a chance to give a testimonial . . . be specific about how it worked out.”
Where To Use Testimonials
All these testimonials are nothing but ego boosts unless you use them in your marketing. And most satisfied customers are flattered to have you do so.
Print testimonials in your brochures, sales presentation binders and direct mail letters or postcards, Schroeppel suggests.
Hupalo lists some testimonials on his Web site. Linda Pinson, developer of Automate Your Business Plan software wrote this testimonial about Hupalo’s book Thinking Like An Entrepreneur: “Not only is it packed with knowledge and excellent advice . . . it is also expertly laced with humor. It is definitely an asset to my own library and would also be of great benefit to that multitude of entrepreneurs.”
Security alarm expert Ken Jacobs prints testimonials in his company newsletter. “Most prospects understand that it takes a pretty happy customer to cooperate in a newsletter article,” he explains.
Business owners with commercial shops or offices can even post their testimonials on the walls. After 10 years in business, 30 Minute Photos Etc. in Irvine, Calif., has enough letters of recommendation and praise to completely cover the walls of the 1,000-square-foot store.
Bodega Chocolates, a specialty chocolate manufacturer, hangs photos of celebrity customers, such as actors Robert Wagner and Kevin Costner, on the walls of the retail shop in Costa Mesa, Calif. At a recent trade show, actor Tony Curtis walked past Bodega’s booth. Partner Martucci Angiano lured him in to sample the sauces and truffle bars, and Curtis willingly posed with her for a photo. Now it’s on the shop wall too.
Author Hupalo observes, “A well-known name is given more credibility by many people. No truly valid reason for doing so, of course.”
Avoid Problems
Hupalo urges business owners to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in soliciting, selecting or using testimonials.
Never use a testimonial that you know is untrue, such as the purchaser of a crystal necklace who writes you claiming that it cured her cancer. Such claims will not only harm your reputation, but they might also land you in jail, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
“Any testimonials which violate client confidentiality are inappropriate,” Hupalo says. Schroeppel agrees, and adds that business owners should always get permission in writing before using any client testimonial. Tell the customer how you will use the testimonial and make sure he is comfortable with all uses. His reputation is at stake and so is yours.
Also, self-employed professionals should avoid testimonials that undermine their own credibility. For instance many Web sites now link to other sites as affiliates, Hupalo says. “For example, there might be a $180 course on some topic and the affiliate receives a $60 commission on any sale. Obviously, a glowing recommendation of that course on the site becomes a little suspect…and consumers rightfully question the motive of the testimonial giver.”
Small-business owners must maintain their good reputations, Hupalo stresses, “so it’s in their best interest to find ways to generate sincere testimonials for their products or services.”
11 Steps To Getting And Using Testimonials
- Begin by providing products and services worthy of praise from customers.
- Always watch and listen for satisfied customers who are willing to share their words with others.
- Use surveys and questionnaires to elicit comments that can be used as testimonials.
- When customers compliment your product or service, ask permission to use their comments, then write it and submit for their approval.
- Pay the costs incurred by customers providing testimonials, such as providing a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
- Explain how you will use the customer’s testimonial.
- Always select truthful comments for testimonials. Avoid puffery and hyperbole.
- Choose short testimonials that get the message across. Specific examples are better than generalities.
- Use the testimonials in different marketing efforts: brochures, ads and presentations.
- Keep testimonials relevant to the target audience. Give potential customers testimonials that match their interests and needs.
- Deliver on the promised quality implied in the testimonials. Don’t make liars out of your praising customers.
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