Testimonials share a taste of what it's really like to work with you

Feel flustered about getting testimonials?  You know that a happy customer can be your best kept sales secret. But what if you’d rather eat sand than ask people to put in writing  how they feel about working with you?  Do you really have to get testimonials?

Testimonials bring the highlights of working with you to life

A web page is a cold, impersonal thing.  Testimonials help visitors truly feel the impact you’ve made on the customer’s side.  Reading a good testimonial is like watching someone bite into a delicious apple. You hear teeth crunch through the crisp skin, see the splash of apple juice, you smell the sweet-tart aroma of fruit –  this brings you as close as you can get to enjoying that apple, without taking a bite yourself. Testimonials bring the experience of working with you to life.

The power of testimonials is their source – other people using their own words.  You’re not looking to post compliments for your ego’s sake. You’re looking for unique responses that your clients have about you, that show your work in a real-life context.

Good testimonials give a clear example of what the customer went through

Effective testimonials help potential customers see what happened when others made the leap of faith to work with you.  A clear example of what to expect when working with you is reassuring to people who don’t yet know you.

In a great testimonial, your customer says

• what kind of problem you solved for them
• how you addressed difficulties or challenges, concerns
• if they would recommend your services to others
• what result they enjoyed or achieved because of your help
• that you can use their full name or name and business, or name and location

A template to ask for – and get – a truly helpful testimonial

So how do you get feedback that truly helps you when asking your customers for testimonials?

You can ask by email.  Here’s a sample request:

Dear <customer>

I am updating my website for [business name] and I’d like to feature short quotes from a few recent customers.  Would you send me a few words about your experience?

Your comments would help others get a customer’s eye view what happens when working with us.

Feel free to mention –

* your experience talking over your project with us

* any concerns/challenges you had

* how your concerns were handled

* your expectations, and the final results

* would you recommend [our business name] to others?

I’m going launch our updates within a month, so I need quotes in the next week or two.  I’d like to include your name and your business name with your testimonial.

To send your comments, just kindly reply to this message.  Thank you.

This template won’t fit every business as-is.  You can adapt it to your type of work to invite comments that would speak to the questions your potential clients have when looking for help.

You’ll notice there is a deadline.  You don’t want to leave your request open ended.  You’ll need to provide a timeframe so your customers feel their response is needed by a certain time.  Deadlines encourage action.

What to do with a testimonial that needs a little work

Once you get a testimonial, it may need some editing.  Most likely you may want to shorten it.  Because you’re publishing it on the web, you know you’ll need to get right to the point.  You may want to focus just on the part of the quote that most clearly states the benefit.

How do you handle this with your customer?  Just send back your shortened or changed version and ask if it’s okay with your changes.

Once you have a version you and your customer agree on, congratulations.  Post testimonials on different pages of your website.  Choose pages such as service descriptions that can be bolstered by a quote.  Give a visual cue to set off the different point of view using a text box or a sidebar.

Your customers’ words can help persuade a skeptical visitor that you’re trustworthy.  They can’t do the whole job of convincing prospects to become new customers.   But they can play an important part to encourage visitors to take the next step and contact you.

Remember the testimonials are a customer service – they help people make informed choices

If you feel self-conscious about asking for feedback, remember it’s not for yourself you do this.  It’s about using other points of view to help your prospects make a more confident decision.

Photo credit:  Real Juice 2 by rajeev kumar on sxc.hu