July, 2005 - From WebsiteRevamp
Credibility: Currency Of Internet Part One
Testimonials -- You Have To Have Them
"BIG T" - TESTIMONIALS - Yes, they might seem a bit corny if you remember the Wizard of Oz, but they are very effective instruments for building your online brand and driving new business.
1) Why you really need them on your site
2) Make it a part of every proposal
3) Let customer write it
4) How to display them (next issue)
1) Testimonials -- You Have To Have Them
When someone visits your website there is a high probability they don't know beans about who you are, what you do, much less if you are any good at your proclaimed expertness. So, how do you get around that? How do you convince strangers that you actually can deliver results?
Let your existing customers say it for you, of course! There is nothing more convincing than testimonial statements from satisfied clients.
2) "But I Don't Have Any Testimonials To Put On My Site"
Not nice, but there are a couple of things you can do fix this situation:
- Go back to previous customers and ask them for a one -- this is tougher than the next idea.
- Better idea: make sure you get statements of satisfaction from customers early in game. Do it up front, here's how: Make "Big T" A Part of Your Proposal. That's right, put a statement in your proposal which makes a testimonial part of the project.
- I've had situations, particularly with new businesses, where the prospect asked for a discount. (I don't give discounts, and neither should you.) One way of lowering project cost is to value the testimonial at $300 to $500 and issue a credit against project cost. (A good testimonial is really worth that much.) This solution has two positive effects:
- It makes the customer obligated to their side of the bargain -- you're more likely to quickly get their positive statement at the point in the process when they are most satisfied.
- It shows your client that you value their respect
3) Let The Customer Write It!
Occasionally I've had a customer say, "You write the testimonial and send me a copy to look over before you use it." Not a great idea. If something happens to the relationship, you could wind up with egg on your face. Generally, when I've asked customers to write one for me, what they supplied was much more flattering than I could have written myself. (Some of us are shy about blowing our own horn.)
TIP: You can help creatively challenged customer testimonial process by giving them examples from other customers.
2006©William R. Stocking
All Rights Reserved
If you wish to reprint this article or pass it on to someone else we ask you to use the whole article, unaltered.
William R. Stocking CMC* is a Founder and Director of http://www.websiterevamp.Org. He isn't a new-comer to the Internet; Bill has been involved in the design, re-design and deployment of websites since 1996. How many? He's lost count. Bill is also the author of over 80 magazine and newspaper articles on small business technology.
*CMC (Certified Management Consultant) is the certification mark awarded by the Institute of Management Consultants USA and represents evidence of the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession. Fewer than 1% of all consultants have achieved this level of performance.
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