It’s great news when a client is so pleased with your service they say ‘yes’ to your request for a testimonial. Even better if they ask you to write it for them to sign off. Happy days!
You’ve decided exactly what you want your client to say, the product benefits you want to highlight, your excellent customer service and the value you know you delivered.
Just picture how good this will look on the company website and marketing materials. You’ll impress your colleagues and maybe get a pat on the back from your boss. No doubt you’ll also give yourself a self-satisfied grin in the rear-view mirror as you drive home at the end of the day.
Hold on a minute …
Will your boss be your next client? Thought not. Neither will your colleagues. For that matter, a self-satisfied grin rarely impresses a prospect.
Client testimonials aren’t intended to impress your boss
They may do, but their primary purpose is to impress your prospects. That’s how you attract and connect with them, then motivate them to take action.
Prospects are the only important people here. Ignore the feelings of your boss.
Consider it a bonus if she also offers praise after reading a testimonial from one of your clients. Instead, thrill her with your sales figures. Tangible sales results will impress her most and deliver rewards for you too.
Focus on exciting your prospects
Stand out testimonials help make this happen. They only stand out if written from the client’s perspective of your company, in a way that projects your company and its services as the most attractive option to prospects.
Always be more attractive than the other two options open to every prospect: going with one of your competitors or doing nothing at all.
Looking average won’t cut it
Copy your competitors if you want to look average. Do what they do and fill your website with forced testimonials:
- written by your client under your guidance
- written by you and signed off by your client
- based on questions which force your client to provide the answers you want
Choose this approach and you will look the same as your competitors, no better, no worse. No surprise when prospects can only differentiate you by the level of discount you offer!
Let your client show others how you are different
Your client sits on the other side of the fence to you. She’s not selling anything. Merely telling a short story in her own words of why she chose to work with you, what she valued about working with you and the ultimate benefits received.
Her testimonial will not look the same as every other one on your website, or on your competitors website. Viewed through her lens, your clients’ testimonial will have a different perspective to one you write for her to sign off.
The big benefit of a testimonial written from your clients’ perspective is that it will readily connect with a prospect in a similar size company, who has similar issues to solve.
Who do you think they will prefer to buy from?
This article is a version of a post that first appeared on the Maximizer blog.