Happy customers are your best sales people.
Photo by kwpierpont
As your website's brand story unfolds, your visitors get excited about your company. They start to see how you can solve their problems. But today's buyers are skeptical. How do you convince them that your product or service can do everything you say?
Your Customers are Your Best Proof
You can prove yourself online with expert information, length of time in business, or powerful About Us pages. But the most valuable stamp of approval comes from unbiased testimonials from your customers.
Isn't it true that when you're ready to buy or hire a service that you ask others about it? People you trust who've used the same service? Their okay can close the deal.
But how do you get testimonials that aren't cliched and dull? "ACME gives good service." solicits more yawns than excitement.
The Secret to Amazing Testimonials
You can easily get high-quality testimonials that move your visitors to click "Buy Now." They need to attract attention, convey a benefit, and be credible. The key is to get specifics about the real, tangible benefits of doing business with you.
It's all in the questions you ask of your customer to solicit the best, most powerful endorsement.
So get him or her on the phone and conduct this brief survey. Note the survey questions demand specifics. That's the key. In this way, you'll get your customer to talk about the features and benefits of your products that trigger positive emotions in your website visitors.
As you ask the questions, think of the typical objections your prospects come up with. Find out how your customer experienced each objection and how they reached a positive outcome because of your business.
Here's the simple but powerful customer testimonial survey that I use. We'll call you My Company, Inc:
- Why did you hire My Company, Inc.?
- List 3 things you like most about My Company, Inc.
- What do you think is the strongest feature of My Company, Inc.?
- How has My Company, Inc. saved you time, money, or frustration?
See how you steer your testimonial toward the specific features and benefits of your products and services. These are the elements that really connect with your Web visitors. This is a very easy survey and takes only about 15 minutes or so of your customer's time.
Try it out and be sure to place your best testimonial prominently on your website, preferably on the homepage. You will remove doubt in your visitor's mind and accelerate the sales process online.
Until next time,
Nick
PS. Getting good testimonials can be a bit time consuming. It's an easy survey, but then the answers have to be whittled down to a concise, powerful sentence or two. Contact me if you'd like some help. I'll call your customer, conduct the interview, and write a killer testimonial for you.
