If you do a good job and you have several happy clients, get them to blow your horn. Testimonials from satisfied customers can often help a business grow faster than advertising.

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Most businesses don’t enjoy a renowned reputation. Prospects that do their homework often end up with several choices of companies that all seem to be able to get their job done. The best way to ensure that these new prospects choose your business is to provide powerful testimonials from choice satisfied clients.

Powerful Testimonials are Thoughtful, Specific and Well Written

Peer to peer recommendations carry a lot of weight. But just any testimonial won’t do…they must be well-thought-out and well-written. Testimonials must be specific not just about how wonderful your company is, or how well you do what you do. Testimonials must show, in very few words, how a problem was solved. Testimonials must be relatable. The prospect must be able to see him/her self in the story that your satisfied client has to tell.

Here’s an example of an ineffective testimonial:

“ABC Company was great. They exceeded our expectations and came in on budget.” – Betty and Biff Customer

Now, that may actually sound like a pretty good testimonial. It is positive, but it doesn’t really tell us anything about ABC. What exactly were the customer’s expectations? What was their budget? And there are few words in the English language as meaningless as “great”.

Here is that testimonial, rewritten for a more useful effect:

“ABC went above and beyond to solve some basic connectivity problems other companies could not. We didn’t have a big budget or a lot of time, but ABC got the job done within our limits.” – Betty and Biff Customer

This version tell us that ABC is ready and willing to 1) go the extra mile, 2) work within budget and time constraints 3) solve problems their competitors often cannot.

Getting Powerful Testimonials Starts With The Request

Starts with the request…but doesn’t end there. In most cases your satisfied customers will be happy to give you a glowing testimonial. And that’s fine…just don’t let them write it. The way to get the best quality testimonial possible is to send out the following:

1) The open ended request

“Dear XYZ Customer,We just wanted to thank you for your last order/job request. We appreciate your business and enjoy working with you. Would you be willing to give us a testimonial that we can use in our advertising and on our web site?”

Most likely, your customer will say, “Of course, we’d love to give you a glowing testimonial!” So you’ll go on to:

2) The follow up request

“Thank you XYZ Customer! We know you’re very busy, so if you’d like us to write something up for you, we can do that. You can then revise it or OK it, as you like.”

If your customer agrees that they are too busy and it would be a good idea to send them a draft testimonial, go for it. Be sure to include specific problems solved.

If your customer declines your offer and would like to write it themselves, that’s OK too. Revise whatever they send – if required – to ensure it is the powerful testimonial you need, AND be sure to get the customers final approval on the revisions before you start using the testimonial.

In both cases, confirm that the customer is OK with you providing their name and/or contact information along with the testimonial.

3) The thank you

Don’t forget to thank your customer for their testimonial. They don’t have to give you anything, remember. Since they did, extend the goodwill by thanking them. Don’t go overboard though, you don’t want it to seem like you bribed them for their good words about you!

One of the best things about testimonials is that it gives you a chance to strengthen the bond between you and your best customers. Asking them for a testimonial tells them that you value you them as a customer and that you believe others will value their opinion. Testimonials are win-win for all involved.

Do you use testimonials in your marketing? Do you think they are an effective tool?