One way to build trust and increase sales of your product or service is by the use of testimonials, brief endorsements by a satisfied customer. You'd think that since testimonials are so easy to fake people wouldn't believe them. But used carefully, the opposite is true. They work.

What others say about you and your product, service, or business, is at least 1000% more convincing than what you say, even if you are 1000% more eloquent.

The Function of a Testimonial

A good testimonial attracts attention, conveys a benefit, and achieves credibility. If a testimonial sounds so good that you couldn't have said it better yourself, then it probably won't sound credible to the reader.

A Different "Voice"

The reason is obvious. Customers doubt what we say about ourselves, but believe other customers. And the more customers who say good things about us, the more prospective customers will believe them.

The reason that testimonials work is that they tell about your product in a different "voice" than yours. The more colloquially it is said, the more credible it will feel to the reader. The more specific the quote, the better. If someone says, "Yours is the best product of its kind in the whole world," it doesn't get much traction. Much better would be:

"The next best thing to being in the woods, yourself, is to listen to the tales of the Trout Whisperer.

An excellent storyteller, Seckinger spins tales which take you with him out fishing or tramping through the woods.

The Trout Whisper stories will make you believe you are in the fishing boat or hunting shack with him.

The Trout Whisperer weaves stories which embrace the woods and waters of Northern Minnesota and the people who live here – a place where the values and traditions of a simpler life beckon to all."

The above testimonial is an example of effective testimonials I have used on justnorth.com and Amazon.com.

Placement of testimonials is important, too. A testimonial belongs at the point in the sales process where you're dealing with a particular objection. So don't cram all your testimonials together. Space them out with other parts of your sales copy where they belong in the natural flow of your presentation.

How Do You Get Good Testimonials?

First, you must provide an outstanding product and service. Then, ask your customers for help.

 I use several approaches:

• Interviews. Interview your customers about what they really like about your product and the service you provide. Ask what do they especially like about working with you and your company? Ask if they would write what they told you in a letter or if you can write it for them for their approval. Ask if you can tape record or video record your interview.
• Unsolicited e-mails. When someone writes a kind note praising one of my products, or services, I write back requesting to use an excerpt in my marketing. To date, I've never received a negative response.
• Forum Posts. If someone has shared a kind word about me in our forums, I will always ask the writer if I can share their experience in the form of a testimonial.
• Online Questionnaire.  Create a questionnaire that customers can answer. Ask specific questions and have them answer them.
• Newsletters. When you want to add testimonials to your web site, you should email customers that have signed-up for email updates or your newsletter and ask them for feedback. You should also ask customers to give their consent to use their name and testimonial on your web site. They can do this by writing a sentence or two at the bottom of the email.
• Video Interviews. Today, with the advent of small hand held digital photo cameras, and cell phones it has become a breeze to get all the testimonials you could want, on the spot. It is so easy, and non intimidating, to ask someone to say what they think, hold the camera up, hit the movie mode and capture the testimonial. I’ve included a sample one to show how easy it is. These can be transcribed and used in written form, audio only, or the most convincing as they are a live action, unrehearsed video.
  
  I have included a sample video testimonial example that was solicited by our company, Jive Media.
  
  

  
  If I can ask the marketing director of a 60 million dollar a year company for a testimonial, and get it, you can easily do the same.

The Point to all of this

Ask for, collect, and use testimonials for your business and you will see an improvement in your results! No matter what you do, others are always interested in what other people think of you and your business. The more you prove you offer quality services and products the more convinced a person will become that you are the one they should do business with and spend their money with, and that my friend is the point, it will affect your bottom line in positive profits.

I look forward to testing, Kelly's new product, Testify, and sharing it with my web clients.

Enjoy the experience,
Buck