There has never been a better time than now to collect testimonials.
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When a salesperson or a company employee gets a great comment about their service and/or your company product, do not waste it but share it with all employees and customers. Few marketing and sales practices are as powerful as testimonials. They prove your claims and ease the doubts of prospective customers. But where do testimonials come from? If you are lucky, you will get a few unsolicited testimonials now and then. Even if customers love you, most will not write a testimonial unless you ask for it.
Try our simple, efficient method to get a variety of great testimonials.
Schedule it.
Commit to a regular program of soliciting comments from your customers. Depending on your company, if you have a few go getter employees, or top-notch salespeople, once a month or once a quarter is a good start for a testimonial program.
You might also want to set quotas, such as a goal to get 5 or 10 new testimonials a month. Adding a little recognition to an employee who receives a testimonial or even a bonus will keep the testimonials alive and well. Numbers you choose aren’t important. What’s important is that you establish a routine and stick to it.
Call your customers.
Ask your management team to make phone calls. Divide your customer list and start planning their participation.
The initial questions should be simple: Why did you buy the product? Did it arrive in good condition? Have you tried it? After this warm-up, you can ask more detailed questions: What is your opinion of our product? What is the one feature you like the best? Why would you say it is better than similar product? How has it saved you time, money, trouble, etc.?
Choose your questions carefully and keep the interview short. This is not a research project. You are simply trying to elicit one good statement that you can turn into a testimonial. When you get a testimonial, ask if you can use it in your marketing and sales to be on the safe side.
You may offer something free to thank them for the testimonial. Or impress them by asking whether it’s ok to publish their comments in your advertising or website.
When someone gets a testimonial, they should direct it to one person who oversees marketing and sales. When it comes time to do a mailing, you can search and find testimonials quickly to impress your customers.
