One very powerful way to make your business stand out from the crowd is to use testimonials. After all, you can talk about how great you are, but you're bound to say good things about your business - it's expected. Even businesses with the most appalling service will tell you how great they are!
However, if someone else talks about how good your business is - it is instantly more believable. That is why it is so important to collect testimonials from delighted customers. You may already have them in the form of thank you letters. Are you using them?
With every sales letter, web page, brochure, marketing piece, you should include at least 1 testimonial from a satisfied customer.
Before you do this, there are some testimonials which are much more effective than others. Take the following testimonials - these are the type you normally find on adverts, brochures, and websites:
"Excellent service, a pleasure to deal with."
"Very good service, knowledgeable engineer"
"First class service."
"Service, food and staff excellent."
I'm sure you have seen testimonials just like it before. Indeed they could be talking about ANY business.
If you want to REALLY stand out from the crowd, you want your testimonials to be as SPECIFIC as possible. The more specific a testimonial is the more powerful and more believable it is.
Look at the following testimonials - and notice how much more powerful they are:
"I would like to thank you for the initial advice received, and the attention to detail paid during the installation of our windows, doors and conservatory. We are absolutely delighted with the finished result and have no hesitation in recommending your company to other people. A big bonus was the immaculate way in which the premises were left each day with no mess to worry about. Your team were a credit and were industrious and courteous at all times" (From a company selling double glazed windows, doors and conservatories)
"It has helped Aled (and us) adjust to life with a brain injury and the effects of 5 weeks of intensive medical procedures after birth. The benefits were immediate. Aled went from being a baby who was cross with the whole world, didn't like to be cuddled, was tense, unresponsive and cried all the time, to a baby who is relaxed, more responsive and most importantly, happy!" (Talking about Cranial Osteopathy)
"I very much enjoyed Melina's talk this morning and I particularly liked her uncomplicated style, lack of management abbreviations and speak, and straightforward advice which we could take back and implement straight away." (From a seminar on how to get new customers).
These are actual testimonials from delighted customers. They are very specific and tell the full story. They answer a key concern and reassure us that it will be ok to do business with them. Compare them to those I quoted earlier.
As customers, we are much more discerning and expect much higher standards than we used to. We expect "excellent service" "friendly staff" and so today these platitudes are largely meaningless. That is why it is vital you are SPECIFIC in all your marketing, including testimonials.
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