Discover the Simple Automatic Way to Collect
Testimonials From Your Happy Customers!
by Dan Lok
Published on this site: September 20th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
Okay, this week we're moving on to "higher education"
with Website Conversion 101. It's a practical lesson and so
easy to apply you'll wish someone had told you about it sooner.
Now, as you already know, people are skeptical as hell. They
dont trust anybody
especially on the Internet.
The intangible nature of web businesses makes them inherently
shady to an already skeptical consumer. That's a problem.
Fortunately, you know the solution: the 1 most powerful way
to overcome skepticism is with testimonials. There's nothing
like a little "he said/she said" to convince consumers
how much people just like them have benefited from your product,
service or expertise.
Let someone do the bragging for you instead of tooting you
own horn. (Although you do have to toot your own horn from
time to time as well.)
Instant trust!
And instant "killer copy." Testimonials are worth
their weights to gold. The words and "trust me, this
works" message they convey can beef-up your headlines,
web copy, email messages, order page language, P.S., follow-up
emails
whatever.
Even though you might not use every testimonial immediately,
you'll want to gather as many as you can to use in the future.
Think of them as "something for a rainy day."
I dont really care how many testimonials you have right
now; you need more. It's like the old MTV slogan says: "Too
much is never enough."
The bottom line is that you can never have too many testimonials.Here's
why:
Let's say you're doing a sales letter and have 50 testimonials
in your "pocket." You don't have to include all
of them in the letter. Pick the best of the best
the
most enthusiastic and flattering of the bunch
and use
them. You don't even have to use them in their entirety!
You can feature snippets from the Top 10 and then have a
link that opens up a new page with the complete testimonial
and the other 40 that didn't make the first cut.
This way, you don't interrupt the flow of your letter with
a huge block of testimonials. Instead, you give your reader
a option to "Click Here" if they want to see more
proof.
Okay, that's my theory on testimonials. Now let's get to
the action you need to take
Instead of hoping and praying that your customers might send
you a testimonial whenever they feel like it, you need to
chase them down like a Kodiak bear goes after Alaskan salmon.
The best way to do that is to build your request right into
your marketing message! That your system automatically
collects testimonials for you.
Intrigued?
Or are you worried that you're going to need a lot of blood,
sweat, and tears to make it happen?
Come on! You know me better than that! I wouldn't steer you
towards a complex, difficult-to-manage business process. My
two favorite letters in the alphabet are E-Z.
And testimonial "farming" is actually quite E-Z
to automate.
First of all, you've gotta make sure theyve used your
product. If your customers havent used and benefited
from what you offer, how the heck can you get a testimonial
from them?
Lets say youre selling the Widget Weigh Station,
a piece of exercise equipment with a built-in scale. It's
in your best interest to find a way that's effective and cost-effective
to "facilitate use."
It could be a manual, could be a video, could be a DVD. Whatever.
The key is to provide the support, motivation, and impetus
to get your customers to actually USE the darn thing.
To make it more likely that your customers do their "reps"
and see the results of their workout with the Weigh Station,
include some sort of instructions on how to assemble the machine
and how to use it.
Most people don't want to find their own way. They're looking
for leadership
someone to point them in the right direction.
And you know what I always say:
Give the people what they want! Lead them!
If youre selling an information product like the $397
Widget Real Estate Home Study Course, include a quick jump-start
CD or a step-by-step guide on how to study or consume
the course.
Start with this CD first, and then read that manual, and
then watch this DVD
you get the idea?
Now, remember, this is the first step on the road to Testimonial
Acres. Because the more people use/consume your product, the
more benefits they enjoy. And the more benefits they enjoy
the more satisfied they are.
And the most satisfied they are, the more likely you are
to get mountains and mountains of rave reviews and solid-gold
testimonials.
Of course
this all assumes that your product/service
is exceptional and deserves the accolades! If you're trying
to pass off a sow's ear as silk, none of this applies.
But, I assume you're one of the good guys (or gals) in the
world of business and that you're selling a product or service
of genuine value. So let's move on to the next step.
Set up an autoresponder series
Did you just break out into a cold sweat, horrified at the
prospect that you're going to have to write a bunch of killer
emails? Well take a deep breath and calm down
I've got a gift for you.
You don't have to beg, borrow, steal, or (heaven forbid)
create your first message. I've got a prototype you can have
with my blessings. I dont mind. (But do send me an email
and thank me though)
You'll certainly want to "tweak" the contents and
modify it until it fits your business like a hand-tailored
suit, but this will give you an idea.
Subject: "Alex, I'd Like To Put Your Name On My Website!"
Dear Alex,
As you can see from the headline above, I'd like to put your
name on my website. I'll tell you more about that in just
a moment.
But, first things first. Alex, what is even more important
right now is that I say...
Thank You! I really mean it.
You took a chance. I admire that greatly... and... I want
you to know that I did everything within my power to make
your investment... the best investment you'll ever make in
your online business.
You wouldn't believe how much I love working with EACH one
of my clients.
A hell of a lot thinking goes on "behind the scenes"...
and I slave over every project I work on, to give you the
biggest bang for your buck.
Now, I'm really hoping you can help me, Alex.
What I'm really hoping is that you'll be kind enough to take
just a couple of minutes to let me know what kind of benefits
you've received from (Insert Your Product Name)
All you have to do is answer a few simple questions and reply
to this email. Don't worry, it's real easy and won't take
more than a couple of minutes of your time.
And Alex, if you do participate in this small questionnaire
you stand a very good chance of seeing your "name in
print" on my website.
Here's the questionnaire:
Full Name (inc. Company Name):
Address: City, State, Zip:
Occupation: What is your overall experience of the (Insert
Your Product Name)you received?
Describe the one or two benefits that you have gotten from
(Insert Your Product Name), that you value most.
Explain any specific results (i.e. higher rate of conversion
/ increase in profits) that you're experiencing because of
the (Insert Your Product Name):
Any other information / feedback you'd like to give: Do I
have your permission to use the information in this questionnaire
as a testimonial on my website?
A special gift
If you call 1-800-609-9006 x2691 toll-free, and leave me
an AUDIO testimonial AND email me your photo (International
callers may use 678-255-2174 x2691.)
I'll mail you a very very special "mystery" gift
that's worth its weight in gold.
I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.
And, as I said earlier, if you can do me the small favor
of answering the questions above and replying to this email,
there's a very good chance you'll soon see your name on my
website.
Sincerely,
Dan Lok
Were you surprised to see that I asked for a photo and an
audio testimonials? Don't be.
Through extensive testing, Ive found out that a testimonial
with a photo and an audio produces pulls much better compared
to just a plain old written testimonial.
But dont believe what I say, why not test it and see
for yourself?
I use Audio Generator (http://www.danlokrecommends.com/audiogenerator.html)
for this important function. When I signed up with the service,
I was given a personal toll-free testimonial number where
my clients can just call in and record their testimonials.
It doesn't cost them a penny and it's convenient.
People can be lazy or procrastinate about things that are
important to THEM, let alone something like a testimonial
that's important to YOU.
That's why you want to make it E-Z (there are those letters
again!) for your customers to share their thoughts.
Think about the alternative: you have software that sits
on your desktop that can convert MP3 into a flash audio button.
Seems good for you, but what about your customers?
THEY have to record the testimonial on their own, send it
to you, and then you convert it to a flash audio button. What
a pain in the butt.
And, ultimately, not so good for you, after all.
Here's something else that's not so good: vagueness.
Vague testimonials are not believable because they don't
communicate anything tangible. Oh, I love Widgets
and "I think Widgets are very good. are compliments,
but they don't describe how a consumer benefited from using
widgets.
A good testimonial is descriptive.
It communicates exactly how the customer benefited. "Thanks
to Widget, I lost my love handles and gained the love of my
life." or "Now that I use Widget Fertilizer, my
tomatoes are twice as big and twice as tasty."
A great testimonial builds up trust, but that trust can be
lost in the blink of an eye.
Imagine this scenario: you see a great testimonial saying
how great a product is. You're all fired up that "someone
like me" has weighed in, but when you read further, the
testimonial is signed "John" or "J.S."
Talk about "buzz" kill.
People don't trust initials. They're one step above an attribution
of "Anonymous" and do nothing to inspire confidence.
The attribution information is your customer's way of saying,
"I stand behind my words." To avoid Initial Shock,
get permission to use the customers full name, business
name, occupation, URL, or business address, if appropriate.
The more details you have, the more believable your testimonial
will be.
Oh, one more quick tip:
Whenever, someone sends you a nice email with praise, thanks,
or any kind of compliment, you should immediately respond
with a thankyou. And while you're at it
Ask permission to use the content of the note as a testimonial.
(Get them while theyre HOT!)
Okay, that's it.
You're now ready to go bag some testimonials... and with
your "automatic weapons" you should be able to get
quite a few.
Today, more testimonials
tomorrow, more inquiries,
more prospects, more customers, and more sales.
That's a Lok!
Dan Lok
Dan Lok is known as "The World's #1 Website Conversion
Expert", with a proven track record of selling over $25.7
million dollars of merchandise and services. Dan has resuscitated
copy that was previously in "critical condition"
and helped his clients to double and triple their conversion
rates
some as much as 417%!!!
More than 200 websites have been "Lok-ed" and loaded
for Internetaction. Go to: http://www.WebsiteConversionExpert.com
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