What a customer says about you and your services has a direct impact on your success or failure.

Why do testimonials work? Customer testimonials are a powerful form of “word of mouth” marketing. A customer testimonial packs more of a punch than any sales pitch. Testimonials are worth their weight in gold!

Here are few tips to help you get and use your customer testimonials correctly:

Be Ready To Ask. When someone thanks you for a job well done – let them know that you value them as a customer and ask them for a written testimonial to share on your website. By asking – you demonstrate how much you value their satisfaction and thoughts. They suddenly become more than a customer – they become a valuable part of YOUR story.

Ask For Specifics. A generic testimonial from a customer is good, but one that states the specific thing you provided and how it met there need is powerful! For example, if on-time service is what made a customer’s experience so great – ask them to include this in their testimonial. It’s as easy as saying, “I’d really appreciate it if you mentioned how my service team was on time and how we worked within your schedule.” This not only helps with specifics and highlights your strengths, but also gives them a framework in which to write something that speaks to other customers. This same request can be adjusted to fit whatever the customer finds amazing about you and your team.

Be Authentic. Never write or publish testimonials that were authored by an employee or copywriter. Testimonials are there to provide credibility and establish trust. If you’re faking them how are your prospective customers supposed to build a trusting relationship with your company? When you do, you put your credibility on the line with your customer. It’s not worth the risk to your company’s reputation.

Encourage testimonials from your customers, reward them for their success stories, and share them with the world. Contact the team at R2R Marketing and learn how to gather testimonials and reviews with a strategy that is easy and rewarding for your customer and your success!