{"id":7601,"date":"2010-12-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-12-24T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/37d57f8fa2.nxcli.io\/blog\/?p=7601"},"modified":"2010-12-24T08:52:57","modified_gmt":"2010-12-24T13:52:57","slug":"client-testimonials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/sales\/client-testimonials\/","title":{"rendered":"The Easy Way To Get Client Testimonials and Increase Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"
How convincingly easy it is to close large accounts when you take out that a big book of recent testimonials and show them how great you are. What? You don\u2019t have a big book of recent testimonials?<\/div>\n
If you had one, when people asked you about your services, you\u2019d bring out the huge testimonial tome, and tell them to call any of the many who signed off on their statements of your firm being the best thing since sliced bread or indoor plumbing. When confronted with 100 testimonials, most people won\u2019t call any.<\/div>\n
In your normal course of conversation with clients it\u2019s easy to get someone to mention something flattering about you. Someone said something nice about me once. I\u2019ll never forget it. It was in June of 88. Wednesday. We were about three or four gin and tonics in and\u2026 OK, no matter about the rest of the story. Man, I was all over them for a written testimonial like a cheap suit. Here\u2019s how you can do it, too.<\/div>\n
Even if it\u2019s a simple statement, \u201cHey, thanks a lot. Nice speaking with you.\u201d Or, \u201cThanks, I appreciate it.\u201d You can make a testimonial out of it.<\/div>\n
\u201cThat was a nice thing to say!\u201d you exclaim! Inferring that it was nice of him to say it was nice talking to you, or that he appreciated something you did. Of course, people probably have said much nicer things than these simplistic statements about you, haven\u2019t they? Oh well, me neither.<\/div>\n
\u201cWould you mind if I use that as a testimonial?\u201d you continue, big smile on your face and catching them completely off guard.<\/div>\n
\u201cOK,\u201d they\u2019ll say without thinking.<\/div>\n
Now that they\u2019ve committed, casually ask, \u201cCome to think of it, can you say a few more nice words about my firm (or myself) that I can use – I\u2019ll write them down? Got my pencil ready!\u201d Then smile – it makes a difference. \u201cKeep it clean, though.\u201d you joke. It\u2019s good to sound fresh, like you\u2019ve never asked anyone to do this before, or this is the first time for that joke. Ha!<\/div>\n
They\u2019ll say a few words, you smile and nod (which will look good in person, or will look less good over the phone but will sound like you\u2019re smiling) and write down the gist of what they said.<\/div>\n
Continue promptly, \u201cThanks. Thanks so much. Here\u2019s what I\u2019ll do so it\u2019ll be as easy for you. I\u2019ve written down what you\u2019ve said and I\u2019ll send it to you. You can just initial it and send it back – I\u2019ll enclose two copies one for your files, and an envelope to send the other copy back to me. Hey, thanks for doing this.\u201d Insinuating it\u2019s a done deal.<\/div>\n
Now that you have a nice approximation of what they\u2019ve said, feel free to admonish it ever so slightly. Use a deft touch\u2026 like a great editor whose work is so subtle the author will go back and read his words and never know it was touched by anyone else. Now that\u2019s the mark of a really great editor. You, on the other hand, don\u2019t need to be quite that good. Just go ahead and make your testimonial sound great.<\/div>\n
Since it was oral, your client most likely won\u2019t remember what he said exactly – so you can take some liberties here. This is especially true if you\u2019re at a bar and have been for the past 6 hours, you know, like when I got my first testimonial. Or was it 8 hours. I forget. But that’s not important – what’s important is I got this huge tattoo that night and who exactly is Janette. If anyone knows, please call.<\/div>\n
If you\u2019re friendly with this client, you can mention how great his new testimonial would look on his own letterhead, but \u201cit certainly isn\u2019t necessary.\u201d Never hurts to drop a hint. Then send the testimonial that he “sort-of said” to him in a printed form.<\/div>\n
You can also feel free to send it over to him by fax. It\u2019s fast. If you send the testimonial that he “sort-of said” in a letter. it will take a few days to get to your client and here\u2019s the benefit to this: Over the course of the day or two it takes to draft this statement and send it to the client in a letter, there’s no way they’ll remember what they said, and certainly they won\u2019t remember their exact wording. Plus – if you received this testimonial after a few drinks, you can probably feel free to take great liberties writing what you thought you remembered and what he thought you both said. Or something like that.<\/div>\n
Writing a testimonial for a client, unlike soliciting a client’s written testimonial, where most clients prove way beyond a shadow of a doubt they don\u2019t use spell check, you can spell every word correctly. Send them their statement in a letter and as long as it doesn\u2019t look to far out of range I promise you they\u2019ll sign off on it. You\u2019ll have a great, well written and signed testimonial.<\/div>\n
For best results, collect a whole set, and don\u2019t be afraid to show it off to new prospects. Tell them you\u2019d be so proud if you had their personal testimonial in there while pushing a pen and paper their way. That\u2019s called \u201cThe assumed close.\u201d And that’s another article.<\/div>\n

With a half dozen or more great testimonials, you have instant credibility and closing the sale is that much easier. What? You don\u2019t have at least a half dozen\u00a0 recent testimonials?<\/p>\n

If you had them, when people asked you about your services, you\u2019d point them to your testimonials, and tell them to call any of the many who signed off on their statements of your firm being the best thing since sliced bread or indoor plumbing.<\/p>\n

\"Small<\/a>When confronted with 100 testimonials, most people won\u2019t call any.<\/p>\n

In your normal course of conversation with clients it\u2019s easy to get someone to mention something flattering about you. Someone said something nice about me once. I\u2019ll never forget it. It was in June of 88. Wednesday. We were about three or four gin and tonics in and\u2026 OK, no matter about the rest of the story. Man, I was all over them for a written testimonial like a cheap suit. Here\u2019s how you can do it, too.<\/p>\n

Even if it\u2019s a simple statement, \u201cHey, thanks a lot. Nice speaking with you.\u201d Or, \u201cThanks, I appreciate it.\u201d You can make a testimonial out of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a nice thing to say!\u201d you exclaim! Inferring that it was nice of him to say it was nice talking to you, or that he appreciated something you did. Of course, people probably have said much nicer things than these simplistic statements about you, haven\u2019t they? Oh well, me neither.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you mind if I use that as a testimonial?\u201d you continue, big smile on your face and catching them completely off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK,\u201d they\u2019ll say without thinking.<\/p>\n

Now that they\u2019ve committed, casually ask, \u201cCome to think of it, can you say a few more nice words about my firm (or myself) that I can use – I\u2019ll write them down? Got my pencil ready!\u201d Then smile – it makes a difference. \u201cKeep it clean, though.\u201d you joke. It\u2019s good to sound fresh, like you\u2019ve never asked anyone to do this before, or this is the first time for that joke. Ha!<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll say a few words, you smile and nod (which will look good in person, or will look less good over the phone but will sound like you\u2019re smiling) and write down the gist of what they said.<\/p>\n

Continue promptly, \u201cThanks. Thanks so much. Here\u2019s what I\u2019ll do so it\u2019ll be as easy for you. I\u2019ve written down what you\u2019ve said and I\u2019ll send it to you. You can just initial it and send it back – I\u2019ll enclose two copies one for your files, and an envelope to send the other copy back to me. Hey, thanks for doing this.\u201d Insinuating it\u2019s a done deal.<\/p>\n

Now that you have a nice approximation of what they\u2019ve said, feel free to admonish it ever so slightly. Use a deft touch\u2026 like a great editor whose work is so subtle the author will go back and read his words and never know it was touched by anyone else. Now that\u2019s the mark of a really great editor. You, on the other hand, don\u2019t need to be quite that good. Just go ahead and make your testimonial sound great.<\/p>\n

Since it was oral, your client most likely won\u2019t remember what he said exactly – so you can take some liberties here. This is especially true if you\u2019re at a bar and have been for the past 6 hours, you know, like when I got my first testimonial. Or was it 8 hours. I forget. But that’s not important – what’s important is I got this huge tattoo that night and who exactly is Janette. If anyone knows, please call.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re friendly with this client, you can mention how great his new testimonial would look on his own letterhead, but \u201cit certainly isn\u2019t necessary.\u201d Never hurts to drop a hint. Then send the testimonial that he “sort-of said” to him in a printed form.<\/p>\n

You can also feel free to send it over to him by fax. It\u2019s fast. If you send the testimonial that he “sort-of said” in a letter. it will take a few days to get to your client and here\u2019s the benefit to this: Over the course of the day or two it takes to draft this statement and send it to the client in a letter, there’s no way they’ll remember what they said, and certainly they won\u2019t remember their exact wording. Plus – if you received this testimonial after a few drinks, you can probably feel free to take great liberties writing what you thought you remembered and what he thought you both said. Or something like that.<\/p>\n

Writing a testimonial for a client, unlike soliciting a client’s written testimonial, where most clients prove way beyond a shadow of a doubt they don\u2019t use spell check, you can spell every word correctly. Send them their statement in a letter and as long as it doesn\u2019t look to far out of range I promise you they\u2019ll sign off on it. You\u2019ll have a great, well written and signed testimonial.<\/p>\n

For best results, collect a whole set, and don\u2019t be afraid to show it off to new prospects. Tell them you\u2019d be so proud if you had their personal testimonial in there while pushing a pen and paper their way. That\u2019s called \u201cThe assumed close.\u201d And that’s another article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How convincingly easy it is to close large accounts when you take out that a big book of recent testimonials and show them how great you are. What? You don\u2019t have a big book of recent testimonials? If you had one, when people asked you about your services, you\u2019d bring out the huge testimonial tome, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[48,13],"tags":[391,384,353],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7601\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}