October 17, 2011 at 9:23 am
One of the best marketing tools of small businesses is the feedback from previous clients. Especially when providing services, your clients’ results are your greatest assets. When these assets are confidential it makes it difficult to promote your services based on success rates. But hey difficult does not mean impossible. There are a few things that you can do to get word out without breaching confidentiality. You can always aggregate numbers and provide percentages but that only goes so far. People like to hear from and about people; not numbers.
The first and easiest tool that I am certainly guilty of failing to use in getting testimonials. After you have provided services to your clients it’s ok to let them know that testimonials are valuable to your business. It’s ok to ask them, as long as it is not made to sound like an obligatory demand. One of the best entrées to the conversation is when they thank you for your service. Satisfied clients have a tendency to extend the invitation to reach out if they can assist you in the future; this is the perfect time to remind them that you would appreciate a testimonial or make a request that pass along your information to others that can use it. As you prepare to make your request remember the following:
Make it a serious request: When they are not comfortable making a request, people tend to use crutches, like asking jokingly. It’s not a joke and it’s not something that is done in passing where the client misses your request. You value your client’s feedback and the time they would take to provide you with a testimonial. That should be reflected in your request.
Avoid ambivalent requests: In order to avoid seeming pushy you may make your request in a way that leaves the client wondering if you were serious. You want the client to be clear that you meant to ask, and that they have a choice as to whether or not they fulfill your request.
Jump on offers for testimonials: You already know that’s the first one. Even a client who far beyond satisfied does not always offer a testimonial. On a rare occasion I’ve had clients who have seen others on my site offer to write one. When a client offers “Yes. Thanks” should be your first response. Make sure the client knows that you are both interested and appreciative of their offer.
Avoid Paying for testimonials: A testimonial that you pay for is a service that you are buying. Does not assure your potential clients of your skills. If you offer to pay a client for testimonials it devalues the other ones you have obtained. The client is thinking that if you pay him, you’ve paid others. [Maybe you’re not that great and they just lucked out.]
At the end of the day, your work matters and you are making a difference for your clients. The best way for potential clients to know, is to hear (read) it from previous clients. Don’t be afraid to ask, as long as your clients know that they can decline.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
