Don't Discount Testimonials

Some people put a lot of credence in testimonials. Granted, that may not be you, but don’t discount their importance. Testimonials boost your reputation by:

• positioning you as an expert
• answering unasked questions your prospects might have about the experience of working with you or your company
• providing social proof

Make it easy for your customers to provide a testimonial – be specific in your request. Here is what I ask for when I request a testimonial from a newsletter client: “You might choose to write about how a newsletter helps your business, what it was like to work with us, or how you feel about the final results.”

Testimonials of varying lengths are great because you can put them to different uses. Brief testimonials are great for headers and headlines. More lengthy testimonials will often describe something that you then don’t have to describe yourself.

Maintaining a page of testimonials on your website keeps them all in one place. Aside from being evidence of your success, this can also be a resource, saving you time when you need testimonials for specific purposes, like product promotions or speaking gigs.

Make progress on this today:

1. Request a testimonial from someone you’ve neglected to ask.
2. Give a testimonial to someone you’ve neglected to endorse.

originally published in Work Better, Not Harder March 27, 2014

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