Power up Your Marketing and Advertising Efforts
By Stacy Karacostas

What is one of the most powerful ways to promote your business, product or service?

Advertising?

Nope.

Website?

Nope.

Sales letters?

No, not that either.

Although all of these are very effective, but what I am talking about is even simpler than that. And best of all, it something you can use to make your sales letters, website and advertising even more effective.

Any ideas…?

All right then. I guess I will spill the beans…

The single most powerful tool you can use to promote your business is quality testimonials!

Why? Because testimonials are basically referrals on paper. And referral leads have been shown to close 50-80 % of the time.

Plus, potential clients or customers need solid reasons why your services are better than someone else’s. And anything you have written to promote your business is going to be taken with a grain of salt.

But a testimonial is someone else’s opinion, so it is much more believable.

Good testimonials also provide one of the most valuable pieces of information in any sales pitch—proof!

Because if you can not prove that your product or service is actually going to do what you promise, why would anyone take a risk and buy it?

The bottom line is you should be using testimonials in just about every piece of marketing you do. If you are not actively collecting testimonials from your clients, you are missing the boat.

Now over the years I’ve heard a lot of excuses—I mean reasons —why people don’t use testimonials in their marketing.

The biggest ones are “I didn’t know they were that important”, “I don’t have any” and “I don’t know how to ask for them”…Followed closely by “I’ve asked, but nobody ever writes them.”

So today I am going to show you two different ways to make getting terrific testimonials a no-brainier

1) Seize the Opportunity
Have you ever had one of your customers come back and rave about what you do or sell? If so, then you received an unsolicited testimonial. You probably just didn’t see it for what it was at the time.

So the next time someone starts praising you or your business, thank them, and ask immediately if you can use what they just said as a testimonial. Then all you have to do is jot it down and have them approve it. That’s it. Done.

Not sure how to handle this? Try using these words…

“Wow! Thank you!! I really appreciate your kind words and am so happy you are pleased. You said that so well…would you mind if I jot it down real quick and quote you on my Website?”

I also do the same thing when I receive unsolicited testimonials via email. Except then all I have to do is write back asking if I can use it, and copy and paste.

2) Make it Easy
Another way to get testimonials is to ask for them. But do not leave it up to the client to do all the work, or you won’t get very many back. And what you do get back probably won’t be very good.

Instead, create a short survey to help you improve your business/services. Then, in addition to asking the usual questions, be sure to include ones like…

1) Why did you decide to use a (insert your profession or product here)? What problem were you hoping to solve?

2) What were your perceptions before you hired me, and were you reluctant or concerned in any way?

3) What specific results did you get from using my services?

4) How did you feel as a result of using my product/services?

The goal is to get really good, specific testimonials. Not just a bunch of fluff, generalizations or syrupy praise. Having someone say “You’re terrific!” or “What a great product!” is not enough.

You want testimonials that the reader will relate to. Ones that describe a problem, a concern, a solution and a result are the best. You also should always include their first and last name (or initial if anonymity is needed), business and/or city and state for credibility.

Of course, don’t forget to ask permission to use their comments in your marketing materials, and include a space for their signature.

I’ve included a few examples of terrific testimonials (both solicited and unsolicited) from my own files below, to help you get started.

Sample Testimonial #1
“Following several disappointing experiences with a variety of marketing/copywriting consultants I’d tried, I quickly discovered that as a young entrepreneur, one of the most important factors in my business’ ability to thrive was having the right consultant by my side. Soon after working with Stacy, I’d realized I had, at long last, found a professional that was a perfect fit. Stacy makes my job soooooo much easier. And, phewwww, if that isn’t the name of the game as an entrepreneur I don’t know what is!

She is not only dedicated, extremely knowledgeable, fast and thorough but her marketing and copy writing acumen is the best I’ve ever seen. To boot, she’s a sheer pleasure to work with. Better yet, she helps me to enact quality decisions and simple structures.

I hope I am blessed to work with Stacy for a very long time. I consider her one of my company’s strongest allies and frankly, utilize her and her work as a bench mark from which to select other consultants I hire.

I quite think she’s an ‘Entrepreneur’s Dream’ ”. -Suzie Goldsher, Founder and CEO, Best Life Services, Inc.

Sample Testimonial #2
“Your knack for finding a way to sell a product, and your ability to organize large amounts of material, are so helpful. I’ll always call you when I need consulting, and killer copy(writing), from someone who really understands the products, the market and the industry.” Mike Glavin - VP of Marketing, Mountainsmith

Sample Testimonial #3
“Thanks so much for the terrific sales letter for our XoftSpy software. As you know, we’ve had a number of writers create letters for us which we have been split-testing on our Website. I just thought you’d like to know that yours is pulling the best! We’re ready for you to start on another project as soon as you have the time.” Don Wharton - Paretologic

Once you have two or three good ones, use them anywhere they will fit: brochures, Websites, ads, sales letters, postcards…you name it. Then sit back and enjoy the results!

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