You Do Have Options for Getting Great Customer Testimonials for Your Small Business Website or Sales Brochures.
The curious part about all of this is everybody knows that offering testimonials all by themselves is not something customers do. In fact, it is a valuable marketing and business tool to request feedback from people who have done business with you. The best way to ask for a customer testimonial is to note down any positive feedback that you see from your customers and later on ask their permission about using it as a testimonial on your website.
People tend to understand that just about any product or service could be improved upon in some way. So having a few minor negative comments or suggestions for improvement inside your customer testimonials will make them more believable.Most small business owners are somewhat reluctant to make the effort to upgrade their product or service, and so that is one thing you should have in mind to do with your products or services. Listen to the comments you get both positive and critical and find ways to respond to them.
How great is it to see a small business owner respond below the customer testimonial saying that the customer’s suggestion was accepted and acted upon. Most people know that a long list of testimonials that are only raving and glowing tends to make them think a bit suspiciously. If something is truly wrong with the product or service, then you have to address it if you want to create a strong reputation online. Something like that sparks a positive response from people, and that is why it is worth doing. Your sales won’t be affected in a negative way even if there are a few drawbacks that are being highlighted in your testimonial. If everybody sends you negative feedback, then it is time to investigate why.
One thing to bear in mind is the vast majority of customers will never consent to writing a testimonial and certainly not providing their name or picture. So, do not sweat it … no huge deal there; just contact your customers and see how they feel about telling you their personal stories in relation to your services instead of asking for ‘testimonials’. You know that sooner or later you will do an extraordinary service for one of your customers … that is the time to ask for permission to tell their story on your website. Offer to write it up for them to edit and add their own personal touch. Many people are more comfortable with that then writing from scratch on a blank screen. Also, you could give them some examples of other testimonials to use as a guideline. Getting great customer testimonials is not easy but extremely worthwhile.
The worst thing they can do is decline the story offer, but who knows until you actually try it. Good stories that are true should have concrete facts, so that is something to be sure you pass along in your instructions. Get them to talk about the positive aspects of your product or service so that your testimonial looks more powerful. Do not try to be sneaky about this because there is no getting around your legal obligation to get their consent to use it. Testimonials are an interesting area within small business online marketing, and you have to be smart about how you approach getting great customer testimonials.