5 Tips For Getting (and Using) Great Customer Testimonials
A testimonial is a powerful tool in helping to create trust.
- Testimonial tip #4: Use the selling power of testimonials. Too many websites hide their testimonials on a dedicated page that get rarely visited. To boost the selling power of your testimonials, integrate them with your sales copy everywhere: On your home page; On your about page; On your service and product pages; In your sales emails; On LinkedIn.
- And you get a testimonial of 1500 words or more. That’s rich data for you even if you never use the testimonial in your sales copy. Feel free to use just three out of six. I wouldn’t recommend it, because the process of asking six questions does a heck of a lot more than just get you a great testimonial.
Ready to increase your conversions with testimonials?
In this article, I’ll go over the 10 testimonial types you can use in your business and on your website to increase conversions and improve your marketing.
Ask for testimonials using an interview approach. You’ll get better, more convincing information if you use details and the actual spoken words of your client. So, interview them in person or over the phone. You’ll need a few minutes; plan to ask several questions to get one good quote.
1. QUOTE TESTIMONIALS
The quote testimonial is the granddaddy of all testimonials, and likely the first example you thought of. It’s been used for as long as testimonials have been alive and remains the most common type of testimonial today.
We can go all the way back to the 1870s and find advertisements like this one, which includes endorsements from Hop Bitters customers who have used the product. In one case, the testimonial included the full address of the author, increasing the authenticity of what was written.[*]
Positive quotes remain popular for increasing conversions, and it’s the type of testimonial you most often see on sales pages, like the sales page for the Simple Green Smoothies’ 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge:[*]
They feature images of the alumni and a quote about their experiences with the challenge.
You might recognize this snackable form of testimonial from our Showcase page, too:
The quote testimonial is brief and succinct, so it is easy to weave in sales copy, over images, and within content.
But it's not limited to text. For example, some hosts read these recommendations at the beginning of their podcast episodes, both to provide social proof and encourage others to leave a review.
TIPS FOR QUOTE TESTIMONIALS:
Spread them around. Incorporate them into your sales pages, landing pages and content.
Choose transformative testimonials. Demonstrate a transformation rather than just kind words about your services.
Include photos. These types of testimonials are still effective, which is why they are still widely used. But to boost their effectiveness even further, add a photo of the client who left the feedback.[*]
Don’t limit these to just text. Read off testimonials in your YouTube videos or at the beginning of your podcast or sales videos to jumpstart that social proof.
2. PEER TESTIMONIALS
Peer testimonials are one of the most effective types of testimonials you can have on your website because of Implicit Egotism.
Sounds fancy, right? But it's a simple idea.
Implicit Egotism refers to the idea that we naturally gravitate toward people, places, and things that resemble ourselves.
You may not have noticed, but you are more likely to buy a product if the person in the advertisement is like you. You’re also more likely to trust a testimonial if it is provided by somebody who resembles your traits and demographics.
That’s why peer testimonials are so effective. So long as they’re not necessarily coming from your peers (as the seller), but are instead coming from your site's 'customer persona,' or those who you want to sell to.
For example, on the Ahrefs homepage, you can see testimonials from people who resemble Ahrefs’ target market:[*]
Ahrefs gets people interested in their brand by showing how well it works for others in relevant industries.
If your business is targeted toward young American mothers, your testimonials should be from people who match this audience. If middle-aged Canadian childless men are used, good luck convincing those mothers of your legitimacy.
TIPS FOR PEER TESTIMONIALS:
Drill down on your customer persona. Who are you specifically trying to reach? Make sure it's crystal clear so you know whom to ask for testimonials.
Ask for testimonials from people within your target market. These people make up the peers of your customer persona (or maybe they even fit the bill of your customer persona) and will attract more people like them because of Implicit Egotism.
Use customer details. Have the client or customer include personal details about themselves that will allow the reader of the testimonial to identify with them.
3. SOCIAL TESTIMONIALS
A social testimonial can take various forms:
Tweets about your products and services.
Screenshots of your work posted on Instagram.
Videos published on YouTube.
Facebook posts on your page, the client’s page or within a group backing your business.
Having natural conversations unfold around your work on social media is authentic and adds another layer of credibility to your business. The biggest difference between these and the other types of testimonials is that you usually ask for the other types, whereas social recommendatiosn mostly happen organically.
If somebody loves a company enough to use their personal social media accounts to shout it out, it’s hard to ignore it’s credibility.
A good example of this is Canva.[*]
For this, Canva has used testimonials from not just one platform, but TWO. They’ve managed to combine posts from Twitter and Instagram for their social proof section to create something really cool to look at.
It acts as both a testimonial for the service they’re providing as well as social proof to let readers know that other people are diggin’ what Canva is doing.
TIPS FOR SOCIAL TESTIMONIALS:
Publicize social testimonials. If you don’t feature the kudos on your website, 'like' it, repost it, or otherwise get it in front of your audience and target market on the social media platform.
Take a screenshot or save the direct link. You will want to use social testimonials later and you don’t want it to get buried under thousands of Tweets or posts.
4. INFLUENCER TESTIMONIALS
Influencer testimonials can work like gangbusters.
This is different from the celebrity endorsement social proof, in that influencers are simply highly trusted authorities in your industry or field.
They aren’t typically well-known celebrities outside their industries, but they hold a high level of influence within. You can see an example of this on Tony Robbins’homepage:[*]
Testimonials from influencers are so effective because their names are highly trusted and recognized. When you have a great review from an influencer, it shows your audience that you too are trustworthy. After all, somebody that they recognize and admire is endorsing your product, service, or work. If it’s good enough for them, it will be good enough for me, right?
Another example is Foundr. If somebody landed on their page without knowing who they are, you wouldn’t pay much attention to them. However, by displaying testimonials from influential figures (such as Daymond John, Marie Forleo, and Gary Vaynerchuk), they are able to gain more credibility within the business community.[*]
TIPS FOR INFLUENCER TESTIMONIALS:
Choose well-known influencers. Request testimonials from influencers you know who will be widely recognized in your space.
Feature more than one. Using more than one influencer testimonial, like both Tony Robbins and Foundr did, increases your chances of hitting on at least one influencer that each visitor will know.
5. VIDEO TESTIMONIALS
Video testimonials are one of the most trustworthy forms of testimonial because it’s difficult to fake one that looks authentic.
Here’s an example from Timothy Sykes:[*]
He features his top students on his “Testimonials” page using lengthy videos.
When you jump to his page, you’ll notice that video testimonials fill the entire page.
It’s easy to fake a text testimonial by just writing something up and stealing somebody’s Facebook photo you knew in college, but to get somebody to sit down in front of a camera and sing your praises? That’s credible.
If you’re a B2B business, don’t fret. You can use video testimonials on your website featuring your biggest customers like how Zoom does it. On their website, they have a combination of both videos and case studies, with the majority being videos.[*]
TIPS FOR VIDEO TESTIMONIALS:
Make it professional. Any video testimonial is better than nothing, but professional testimonials are always more credible. Zoom’s video testimonials are professionally shot.
Combine testimonials. If you use a peer, success story, or influencer testimonial in the form of a video, this becomes gold. We relate to others much better through video so don’t be afraid to combine testimonial types with video.
6. SUCCESS STORY TESTIMONIALS
There are few things more powerful than demonstrating quantifiable and clear obvious results.
That’s what the success story testimonial does. Success stories walk the potential buyer step-by-step through a specific transformation another client has made with the product or service.
Instead of quoting the client saying nice things about your product or service, actually walk through the success they’ve had with it instead, like Steve Kamb, the owner of Nerd Fitness does on the sales page for his flagship course, Nerd Fitness Academy.[*][*]
The Nerd Fitness Academy is an online course and community focused on building habits and nutrition, fitness, and mindset, and the success story testimonial makes the sales page so much stronger:
The before and after photos act as a photo testimonial for readers, which creates that feeling within them that with Steve’s program, they can achieve their fitness dreams.
As you can see, he uses the peer testimonial concept as well to incorporate different types of people. He captured busy mothers, people who went from obese to fit, both weight loss and muscle gain, men and women, different ages, and different motivations.
Success story testimonials can also work in other industries, not just the health and fitness industry. Huge companies in other industries use success story testimonials as well. For example, the AppSumo Partners application page. We’ve used them in the AppSumo Partners page, which then links to a blog post.
These blog posts go into detail about their success stories being an AppSumo Partner and launching their businesses with us. This makes it a very powerful tool to boost conversions as having testimonials like this gives more assurance to other partners that the service is top-notch.
These are used for good reason: they’re magnetic for readers as they begin to see themselves in the success story. It shows that what we do actually works - and there are results to prove it.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS STORY TESTIMONIALS
The proof is in the pudding. Show images, screenshots, and visuals of results whenever you can. That might be just a screenshot of the money you saved your client, or a before and after photo of a web design you completed.
Explicitly state results. If your client is comfortable with it, use quantifiable results. Steve uses pounds lost and muscle gained. AppSumo does the same as well by stating the revenue generated within a specific time frame.
7. INTERVIEW TESTIMONIALS
One effective way to combine both the client testimonial, a video or audio testimonial, and a success story is to interview your clients or customers about their experience working with you or using your product.
Oberlo posted interviews on their blog with users who have been successful while using the service. In the example below, they did a series of interviews with some of their users about how they started out and how Oberlo paid a part in their success.
Often, the consumers of interview testimonials won’t even realize they are testimonials. The best interview testimonials play out just like an interview and let the results speak for themselves.
TIPS FOR INTERVIEW TESTIMONIALS
Do a video or audio interview. This will set you apart from text interviews and add another layer of credibility.
Let your client know ahead of time if you have any talking points. Your client will probably want to know before the interview if you want to talk about specific results (pounds lost, money earned or saved, etc) or you want them to address anything in the interview. Prep them!
Don’t ask leading questions. A leading question is when you ask a question in a way that you will elicit the response you want; this is what the evil lawyers do in the movies. Trust that your client will be open, honest, and complimentary.
8. LONG-FORM TESTIMONIALS
You’ve probably heard that long-form sales letters work, right? It’s true.
Long-form sales copy triggers something in our brains that makes us believe that if there’s so much to say about the product or service, there must be a ton of value in it.
As the saying goes, 'the more you tell, the more you sell,' and testimonials are no exception. Long-form testimonials pack more than just a few sentences or paragraphs into the piece, so it reads more like a story, and stories turn out to be highly persuasive because people are persuaded better through being 'transported into a narrative world' than through logic.
Another example is AppSumo. In their case, they use long-form testimonials in the form of blog posts to prove that their service works.
TIPS FOR LONG-FORM TESTIMONIALS
Don’t bore your reader. Just like with articles and sales copy, only make your testimonial as long as it needs to be - not a word longer. The purpose of a long-form testimonial is to pack in more value and proof, not to make it as long as possible and bore your reader to death.
Don’t make the entire story about your company. Weave quotes and results into the story but focus on the transformation the client went through. This feels more authentic to readers.
9. MASHUP TESTIMONIALS
One testimoniala lot of people have been using recently is the mashup testimonial, where several individual quotes are strung together into an audio snippet or video.
You’ve probably heard these as social proof on the radio: a number of people saying nice things about the station before a song starts or when the hosts are being introduced.
This is particularly effective with podcasts, and many people have used these types of testimonials as anniversary specials or product launch specials.
You can see an example of this done for The Brainy Business first anniversary special podcast episode:[*]
If you listen to the episode, you’ll hear their students leave audio testimonials for their Academy and the lessons they’ve learned listening to their podcast over the past 10 years.
To hear so many people sing the praises of a podcast, website, or product proves that it must be good.
TIPS FOR MASHUP TESTIMONIALS
Use audio or video. Text mashups just look like gigantic blocks of quoted text that nobody wants to read. Audio can provide the smoothest transitions.
Make sure each testimonial is short. The mashup is a longer string of snippets making up a body of testimonials, so keep listeners or viewers interested by constantly transitioning to a new testimonial.
Have the client/customer record the testimonial. The purpose is not to have you read them outloud into a mic or camera; it’s to get the testimonial from the horse's mouth.
Have a theme. Jeremy and Jason from the Internet Business Mastery podcast presented a theme to their listeners and academy members to speak on. The Brainy Business used their five-year anniversary as the talking point. Without a central theme, the testimonials will seem disjointed and confusing.
10. DOCUMENTARY SERIES TESTIMONIALS
Most testimonials show a fairly high-level view of their clients and customers and the results they’ve achieved.
That’s not the case for a documentary series testimonial.
Imagine giving your prospects the chance to see how someone else has benefitted from using your product/service. Your prospects can see how it was before and after, and the client's journey. This also gives a more authentic feel to the testimonial.
Here’s a documentary series in action. In 2016, Bryan Harris of Growth Tools (formerly Videofruit) launched his flagship product, Get 10,000 Subscribers.
Unlike most course testimonials, Bryan did something unconventional. He recorded a three-part documentary series featuring his former students from previous programs.
With his camera crew, Bryan visited three of his former students at their homes and went ahead documenting their experience in his course.
Here’s the traffic he got from just a single video on the Growth Tools Facebook page:[*]
For just that one video, they’ve managed to reach more than 39,000 views, 381 shares, and 200 comments. That’s pretty mean stats right there!
There’s just something more powerful about giving your prospects a taste of how their life can change for the better if they purchased from you.
Filming a documentary isn’t really everyone’s cup of tea and for some businesses, it may not even be the best type of testimonial for you to implement.
However, it’s important to know that more business owners are shifting to shooting more professional videos to market their products better.
Why? Because it works.
TIPS FOR DOCUMENTARY SERIES TESTIMONIALS
Picking the right subject to talk about. It has to be good and unique. Your subject story is the most important part as everything else that comes after this will be centered around the subject you’ve chosen.
Keep your documentary visually interesting. Take a good look at your ideas, subject, and the people you’re featuring to see if all of them fit well together.
HOW TO START GETTING MORE TESTIMONIALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
You’ve just seen the types of testimonials that you can use.
Question is, how exactly do you go around asking for these testimonials? How do you ensure that you get a brag-worthy endorsement?
Here are some quick steps you can do to ask for and receive a testimonial that’s going to convert for you:
Keep your testimonials simple. Video may work the best, but does anyone really have the time to record themselves? Provide a few options for your client on how they want to provide that testimonial, whether it be in video, audio, or written form.
Ask questions. Your client may be happy to give you a testimonial but they’re not sure what they have to say. You can solve this by providing them a set of questions they can answer.
Wrap up your testimonial. Remember to look at what you’ve received and make any changes if necessary so that it shows you and your product in a better light.
Get approval from the client. After finalising your testimonial, send it to your client for approval. Inform them of the purpose and where you are going to display it. Get their agreement in writing as well to avoid future legal disputes backfiring on you.
Share away! Share it on your website, social media, emails, and even presentations! Let everyone know how good you’re doing.
Let us know in the comments below on how the different types of testimonials listed in the article helped you.
Developing a strong sales program is the most critical aspect of any business. Without effective sales strategies, companies will not be able to compete and grow. Sales professionals must learn how to implement proven sales tactics that work. These sorts of sales tactics do more than just help them to close individual sales; they help to generate additional prospects for future sales.
As a sales team manager, one of your responsibilities is to provide your team with effective sales training and sales strategies that will increase your company’s profits. Effective sales processes are not just about working hard and putting in long hours. In fact, many sales teams work long and hard without experiencing results.
Effective sales strategies involve employing the best strategies in the right situations. Here are 18 sales tactics that can work for sales teams in every industry.
1. Be persistent with leads and develop the habit of following up with each customer.
According to the latest sales research, 80 percent of sales transactions require 5 interactions after the first contact with a customer. Many salespeople are primarily concerned with immediate sales. If they do not get the sale at the first meeting, they silently give up and continue their hunt for the next immediate sale. However, savvy sales professionals understand that they must nurture viable leads until an action is taken. These ‘rock star’ sales professionals send emails, direct mail, make phone calls or send brochures to customers at designated intervals. By taking this action, your customers will think of you when it is time to make their next purchases.
2. Solve your customers’ problems.
Successful businesses thrive in competitive industries because they provide solutions to meet their customers’ needs. There are many sales professionals who do not fully understand their roles in the transaction. Consider this fact. As many as 70 percent of your leads are reaching out to you to solve their problems. When customers contact your sales team, your sales professionals must be able to demonstrate to them how they can quickly and easily solve their problems.
3. Develop the ability to actively listen to customers.
Customers have access to pages of information on the internet. In many instances, they may be as knowledgeable as your sales team. When sales professionals interact with knowledgeable customers, they might be tempted to talk constantly to show them that they are qualified. It is important to remind your salespeople that they should never get into a knowledge power struggle with customers. Sales professionals should always listen more than they talk. Simply listening to customers’ answers can be one of the most effective sales tactics in your team’s arsenal. They should ask questions that probe into their clients’ thought processes and carefully consider the responses. The goal is to make customers feel as if they are respected throughout the sales process.
4. Use polite terms when you discuss the competition.
Your sales team should always strive to present themselves in a positive light and use professional language. There is nothing that screams unprofessional like using derogatory terms to discuss other people or companies. Although customers may participate in the negative conversation, bad mouthing any person or company is never a good sales tactic. If a competitor does not have a good reputation, the members of your sales team should remain neutral.
5. Earn your referrals before you ask for them.
Sales professionals know that referrals are the proverbial ‘holy grail’ of marketing. In fact, 91 percent of customers will provide a referral contact to a salesperson that they like. Before you think about asking your customers for referrals, you should focus on providing them with a quality customer service experience. During the transaction, your goal is to develop positive relationships with your customers. After you have determined that they are happy with your services, it is a good idea to pursue the referrals. When it comes to soliciting referrals, timing is important.
6. Ask for referrals from your customers.
You might not believe it, but only 11 percent of sales professionals ask clients for referrals. According to this data, the majority of salespeople are leaving money on the table. Most customers are generous, and they would happily share your good customer service with friends, family members and colleagues, but you have to ask. If your sales team waits for their customers to initiate a conversation about referrals, it might never happen. Teach your sales team how to integrate referral conversations into the sales process at the appropriate time.
7. Adhere to strict deadlines with your customers.
Sales professionals must create a sense of urgency with customers, or the deals will take much longer than necessary. Changing deadlines according to the whims of each customer makes sales professionals lose credibility. The old adage, where there is a will there is a way, applies here. If customers want to meet the obligations of a transaction by the deadline, they will definitely find a way to make it happen.
8. Develop relationships with your customers.
Without customer relationships, it can seem as if you are always in the vicious cycle of trying to ‘drum up’ new business. Your past customers can be an excellent source of new transactions for years to come. When your initial transaction is completed, you do not have to end the relationship at that point. Find creative ways to keep in contact with your customers even after you close the deal.
9. Identify your customers’ needs and meet them.
Sales professionals should never lose sight that the only purpose of the sales transaction is to help customers. Since transactions are closely associated with money, it is easy to lose sight of this fact. Create a list of questions that you can use to pinpoint exactly what the customer needs from the transaction. These questions will enable you to save time with customers and get to the heart of the matter. Once customers believe that you understand their predicament, they will work with you to meet their needs.
10. Be able to distinguish a lead from a customer and act accordingly.
Brace yourself for this disheartening fact. According to a report by Gleanster Research, only 25 percent of all leads are legitimate and ready to complete a transaction. Leads are potential transactions, and you cannot bank your future on potential. You should categorize your leads and create campaigns to interact with each type. For example, warm leads should have a different marketing strategy than cold calls. Time is a limited resource. It is best to use it wisely.
11. Solicit targeted leads.
A difficult lesson for many sales professionals to learn is that every person with a pulse will not be a customer. Since this is the case, sales professionals must create a strategic plan to attract customers that fit their target markets. One way to do this is to make good use of technology to find leads that could use your services. For example, credit professionals who are targeting people who are recovering from bankruptcy can use the public record to find people who fit this profile. Once you have found your potential customers, create a customized sales pitch that will appeal to each demographic.
12. Learn to uncover each customer’s pain points.
Television advertisements are known for pushing the viewer’s hot buttons in order to get them to take action. Fear of loss is the most common pain points that advertisers address. The primary mission of every sale professional, as emphasized in our negotiation training courses, is to find a customer’s pain points and use them to their advantage. Ron Shapiro said it best when he stated, “In order to get what you want, help them get what they want.” Sales professionals can start the search for pain points by asking closed-ended questions that only require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. As the customer begins to feel comfortable, the salesperson should ask open-ended questions that will prompt customers to reveal additional information. Once the vital information is discovered, salespeople can use it to help their customers take action.
13. Master the art of storytelling.
When sales professionals meet with customers, they are usually armed with all sorts of facts and data. Although data may seem important, studies suggest that only 5 percent of people remember statistics after a presentation. However, an impressive 63 percent of people remember stories after a presentation. Sales professionals need to arm themselves with stories about relevant experiences of people who have received favorable results after using their products and services.
14. Stand by your product or service and offer some type of guarantee.
If your customers are willing to part with their cash, your company should at least be willing to offer a guarantee on the product or service. The guarantee can be a refund or replacement. If you are afraid of most of your customers taking you up on a money back guarantee policy, you should not be. Less than 10 percent of customers return items each year. A product or service guarantee provides your customers with peace of mind that lets them know that they are protected in the event that something goes awry.
15. Find prospects who want the things you have to sell.
The best way to navigate through water is to go with the current instead of swimming against it. In sales, going with the current means that if you are selling chicken, your leads are people who like chicken. If your prospects are vegan, then it will be nearly impossible to sell your chicken products to them. If you want to be certain that your clients need the items you are selling, you should pre-qualify them before you actively market to them.
16. Develop compelling goals and an actionable plan.
Successful people know where they want to go, and they develop an action plan to help them propel toward their destination. Goal-setting and planning are critical to any sales team’s success. According to a study conducted by Inc. Magazine, sales teams that set goals realized a 28 percent increase in sales. Teaching goal-setting strategies should be a mandatory part of every organization’s corporate sales training manual.
17. Show customers proof that your product or service actually works.
When you look at infomercials for weight loss products, they often show ‘before and after’ pictures of previous users of the products. They understand that new customers are motivated by social proof. Sales professionals should keep customer testimonials in a binder or in their laptops to share with customers. When customers are able to view the visible proof, they will be more likely to invest in your product or service.
18. Maintain a positive mindset.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised by the number of sales professionals who develop a jaded outlook because of sales slumps. Sales professionals must make every effort to remain positive in good and tough times. Developing a positive attitude has many benefits. Customers can tell when you are not in a good mood, and it will affect the transaction. A positive outlook helps sales professionals look for solutions to pending problems. When your sales professionals are positive, they will be able to handle stressful situations.
The above list isn’t just a collection of interesting tips—these are proven sales strategies that work. In this competitive business environment, sales professionals need to learn all the tricks of the trade in order to close a deal. By using these sales tactics that work, your sales team can learn to thrive in any economic climate.
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