How to ‘Knock Prospects Off the Fence’ with Powerful Testimonials
Just for a minute, close your eyes and think of a recent time when you bought something (especially something EXPENSIVE).
Now, see if you can remember the “tipping point” where you became interested enough to buy.
Chances are good it was a recommendation from a friend who tried the product and loved it. Or a 5-star rave review on Amazon.
In my case, the very last thing I bought was a nutritional supplement. I’ve known about this product for at least 2-3 years and kept meaning to try it, but what finally spurred me to action was a glowing endorsement from someone I trust.
That’s the power of a good TESTIMONIAL.
When your prospects are perched on the fence about your product, a few good testimonials can be exactly the shove they need to make the decision to buy.
Right now I’m helping a business owner named Jeff put together a landing page for the premium cuts of meat he sells.
And since he’s in the food biz, I sent him a copy of an amazing sales page by Gary Bencivenga that sells high-end olive oil.
And Jeff asked me:
“I noticed that there’s these great testimonials on the olive oil landing page. For example, one testimonial said something about ‘dying and going back to Italy.’ How do I coach my customers to say what needs to be said for the landing page?”
Jeff’s on to something here. If you just go to your customers and say, “Can I have a testimonial?” what you get back will probably be flat and lifeless.
The first trick to mind-blowing testimonials is to not wait until you’re working on your marketing to collect them.
When someone is excited enough to write to you to tell you how much they’re enjoying your product, the positive emotion they’re feeling can’t help but spill over into a colorful testimonial.
So keep your antenna up whenever someone says something nice about your product.
When I’m working on a sales page and need testimonials NOW, I use a 3-step process that goes like this:
1. Find some testimonials similar to the kind you want to get.
2. Put together 2-3 questions that get you the “raw material” for a good testimonial.
3. Assemble the pieces in a way that conveys your message while preserving the unique flavor of the quotes.
For example, I recently I had to gin up some testimonials for an online course.
I sent out an email asking the following questions:
1. What was your life like before you found this course?
2. What strategies from the course did you apply?
3. What happened as a result?
This is a good template to follow.
Jeff’s case, he’ll need to ask different questions, since what he’s selling is less of a solution to a problem and more of a satisfying experience.
If I were in his shoes, I’d ask questions about the customer’s expectations before trying the product. Ask them to describe the experience of trying the product. And see if I could get them to describe how they felt afterward.
The testimonials you get will be packed with so much persuasive punch that those formerly fence-sitting prospects will never know what hit ’em.