Coming Soon
Subscription Marketplace - Buy and sell subscription products and services
1,503 views
in Articles by

sha_04.jpg

The other day I was writing a sales brochure for a West Coast manufacturer. As I got to what I’ll call the “proof” section of the brochure, I was rummaging around for testimonials. The company already had a full-blown Web site and a solid PowerPoint presentation. So I was hopeful that I’d find some ready made testimonials or at least some material I could use to create some. As it turned out, they had one case study with a couple of customer quotes. I pieced the material together to create one measly testimonial. It was less than adequate. Well, maybe it’s no big deal. After all, I wrote strong copy. Why even bother with testimonials? I’ll give you four good reasons. 

1. Credibility Testimonials give your company, product, or service credibility. Everyone is bombarded with advertising messages every day. It’s a brutal marketplace. If you want to sell something to somebody, you stand a much better chance if you can convince them that you’re credible. Testimonials are like references on a resume. They’re the people who vouch for you. 

2. Identification Your prospects identify with your customers who are providing the testimonials. They have similar concerns, problems, hopes and desires. They commiserate. This is good. You want this in your marketing. (Sorry, but your prospects don’t identify with you. Not really. You’re trying to sell them something!) 

3. Proof Proof, alone, is reason enough to gather and use testimonials. This is where your customers say, in effect, “They’re right, Mr. or Ms. Prospect. They can save you 50% ... or make you feel 18 again ... or make you enough money to retire at 50. They did it for me and I’m thrilled!” Testimonials notarize your marketing speak. 

4. Closure Testimonials help close the sale. Sure, they can be used throughout a marketing piece. But they definitely come in handy toward the end. You’ve introduced the problem or need, your product or service, the features and benefits, and more. Then you line up your testimonials, all the customers whose heads are nodding and saying, “Yep, it worked for me.” Soon after, you ask for the order. For many reasons, testimonials give your prospects the confidence they need to buy from you for the first time. And once your prospects turn into new customers, the door to repeat sales swings wide open. (c) 2005 Neil Sagebiel

Please log in or register to reply to this topic.

Related topics

0 replies 2,260 views
0 replies 1,534 views
0 replies 937 views
0 replies 1,302 views
0 replies 1,069 views
posted in Articles by ShowDolphin
0 replies 1,252 views
posted in Articles by BeautifulWolf
0 replies 1,055 views
posted in Articles by PositiveVoid
0 replies 8,583 views
posted in Articles by nicejone
0 replies 2,300 views
posted in Articles by Knighttime
0 replies 1,086 views
0 replies 1,258 views
posted in Articles by TwinNut
0 replies 887 views
posted in Articles by Herogue
0 replies 935 views
posted in Articles by LoyalChief
0 replies 864 views
posted in Articles by AfternoonFay
0 replies 931 views
posted in Articles by Scorpeon
0 replies 989 views
0 replies 1,014 views
posted in Articles by MysteryWasp
0 replies 827 views
posted in Articles by GroundHurricane
0 replies 1,899 views
0 replies 980 views
posted in Articles by Octopuppy
0 replies 879 views
posted in Articles by PlaySeal
0 replies 2,037 views
posted in Articles by GiftedWrecker
0 replies 1,412 views
0 replies 1,287 views
posted in Articles by VirtualAssassin
0 replies 1,300 views
0 replies 1,109 views
posted in Articles by Camella
0 replies 2,862 views
posted in Articles by Hawkward
0 replies 996 views
posted in Articles by PerfumedNecromancer
0 replies 1,567 views
posted in Articles by TrainedGuy
0 replies 918 views
posted in Articles by MammothMoth
0 replies 1,013 views
posted in Articles by Conjursa
0 replies 984 views
posted in Articles by KeyboardPie
0 replies 1,013 views
posted in Articles by BouncyOracle
0 replies 3,820 views
posted in Articles by GardenParrot
0 replies 932 views
posted in Articles by GrizzlyFlash
0 replies 1,060 views
posted in Articles by Sumogre
0 replies 1,402 views
posted in Articles by Herogue
0 replies 939 views
posted in Articles by Knightmare
0 replies 937 views
posted in Articles by TwinNut
Connect with us:
...