How to Get More Testimonials and How to Use Them

Testimonials are an exceptional selling tool. They tell potential buyers that you’re trustworthy. They tell potential buyers that your product or service fulfills its promise. Testimonials tell potential customers that you have credibility. And they tell potential customers what they want to hear – that you really can solve their problems.

Testimonials are an effective buying trigger because they offer information about your product or service that you just can’t offer yourself. It’s like a personal recommendation, and it’s worth the effort to get quality testimonials and to use them.

How Do You Get More Testimonials?

It’s quite simple, actually. You ask for them. Most people are afraid to ask for testimonials. They feel it’s pushy or they fear being rejected. The truth is, most customers are happy to give them; they just don’t think about offering. Think about when you have a good or bad experience with a company. If you have a bad experience, you want to shout it from the rooftops. You write reviews; you tell your friends and associates. Maybe you even write a complaint to the company.

When you have a good experience, you say thank you. Generally, we don’t talk as much about the good news as we do about the bad news. However, if someone asks us, we’ll go on for hours about our positive experiences.

So, in order to get more testimonials you have to ask. You’ll of course ask all of your happy customers. However, consider also asking experts in your industry to provide a testimonial. Send them a free product or offer a service, then collect the testimonial. It’ll have more power because it’s coming from someone people like and respect. Can you imagine what a ringing endorsement it would be if Martha Stewart wrote a testimonial for your home organization business?

Be Prepared

Many people just don’t know what to say, so consider being prepared with a pre-written testimonial. If they agree that they stand behind the information, they just need to provide a signature and a link. You can then post the testimonial and consider it valid.

Position Your Testimonials Well

There are some key places to position your testimonials.

One such location is on your sales page. The testimonials will serve to support a prospect’s buying decision.

In fact, you could sprinkle testimonials throughout your website so potential customers or clients can see them on whatever page they visit.

You can also use them in your newsletter and in email communications to build know, like and trust that is so coveted (we call it the ‘KLT Factor’).

Use testimonials in your social media posts to further that KLT factor.

You could also consider creating a separate page on your website with testimonials, placing the strongest and most compelling testimonials prominently where they’re sure to be read. Keep in mind however, that these pages could also feel very ‘salesy’ – like a marketing ploy. Better to use them wherever your potential client or customer goes on your site. (Use analytics to see your most visited pages.)

A strong testimonial consists of answering four questions:

What was the problem your client had?

How did your products/services solve the client’s problem?

What makes your solution unique?

Did they have a positive experience with you and your company?

The best testimonials will include the writer’s name, title, company, and image.

Better yet – ask your clients or customers to create a video of their testimonial, furthering the trust in your brand.

Strong testimonials provide social proof and can become one of the most important key elements that a prospect needs before making a buying decision.