BSVP On-Site: The Power of Testimonials
Channel: BSVPTV
Date: 2014-07-19

http://www.bsvp.com How to use the power of testimonials to build your business

Asking for testimonials is really pretty simple
Getting a testimonial can come from a variety of different ways. 
Written, LinkedIn, Video
Anup Manchanda has effectively used LinkedIn to get recommendations from his clients.

When you have a client who is very happy with what you've done, when you've increased their revenues by 20 or 30% in a relatively short period of time and their just flying high because they're doing really well, it changes their life.

LinkIn has a tool, a process to send out a recommendation. About 80% of recommendations that Teleprime asks for, clients have given.

Using testimonials is golden, because you can give those testimonials to potential clients that are thinking about working with you.

Jennifer Villarreal from Sales from the Heart points out that you have to ask the client what they feel most comfortable with so that you can highlight a few bullet points for them. While you are engaged in a conversation with them, write down what  the say and then send it to them, asking them to clarify what they said so that they can write the testimonial in their own words.

When you have somebody else that says wow, these people have done really well for you, it really carries a lot of weight when people who are on the fence. Because when the sales person says "we do a really good job". It can come across as bragging. But, when you get that from other people, that actually can substantiate the improvements your business will experience utilizing a specific product or service, their's nothing better than that to close the sale.

You can also ask the client the best way that they would like to be featured, because it's also featuring them or their business and not just your business.

Bonnie Richtman, of Peak Performance Action Coach has written testimonials that they use. They post them on LinkedIn and other sites. They also put them in the invitations to some of their seminars.  They also post their video testimonials. The videos are really, really compelling because they are very easy to watch. They're short and sweet. The videos deliver tonal inflections, tears, sometimes, of gratitude and happiness and they're easy to send to people. They can take a quick look at them and, once again, their very compelling.

The testimonials that Anup has on LinkedIn can help customer learn more about his company, from a client point of view. The testimonials also help when companies ask for referrals and want to talk to current customers. 

Jennifer Villarreal likes to have a conversation with her clients first and write down some of the keywords that they tell her. She will then send the list to them and have them write the testimonial about her in their own words. For the testimonial to be effective, it has to be authentic.

Bonnie Richtman uses her YouTube videos by either embedding it or linking it to an email as well as embedding it to her LinkedIn profile or Facebook page. 

So asking for a testimonial from a happy person is really easy to do. All you have to do is just ask.

Anup Manchanda - Teleprime http://www.teleprime.com
Jennifer Villarreal - Sales from the Heart http://salesfromtheheart.com
Bonnie Richtman - Peak Performance Action Coach http://www.actioncoach.com
Bruce Himmelblau - Blue Sky Video Productions

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