Ways to Get your Testimonials?

Long Term Customers

Start by calling your long-term customers or those customers who are repeat buyers. You know these people well. You’ve done a lot of business with them. These are easy testimonials to get. They will be more than willing to help you.

Tell these customers what you would like them to focus on in their comments—remember your benefits. This step will produce some immediate testimonials.

Search Your Mail

Search your morning mail, invoice payments or letters for positive comments from your customers. Many times, people will write a comment when paying their bill. This can be the source for a testimonial. When you find something good from one of these sources, call them, thank them and ask them if it’s ok to use their words in your sales and marketing efforts.

Third Party Endorsement

Every business has other businesses they work with. Go to these businesses and ask for a testimonial about your business. Exchange testimonials about their business. Third party testimonials have the additional quality of showing how your business is part of much larger business network. This impresses the customer.

Industry statistics

This type of “testimonial” starts to stretch the envelope on testimonials but it has its place. For example, national studies show that when a business has sales training, they increase their profits by 16%. That does not say anything about your sales training, but that statistics show a 16% increase when a company gets sales training. This type of testimonial will help some customers buy your product.

Customer Call Backs

After every sale, call the customer to see how they like the product. Have a series of questions that leads the conversation in the direction you want. When you get some good comments, thank the customer and ask if it’s ok for you to use their comments. As a side benefit, you will learn a tremendous amount of information about your business. It’s wonderful feedback and takes only a few minutes for each sale.

Networking

It is common practice at most business networking meetings to give others members of the group a verbal testimonial when someone has used their service. “I want to tell you what good service I received from Jane last week when I went to her bank to switch over my account.” Typically, Jane nods her head and says, thank you. Go to the person after the meeting and ask if you can write down what they said about you and your business and if you can use it in your marketing efforts. Don’t let an opportunity like this slip by.

Photo Testimonials

Use photos of your customers using your products or services—make sure they are smiling! If you provide a service, have someone take a picture of you doing the service. I know a financial adviser, who gives workshops to seniors. He had his picture taken at a workshop, then used the pictures in brochures to advertise his workshops.

Have a contest with your customers to send in the best picture of them using your product or service. Give the winner a free dinner. Always, let people know you may want to use their picture for marketing purposes, call back the winners, thank them and again ask permission.

Customer photos with written testimonials are doubly powerful.

Audio Testimonials

Present you testimonial in audio form. You can easily create a customer hot line where customers can call in at any time to comment on your product or service. This could be a dedicated line with an answer machine. Make it easy for the customer to give you a testimonial. Some customers find it easier to call in comments, rather than write comments. These audio comments can be used on websites or turned into a testimonial CD.

Ask Before you Start the Project

This is a great systematic way to generate an ongoing stream of good testimonials. Make your request for testimonials part of the package you are offering the customer. As part of the details with closing the deal, you ask, “I assume that I will do a great job for you. If I do xyz will you be willing to give me a testimonial about the job?” I have never had a customer turn me down when I have made this offering.

This technique gives a different impression of you. The customer realizes that it’s your intention to do a good job. They will happily want to write a testimonial about that job. This is also a wonderful way to systemize a testimonial system to get ongoing referrals in an easy, no effort way.

Customers Feedback Forms

There are many versions of customer feedback forms. These forms help you direct the types of questions you ask about your products and services.

“Did you enjoy our product? What was the best thing you liked about the product? What was the thing you leased liked about the product? What other comments would you like to make about the product or your buying experience. May I use your comments in my efforts to help other customers?” (Enclosed a self-addressed envelope)

Keep it simple for the customer. You may also wish to give them some reward for taking the time to complete the form. Giving rewards is perfectly acceptable because you are asking the customer to do something extra.

Expert or Well Known People

Expert testimonials can be two types. You can find expert opinions that speak to one or more of your benefits but are not speaking directly to you particular product. Doctors speak about conditions necessary for weight loss programs. Your program has several of those conditions. Like industry statistics, these become a form of endorsement or testimony for the generic use of your product.

The second and more powerful testimony comes from an expert who has actually used your program or service and wants to tell others about it. Who hasn’t read reviews on a back of a book cover to help you decide to purchase the book?

Movie stars and athletes have been using their names to sell products for years.

Conduct an Interview

Have a third party conduct an interview with some of your customers. This could be a professional, a PR person or a friend. They invite the customers to offer their comments about the recent purchase. Customers feel free and easy sharing comments to a third person.

You can use these interviews in their audio or visual form or you can transcribe them and edit them into useful written forms.

These are powerful testimonials. Even when you use a professional , your costs will easily be offset by the return these types of testimonials will bring to your business

Surveys and Questionnaires

Surveys and questionnaires receive mixed reviews as a technique for getting testimonials. Remaining anonymous is usually a chief characteristic of surveys. This would defeat one of the primary qualities of good testimonials—using the name and address the person giving the testimonial. Without the name and address you sacrifice the power of the testimonial.

Their Name in Print

One popular reward you can offer for a testimonial is getting your customers name in “lights.” You address the customers, “I was wondering if you could help me. I want to thank you for being a wonderful customer and ask for your help. Could you answer the following questions?” You give them some simple directive questions to answer and tell them this may result in using their name on your website, in your brochure, etc. Everyone loves their 15 minutes of fame!

Offer to Write it for People

There is nothing wrong with helping the customer write a testimonial. You can say, “I know that you are very busy. I’d be happy to draft something you can use. You can edit or change it.”

Many customers prefer this method of giving a testimonial. They want to say nice things about your business but they don’t know how to articulate them. They don’t know where to start so they put it off in their busy schedule. They promise to give you a testimonial. You wait and wait, not wanting to bug them. Helping them write it overcomes this bump in the road and allows you to get some very pointed testimonials.

Personal Testimonials

You can use personal testimonials. You may need these especially when you are just getting started in business. When I wrote my book about how to buy carpet, I had a good friend provide a testimonial for me. She said in the testimonial, “I did not use Al’s book, but he has worked on our house in the past and his experience and insights were wonderful.” In short, you can trust Al, the person. While these are not as powerful as product testimonials, they have their place.

Use testimonials as Success Stories

On your website or other marketing materials, you may have the occasion to share success stories with prospects. These can be very powerful, especially when a customer does not know a lot about your product. Design the success story in the following manner.

Describe the problem the customer was experiencing. Provide some details about the problem—so the reader can identify with it. Then tell how your product or service solved the problem. The third section is the quote from the customer about your business. This simple three step process is very effective because in step one and two you create a clear problem-solution scenario. The customer testimonial becomes reinforcement to that scenario.

Al Hanzal
www.successfulmarketingtools.com/wordpressblog

5 Rules of Branding

5 Rules of Branding

There is more to creating and promoting a brand than making a pretty logo and tagline. In fact, a logo and tagline are just representations of your brand. Following are several rules to help you create, promote and maintain your brand.

1. BE SPECIFIC
Know what your brand stands for, and know what your brand promises. Your brand promises should be precise and attainable, and you should be able to communicate them clearly. For example, don’t just say your brand stands for quality. That’s a broad statement that any company can make. How does your brand specifically live and breathe quality? Those specifics are what will make your brand stand out from your competition.

2. BE AUTHORITATIVE
Once you know what your brand stands for and promises, don’t be afraid to flaunt it. You need to make everyone else believe you’re the leader and authority in your area of expertise and specialization. Don’t meekly communicate your message. Say it with powerful words and conviction.

3. BE CONSISTENT
Get your brand message out there and don’t waiver on it. Statistics state as soon as you’re tired of your message, your customers are just starting to recognize it. A consistent message and customer experience are critical elements to building your brand.

4. BE HONEST
In today’s world, people welcome honesty and your business will be rewarded for it. Don’t offer promotions or guarantees you can’t deliver. Instead, admit your fallibility and deliver on your promises. Integrity goes a long way.

5. BE RELENTLESS
Get your brand message out there. Then get it out again and again and again. People are inundated with a myriad of messages each day. It’s not only critical that you try to stand out from the competition but it’s equally important that you are not forgotten. Don’t drop the ball on communicating your brand promise and building your brand image. Your efforts will be rewarded in time.

These rules apply to company, product and personal branding. They are simple, basic rules that are critical to your brand’s overall success.

Posted by Ensemble Creative & Marketing, Source Susan Gunelius

5 Elements of Logo Design

5 Elements of Logo Design

Creating a logo to represent your business and brand image can be an important aspect of your overall business plan, and as such, a great deal of consideration should go into selecting the best graphical interpretation of your brand’s value and promise. Following are five of the most important factors to consider when choosing your brand’s logo.

1. IMAGE
If you develop your brand effectively, over time, your logo will become the most recognizable icon of your business and product. It’s important to choose a graphic that appropriately demonstrates your brand’s image and values. Make sure no part of your logo could be considered offensive, and if your company is global or could become global in the future, make sure it’s not offensive in other countries. Try not to be too trendy. Select a design that can be timeless. Creating a new logo in a few years can be expensive and requires a rebranding investment that you may not be able to take on in the near future.

2. COLOR
The colors used in your logo are important not only in terms of production, but also in terms of how logos are perceived psychologically. Do some research about the meanings behind colors, and take a close look at your competitors’ logos. You want your logo to be appealing aesthetically, and you want it to help differentiate you from the competition.

3. PRINTABILITY
So many companies choose logos on aesthetics alone without taking production issues into
consideration. For example, printing halftones on promotional items like coffee mugs and t-shirts can often be a problem. What if your budget doesn’t allow you to print all of your marketing materials like brochures, advertisements, direct mail, etc. in full color? You may have to print in 1-color or 2-colors to meet your budget restrictions. Make sure your logo will translate well to black and white and 2-colors. Additionally, stick with colors from the most common print production color palette, Pantone, rather than custom colors. The size of your logo can also affect it’s production quality, so make sure your logo works in small and large formats.

4. CONSISTENCY
Once you’ve chosen your logo design, make sure you use it everywhere to represent your brand, and make sure it is always used consistently. That means it should always look the same. Everyone in your company, your business partners, and anyone else who may print or use your logo, needs to understand how the logo is to be used.

5. GUIDELINES
To ensure your logo is used correctly and consistently at all times, it’s important to develop some basic guidelines for logo usage. For example, you need to define the colors used in the logo for consistent printing. If you selected any, you need to define preferred secondary and tertiary colors that can be used in printed materials. You need to define the background colors that the logo may or may not be printed on. You need to define the amount of required white space surrounding the logo.

Bottomline, your logo is another extension of your brand’s message, image and promise. You need to communicate your message and promise in every aspect of your business to fully develop your brand, and your logo is no exception to that rule. If that consistency in your brand message doesn’t carry over to your logo, then your logo is just a useless piece of clipart.

Posted by Ensemble Creative & Marketing, Source Susan Gunelius

Your Elevator Speech

COC Business Education—4-15-09

The elevator speech—it’s that short speech, 10-30 seconds long speech you give on the elevator from the 10th floor to the lobby to explain your business to someone trapped in the elevator with you! Most of us are not doing business in tall buildings so we should rename it as our mall speech or waiting in the line speech.

I have always thought of the elevator speech as a qualifying speech. Based on my elevator speech, does the other person show any interest in my business? If so, I can go on; if not, I move on to a different subject.

The purpose of the elevator speech is to engage the other person, to check out to see if they have interest in your business. It is not a sales pitch.
The elevator speech consists of 100-150 words, short, sharp, engaging, easy to remember and usually with curiosity attached.

Three Step Format

I have found the best format to be a simple three step process. When someone asks what do you do?

The first step, “Well, do you know how—then identify a problem, a fact or a desire that most people have.

The second step, the person answers, “Yes.”

The third step, “Well, I--share what you do, with whom and benefits they receive.

My elevator speech goes like this,
What do you do?
Well, do you know how more people are buying products from the internet?
Yes,
Well, I show small business owners how to use the internet to get more of those customers to buy from
them.
Really, how do you do that?

Let’s look more closely at this structure. You start with a common problem, a fact or desire that the person can relate with. You are engaging them. You are building a common ground with them. You don’t want to use something like, “Well did you know that 67% of the people start their shopping by going to the internet?” People don’t know if that is true or untrue!

You want to solicit a “Yes response” indicating you have engaged them.

With the third step, you are telling them what you do with whom you work and what benefits you provide. If you start with the problem of people needing money to pay their energy bills, you might say, I want to say, I show them a way so they no longer need to worry about their energy bills. Problem—solved.

Typically, they say, “Wow, how do you do that?” I have left them with some curiosity and now they give me permission to talk more about my business.

Where to Use the Elevator Speech

Where can you use your elevator speech?

• Use it on your business card
• Use it as a tag line for your commercials
• Use is as part of your branding
• Use is on your website.

It captures your business in a nutshell.

Al Hanzal
www.successfulmarketingtools.com/wordpressblog

I love vacations for many reasons. There is the obvious reason of a warmer climate. It always gives me some space and time to step back from the daily grind of business and gain new perspectives. I always find time to do more writing on vacation. There is airplane time. There is beach time. It also gives me an opportunity to listen and see what is happening in other parts of the country that have yet to appear in Minnesota.

New Things I saw on Vacation

A couple of new things I noticed on my vacation. One local TV station offered with each new program comments from their Face Book and Twitter accounts. People now feel free to make comments about the news on the stations social networking accounts and the TV station shares the comments on the air.

Watching the Today show, when they had their Expert Help Segments, instead of just letting the experts tell their story, they have webcams where people actually asked questions of the experts directly from their home computers.

As I watching the last day of the golf tournament, several times during the tournament, the announcers read emails from viewers and answered their questions directly on the air.

Do you see a pattern developing? An interactive mode of programs and marketing now is replacing the traditional models of controlling the news and TV programming.

The Question for Small Business Owners

The question becomes how will this interactive mode affect your small business? How are the Social net tools going to change the way you do business?

Let me start by suggesting that the Social net will not eliminate other marketing tools to create awareness for your business. Physical networking groups like Circle of Connections can still meet and produce results. Some of you may still put an ad in the local newspaper or create a brochure to help advertise your business.

However, it becomes even more critical for you to ask the question, “What results are my current marketing tools producing for my business?” Don’t use any marketing tool because someone tells you to use it! Keep evaluating what you are doing. Keep what’s working; discard what’s not working.

Along with your traditional marketing efforts, you will need to develop an internet strategy on which tools you are going to use to help promote your business in this internet marketing medium. You need to go where your customers are going. They are going to the internet. As you do create a strategy for the Social net, I make two notes of caution.

Follow Basic Marketing Principles

First, if you are weak on the basics of small business marketing, you will fail on the Social net. By the basics I mean clearly knowing your customer niche, clearly knowing how your products benefit your customers, and showing proof that people can believe what you are telling them.

If you are missing these critical ingredients, you will quickly fail on the Social net. Why? There is too much competition from people who follow the basics. You don’t have the luxury of dealing face to face with people to overcome your marketing limitations with your charming personality or a face to face encounter.

Adopt a Different Marketing Mentality

My second warning, you must behave differently on the Social net. In traditional marketing, you talk directly at people telling them about your business and what you can do for them. On the Social net you must be willing to give up control and find ways to influence people rather than tell people.

Your primary skill in these social net programs is listening. You are invited as guest, to participate along with other guests. You can listen, you can add suggestions, you can ask questions, you can share your insights as an expert in your field. You can become a person of influence.

If you think you can go to a social networking group and blast your business in front of them, you will be shut out. Worse, people will simply ignore you. The key is to come as a person of influence. When you do this, you can have some success on the Social net.

I believe you cannot avoid the Social net if you want to really be successful in your small business. The world has already moved there. Each of us needs to develop a strategy on how we are going to make our business presence on the Social net.

Al Hanzal
www. Successfulmarketingtools.com/wordpressblog