Testimonials and endorsements from industry experts are magic for your marketing efforts. And they’re much easier to get when you have a system in place to collect them.
Get those testimonials flowing!
In my last post I revealed the first three steps in my five-step formula. This week I’m rolling out the final two. Before I do, here is a quick recap of the first three steps:
- Always keep your eye out for testimonial opportunities.
- When you receive a raw testimonial from someone, always ask permission to smooth it out and polish it (example coming in a moment).
- Don’t be shy. Ask for testimonials! Next…
Write your own testimonials!
This is perfectly acceptable. When you ask people to give you testimonials and they say, “Yes,” the first question they usually follow with is, “What do you want me to write?”
In this moment, never give them a homework assignment. Instead, say this: “To save you time, how about if I write the testimonial and run it past you for your approval? When I do you are free of course to make any changes or edits you’d like.”
Every time I have proposed this idea the answer I have received is, “Sure Casey, that sounds fine.” This strategy enables you to get the exact testimonial you want.
Plus, your colleagues get free publicity—and you save them time because they don’t actually have to write the testimonial.
Always keep your testimonials tight and concise.
You may enjoy reading long testimonials about yourself (who doesn’t!), but nobody else is going to take the time to read them—which defeats the purpose of having testimonials.
So keep your testimonials tight. If a colleague provides you with a rough, rambling endorsement, turn it into a quick-hitting testimonial that is fast and easy to read.
Here is an example using an endorsement I received from a colleague.
EXAMPLE
“I always give Casey Demchak a call when I need really strong direct-response sales copy that will get the attention of my prospects, and then motivate them to take action and buy my product. His work is exceptional, and I really enjoy working with Casey because he has great strategic ideas and he is fun and easy to work with.”
Here is how I took his raw statement and shaped it into a nice testimonial:
“I always turn to Casey Demchak when I need exceptional direct response copy that engages my prospects and motivates them to buy. I really enjoy Casey because he has great ideas and is easy to work with.”
After refining my colleague’s raw endorsement, I ran it past him and he was more than happy to approve it because I made him sound sharp and to the point.
So, follow the five steps I’ve covered in my last two posts and you will always have a nice long list of punchy testimonials that build your credibility and do your selling for you!
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