How to Reduce the Risk
You need to reassure folks during these troubled times. The daily news fans the fears of failure. Water cooler gossip spreads the manure of doom. Every purchase decision can look risky. Therefore clients will tend to hold back on buying. Your chief competition is not some other supplier - it is your clients' fears.
To effectively market and sell in this environment you need to reduce the perceived risk, to diminish their doubts and to demonstrate great value.
How can you do that?
Use testimonials.
This is one of the most powerful ways to demonstrate your value. You can promise the world but, folks will be more convinced by what they read or hear that others said about you.
You bragging about you is never as convincing as others bragging about you.
How can you get more from your testimonials?
Include a testimonial in every client and prospect contact.
Post testimonials on your website. Avoid this mistake that many businesses make. They only list all their testimonials on one page of their website. What if your prospects never visit that page? In addtion sprinkle testimonials throughout your website - ideally on every page.
Include a short testimonial in your email signature and in your newsletters.
Revise your marketing materials to prominently feature your testimonials.
Include testimonials with your written proposals and with your invoices.
Display testimonials on the wall in your shop or in an album in the lobby. Create copies of this album for every one of your sales staff and remind them to show it often.
Make sure that your staff appreciates the importance of getting and using testimonials by sharing every one with your staff as they are received.
Dig out every testimonial that you ever received and put them to work for you.
In the next tip you'll learn simple techniques to ensure a study stream of glowing testimonials.
George Torok
Power Marketing
PS: Tell me how this marketing tip helps you.
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2 comments:
It was a great tip. I already use testimonials but never as much as I could! I particularly liked the idea of putting one in my email signature.
Thank you.
Richard Tremblay
Great ideas George! I've been putting testimonials in my direct mail, brochure, and website (just added a testimonial to most pages, had a testimonial page before). This blog is a wealth of information.
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