How to effectively use testimonials and get your satisfied customers selling your services for you

Shared By: James

Tuesday 10th June 2014

How to effectively use testimonials and get your satisfied customers selling your services for you

These numbers speak for themselves:

• 67% of consumers indicate that their buying decision is influenced by word of mouth.
• 93% of consumers believe that word of mouth is the most reliable source of information.
• 74% of consumers that received a negative recommendation about a brand decided to change.

[Sources: Mc Kinsey, NOP World/ GFK, Milward Brown]

What do people who've actually used your services think about you?

By using testimonials (reviews and comments from your satisfied clients) you not only answer this question, you also transform your sales pitch into a credible, unbiased recommendation for your services.

Overcome Buyer Scepticism- using testimonials is probably one of the easiest and cost effective ways to generate more clients.

So why are testimonials so effective?

• Testimonials build trust. Whether your clients are raving about what you have done for them or about the great service you provided, they're telling your potential clients first and foremost that they had a positive experience with your business.
• Testimonials add credibility to your brand/firm if clients confirm what you are claiming.
• Testimonials aren't "salesy". Because testimonials aren't written in your "voice" they stand out as candid and unbiased accounts of how well you perform.
• Testimonials overcome scepticism. A good testimonial has the power to convince even your "tough sell" clients that your services really made a difference to your client X and can help them too.
• Testimonials are an excellent SEO tool

How do you actually gather the reviews you need from your customers?

This works most effectively if you take the initiative and positively direct your satisfied clients to provide testimonials at the end of the retainer. If your former clients have given you positive feedback on your services then you may already have a bank of great testimonials to use.

So how do you collect the testimonials you need and keep them coming as you grow your business?

We recommend that you use a standard feedback questionnaire as part of your file closing process at the end of a retainer or alternatively provide them with a direct link to a ratings and review website such as ours. www.ratedsolicitors.com

Strategies For Using Your Testimonials Effectively

Now let's look at a few mistakes to avoid when using testimonials:

• Don't edit your testimonials to exclude a comment or add information you want to hear. If you can't post a comment "as is" and feel comfortable with it, it shouldn't go up.
• Never, ever invent testimonials. This is fraud, plain and simple and lying never results in a positive impact on your business.

Getting your testimonials seen

There’s little point having a bank of fantastic referrals on the quality of your service if they cannot be easily found and seen by your new potential clients.
This is where the value of a ratings and a review website like www.ratedsolicitors.com comes into its own by providing a central point for all firms to share their reviews with the world.

Final Thoughts

If you're not using testimonials you're missing out on one of the most powerful, easy-to-use and inexpensive marketing tools available to you. Most of us would rather act on a referral from a friend than make a choice of engaging a professional blind. We want to know that the services offered are reputable before we take the leap to buy and we're bound to put more trust in someone who has already used the services of a Solicitor successfully before. Using glowing, fact-filled testimonials will let your visitors know that you're worthy of their trust.

Our aim at www.ratedsolicitors.com is to help firms market themselves on a more personal level using the proven power of testimonials.

What Can We Do For Your Firm?

1. Promote your firm's brand AND individual fee earner profiles.
2. Get your positive testimonials online in a central accessible location.
3. Attract new clients without delay

FIND your FIRM and CLAIM your firms' FREE basic account NOW

[Would you like to leave a comment?]