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Customer Testimonials are Worth Their Weight in Gold
You can go around telling everyone that your company is great and that you all do great things, but it’s not going to mean a thing. Anybody can do that.
In fact, there are a whole slew of companies, most of them your competitors, who are doing exactly that right now, and we both know that most of the time they are just exaggerating, or maybe just, well…lying.
So, if you’re the one company who is telling the truth about really doing a great job, then you are at a distinct disadvantage. If you’re not careful, you risk getting lost in the crowd of companies who are all saying the same exact thing.
What can you do about that? How can you stand out of the crowd? What are you going to do to prove that you are, in fact, the best company out there? What are you going to say to get your potential customers to listen and, most importantly, believe you?
Well, here is what you are going to do. Stop talking. Stop saying that you are the best. Just stop it already!
And here is the answer: You are going to let your happy customers do it for you. Yes, having one of your customers tell other potential customers that your company is the best is literally thousands of times more valuable than you saying it yourself.
In fact, there is nothing better than a customer testimonial when it comes to extolling your company’s virtues. People who would never believe you are going pay attention to your customer 100% of the time when he is saying good things about you.
Yes, the key to getting your message out is letting your happy customers do it for you. And the best way to do that is to make sure your customers are happy customers. Not rocket science, is it?
Now, how do you do that? How do you get your customers to say nice things about you? Well, the first thing you have to do is service them so well, and make sure your products are so outstanding, that customers will be happy to say great things about you. You want your customer say “WOW!” with every order.
It’s very straightforward: In order to get recommendations, you have to do things that are actually commendable. You have to keep your customers so happy that they will want to shout out from the rafters about your company. And the best way to do this is to be truly outstanding. And the best way to be outstanding is to look for opportunities to be so.
None of this happens by accident. You have to look for occasions when you can walk that extra mile for your customers. You have to provide them with products and services that are so insanely great that they will actually want to tell people about you. You have to make the customer say “WOW!”
Here are a few examples:
- Deliver your product in a blizzard or a hurricane, or a tornado or any other time when your competitors are taking shelter from the storm.
- Deliver that QTA product ahead of the nearly impossible schedule you had signed up for in the first place.
- Always give more than you promised.
- Find special ways to service your customers. Enthrall them every time.
- Look at what your competitors are doing and double up. Put them to shame.
- Package your products in special containers that your customers can re-purpose.
- Give things away at the most opportune time…when they need it most and expect it least.
- Help them out of a jam when it is their fault.
- Figure out what they need to be successful and give it to them…before they even know that they need it.
These are just some examples. To develop more, create a WOW! Team that brainstorms to come up with great service and product ideas that will blow your customers’ minds. Have everyone on your team thinking about ways to surprise, excite and thrill your customers to the point where they can’t wait to tell everyone about you.
This kind of thinking can not only be a lot of fun, but profitable as hell as well. How much fun is it to have customers loving to do business with you? Life gets a lot better when that happens, doesn’t it?
Once you’ve providing your customers with all of this remarkable service, there is only one more thing to do. When they thank you for the great job that you’ve done, and they start praising you for the great product you’ve just delivered, ask them to write you a testimonial. They will be happy to do it, I promise you.
It’s only common sense.
More Columns from It's Only Common Sense
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling With ConfidenceIt’s Only Common Sense: Hear That? It’s Opportunity Knocking
It’s Only Common Sense: Modern Ways to Generate Leads
It’s Only Common Sense: More of My Favorite Customer Service Stories
It’s Only Common Sense: You Gotta Risk It for the Biscuit
It’s Only Common Sense: Train Like an Olympian—A Guide for Salespeople
It’s Only Common Sense: Innovative Sales Strategies for Success
It’s Only Common Sense: Thar She Blows! Going After That Illusive Whale