Think About It

In a perfect world, prospective customers would take us at our word. Believe all of our claims. Trust us to keep our promises.

But in the real world, we’re not so lucky.

Prospects aren’t just skeptical. They’re scared. Afraid of making the wrong buying decision.

Business-to-business customers are the most fear-stricken of all. They know that a wrong move could cost them their reputation –maybe even their job.

Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing we can say to get prospects past their fears. That’s when it’s time for us to shut up and let someone else do the talking.

And that’s what customer testimonials and case studies are all about. Getting an objective third party to back up our claims. And proving that we do what we say we will, because we’ve already done it for somebody else.

Here are 4 tips for building a storehouse of testimonials that will keep the bogeyman from paralyzing your prospects:

1. Like testimony in court, customer testimonials should tell the whole truth, warts and all. Focus on the good, but also tell what went wrong. Why? Because few jobs go off perfectly, and your prospect knows it. If you really want to allay their fears, don’t pretend that you’re flawless. Instead, be honest enough to admit imperfection. Then give evidence that if a problem happens, you’ll fix it – and even learn from the mistake.
   
   
2. Testimony doesn’t take place only in the witness booth. It also happens at a tent revival on a hot, summer night. Likewise, your testimonials shouldn’t stop with “nothing but the truth.” Get some emotion going. Have your testifying customer tell not only how you met their specs, but what happened as a result – increased profits, a job promotion, election to president of their local knitting guild.
   
   
3.  Fill your testimonial bag with a variety of stories about customers of different sizes, industries and situations. If your company claims to solve three different challenges, have at least one testimonial showing each type of solution. For any prospect you approach, you should be able to pull out a case study in which they can see themselves, their company, their problem – solved.
   
   
4.  If you have trouble finding customers who are willing to talk, offer them an incentive. That’s what Sun Microsystems does. Customers who enter their referral program can earn discounts on support and upgrades. Find your own ways to make it worth your customers’ while to help you. But don’t go too far. Making the rewards too sweet might give prospects a reason to question the authenticity of your customers’ stories. And don’t ever ask a customer to lie for you.