Linkedin Resolutions and The Power of Testimonials
Last year I wrote an extensive paper on how small business owners can use testimonials to generate more profits for their business. The principles I developed in that paper totally apply to the creation and use of Recommendations on your Linkedin page. In the next several posts, I invite you to read the principles I developed in that paper and apply them to your Linkedin thought process. I have divided the paper into four parts and four posts. If you would like to read the entire paper now, click on http://tinyurl.com/cj5yz6 . You can read it on line or print your own copy. Remember, every place you see testimonial substitute the word Recommendation.
Linkedin Resolutions and Testimonials–Your Secret Sales Force
Adding the Secret Ingredient to Grow Your Profits!
Successful small businesses have more customers, who buy more often and have more loyalty. Yet, when you look closer, these same businesses do not have superior products or services. What secret do they use?
Successful small business owners use this secret—plenty of good testimonials. These testimonials become like a powerful sales force for their businesses. The average small business owners keep this potential “sales force” locked in their closets.
In this paper, I’ll show you how good testimonials improve your bottom line. You will also learn the formula for creating good testimonials so you can start making more and better sales right now. You will learn why Resolutions are so important to your Linkedin page.
How Testimonials Attract and Improve Your Sales
We live in skeptical times. Customers, especially internet buyers, are very nervous about letting go of their money. Customers want to believe your claims because they want the benefits your product promises.
But customers don’t want to be hurt or disappointed or look foolish. So, they resist their urges. If you don’t overcome this customer skepticism, you lose the sale. They leave. You may never know how close they came to making a purchase!
How can testimonials change this picture and help overcome customer skepticism? Here are some of the ways good testimonials will make a difference in your business.
Testimonials make you more believable. Customers trust what others, especially people like themselves, say about the results they receive from your business.
Testimonials provide a tract record for your business. They show that customers have gone before them and been successful in using your business.
Testimonials create more customer loyalty. Once they put their name on a testimonial, customers feel obligated to stand behind their decision, even if it doesn’t turn out the way they proclaimed in their testimonial.
Testimonials create a sense of security for your customers. Everyone loves to be part of the “in-crowd”—to join others who are using your product.
Testimonials cement the selling process. Testimonials raise the excitement of the customer’s interest in your product. It makes them more eager to purchase by reducing the buying anxiety.
Testimonials give you insights into why customers are buying your products. People will state in their testimonials why they bought from your business. Their reasons may different from your reasons.
How to get testimonials that add to your profits
You have seen the power testimonials can have in your business–no matter what business or to whom you sell. So why do so few small business owners use this tool in their businesses?
Most small business owners cite a lack of time or the mistaken notion that asking for testimonials bothers the customer. Or maybe, they just don’t know how to get good testimonials.
As a small business owner, you have spent a lot of money getting this customer to buy from your business. Now you have the opportunity to leverage this customer’s experience into getting more customers to your business. Why waste this opportunity?
When customers have a good buying experience, they love telling others about it. When you ask them to help you by giving a testimonial, they feel honored. They feel they are contributing to your business. They are happy to help.
For purposes of helping you implementing testimonials in a step by step process, I will assume you have few or no testimonials that give you the power you want in your business. I will take you through a process that shows how easily and quickly you can start using powerful testimonials to attract more customers and more sales. Follow these steps and I guarantee you will see immediate improvement in your business.
A System for Getting Testimonials
Step One Focus on your Target Market
Your prospects want to hear from customers just like themselves. This is the type of proof they want before they purchase. What group of customers are you going to focus on for their testimonials? Identify the group now.
Step Two Clarify your Marketing Message
Powerful testimonials focus on your key benefits—those items that make your customer’s life better. You want to get at least one testimonial for each benefit. List at least three benefits your product or service provides to your customers.
1.)
2.)
3.)
Step Three A Testimonial Blitzkrieg
You can never have too many good testimonials. Set yourself a goal for the next 30 days to get 25-50 testimonials. Make this a priority for your business. They will be worth their weight in gold. When you see how easy it is to get testimonials, you will say 25 is too few!
Step Four Create an Ongoing Testimonials System
As you begin using some of these techniques for getting testimonials, start thinking how you can continue to use one or another of these techniques as a regular part of your business operations. Your ultimate goal is to create a system that regularly and automatically produces fresh and new testimonials—with little or no effort on your part.
To be continued, your comments are welcomed…
Al Hanzal
Tags: Linkedin and Resolutions