Testimonials are better than Ice Cream

Judy Baker — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:24:06 +0000

I posted my new business portrait on this site and other locations on the web. I was so pleased with my portrait, the photo session and my relationship with the photographer, Erin Hayes, Erin Hayes Photography, that I posted a recommendation for her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I got lots of positive comments on the portrait, which translates into lots of eyeballs who viewed my recommendation of Erin.

I shared my testimonial with the members of my business group, Sonoma Success Partners. My friends, family, and business contacts, read or heard my testimonial for Erin. In a few minutes, I had shared my positive experience with hundreds of people I know and through them, with thousands more. The people who commented on my portrait and recommendations, multiplied my message exponentially.

The power of social media

sharing what you know
sharing what you like
sharing what makes you mad
sharing what inspires you

It was easy to do. It took me a few minutes to compose my message and a few more to post it. Then the magic of sharing took over.

Want an easy way to promote your business?

Leverage testimonials from your clients by asking for them on social networking sites.

Ask for written testimonials that specify a service or challenge you helped to resolve.

Ask your clients to record a video or audio testimonial for you. You can upload videos to YouTube, embed them on your web site or blog posts. You can embed or link to audio files.

Give and Receive Testimonials

I got busy giving and and requesting testimonials. LinkedIn lets you review recommendations before they are posted. It also prompts you to give a recommendation when you received one. Reciprocity at its best.

Get them in writing. Then you can pepper your web site with endorsements from happy clients. The credibility of paid advertising has dropped to an all time low of 14% believability versus our faith in word-0f-mouth comments. Real people, real words, real solutions, translate into rapport and trust.

In a previous post, I commented on what is known as “The Oprah Effect” or the “Tim Ferris Effect.” Getting connected to someone who is famous, has a committed and engaged following, can turn your visibility super-nova bright. I worked for a graphic designer who was also an avid golfer. He invented “Loud-Mouth Golf,” fun and funny golf attire and accessories for golfers with a sense of humor and style. His strategy for promotion, give the pants to famous golfers who then endorsed them. He leveraged his way into a larger circle of buyers and fans. I visited his web site today and there is now world-wide distribution of his products. Not bad for a grass roots company with marketing smarts. This strategy works because humans take on the style, habits, attire and behavior of our heros, and people we like. It shows we belong.

What’s your next step?

See where you have a strong presence already and look at how you can increase your visibility through recommendations and testimonials. Here are some sites you might want to add to your list of cyber addresses. Most are free to join. Building your google juice depends on who knows you. Testimonials and recommendations are a proven way to expand your circle of influence and your profits.

Sites That Make It Easy to Capture Testimonials and Reviews

Testimonials are better than ice cream. Especially when they are shared.

The Etiquette of Referrals

Judy Baker — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:34:16 +0000

As a business owner, you want to both give and receive referrals. Here are actions you can take to encourage the process.

Say thank you

When you get a referral, take the time to thank the person who gave it to you. If you’d like to know more about this strategy I recommend a witty article by Elisha Weinberg, an acupuncturist from Seattle ,Washington. She stresses the idea and practice of gratitude. I agree that giving thanks and recognition is a sound practice.

Make it a habit to give and receive quality referrals

My friend, Joanne Black, author of No More Cold Calling, has built her very successful business on this principal.

Follow-up with referrals. It is good manners to contact the person to whom you were referred and to update the person who gave you the referral.

Educate your referral partners on what you are looking for and what makes for a good referral for you. This could be a story about why others would refer clients to you. The better you are at stating the benefits of giving referrals to you, the more likely you will receive referrals. Some of the reasons people give referrals are they want to be seen as a resource, they want to help others (their clients and you). The more value your referral source provides to others, the more loyalty they create with their friends and business associates.

Make it easy

Be specific about who you want to be referred to and why.
Tell everyone you know that you work by referral.
Add a line to your invoice reminding your clients that you work by referral.
Ask for referrals.
Share your contact information electronically. You could send an email with your contact information to clients and referral partners and suggest they pass your contact information on to their network.
Write up the testimonial you want to receive, send it to your client for review and approval. Encourage your clients to share stories about how you helped them with their network.
Be clear about what you want people to know and share about your business.
Have a smart phone? Capture comments made by your clients as a short video clip that you can post to YouTube, share it via email, show it on Facebook, and put it up on your web site or blog.

How Can You Increase The Number of Referrals You Receive: Get a System

According to Michael Port, best-selling author and business coach, it is a good practice to ask for referrals. In his book, Book Yourself Solid, he gives tips on how to create a referral system. System is the key here. In fact he devotes all of Chapter 12 to referral strategies. The power of a referral system: you increase the likelihood you will receive referrals, you have an organized way of approaching the process and it is simple to repeat the steps over and over again.
Monitor where your referrals come from. If you find that the majority of your referrals are coming from one or two sources, what can you do to reward them and encourage business to flow to them.
We all know that word-of-mouth (see my post ) is the best form of advertising. It doesn’t cost you anything. Peer reviews are considered to be more reliable than paid advertisements
Put together a brief tip sheet that demonstrates your expertise. Give copies of it to your referral partners (either a hard copy or a link to an electronic document).
Give your business cards to your referral partners. I have a client who displays the business cards, announcements and flyers from other businesses in her network. This is an easy way to show her support and to trigger referrals to those businesses..
If you know a friend or client serves the same or a complementary audience, come up with a plan to help each other by sharing referrals and making recommendations to one another.
Amplifying the reach of your referrals
A one-to-one referral is great. Instead of telling just one person about you, your happy client can tell everyone in their network and in your network at the same time. If you’re on LinkedIn, request referrals from the people in your network. You can have referrals on your web site, on Facebook, on your company page, on Twitter, review sites like Yelp, you get the idea.
You can post written testimonials, audio recordings, or best yet, a short video clip where your client is giving you an endorsement.

Ask for Referrals and Testimonials

Yes, this is here again for a reason. This might sound like a no-brainer. Yet many of us fail to ask for referrals and testimonials. Get over it. If you have happy clients, let them tell their friends and associates. They look like heroes and so do you.

The Best Time To Ask For A Referral

When you have just delivered outstanding service or products your client.
When your client asks you for help.
You know someone who knows someone you want to do business with.
Remind your referral partners to recommend you to their friends and business associates in their network. For instance, one of my clients was about to attend a national conference for speakers. We were working on his speaker kit at the time. He took samples of his materials so he could show them off at the conference. We discussed the fact that this was an opportunity for him to refer business to me. He was prepared with the tools to do so easily.

These are just a few ideas to help you improve your referral IQ. I’d love to hear your ideas for giving and receiving referrals.

Success Notes » referrals