Testimonials That Hurt Your Business

The flyer for the sales training session contained three testimonials that essentially said: "It was great to meet you, glad I attended your seminar," and a big, bold note from the trainer that "these were just in the last week!"
 
We all know that testimonials can be valuable in proving our credibility and capability—when they are strategically written. If you want testimonials that truly move minds instead of "She's the best!" statements, you'll find it helpful to make suggestions to your clients. Here's an example:
 
"Joe, I'm hoping you will write a 2-3 sentence testimonial for my marketing materials. Something about how the things you learned in my program helped increase your sales by 30% over the last 6 months. Would that be OK with you?"
 
Had the sales trainer worked with his people that way, he might have compelling testimonials on his flyer. Instead, he had three "We had fun" statements. Bottom Line: Anyone can put on a fun seminar, but are the participants using what you say to their advantage, or just having a fun day away from the office?

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Linda Angér

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