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The Power of Testimonials….
May 20, 2009
I recently coached an aspiring speaker and told her about the power of third-party testimonials. It’s a no-brainer in direct marketing circles that these testimonials will sell your product or service infinitely better than your copy or what YOU say about it. But here’s the real secret: use tons and tons of them. The more testimonials, the better.
What other people say about you and your product/service holds much more weight than you writing tons of copy trying to convince your prospect to buy. When they read how great what you’re selling is by other people who simply rave about it, it lends more credibility to the product/service. In the prospect’s mind they’re thinking, “hmm, must be good if John Doe used it and said it was great…” And again, use as many of these endorsements as possible. My website is full of them on every page and I make sure I only use the ones that are glowing and enthusiastic, for the most part.
How do you get testimonials? Simply ask for them. Most people who use whatever it is you are selling will say something nice about it if you ask them. I ask for a letter after every talk I give. Some send them to me and some get too busy and don’t but I always ask anyway. The ones that do take the time to send them to me are almost always “keepers”–glowing references that help me sell more.
The whole point is to use testimonials as much and as often as you can in EVERY marketing campaign. It can truly make the difference between selling a little and selling a LOT!
Until next time,
Tim
www.corporatespeakerforyou.com
The Problem of Being a “Victim”
May 9, 2009
Hi All:
It’s been a while since I posted but I felt inspired to write a blog post concerning this topic of being a “victim”. Some of you may know that I have Tourette’s Syndrome (although I’m virtually symptom-free at this point) and that in my speeches I tell my story of growing up with a severe case of it. Although I begin almost every speech with my story I DO NOT relive my personal history when I tell it.
I learned a long time ago that I am NOT my Tourette’s. Yes, I do have the neurological disorder called Tourette’s but I am NOT the Tourette’s itself. Now, you’re probably wondering where I’m going with all this. It’s no secret that I have a distinctive bias against the media. They seem to get a perverse pleasure out of being the bearers of bad news. If you buy into their fear mentality this recession will truly scare the wits out of you. My point is this: you may not be at fault for what has happened to you in this down economy (e.g. being laid off, nearing foreclosure, etc.) but you should definitely take RESPONSIBILITY for your circumstances. It is in taking responsibility that will determine whether you will become a hostage to life and it’s pitfalls or whether you choose to take the bull by the horns and get into action to change those circumstances. You have more power than you think!
When you take responsibility for your situation there is a shift that naturally occurs inside you. It’s as if a little voice is saying, “Okay, things are bad, that’s for sure. Now, what can I do about it?” The next step is to get quiet or meditate and let the answers come. Yep, they’re inside of you, make no mistake about that. You just need to call upon them to reveal the solutions. If you’re struggling, I have compassion for you. Make no mistake about that. But you do have the power to do something about it. Now, go out and get off your “buts”.
Until next time,
Tim
