Sound Solutions: North Bank Audio Solutions

As I’ve shared before, you can easily leverage testimonials as powerful positioning tools in your business by asking your highest profile associates to vouch for you as well as offering testimonials to those you know with a large amount of visibility in your target market.

Now I’m sharing the anatomy of an effective testimonial. I’ll admit that while I already knew this formula, I pretty much just lifted it from the notes I took at Adam Urbanski’s “Attract Clients Like Crazy” bootcamp this month in Newport Beach California.

Here we go:

1. First share your name and website. Your company name can be included, but keep it brief. The main thing is you want to send them to a web page that is easy to spell (since many testimonials are in audio or video formats) and is relevant to those who will be listening. Make sure it has an opt-in box with an offer for something valuable to the folks who will see the testimonial.
2. Next, share a brief sentence about what you do. Focus on the benefits of your work rather than the process.
3. Now, share where you were before you worked with the person or company you are vouching for. This is the part where you “bring the pain”. Explain the problems you were having.
4. Explain the experience you had of the service or product you are giving a testimonial for. Again, don’t focus so much on the process, but on the value of the services received.
5. This is the most important part. Tell the audience the benefits and results you got from using the service or product. Be as specific as possible. Include numbers and examples if you can. Money speaks, so if you can include financial figures, that is ideal.
6. The last step is optional, but suggested. Include the “result of the result”. So, if a new program enabled you to make an extra $30,000 this year, explain what that will mean to you in human terms. For example, you can spend more time with your family and friends and take that exotic vacation you’ve always dreamed about without having to check your email once.

Follow this basic outline and you can’t fail. Another thing - when you’re meeting people you have worked with or think you might work with, get a photo together. Then, either of you give each other testimonials, you’ll have something to post with it as a credibility factor.

The last tip is… ALWAYS tell the truth. You will do a disservice to yourself, your prospects and the person you are giving a testimonial for if you make things up or fabricate any of the above.

Did I miss anything? Do you have any big testimonial stories, examples, wins or horror stories to share? Join the conversation by posting a comment below.

I recently gave an endorsement to my good friend and client Adam Urbanski of The Marketing Mentors for his upcoming Attract Clients Like Crazy event.

Well, if you’re on any of Adam’s lists, you should have already gotten his message about my testimonial, but I wanted to share you the link with you myself so that you could see what he did.

Have a look for yourself:
http://www.northbankaudio.com/mmtestimonial

What struck me about this was, not only did this testimonial become a vehicle for a powerful promotion that Adam could send out to his list, but it also became a promotion for me as well! I’ve already seen a few new opt-ins directly from this promotion he sent out.

The real reason I’m sharing this with you is two fold:

#1) I want you to learn from what Adam did.

Make sure you’re asking your clients, associates and even contractors or employees for testimonials.

When you’re asking for testimonials, coach your clients on what you’re looking for.

I’m going to follow this up soon with the anatomy of an effective testimonial, but listen to the one I recorded for Adam at the link above for the basic format.

#2) I want you to learn from what I did.

Are you offering testimonials to your associates who are highly visible in your target market? If the answer is  ‘no’, you’re leaving money on the table.

I knew that giving a testimonial to someone with as much  visibility in my target market as Adam has would pay off  for me just as much as it would for him.

Notice that I plugged my website in the beginning and end  of the audio I recorded. Whenever introducing yourself,  don’t use your company name - use your website.

Here’s that link again:
http://www.northbankaudio.com/mmtestimonial

One more thing… whenever dealing with testimonials, whether you are giving one or asking for one, audio and video is much better than just text.

You can truly identify with your audience and authentically present a message in these forms. Plus, different people like to learn in different ways and you need to make all of your information as easy to consume as possible.

Do you have any testimonial tips to share? Any big wins or horror stories? Do you absolutely disagree with what I just said?

Join the conversation. Add a comment below.