Lack of trust is one of the major sales objections you will face in conversations with prospects. Social proof helps you to dispel these doubts and show that you’re legitimate, while also driving home the unique benefits of your offer. It works because it shows what others have to say about you, which is much more powerful in a prospect’s mind than what you say about yourself. 

Testimonials offer a simple way to present social proof. A testimonial is a piece of text or video content that features a former customer extolling the benefits of a product or service. There are several qualities that make an effective testimonial to use in sales.

Clear and Specific

A great testimonial is clear and specific. It doesn’t explain the product in terms of features, but in concrete benefits it offers the user. In other words, the individual describes how using the product helped them or improved their lives. They should say specifically how it saved them either time, money, or headache. 

Uses Comparisons

Comparisons make testimonials even more effective. The person can compare your product to another they used, which shows the unique value yours offers and how it’s different from the competition. Another type of comparison is before and after; the customer might explain what their life was like before they used the product versus after.

Genuine and Authentic

Testimonials need to be real and authentic. They should include the name and picture of the real customer, and a link to their website or social media presence so your prospect can see that they’re legitimate.

How to Get Testimonials

One reason testimonials are so great for sales is that they’re easy to obtain. Whenever someone gives you feedback on your product, ask them if they wouldn’t mind you using it as a testimonial. 

You can build a mechanism for getting this content into your sales process. Follow up after each purchase by asking the customer if they would give you feedback you can use. 

Another idea is to reach out to reviewers, influencers, and other content creators in your niche with a free sample in exchange for a testimonial. 

Sales Testimonial Best Practices

In addition to being authentic, make sure you have permission to use customer feedback as testimonials. Let them review the final copy before it goes on your website. Offer them a link back to their website, and they’ll get traffic from you as well, making it a win-win.

Use testimonials anywhere you have a touchpoint with your audience. Choose your most high-impact ones for your most important online real estate such as the home page of your website. Be careful, however, not to clutter your site with too many testimonials.

If possible, ask your customers to create video testimonials. Videos are very popular and offer an easy way for people to consume content. They can be shared on social media sites and video-sharing sites. 

Make getting and posting testimonials a regular part of your sales process, and they will help you turn more prospects into buyers.

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