The technique of using customer testimonials within a sales process as a means of demonstrating credibility for a particular product or service, has been around for a long time. But quite frankly is the technique worth the effort?
Clearly for many companies it’s a great way connecting with their customers and finding common ground between their product and target market.
Here in the UK; the price comparison website Confused.com has been running a a number of TV advertising campaigns which make use of “real people” recording video testimonials via their web cams on what they like about the Confused.com website and the service they receive. The ultimate aim is to perhaps relate to their less web orientated customers, by using real people to tell them how “easy” it is to use their website thus encouraging them to get online and use it. Take a look at some of their clips here to judge for yourself.
I can see how this works, but to be fair I personally find these types of adverts annoying and generally switch over when they come on otherwise I finish up ranting at the TV.
Could You Write Me a Testimonial Please?
Many of my clients look to have testimonials put on their websites’ to bolster their businesses credibility. Fair point! However, obtaining these testimonials is very often, not simply a case of asking the customer to “write one”. Many a time, the request gets put on the back burner as a low priority item by the customer and never gets written which makes the whole process somewhat laborious.
Instead, if no original testimonial statement is forthcoming from the customer; I suggest that the client writes it themselves from their “customers” perspective and then sends this to their customer for either review or endorsement. This speeds the whole process up as it releases their customer from the pressure of actually spending time on the matter even if it’s something they intend to do eventually.
But hang on though, surely this defeats the whole point of a testimonial?
Write me a Testimonial
To a large extent I would agree and because I know this practice goes on, I tend to read any testimonial I see on a website or a magazine etc, with a good pinch of salt. However that’s not to say there aren’t plenty of heartfelt and genuine customers testimonials out there. But which ones are they? Is the key question?
Recommend this Person
LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals, has a cool feature called “Recommend this Person” which allows one person to provide an endorsement or testimonial for another person in their network. This endorsement is then displayed on the the person’s LinkedIn profile for all to see. Supplementing this feature is the ability for one person to ask for a testimonial from another person in their network.
The ultimate aim, is again; to build credibility about their services by displaying customer endorsements on their LinkedIn profile. A good idea in theory, but browsing through some of the endorsements that my connections have received, there were perhaps some red herrings in there;
- “[Name] is a nice person to work with.”
- “[Name] uses top quality equipment in his work and is very accommodating.”
- “I like the approach that [Name] took when we signed the order with them”
Really! I ask you!
So it seems there are “testimonials” and there are “testimonials”. But which are genuine? Which are “snake oil” and which are “kidology” as my father used to say about anyone involved in marketing. “It’s all kidology!” he used to tell me!
This is the big question. However one thing’s for certain the technique persists, companies spend money on using it and people respond to it. So surely the strategy works.
“Testimonials work for my business and I can demonstrate that I have gained clients as a result”
Fred Bloggs, Business Owner
[Sic] “If you could make out the cheque to F.Bloggs please. That would be great.”
I rest my case!
