With this technique, we had a 100% hit rate for receiving quality testimonials. Never ask for testimonials right out of the gate. First off, you never know exactly how a customer feels about your product. Plus, if you initiate by asking for a testimonial and leave the request open-ended, you run the risk of getting extremely general feedback (e.g. “This was a great product! I really love it!”). The problem with those testimonials is that they’re ineffective and don’t convince other prospects. Instead, use this three-step process:
- Send an email asking for specific feedback on the product. (Your questions might include: Was my product interesting for you? If so, how has it helped you? If not, how can we do better?) Of course, you can skip right to step two if you receive an unprompted email praising your product or service.
- Once you receive an email with positive feedback, go ahead and construct a testimonial using the customer’s wording.
- Then, send an email (using the template above) asking your customer if you can get a testimonial. Include the testimonial you constructed using their words. The main thing is to reduce the work on their part by writing a testimonial that’s true to what they would say and helpful to your business. These emails tend to run longer than usual, but at the end of the day, they work!
This email was contributed by Jessie Dedecker.
