How to get great testimonials from your customers
A 3-step plan to build trust and authority with customers.
Testimonials matter more than ever. Your website visitors want to know if they can trust you. They’re wondering what previous customers have thought about you, and they’re reading your testimonials to find out.
Are your testimonials helping your business? Or hurting it?
Most testimonials are boring and don’t connect with your customers. They focus on all the ‘bells and whistles’, but miss the crux of transformative storytelling.
“Brian is a great guy! They always answer the phone. We highly recommend Brian and his team!” While those are nice words, they do very little in telling a story of transformation.”
Every word on your website has a purpose. The purpose of your testimonials is to build trust and authority. Customers are looking to see if you’ve helped others solve a similar problem, so that they can trust you to do the same for them.
It’s all about story
You don’t need paragraphs filled with fancy words to convince your customers. A simple, structured story of transformation will be far more effective.
There are three parts to your testimonial story.
Problem
Solution
Success
The problem:
Why do customers come knocking? It’s because they have a problem in need of solving. The problem is both external and internal.
For example: A car breakdown is an external problem. The internal problem is a breakdown on trust in the safety and reliability of said vehicle. As a mechanic, you’re not just fixing a car, you’re helping the customer feel confident to transport their loved ones safely in a reliable vehicle.
The solution:
The solution is your answer to the customer’s problem. It’s the product or service in which you help the customer overcome their pain and move them to success. In your testimonial, this is where you can capture the customer’s unique experience.
The success:
The final and most important part of a story is the outcome. Don’t let your customers guess what happened, tell them! Show them what success clearly looks like. Paint the picture of what their life could look like once you’ve helped them solve their problem. At Nicolson & Co, success for our clients is seeing leaders have clarity and confidence, better engagement with customers and increased revenue.
Now that we understand the framework for simple storytelling, it’s time to collect stories from your customers. Here is a 3-step plan to get incredible testimonials.
Step 1: Survey your customers
Asking customers to write a testimonial from scratch is stressful. They procrastinate, because they don’t know what to say and how to say it.
So here’s the quarter-twist: you’re going to survey them and then write a testimonial for them, based on their answers.
That’s cheating right? It’s not, and it works.
The truth is, when you create a clear testimonial that your customer agrees with, you help them avoid feeling awkward. To achieve this, you ask them the following 5 questions that is will capture their experience in a story format.
The 5 questions you need to ask:
What was your biggest challenge prior to working with <your brand> [or] purchasing <product>?
How did that challenge make you feel?
What changed after working with us [or] using <product>?
Are there any specific results can you share?
What would you say to somebody on the fence about working with us [or] our <product>?
These questions are powerful because they can be compiled into a story of transformation. This is the crux of highly-engaging testimonials. Everything else is just bells and whistles.
Tip: The best way to survey is using an online form, or arrange a phone call.
Step 2: Write their testimonial
Using the details and experience surveyed by the customer, you can begin writing a testimonial using this story format.
Problem
Solution
Success
Question 1 and 2 are focused on the external and internal problem. Question 3 and 4 is focused on the successful outcome. Question 3 also draws out the solution, which you can elaborate on further.
Example:
[PROBLEM:] In 2017, our business suffered a cyberattack. A phishing email led to a virus erasing all of our customer information along with their trust. [SOLUTION:] Since working with CyberM8, we’ve implemented an online security system that has blocked hundreds of phishing email scams every year. [SUCCESS:] Our productivity and revenue has skyrocketed. Customers now trust us with their information because we trust CyberM8 for cybersecurity.
Step 3: Get feedback and approval
Send the polished testimonial back to the client and ask for their feedback and approval. If they give you a resounding YES — congrats! It’s okay to ask follow up questions if some of their answers were not clear enough.
Don’t forget to ask the customers for their consent to use the approved testimonial in your marketing materials. Upon confirmation, upload the testimonial to your website. Add a customer image or logo if possible.
Tips:
Send customers a link to your Google or Facebook page, so they can copy-paste their testimonial to publish online as well. A well-written Google review is a valuable asset for building trust (and for web SEO).
If you run a business with a customer-facing location (i.e. Cafe), Check out Google’s free assets here: https://marketingkit.withgoogle.com/intl/en-GB/r/AU
You now have the tools to create testimonials that build trust with customers and clearly demonstrate how your business can help them achieve success. Best of luck!
Running a small business shouldn’t be an endless cycle of busyness. At Nicolson and Company, we believe there’s a better way to scale.
Through our Coaching program, we can help you enjoy the rewards of a growing business - without the pressure of doing everything yourself.
