Everyone loves to hear about how great they are. I can guarantee, if you run a business, the testimonials from your devoted fans are as good as gold. Not only do they validate what you do and give you the warm fuzzies, but it also tells anyone who is considering working with you that you are worthy of their attention and time.
Now, I know you want to know the mystical secret about how to get people to give you the best testimonials, but that isn’t what this post is about. This is about giving testimonials to other people.
That’s the way to build strong connections for your network.
So, what’s the best way to write a testimonial for someone else? Remember when we talked about “gratitude notes“? A testimonial is basically a gratitude note that you are will to share with everyone.
First let’s look at a less-powerful statement:
We hired Bob Smith to get our widget processing production facilities up to industry standard. Bob did a great job keeping everything organized. Thanks, Bob!
Yawn. OK, it isn’t a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but it certainly doesn’t fire the imagination. A great testimonial (one which the recipient will want to include in all of his marketing materials) should describe the problem you were having including the personal emotional toll it was taking on you. It should talk about specific solutions that the person or company provided and then talk about the astounding results that you are now experiencing.
Two years ago our widget processing production facilities were running so far under industry standard that we were on the verge of laying off half of the work force. As the head of the company, I was the one who was going to have to tell those families that there wouldn’t be a Christmas. Fortunately, we were able to hire Bob Smith. Bob came in with his 24-Omega process and, over the course of two months, not only saved those jobs, but got our facilities running to 10% over the national average. Wow! Things are going so well that we are going to be putting in another shift. Thank you, Bob, for setting us up as the industry leader!
I think you’ll agree that the second version packs a little more punch. In fact, you’ve probably already noticed that it is in the form of a very short story.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about how we can apply our new testimonial skills.
Photo credit: TheTruthAbout…
