Are You Using The Power of Testimonials?

In last post I looked at the need for a selling system in your business. This time I want to focus on two very important parts of this system. In fact, without them you’re almost certainly leaving money behind on the table that could very easily be yours.

A few weeks ago I was looking for a holiday in Egypt for two weeks this February. I finally found a hotel I wanted, but it took me 2 weeks of procrastinating to finally book it. The reason why is interesting and has a direct bearing on whether or not our prospects will choose us or a competitor to clean their carpets...or even no-one at all!

After finding a hotel I liked, I ‘Googled’ it and looked at different reviews from other holidaymakers who had been there. (eg: tripadvisor.co.uk is an excellent site). But some of the reviews were of concern...”food was not very warm”...”food was repetitive after two weeks”...”staff were rude and unhelpful.”

It instantly stopped me in my tracks.

All buying decisions are emotional and we act in irrational ways at times.  One of the biggest motivators is fear...in this case fear of making a mistake. And it held me up for a couple of weeks from booking my holiday.

This is exactly the same for homeowners who want us to clean their carpets. They are afraid of making a mistake. (Isn’t this why we prefer to have someone recommended to us?). They have heard the horror stories of carpets wet for days, of rapid re-soiling, of shrinkage. They don’t want to make a mistake. They don’t want to pay too much...or too little. They don’t want their friends saying “You paid how much for that! I could have got you that for much less.” Not wanting to be seen to have made a mistake is a very powerful motivator for people NOT to take action now. The more we can remove that fear the more successful we will be at closing the sale.

So what can we do? I eventually booked the hotel after looking at other reviews and realising that the bad reviews were probably not accurate (even the best businesses have bad clients who complain). But what clinched it for me was when my sister-in-law said she had been there, knew the hotel and that it was one of the best in the area. In other words, a good TESTIMONIAL. It gave me the reassurance I needed.

Our customers are no different.

Have you ever had it said to you: “I wasn’t sure about you but then I found out that our neighbour has used you and that’s why I’m booking you.”

What can give them this reassurance so that they feel comfortable making a buying decision? Testimonials and a strong guarantee! They simply remove the fear of making a mistake.

Prospects probably have many questions that they are just not asking...about whether you really will do a good job...really will respect their home...and really are worth the extra cost. And if you are more expensive you need to give them the reasons why, so that they can explain to their friends why they have made the decision they have.

Testimonials and a bold guarantee are an important part of this and should be part of our structured selling system.