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The 4 qualities every great testimonial has

Written by: Jay Lipe

Article Overview: The 4 qualities every great testimonial has

The 4 qualities every great testimonial has

The 4 qualities every great testimonial has
1. A person attached to it
The more your testimonials have names attached to them, the better. They’re just more believable
this way. Plus, there’s an outside chance the reader of the testimonial knows the person who wrote it.
This has happened several times for our business and the ensuing behind-the-back conversation
between the two establishes instant credibility.
2. Brevity
3 sentences or less. No more. And no sentence should have more than 15 words.
3. An emotion.
Which of these does a better job?
“Wow, was I surprised. I never thought I could get my accounting
questions answered so fast”
OR
“I got my accounting questions answered very fast.”
You’ll agree that the first one, because of the emotion in it, captures a reader’s attention better.
4. A definable benefit
The reader must see a true benefit to what you offer. Otherwise, the testimonial doesn’t
demonstrate a solution to the reader. For example, it’s not enough for a testimonial to say
“He really knows his stuff”
Instead, the head-turning testimonial would say
“He knows his stuff so well, he saved me at least 20 hours of my own time”
Page 5
This second one points out the tangible results, and therefore makes for a more attentiongrabbing
quote.
Now, which of these is more impactful?
“XYZ’s service helped us launch three new initiatives and save a week’s worth of
management time”
OR
“They really helped us a lot”
Remember…
Testimonials are one of the most powerful tools in your marketing toolkit. Use them when you
want to establish credibility, gain trust or generate word of mouth for your business. The right
testimonial, placed strategically will go a long way towards closing business.

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  Insurance Lead Strategies Testimonial
  How to Easily Get Customer Testimonials
  Testimonials May Benefit You More Than You May Think
  A very underutilized strategy to build your online credibility
  Build Your Business With Testimonials

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Related Forum Posts
Poor qualities = no franchise! - Most franchises screen their potential franchisees very well (and if they don't, then they aren't a good franchise). Chances are if anyone held even some of the qualities you outlined here, they would not be granted a franchise. Just because someone has the cash to purchase one, doesn't mean they will get one. And Nana- you are so right, no one should be in any type of business if they hold those qualities!
What makes a good sales rep? - I read about a great salesman and poor salesman who were sent to a village where people could not afford to buy a new shoe. The poor salesman did not believe anyone could buy new brand shoe so he could not sell in the poor village. But this great salesman believed that at least there would be a person who would be interested in using the new shoe for the first time in his or her life. That believe made him to sell more new shoes in the village than the other person who went back to the city because of his believe. So, one of the qualities sales representative can have is to believe in himself and the products is representing. I will share more of the qualities in the next posts.
Re: Another Wordpress Website! - I think I liked the opt-in box better before the change. And I agree with Evan about making the testimonial pictures the same size. Otherwise it looks great! Also, I got your PM. Gotta go right now but I will reply later.
Re: I really feel great today because . . . . . - October 5, 2010 I really feel great today because of several reasons. First, I got a wonderful testimonial from a satisfied customer. Second, I was able to answer all of the questions I had from students, which made me feel great to be of service and provide value. My hope is always to leave the day better than I found it. Aneshia
Re: Testimonials - Hi Trent, Sorry I am a bit late picking up on this but just noticed the refreshed post and Evan's great video. I have pm'd you a testimonial, hope that helps, regards, Mal.


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