When we spend our hard-earned money, we want to be absolutely sure we are making an informed buying decision. That’s why as a business owner you need to ensure that you are providing all the information the customer needs to make a purchase.
However, while you are able to provide the details of how a product works, any warrantees or that you have so many years’ experience in this industry. Customers are aware that it’s in your own interest to sell your product or service. You need to build trust.
This is why customer testimonials are so important. In fact, 92% of consumers read online reviews and testimonials when considering a purchase!
If you are able to acquire a good number of testimonials, from a diverse group of customers, you instantly become much more appealing and trustworthy.
Although, many business owners struggle asking their customers for testimonials. A good approach to have is to thank someone for using your business, mention you are committed to growing your business and would really appreciate if they would write you a short testimonial.
This is another reason why having a presence on social media is so important. Social media is a great way to gather testimonials as you can enable the ‘reviews’ function on your business page. Then you can publish this on your website.
Customer reviews should also be recent. You don’t have to include dates but you should always be looking to keep your reviews up to date, otherwise you risk them loosing their authenticity.
Customers want to know that you can be trusted, not just when selling but when it comes to special requests, difficult jobs or returning a purchase. People respect when a business take more care of their customers, even once payment has been made. In competitive industries, giving top customer service will give you the edge on your competitors.
It’s also a great way to create what we call ‘customer advocates. These are customers who have had such a positive experience they share it with the people they know, they promote your business without you even asking.
In conclusion, don’t be shy to ask your happy customers for their feedback. Make sure you have their permission to publish any names or details though. Building up your base of testimonials will do wonders for your business.
