Dear Friend,
Okay, this week we're moving on to "higher education" with
Website Conversion 101. It's a practical lesson and so easy to
apply you'll wish someone had told you about it sooner.
Now, as you already know, people are skeptical as hell. They
don’t trust anybody… especially on the Internet. The intangible
nature of web businesses makes them inherently shady to an
already skeptical consumer. That's a problem.
Fortunately, you know the solution: the #1 most powerful way to
overcome skepticism is with testimonials. There's nothing like a
little "he said/she said" to convince consumers how much people
just like them have benefited from your product, service or
expertise.
Let someone do the bragging for you instead of tooting you own
horn. (Although you do have to toot your own horn from time to
time as well.)
Instant trust!
And instant "killer copy." Testimonials are worth their weights
to gold. The words and "trust me, this works" message they
convey can beef-up your headlines, web copy, email messages,
order page language, P.S., follow-up emails… whatever.
Even though you might not use every testimonial immediately,
you'll want to gather as many as you can to use in the future.
Think of them as "something for a rainy day."
I don’t really care how many testimonials you have right now; you
need more. It's like the old MTV slogan says: "Too much is never
enough."
The bottom line is that you can never have too many testimonials.
Here's why:
Let's say you're doing a sales letter and have 50 testimonials in
your "pocket." You don't have to include all of them in the
letter. Pick the best of the best… the most enthusiastic and
flattering of the bunch… and use them. You don't even have to use
them in their entirety!
You can feature snippets from the Top 10 and then have a link
that opens up a new page with the complete testimonial and the
other 40 that didn't make the first cut.
This way, you don't interrupt the flow of your letter with a huge
block of testimonials. Instead, you give your reader a option to
"Click Here" if they want to see more "proof".
Okay, that's my theory on testimonials. Now let's get to the
action you need to take…
Instead of hoping and praying that your customers might send you
a testimonial whenever they feel like it, you need to chase them
down like a Kodiak bear goes after Alaskan salmon.
The best way to do that is to build your request right into your
marketing message! That your "system" automatically collects
testimonials for you.
Intrigued?
Or are you worried that you're going to need a lot of blood,
sweat, and tears to make it happen?
Come on! You know me better than that! I wouldn't steer you
towards a complex, difficult-to-manage business process. My two
favorite letters in the alphabet are E-Z.
And testimonial "farming" is actually quite E-Z to automate.
First of all, you've gotta make sure they’ve used your product.
If your customers haven’t used and benefited from what you offer,
how the heck can you get a testimonial from them?
Let’s say you’re selling the Widget Weigh Station, a piece of
exercise equipment with a built-in scale. It's in your best
interest to find a way that's effective and cost-effective to
"facilitate use."
It could be a manual, could be a video, could be a DVD.
Whatever. The key is to provide the support, motivation, and
impetus to get your customers to actually USE the darn thing.
To make it more likely that your customers do their "reps" and
see the results of their workout with the Weigh Station, include
some sort of instructions on how to assemble the machine and how
to use it.
Most people don't want to find their own way. They're looking
for leadership… someone to point them in the right direction.
And you know what I always say:
Give the people what they want! Lead them!
If you’re selling an information product like the $397 Widget
Real Estate Home Study Course, include a quick jump-start CD or a
step-by-step guide on how to study or "consume" the course.
Start with this CD first, and then read that manual, and then
watch this DVD… you get the idea?
Now, remember, this is the first step on the road to Testimonial
Acres. Because the more people use/consume your product, the more
benefits they enjoy. And the more benefits they enjoy the more
satisfied they are.
And the most satisfied they are, the more likely you are to get
mountains and mountains of rave reviews and solid-gold
testimonials.
Of course…this all assumes that your product/service is
exceptional and deserves the accolades! If you're trying to pass
off a sow's ear as silk, none of this applies.
But, I assume you're one of the good guys (or gals) in the world
of business and that you're selling a product or service of
genuine value. So let's move on to the next step.
Set up an autoresponder series
Did you just break out into a cold sweat, horrified at the
prospect that you're going to have to write a bunch of killer
emails? Well take a deep breath and calm down…
I've got a gift for you.
You don't have to beg, borrow, steal, or (heaven forbid) create
your first message. I've got a prototype you can have with my
blessings. I don’t mind. (But do send me an email and thank me
though)
You'll certainly want to "tweak" the contents and modify it until
it fits your business like a hand-tailored suit, but this will
give you an idea.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Subject: "Alex, I'd Like To Put Your Name On My Website!"
Dear Alex,
As you can see from the headline above, I'd like to put your name
on my website. I'll tell you more about that in just a moment.
But, first things first. Alex, what is even more important right
now is that I say...
Thank You! I really mean it.
You took a chance. I admire that greatly... and... I want you to
know that I did everything within my power to make your
investment... the best investment you'll ever make in your
online business.
You wouldn't believe how much I love working with EACH one of my
clients.
A hell of a lot thinking goes on "behind the scenes"... and I
slave over every project I work on, to give you the biggest bang
for your buck.
Now, I'm really hoping you can help me, Alex.
What I'm really hoping is that you'll be kind enough to take just
a couple of minutes to let me know what kind of benefits you've
received from (Insert Your Product Name)
All you have to do is answer a few simple questions and reply to
this email. Don't worry, it's real easy and won't take more than
a couple of minutes of your time.
And Alex, if you do participate in this small questionnaire you
stand a very good chance of seeing your "name in print" on my
website.
Here's the questionnaire:
Full Name (inc. Company Name):
Address: City, State, Zip:
Occupation: What is your overall experience of the (Insert Your
Product Name)you received?
Describe the one or two benefits that you have gotten from
(Insert Your Product Name), that you value most.
Explain any specific results (i.e. higher rate of conversion /
increase in profits) that you're experiencing because of the
(Insert Your Product Name):
Any other information / feedback you'd like to give: Do I have
your permission to use the information in this questionnaire as a
testimonial on my website?
= = = = = = = = = = A special gift = = = = = = = = = =
If you call 1-800-609-9006 x2691 toll-free, and leave me an AUDIO
testimonial AND email me your photo (International callers may
use 678-255-2174 x2691.)
I'll mail you a very very special "mystery" gift that's worth its
weight in gold.
I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.
And, as I said earlier, if you can do me the small favor of
answering the questions above and replying to this email, there's
a very good chance you'll soon see your name on my website.
Sincerely,
Dan Lok
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Were you surprised to see that I asked for a photo and an audio
testimonials? Don't be.
Through extensive testing, I’ve found out that a testimonial with
a photo and an audio produces pulls much better compared to just
a plain old written testimonial.
But don’t believe what I say, why not test it and see for
yourself?
I use Audio Generator
(http://www.danlokrecommends.com/audiogenerator.html) for this
important function. When I signed up with the service, I was
given a personal toll-free testimonial number where my clients
can just call in and record their testimonials.
It doesn't cost them a penny and it's convenient.
People can be lazy or procrastinate about things that are
important to THEM, let alone something like a testimonial that's
important to YOU.
That's why you want to make it E-Z (there are those letters
again!) for your customers to share their thoughts.
Think about the alternative: you have software that sits on your
desktop that can convert MP3 into a flash audio button.
Seems good for you, but what about your customers?
THEY have to record the testimonial on their own, send it to you,
and then you convert it to a flash audio button. What a pain in
the butt.
And, ultimately, not so good for you, after all.
Here's something else that's not so good: vagueness.
Vague testimonials are not believable because they don't
communicate anything tangible. "Oh, I love Widgets" and "I think
Widgets are very good." are compliments, but they don't describe
how a consumer benefited from using widgets.
A good testimonial is descriptive.
It communicates exactly how the customer benefited. "Thanks to
Widget, I lost my love handles and gained the love of my life."
or "Now that I use Widget Fertilizer, my tomatoes are twice as
big and twice as tasty."
A great testimonial builds up trust, but that trust can be lost
in the blink of an eye.
Imagine this scenario: you see a great testimonial saying how
great a product is. You're all fired up that "someone like me"
has weighed in, but when you read further, the testimonial is
signed "John" or "J.S."
Talk about "buzz" kill.
People don't trust initials. They're one step above an
attribution of "Anonymous" and do nothing to inspire confidence.
The attribution information is your customer's way of saying, "I
stand behind my words." To avoid Initial Shock, get permission to
use the customer’s full name, business name, occupation, URL, or
business address, if appropriate. The more details you have, the
more believable your testimonial will be.
Oh, one more quick tip:
Whenever, someone sends you a nice email with praise, thanks, or
any kind of compliment, you should immediately respond with a
thank–you. And while you're at it…
Ask permission to use the content of the note as a testimonial.
(Get them while they’re HOT!)
Okay, that's it.
You're now ready to go bag some testimonials... and with your
"automatic weapons" you should be able to get quite a few.
Today, more testimonials… tomorrow, more inquiries, more
prospects, more customers, and more sales.
That's a Lok!
Dan Lok
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