The comments your customers give you are invaluable. The positive comments are called “testimonials”! Think about positive comments your customers have given you recently. Can you point to specific statements they’ve made? Have you written them down?? If not, it’s time to shape up!

Testimonials are one of the cornerstones of any marketing campaign. They give potential customers specific, tangible impressions about your product, and they inspire confidence.

Every time you or your employees follow up with a customer, write down what they say, both positive and negative. Respond to the negative ones, whether with changes to your product or service, or with further information and education to help them become satisfied customers. Remember, a great response to a negative comment can generate overwhelming loyalty, and another excellent testimonial!

A simple way to collect testimonials is to train your employees (and remind yourself!) to jot notes whenever they are speaking with a customer. From these jottings, you can easily develop testimonials, which can be used in all media, whether print, online, or on the radio or TV. Just make sure to get approval before using their comment. Ask if it’s OK to identify their company and use their name. Publishing the customer’s name with the testimonial increases the value of their comment considerably. If using the testimonial online, link it to their website or blog, and request that they link to you, also.