You Said, They Said
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Jerry Hocutt reminds us of the value of testimonials.
Here’s the thing: When you tell your prospects — even your customers — how great you are, it’s bragging. It’s exaggeration. People don’t like making buying decisions working from a platform of extreme product exaggeration.
When your customers tell your prospects how great you are, it’s a different story. It’s the truth. These are stories from experience. Now, we all know this as sales professionals, but we continually violate the principle.
Explain your product or service in a compelling manner, then let your current customers validate what you say.
Lately, as I’ve spoken to several corporations about their need to use a blog, in one way or another, I’ve used this line :
You see a commercial about a Jeep. You don’t go buy it.
You stop by a dealer and he gives you all kinds of numbers to think about. You don’t buy it.
You get home and your brother calls and says he just bought a Jeep and took it four-wheelin’ and it kickass ! NOW you go buy it … and I mean right freakin’ now !
That’s what a testimonial is and does.
Numbers tell and stories sell.
Mike, as usual, a great way of putting it. And it makes me think of the phrase you hear from time to time: “consider the source”. Unknown source = questionable facts; known and valued source = I believe it…