Searching for that elusive available domain name?
Domainator checks for domain availability, trademarks,
definitions, synonyms, related words, etc.
_________________________________
HOW TO GET FREE TESTIMONIALS AND
USE THEM TO INCREASE YOUR SALES
Copyright 1999 Bob Leduc
One of the most valuable marketing tools for a business is
the testimonials it receives from satisfied customers. Yet,
many businesses never use these testimonials in their sales
efforts.
Testimonials are valuable proof to prospective customers
that your product or service actually delivers the benefit
you claim it will. In some ways, testimonials are like
referrals. A customer coming to you by referral from one of
their friends or acquaintances is already pre-committed to
do business with you. You don't have to convince them that
your product or service will provide the benefit they seek.
Your ability to deliver is already "guaranteed" by the
person giving the referral.
Testimonials from satisfied customers provide that same
assurance to a potential customer coming to you without a
referral. In every test I performed using the same messages
with and without testimonials, those with testimonials
increased sales, often by as much as 65% or more.
HOW TO GET GOOD TESTIMONIALS
Satisfied customers will occasionally call or write to you
expressing their appreciation without any prompting from
you. If you've been in business for some time you probably
already have a file of these. However, if you're new in
business you may have few or none of these "spontaneous
testimonials". How can you get some... and get them fast?
Here's a simple procedure any business can use effectively.
A short time after completing a transaction, send your
customer or client a personal postcard asking what they
liked best about your product or service. You'll be amazed
at some of the glowing comments you'll get. When you receive
comments you want to use in your advertising, simply ask the
customer to sign a release giving you permission to quote
those comments in your promotional material.
The release form I use includes the full text of the
customer's comments. I request permission to use the
comments "in complete or edited form" so I can shorten the
text when it's too long. I also request permission to use
the customer's name, city and state so it appears as
"Ann Smith, Austin, TX" instead of "A.S., TX". The
customer's privacy is protected by omitting the street
address.
HOW TO USE TESTIMONIALS EFFECTIVELY
My online and print sales letters usually include 3
testimonials. Each one is only 2 or 3 lines plus the
customer's name, city and state.
Be sure to select testimonials stating a specific benefit
gained by using your product or service. A testimonial
saying, "I bought your widget and am very happy with it"
won't motivate anybody else to buy your widget. Instead, use
testimonials like this actual testimonial I received from
one of my customers: "Hi Bob. I purchased your manual and
used one of the ideas to do a mailing which received about a
10% response rate." That's a powerful testimonial and I use
it regularly in my promotional material. It states
specifically what the customer gained by ordering my manual.
What do testimonials cost? Nothing! They're FREE! I've
learned by experience that some customers get offended if I
offer to pay for the right to quote their comments.
Therefore, I don't offer any compensation. I simply send the
release form with a pre-stamped return envelope and ask them
to sign and return the form. I don't remember the last time
somebody refused my request.
If you're not using testimonials in your promotional
material, start using them today. Begin by looking in your
customer files for comments you can use. Send postcards to
some recent customers asking what they liked most about your
product or service. Get permission to quote their comments
and include them in your sales material. You'll soon
discover FREE testimonials have the amazing power to
increase your sales and profits without increasing your
costs.
Bob Leduc retired from a 30 year career of recruiting sales
personnel and developing sales leads. He is now a Sales
Consultant. Bob recently wrote a manual for small business
owners titled "How to Build Your Small Business Fast With
Simple Postcards" and several other publications to help
small businesses grow and prosper. For more information...
Email: BobLeduc@aol.com Subject: "Postcards".
Phone: (702) 658-1707 (After 10 AM Pacific time)
Or write: Bob Leduc, PO Box 33628, Las Vegas, NV 89133
_________________________________
USING A GUARANTEE TO BUILD TRUST
A guarantee or a warranty is going to prove to your
customers that you stand behind your products or services.
It is going to tell your customers that you believe in your
products - and that if something should go wrong - you
will help them out. You will give their money back - or provide
them with money toward other products.
I love to shop at J.C. Penney's - my biggest love of that store
is their guarantee that I can get my money back if it doesn't fit.
I shop there for gifts for other people - if it doesn't fit - I know
they can return it with no hassles. They don't even need a
receipt. Now that's a guarantee!
Sometimes, their products are even more expensive than
other department stores - but I don't care - I'm willing to spend
the extra money - because of their return policy.
In fact, their return policy is so good - that you can wear a pair
of jeans for 3 months, if they start to fray on the ends, you can
return the jeans. If you are in any way dissatisfied with their
product - they will refund your money.
Why take the risk?
If you have a good product, 99% of your customers will not
return it. But when that 1% comes to you and asks for a refund -
you'd better give it to them. You need to stand behind your
guarantee. Take that customer - the dissatisfied one -
give him his money back - and give him a little extra. Turn it around -
make that dissatisfied customer into a satisfied customer.
Instead of him telling his friends and associates, "I didn't like
their product - so I got my money back." He'll be saying, "You know -
not only did they give me my money back - they gave me a gift
certificate for a free month of internet access."
Why take the risk? Because most people will not return the
product. And if people are returning your product - you'd better
take a good look at it, you'd better find out why they are returning
it and make it better.
Also, people will less likely return the product if you are honest
about the product's benefits and features. Don't lie, don't make
things up - tell it like it is. Tell them what they are really getting.
If they know what they're getting - they are not going to return it.
__________________
SPONSOR MESSAGE
--==-- WillMaster --==--
Awesome web site and graphic design.
Screaming hot CGI programming.
http://www.willmaster.com/
Publisher of "WillMaster Possibilities"
http://www.willmaster.com/possibilities/
mailto:subscribe-possibilities@willmaster.com
Our various sites linked at:
http://www.willmaster.com/connection/
________________________________
WHAT'S NEW AT THE WRITE MARKET
We've added several sections to the Free Graphic's Mine.
If you haven't been there in a while, check it out:
We've redesigned - AGAIN - added a little JavaScript.
We did this in the beginning of September so if you
haven't been to our site in a while, check it out!
We also added some Flash, if you don't have
the plug-in for Flash - go to -
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/
You may be missing out on a lot of exciting web pages
without it. (The plug-in is free.)
We also redesigned -
a totally awesome site - be sure to visit it.
______________________
FREE MONTHLY DRAWING
Please, keep sending us your 5 line ads:
freead@thewritemarket.com
We will publish two ads per month in
this newsletter - it's free!
Sign up for the monthly drawing
for a free banner!!
Send an email to freebanner@thewritemarket.com
Also include the text you'd like
to see on the banner and the link to your website.
The free banner will be standard banner size -
480x60. So you can use it in any banner
exchange program. Plus we'll put it on our site,
for one month, on a page
that gets lots of hits per day.
________________
A LITTLE BEGGING
If you liked this newsletter you may forward it to
anyone you like. Tell people about us, ask people to
subscribe simply sending an email to
subscribe@thewritemarket.com will get them on our
mailing list.
___________________________
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
You are receiving this email because you
signed up at one of these sites:
The Write Market: http://www.thewritemarket.com/
Great Promote: http://www.greatpromote.com/
Health And Money Tips: http://www.healthandmoneytips.com/
Or you sent an email to subscribe@thewritemarket.com
You can unsubscribe by sending an email to:
unsubscribe@thewritemarket.com , but please, tell us why
you don't like it in your email and we'll try to fix it. Thanks!
Comments or critiques to:
critique@thewritemarket.com
Copyright 1999 The Write Market
