Here’s why testimonials are good for you!

Why should you consider asking customers for testimonials? It can seem a bit awkward, so it’s understandable if you’ve never done it or haven’t in a long time.

We recently embarked on a project to create fresh testimonials and are here to testify to the value of this rather uncomfortable exercise.

What landed in our lap was a piece now named the Million Dollar Testimonial. Here’s why: It hit on every part of what we think is important, what we strive to deliver, and what we focus on every day. It reinforced what we do, how we do it, and why.

The Million Dollar Testimonial was so good that we posted it in our shop. It’s now serving as a morale booster.

Even the most dedicated, die-hard business owner can lose sight of why s/he is pouring every last drop of energy, integrity and service into the thing. Employees can lose sight of it long before the owner. However, if the bar is being met, you can be sure customers see it, feel it, and are happy to talk about it.

Although the testimonial we recently received had a ton of great lines, one of our favorites is, “What a wonderful feeling!” That’s the part of doing business most of us know is key, but it often gets lost in the day-to-day grind of consistent customer service. How we make people feel is very likely thee key to having a successful business.  

Our customers often spend thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars on our products and never meet one of us in the flesh. We really do care — and it translates over the phone and via the web. In the end, our products speak for all of us. It’s nice to hear from customers that quality makes a difference.

Comparing our products to other wood products on the market is not apples-to-apples. We’ve had customers tell us they could have gotten what they needed cheaper somewhere else. Those who appreciate our sincere, genuine, knowledgeable team members buy from us — and are glad they did.

As is the case with almost everything in life, not all business transactions go as smoothly as most of us wish they would. Interestingly enough, some of our best testimonials have come from customers that had some sort of an issue. How we handled the problem left a stronger imprint than the problem itself.

So, don’t be afraid to ask customers you’ve had to “handle” for testimonials. If you’ve done right in the end, that will be the focus of their feedback.

You may not be in the business of delivering products that represent one of the biggest investments people might make in their lifetime or the last house they ever build, but we are. Whatever you’re doing is leaving people with a feeling. When was the last time you asked them what that feeling is?

If the thought of embarking on this type of project feels overwhelming, delegate it to one of your staff members — or farm it out. You’ll have results you can put on your website or in a special spot for your employees and boost morale.