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I Want Your Testimonials

RichRich administrator Posts: 582 Site Admin
edited December 2007 in Marketing
Do you use testimonials to market your business?
 
We do. You`ll see them sprinkled around our site. I think testimonials are one of the single most powerful ways to create confidence among prospective customers.
 
Here`s an example, emailed to me yesterday, one of hundreds we`ve received in recent months:


I`ve been thinking a lot about Sarah Blakeley`s interview on your show in which she talked about how she never did a trade show but just cold-called with no fear.  She`s so inspiring and has become my hero!  I have listened to that podcast many times.  (Of course, I`ve listened to every podcast many times and can`t get enough of them!)

 

So that`s the latest with me and my little business idea.  It`s definitely turning out to be quite the adventure.  But seriously, I really don`t think I`d be this far along or have the confidence to do it without
StartupNation. 

First off, it`s tremendously gratifying when you get this kind of feedback (did someone say "validation"?!) from a customer. But it`s also a great third party opinion about what we do here. You`ll see more and more consumer driven "recommendations" in product marketing going forward. Just look at Facebook`s new strategy for endorsing products using community members.
 
In this thread, I`m inviting, no, ENCOURAGING you to include your favorite testimonial that you earned through your business in 2007. Yes, it`s a little bit like bragging, but I want you to brag - if you`re collecting great testimonials, you should be proud and I`d love for other people to celebrate your success.
 
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Comments

  • RichRich administrator Posts: 582 Site Admin
    that`s what i`m talking about, shonika!
     
    i hope you get more such feedback in the year that awaits!
     
    rich
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  • JeannieJeannie subscriber Posts: 8

    Do you use testimonials to market your business?   Yes, I DO use testimonials to market my business! Actually, my "testimonials" page gets the most traffic - which I truly believe, DOES create the needed trust and confidence among my prospective customers. It is REALLY rewarding and gratifying when I get kind testimonials from my cool customers. But if I were to choose only one to share, it would have to be this one at:  http://www.nemu-nemu.com/2007/10/26/smudgeguards.php/ because this company took the time out of their busy day to write a one page testimonial that included a funny story of why they decided to write a testimonial, also included pictures of my product AND posted it onto their own website as well to help me promote my product. =) So, because of great testimonials like the one above, I really think that`s how the big company, Wacom, took notice of my product. I`m proud to say that they decided to give me a wonderful opportunity. My product is now being offered from one of their sites at:    http://www.buywacom.com.au/products.cfm ... D954F&ID=0. So for anyone who may be contemplating on adding testimonials or not, please, add it! In my opinion, it`s definitely a plus! =) Jeannie 
     
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  • RichRich administrator Posts: 582 Site Admin
    TigerTaco,
     
    very cool that you had richard thalheimer`s attention..
     
    and congrats to you, jeannie, for your successes.
     
    let`s hear some more!!!!!!!!!!!!
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  • JeannieJeannie subscriber Posts: 8
    Thanks Rich!
     
    I am also very grateful to StartUpNation for giving me the inspiration, courage and help that I so need!  Thanks for creating such a great and resourceful site!  
     
    Jeannie Lit
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  • RichRich administrator Posts: 582 Site Admin
    Mine:
    "Nikole was able to take my vision for my products and bring it to life. Her skills at drilling down and communicating what was in my head gave breath to my site. I recommend her highly!"
    I should ask for them more often than I do. You going to write me one, Rich?

     
    nikole, heck yeah! here it is: Nikole drilled into my head that i needed to do less, do it better, and do it faster at StartupNation. that was tough to hear. but i took the advice and it`s already making a difference.... even though i can hardly control my creative and innovative urges as a typical entrepreneur, the discipline tacit in her advice is going to really help our business perform.
     
    hope you didn`t mind the re-use of the verb "drill". it goes well with you...
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  • RichRich administrator Posts: 582 Site Admin

    Thanks Rich! I am also very grateful to StartUpNation for giving me the inspiration, courage and help that I so need!  Thanks for creating such a great and resourceful site!   Jeannie Lit
     the greatness of our site is totally tied to the greatness of the people within the site. (and no, i`m not giving a political speech!)
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  • RichRich administrator Posts: 582 Site Admin
    love it, karen!
     
    for those of you who add your own testimonials in here to gloat (as you should) a little, you might want to use the third editing button from the left to indent the testimonial paragraph(s). that way it will be obvious to your readers what is testimonial and what is not. you can also go back and edit existing posts accordingly. i opted to also reduce the text size of the testimonial...
     
    come on... this is for posterity!!!!
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  • TexaderoTexadero subscriber Posts: 0
    We use testimonials on our private family website service, FamilySays.com. We`ve also seen positive feedback on the web and in emails we receive. One of our favorites this year:I am a Family Says user now based in Japan, and I use it to keep my family here connected to family in the US. Everyone in our family, oldest to youngest, contributes to the site because it`s so easy to use. Not wanting to hassle with building my own site, I went with this one, and I was up and running in minutes. Their page designs are simple and clean, and I like that there are no ads and it`s free from intrusions common to other sites. Way to go - it`s a winner!
    It is always exciting to hear from customers that love your product. That positive feedback helps keep you moving and smooths out some of those rough spots that are inevitable in any business venture.Texadero11/29/2007 11:17 AM
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  • CookieCookie subscriber Posts: 2
    When I work garden walks & open houses, I always have a poster board up showing testimonials.  I ask permission to use the writer`s name & location which provides authenticity to what`s been written.  Faultless Starch/Bon Ami, manufacturer of the Garden Weasel tools, is asking Big Idea Group`s network to help them find/develop/license gardening tools to assist small, disabled, or elderly people do a variety of gardening tasks.  I plan to submit WEDGIE for evaluation & you can bet I`m going to include the following testimonial:
     
     
    "The Wedgie is unquestionably my favorite and most-used tool.  Every year, I plant over 1,000 seedlings in my rooftop container garden, and the WEDGIE has allowed me to plant twice as quickly as before, which really adds up!  It is far more efficient than a traditional trowel or spade, as it quickly creates a planting hole that is exactly the size of a standard plug, without spraying soil all over my clothes and my deck.  And although I experience problems from carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists, I can garden for hours at a time using my Wedgie without pain;  I recommend it to friends with similar problems as well as arthritis.
     
    In 2005, my container garden won First Prize for Rooftop Gardens Citywide in Chicago`s annual Mayor Daley`s Landscape Awards contest.  I couldn`t have done it without my Wedgie!"
    MaryAnne Spinner, Chicago, IL
     
     
    On my order form, I have a line that asks:  How did you hear about WEDGIE?  On an order for 3 which I received yesterday, the customer responded:  From a friend.  You can`t beat positive word-of-mouth.  I`ll bet she`s giving the WEDGIEs as gifts and so the word spreads....
    Always use that positive feedback!
     
    P.S.  Sorry, Rich, for not indenting the quote but I`ve tried to do it before & I end up with all kinds of gobbledy-gook.
     
    Cookie12/4/2007 1:11 PM
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  • LovePilatesLovePilates subscriber Posts: 0
    Great idea for this post, Rich. 
     
    I`m a big fan of testimonials!  Here are a few given to me, which were quite easy to obtain since I`m just doing what I love - http://accesspilates.com/testimonials
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