Are you using testimonials to grow your business?

Testimonials are social proof. It’s somebody else talking about you, saying things you might already be saying, but because someone else is saying it, it carries more weight than if you said it. Testimonials are a way for us to brag about our business accomplishments, without us being the one to doing it. They show people the movement we’re making and how much we’re helping people in their businesses and the impact we’re making without us saying it.

Testimonials are underutilized by most business owners.

And, you probably don’t think about asking for them nearly enough.

If somebody sends you an email and they say something nice, just send them a message back and ask them if you can use it. When you’re at events or you’re speaking, and somebody says something, can you capture it on video? You might also ask them if you can write that up and email it to them for their approval so you can use what they said. It’s pretty easy to do, but you might not always think about it.

Also, begin to think about giving testimonials. Sit down after an event and shoot a testimonial video, or write one and send it out to the event promoter, or to one of the speakers who really touched you in some way.

I recently did this after an event. I had an associate who was doing a presentation and I was really impressed so, I shot a testimonial video. I sent it to her, and the next thing I know it’s on Facebook with a message that said, this might be the greatest testimonial ever.

She gets to use that in any format she wants. She can pull the audio. She can use it as a video. She can use it as a written testimonial. She can put it on Facebook so people can see it. It also works in my favor because she posted it. Now more people she knows are exposed to me.

Don’t be afraid to ask people for testimonials… especially videos.

The best testimonials typically come in real life – not when somebody’s sitting down in front of the camera or sitting down to write a testimonial, but when they’re just shooting off a quick message for you.

Use testimonials in everything you do. Put them in your emails. Put them on your website. Put them in your presentations – your teleseminars, webinars, and your platform presentations. Use them on the back of business cards, or the cards you use to send somebody a note.

Use your testimonials. Use them in the right ways, use them in the right formats, and they will help you build your businesses and help you get clients.