The Customer Testimonial and How to get them
If you’re in business to business (B2B) marketing you know the pain of getting a customer testimonial. It’s one area where B2B and B2C are slower to come together.
But, it’s not impossible and the white flag should not be waved! You CAN get customer testimonials but it will take patience and creativity. I will show you tips and tricks I’ve used in the past as well as a few client testimonial examples.
First, let’s take a look at why testimonials are so important to get.
Customer testimonials are coveted as they offer social proof to prospects that your products or services are solving key pain points and your brand can be trusted.
A B2B customer testimonial from a substantial job title at a well know brand is golden. It can instantly pique the interest of prospective customers and give your brand credibility thus helping to increase conversion rates and increase sales.
B2B buyers are putting their professional reputation and decision making on the line when they decide to buy from you. The larger the purchase the more risky it is.
They’re spending precious budget dollars with which they’ve been entrusted and a bad purchase can damage their stature at their company.
The decision process can be arduous and long. But, seeing and hearing from other buyers in their industry or space buying from your brand can shorten that sales cycle and give your company a leg up in the process.
These reviews can be simple quote testimonials, case study testimonials, or even the coveted customer testimonial video
The Customer Testimonial Request is Hard
There still is detachment with the B2B purchase. I don’t believe we’ve reached the point yet where there is the same pride and ownership of a B2B purchase that you find with a personal B2C purchase.
Unless there is a personal or close relationship between buyer and seller, the request for a testimonial will fall lower on the priority list and can be ignored.
Additionally, the larger the company from which you’re trying to get the testimonial will have more legal rules around using company name and logos.
Competition can also be a deterrent for the B2B buyer if there is a desire to hide new technology or resources from the market and competition. For instance, if you buy a new ERP system with certain functionality well known to the market, many B2B buyers will prefer to keep that to themselves.
Tips to get a Testimonial
Make it easy.
By easy I mean make it so they have to do literally nothing but say YES.
I found having a template handy is key. For example, a PowerPoint template where you can easily put in the customer logo, a quote, the person’s profile pic, their name, and their title.
Go ahead and draft their quote for them. Hit on value points you want to convey while not going overboard.
Keep it simple and concise.
This eliminates them having to put something on their to-do list that could fall off the radar.
They then can reply with a yes or no. Or make some small edits if they want.
Elevate the Relationship
I’ve found that Customer Advisory Board (CAB) members, for example, are much more likely to give a testimonial because they have a different level of engagement with your brand.
They feel ownership and responsibility towards your brand at that level.
It doesn’t have to be a formal advisory board but could be important customers you develop a relationship with over your product, service, or the industry in general.
Someone you reach out to for feedback or that has early access to new releases, for example.
Developing these relationships will definitely increase the odds of getting those case studies and customer testimonials.
Provide Excellent Service
Be that company that goes above and beyond with your service.
Yes, this is a longer-term play but exceeding expectations consistently and going out of your way for customers can be influential when you’re asking for a testimonial.
If you’re that type of brand, it will be easier for the B2B buyer to make the decision to be connected to you and allow you to display customer testimonials.
Record at In-Person Events
Have an in-person industry event coming up? Bring your iPhone, a tripod, and some simple questions and encourage people to do short 15-30 video testimonials answering a couple questions about your product or service.
Even if you don’t get their name, title, and company to use, you’ll have a great compilation that is real people with real clips talking about your company.
Plus, these are great clips to use for social media testimonials!
Dollars for the Review
Last but not least (and probably least desirable) is offering some sort of monetary rewards for a testimonial.
In many companies the recipient may not be able to accept it, but offering a gift card for a group lunch can sometimes do the trick.
If the customer is on the fence about doing it, this could potentially put them over the edge.
Closing
The key is get creative and know this won’t be easy. Have patience and keep trying over time.
Eventually, using some of the methods above, you’ll have a nice collection of client testimonials for your testimonials pages on your website, social media, or collateral that will go a long way in moving your prospects down the sales funnel.
