Audio Testimonials

Use Customer Audio Testimonials To Beat Out the Competition

Getting prospects is only one piece of the sales puzzle. Once you’ve got interest, whether it comes from word of

mouth, traditional advertising, or the Internet, time is not your friend and you must convince that prospect as

quickly as possible that you are the best candidate for the job. If you are not expeditious in conveying your

credibility and ability to measure up, then you could lose that prospect to your ever-awaiting

competition.

With that said, competition isn’t always a bad thing. Especially if you can prove that you are

better than they are.

But how do you prove that you are as good as you say you are? By using authentic

customer audio testimonials to say it for you. Your best customers have a compelling story to tell others about

their experience with you and their positive word of mouth can convince your prospects to do business with

you.

With so much deceit and hype these days in advertising, an actual heartfelt testimonial heard in an

actual voice from an actual happy satisfied customer, can be the tie-breaker that makes your prospect choose your

business over your competition.

We’ve all been there. Desperate for help with a particular need, perhaps our

roof is leaking or we need a new doctor, whatever the product or service, a referral is comforting when we are in

critical need of a good service provider.

But what if we don’t have a first hand referral from a friend or

colleague, would we settle for a second or even third hand referral? Sure we would.

The human psyche likes to

be reassured when it comes to having to dishing out hard earned cash for a product or service, and almost any

referral is better than no referral, when it comes to entrusting our homes and lives to someone.

Haven’t you

noticed that you are more inclined to go to a movie or a restaurant when someone else said how good it was? It

really didn’t matter whether you even knew the person giving the referral or not. Their first hand experience

transferred to you, giving you a comfort level that propelled you to go see that movie or eat at that restaurant the

next time you were in the neighborhood.

I have a friend who every time he orders from a menu at a restaurant

he asks the server for their opinion about what is good on the menu. He likes the reassurance he gets from their

recommendation and it affects his decision on what menu item he tries.

While it’s true that most businesses

have written client testimonials that they showcase on their web sites and office coffee tables, unless those

testimonials are from well known businesses, written testimonials are sometimes and often-times glossed

over.

But there’s an amazing thing that happens when a real customer speaks from the heart and the listener

senses the honesty in the person’s voice.

If it’s put on, most people can tell the difference, but when it’s

heartfelt, the listener is moved by what he or she hears.

Just think about radio and how many products have

been sold by a voice coming through a speaker.

With audio testimonials, your business can compete with the

big boys. Recently Mercury car insurance used testimonials to sell their services on television. It must have worked

because they featured them in many commercials for months. Just listen to the radio or watch television anytime to

see how many successful companies still use testimonials to support their claims.

There are two ways to

capture a live audio testimonial from a satisfied customer and there are several places to showcase them once you

have them.

With the increase in broadband capabilities on the Internet these past few years, the Web is one

place that audio and/or video testimonials can be effective.

If your customer is a truly satisfied one, then

he or she is always happy to oblige by recording a positive testimonial about their experience with your business.

But remember, because they are important to you, be extra kind to them by making the experience as painless as

possible. Sticking a camera in front of their face and asking them to answer questions will be challenging for you

and them, and does not always result in the best testimonial (unless your clients are actors or used to being in

front of a camera). Most likely, your customer participant will feel more comfortable giving his or her testimonial

over the telephone which will create a more authentic and compelling end result.

There a two ways in which

your business can capture audio testimonials from your satisfied customers:

1. Hire a professional review

company to help facilitate and record your
href="http://specialtywebservice.com/testimonials.php">testimonials.

a. An interviewer will record your

customers for you. This method authenticates your testimonials and saves you the awkwardness of doing it

yourself.

2. Set up a dedicated telephone line that will record and prompt your customers to leave a

testimonial.

a. There are audio companies that offer this service for a monthly subscription and you ask

your customers to call an 800 number where they can leave the testimonial.

Once you’ve captured a few or more

audio testimonials, it makes sense to showcase them everywhere and anywhere you typically advertise.

· Web

site pages

o Place your customer reviews on your testimonials page, front page or next to areas on your site

that can be corroborated by a testimonial.

· Email

o Talk to your web master about Imbedding a

customer testimonial link on the top, bottom or side of your email page.

· On Hold

o Incorporate your

audio testimonials into your on hold message so callers

can hear them while they are waiting.

· Radio

Ads

o Write a radio ad that features your customer’s testimonials (If it’s good enough for Mercury Insurance,

why not you?)

Seeing is believing, but seeing and hearing motivates people to act. You’ve worked hard to grow

your business and audio testimonials are a priceless reward for a job well done.

Your prospects will be more

motivated to do business with you when they hear the voice of your satisfied customer singing your

praises.

Diana D’Itri is Co-Owner of RaveBiz, a testimonial-broadcasting agency. Diana has spent the past

four years educating small and medium sized business on how word of mouth & referral strategies can grow business

and reduce ad spend.