An Underused, Full Proof Way to Sell More in Less Time that’s FREE

[photo courtesy of monamigreetings]

Even if you compose the most concise copywriting to ever grace a page, the most persuasive words aren’t always written by you. There’s an ingredient you can add to your copy that can help you sell more in less time. It’s an underused tactic. But one that can rapidly satisfy a prospect’s logical and emotional demands at the same time.

People are skeptical of being sold to, but they do listen to each other. So to persuade them to buy your product you need to provide them with  evidence of someone it has benefited. You need to provide the social proof that your product is as wonderful as you claim.

Along with case studies and customer reviews, testimonials are marketing gold for building trust, confidence and credibility. They provide evidence that your claims are valid, and that you’re not a fly-by-night salesman who’ll be gone by tomorrow.

Harness the influence of others

In recent articles I’ve highlighted the power of word of mouth marketing. People are discussing products and services on blogs and forums all over the web. After a prospect’s read your sales copy they’ll often search on your product or company name to run a background check on whether you’re to be trusted.

So why not harness the power of word of mouth in your sales pitch. Add testimonials to your landing page, brochure and sales letters to add concrete to the foundations of your claims.

Just remember – don’t try writing them yourself. People can tell if something is contrived or massaged. If the language doesn’t reflect how people speak or sound authentic then you risk losing people’s trust for good.

Asking for testimonials is good customer service

Testimonials are under utilised because most businesses don’t actively collect them. Whilst you can search through old emails for praise or ring recent buyers, you should put a procedure in place for requesting a testimonial from every customer.

You could treat it as after sales customer service.  Rather than just ask for praise, send a questionnaire requesting feedback on your service. What could be improved. What went well. And what comments would they like to share with others.

People like to help each other, particularly when it comes to sharing recommendations. So if you’re providing a high quality service you shouldn’t have any difficulty coaxing praise from people whose problems you’ve solved.

Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or an international enterprise, adding testimonials to the copywriting for your website, sales letters and brochures is a full proof way of selling more in less time.

And best of all, it’s pure marketing gold for free.