Multiply Your Copywriting Response with this Rarely Taught Testimonial Secret
By: Ben Settle
If you'd like to make your testimonials up to 1000% more effective -- adding to your sales pitch in ways you could only dream of before -- then here's all you have to do:
Take all the main reasons, benefits and features of doing business with you, and write them on a piece of paper (in a list).
For example, let's pretend you own a dry cleaning shop. And let's say the main benefits, features and reasons of doing business with your dry cleaning shop are:
* You offer the lowest prices on the planet
* You give same day service
* You offer a $50.00 gift certificate at McDonalds with orders of $300.00 or more
* You're right in the center of town, in an area that's easy to find with ample parking space
Now, what you do is you take the testimonials where one of these benefits is already mentioned or alluded to, and then zoom in on just that one thing, cutting out everything else in the original testimonial.
Like this:
"Wow Charlie! I've haggled with every dry cleaner in Northern Illinois, but since you easily offer the lowest prices in town there was no need to argue with you or threaten you at all. Thanks!"
"Charlie, your same day service literally saved my marriage! I can't thank you enough for getting that stubborn lipstick stain out of the collar of my shirt so fast. You the man!"
"Charlie, even though I dread driving downtown, your place was extremely easy to find and the way you rigged the city parking meters so I could park free is just amazing. I don't know how you pulled it off, my friend, but I'm glad you did!"
"Charlie, my kids and I are not only grateful for you getting our clothes dry cleaned so fast, but since my wife's cooking is enough to make a rodent sick, that $50 gift certificate to McDonalds you gave us is like a dream come true! Thanks!"
Okay, now -- tongue-in-cheek examples aside -- after you've tweaked the testimonials like this, all you do is simply send each testimonial back to the customer who gave it to you for their permission to use the way you revised it.
And bear in mind, you are NOT to change the essence of what's in the original testimonial.
You are ONLY to "tweak" the words to convey a clear, specific message. Nine out of ten people you get testimonials from won't have a problem with your version if all you're doing is enhancing and specifying what they said.
On the other hand, if you butcher the essence of what they said, and try to manipulate their words into something totally different than what they wrote, they will (rightfully) probably tell you to hit the road when you ask them to approve it.
And that's it.
If you follow the little formula above you will go a long way towards fully integrating your testimonials into the sales pitch itself. Not only will your testimonials be powerful credibility builders, they actually become a part of your pitch -- and can make a big difference in response.
About The Author:
Ben Settle is one of the few direct response copywriters in the world who really puts his money where his mouth is - structuring his deals so he gets paid only from the results of the sales - and not on any up-front fees. Although Ben is not currently accepting new clients, he freely shares his ideas and tactics on his blog at: http://bensettle.com