Colleen’s Blog

Are you finding it difficult to hit your sales targets? I have to touch on a pet-peeve of mine today. It bothers me to see salespeople struggling! It genuinely annoys me even more when salespeople blame external factors for their failures. They blame the market, their colleagues, their competition, and their lack of resources for their shortcomings, but rarely ever look in the mirror. It’s frustrating! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again...you are in control of your own sales results! Period. It’s easy to blame the economy or the market for your lack of sales. It’s easy to blame your colleagues or your competition. It’s easy to blame everything and everyone else. However, successful salespeople rarely take the easy way out.

“Buyers believe buyers first, the seller second and the business third.” This is a direct quote from a technology entrepreneur I coach and he is right. Testimonials have amazing persuasive powers. They touch on both the facts and emotions that drive people to make decisions. They reaffirm that your claims are credible and that your services are the real deal. They validate the value you deliver to the prospect. And they do so with a message that is unmistakably authentic and sincere. When a client says great things about you, about your work or the products you sell, give them the opportunity to turn that praise into a testimonial. Simply ask: “I’d really love to share your success with others. Would that be okay?” People generally like to be helpful to other people, but they’ll rarely think to give you that all-powerful testimonial unless you ask. Here are the some great ways to acquire testimonials:

As a salesperson, you are undoubtedly aware of the massive power that testimonials can provide you. However, many salespeople struggle with receiving testimonials because they simply do not do enough to make it a priority. Consider an individual who is trying to get into shape. They may buy all of the right food and even purchase a gym membership, however if they continue to order out every night and never actually go to the gym, their physical appearance will remain the same. Many salespeople face a similar challenge with their testimonials. They provide good service and have a great product. They even have the intention to receive more testimonials yet they are not taking the steps required to actually receive them. Here are a few strategies you can consider implementing to create more testimonial success:

You never know what you’ll find when going through old emails. While doing some inbox “spring cleaning,” I came across this cold email I received awhile ago. Let’s dissect it and see what lessons we can learn! “Dear Colleen, "ABC Company" is working with more than 1000 companies - including Xerox, Kaiser Permanente, VeriSign, and Goodyear - to help them deliver more effective and consistent communications and training to their internal and external audiences and dramatically reduce costs. The following is a brief example of “ABC Company’s” presentation that speaks to our value: View the “ABC Company” message for Engage Selling. Thank you for taking the time to review this. Please let me know if you are interested in learning more about the solutions we have created for our customers, and I'd be happy to forward a testimonial.”

When we receive positive testimonials from clients, it might seem difficult to ever find fault with them. After all, if they’re saying something positive, it has to be a good thing, right? The truth is, there are three vital components that make an effective testimonial. Without all three of these important elements, the testimonial may actually repel potential clients from working with you. Curious to know what these three important keys are? Your testimonial must be credible, current and compelling. When all three of these elements are present, the testimonial is most likely to convince prospective clients that you’re the real deal.

Let's talk about customer loyalty, after all, you need a loyal customer first before you can up-sell and have them buy more, right? While customer loyalty does lead to repeat business and more sales, most people have the equation backwards. The truth is the more people buy from you, the stronger the loyalty. The top 10% of breakthrough companies are not rewarded with remarkable success because their closing ratios on net new busloyalty. The longer a customer is tied to you, the longer they will stay a loyal paying customer.

Have you recently asked yourself what the best way to strengthen your relationship with your client is? It's such a vital piece of information to have in order to keep clients doing business with you. Very few people though, actually take steps after corporate, business and personal rapport have been built with a client to ensure that the relationship gets strengthened further. Case studies and testimonials are often seen primarily as a way to attract new prospects. While there's no doubting they're effective at attracting new leads, they offer much more than what most people give them credit for! They are also an excellent method to use in strengthening relationships with current clients. When a client affirms their rapport to you, and put down in writing what a fantastic job you're doing (and I know you are!), it makes it difficult for them to then turn around and leave. It not only helps them increase their visibility to new prospects, or similar individuals in the same field, it allows you to cement your relationship with the client, and build a customer for life! What constitutes a good testimonial?