Six months ago, we were living in the River Lake Apartments just like you.
I never thought we would be able to own a home.
Imagine getting a letter that started like that.
Attached to it is a picture of twin boys playing on a swing set in their own backyard.
Now compare that with:
“Julie was amazing! She was professional, responsive and really helped us through the process. Five stars!”
Both are testimonials.
But they are doing two completely different jobs.
The secret is that the testimonial isn’t really about YOU.
It’s about the person reading it.
You start with someone you’ve already helped and ask:
Who else is just like them?
Imagine a young couple living at River Lake Apartments.
The apartment was perfectly fine when their twins were babies.
But now the boys are getting older.
Mom and Dad would love a backyard.
A swing set.
A safe place where the boys can play outside.
They’ve dreamed about owning a house, but they don’t think they can afford it.
Then they meet Julie.
Julie shows them some down payment assistance programs they didn’t know existed.
She helps them find a mortgage they can afford.
And suddenly they’re living in a house for only a couple hundred dollars more than they were paying in rent.
Now we have a story.
And the story ends with something like:
“I attached a picture of the boys playing in the backyard because six months ago we were exactly where you are. If you’ve been thinking you’d like a yard for your kids too, I’d highly recommend talking with Julie.”
See what happened?
We didn’t collect a testimonial.
We orchestrated an introduction.
The family isn’t saying how wonderful Julie is.
They’re saying:
I was where you are.
I wanted what you want.
I didn’t think it was possible either.
Then this happened.
And here’s the person who helped me.
That’s an entirely different way to think about testimonials.
Your happiest customers are surrounded by people who are just like they were before they met you.
The opportunity is to tell their story in a way that helps those people recognize themselves.
That’s when a testimonial stops being praise…
and starts multiplying customers.
A 5-star Google review makes you feel good.
A strategically orchestrated customer story can get the next 5-star customer.
Dean