How many times in a week, a month or a year do you receive a note of thanks from a client? After you’ve read the note and enjoyed that warm fuzzy feeling that only a genuine pat on the back can bring, don’t just file it – use it to your advantage.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words; I believe a client testimonial is worth much more than that!

There are times when it can be hard to find the right words to sell your business and the products and services you offer. There is lots of value in getting your clients to do the selling for you by having them tell the world how good you are.

Before you go ahead and publish, here are some things to consider.

• Do you have permission? Before you use the testimonial it’s important to seek the author’s permission. It’s not only good manners, it makes good business sense.
• Is it credible? Don’t even think about using a testimonial without publishing the author’s name and perhaps their job title if it’s relevant, or the town or city they live in. Show that your testimonials come from real people and you’ll boost your credibility.
• Is it benefit driven? A testimonial is more powerful if it describes how the product or service you delivered has made a difference or offered some benefit. So while ‘Thanks very much, I love it’ isn’t bad, ‘Thanks very much, my carpets have never been cleaner’ is much better.
• Is it relevant? If your core business is selling ice to Eskimos then any testimonials you use should be about the ice or the quality of service you offer to the Eskimos. Only use relevant testimonials and use them to substantiate your own claims.

If you find that your inbox isn’t flooded with testimonials, don’t despair, it doesn’t mean your clients aren’t happy with your business or the products and services you provide. You might just have to ask them to write a testimonial for you.

If you have asked and they’ve agreed, but you are still waiting for the testimonial to arrive, it’s time you took control of the situation. Arrange for someone to write the testimonial on your client’s behalf – it could be someone in your office who does the writing, or it could be me.

If it is me all you need to do is provide me with the name and telephone number of the client who has agreed to provide the testimonial. I’ll phone the person and ask some very easy questions about what it’s like to do business with you. I will then write the testimonial and seek your client’s approval of it before providing it to you to use. It’s that easy.

There’s nothing wrong with tooting your own horn, but it helps when you have a satisfied client alongside you who is happily tooting it too.