Customer Testimonials that Tell a Story & Build on Trust

Customer testimonials are powerful tools to help you build credibility and trust with your prospects. For some tips on how to get testimonials that tell a story and have an impact on your trust factor, visit the link below.

How to Get and Use a Customer Testimonial to Build Trust

Small Business Optimism

A recent CBS report indicated small business optimism is continuing to decline. Unfortunately, this is the reality of doing business in the current economic climate, and for the business featured in the CBS interview, it comes despite aggressive marketing.



Does this mean marketing dollars have been wasted? Absolutely not! Can you imagine what this business owner's outlook would be if he wasn't aggressively marketing his business? In a tight economy, it's a tough decision to market aggressively, especially when business owners need to find ways to cut back. But drastically reducing or eliminating marketing is like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Instead of eliminating or greatly reducing their investment in marketing, business owners should seriously consider evaluating how their marketing dollars are performing for their company. Many may not want to admit this, but it's a prudent idea to have an expert in marketing help with this task. That way, a business owner can be confident any revisions to the marketing plan will be favorable toward maximizing ROI.

Remember, marketing is an investment (not an expense) that is vitally important if you want to remain in business.

The Analogies of Running to Marketing a Business

Running is often thought of as an analogy for life. When one begins to give it greater thought, you may find that the similarities are uncanny and can be applied to the successful marketing of a business. Click on this link to read more.

Quick Marketing Tip: One Way to Ask for a Referral

The best time to ask for a referral is at the point of sale, when you know your customer was happy with the product or service they received. Here's an example of how you can ask for that referral:

Create a postcard that is a win-win-win for everyone. The postcard should include a special offer for the person who receives the referral (e.g. Offer something for free or give a special discount) and a special offer for the person who is giving the referral (e.g. $10 OFF their next purchase).

When your customer is checking out, hand them the postcard and mention the special referral offer to them. If you've done your job well, they'll be very happy to give the postcard to a friend.