You've got a Customer Testimonial...So What!?!

I just visited a blog that discusses the use of testimonials on your website (You can read it here Word of Mouth with a Bigger Mouth). So should you, or shouldn't you use a customer's testimonial on your website? Here was my answer to the blog as well as my comments below:

Great post...You are correct when it comes to testimonials and the connection to influencing others through their use!

The principles from the science of influence and persuasion that you are referring to is something I describe in my book (The Influential Leader) as “Social Norm” and it is analogous to a “herding” mentality that is deep-rooted within each of us! Simply put, if we perceive others doing similar, we will follow.

The use of testimonials is a tricky one though…So beware! There is a right way and a wrong way to put testimonials on your website. Often times, it’s best to not have them at all! So what is right and what is wrong? Here are two examples:

“Scott was fantastic!” – TL
“Scott was a driving force in allowing our customers to develop trust in us. As a result, our sales are up 50% in the last quarter!” – Thomas Leonard, Epson Electronics Sales Director

I would encourage people that place testimonials to do the latter example! If I can further assist, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sam Palazzolo, CPLP, MBA

Unfortunately, most who have testimonials don't give enough of the 5W's (Who, What, Where, When and Why) and they certainly don't give the "How" towards their success. Worse still, they give a "confidential" name as to who had such nice words about them!

Don't get me wrong, testimonials are great when used properly. They build trust with people that might not know you. However, when used properly they can be better left "unsaid" if you know what i mean!