Thursday, August 21, 1997

Testimonials can be effective in attracting new customers

By Jan Norman / The Orange County Register

Low-fat, low-calorie dining doesn't have to taste bad.

That's the tough-to-sell message at the heart of "Healthy Dining in Orange County," (Calif.), a guide to good-for-you meals at local restaurants. Realizing that the public resists the nutritional message, parent company Accents On Health in San Diego tucks into each book testimonials from restaurateurs, media critics and health professionals.

" 'Healthy Dining' makes it so easy to achieve and maintain a healthy diet," wrote Miriam Matulich of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif. "It's the only reliable source available that spells out nutritious and delicious restaurant choices."

Regional director Susan Goldstein says, "Testimonials are powerful sales tools and have been instrumental in growing our business, and the 'Healthy Dining' book series in Southern California."

People don't like to buy products and services sight unseen, and they're more likely to believe endorsements from fellow consumers than from ad copywriters, to paraphrase David Ogilvy, retired chairman of WPP Group PLC, the world's largest advertising company.

Sure, companies have been caught making up testimonials, and they never print the complaints they receive. Still, testimonials carry a powerful marketing punch with buyers.

"A small business needs to have many different vehicles for reaching their clients," said management consultant Barbara Taylor, president of Rainbows & Miracles, etc. in Silverado, Calif. "Testimonials are one way of improving public image."

Helen Pines, partner of PC-2-Copy in Costa Mesa, Calif., added, "Testimonials create excitement, raise trust levels and are remembered. They are particularly effective in brochures and provide what I call a 'comfort zone' to the prospective customer."

The testimonials benefit existing customers, too, Pines said. "People like to be asked for their input. They like to be involved."

However, testimonials shouldn't be collected or used in a vacuum, said Rick Lamprecht, partner in Experteam, an Irvine, Calif., management-consulting firm.

"What is more important for a business person than having a pocketful of testimonials is to have a well-thought-out strategy of dealing with providing testimonials to prospective customers and clients."

If you want testimonials, ask for them.

It sounds almost too simple, but most business owners find it the best way to get customer recommendations.

The task of seeking testimonials can also be a good way of getting all sorts of customer feedback, said event planner Susan Nunn, owner of Cordially Invited in Yorba Linda, Calif.

"I want to know immediately if my clients were happy with the outcome of their long-awaited event. A follow-up questionnaire is very helpful to me and the client."

Nunn sends a letter about a week after an event asking such questions as: Did the services I referred you to meet your needs and expectations? If not, please explain. ... What pleased you most about your event? ... What would you change and why?

Nunn also asks if she can use the client as a reference, but clients don't have to sign their names.

Liz Schroeppel, president of Intelligraphics, a Foothill Ranch, Calif., marketing firm, also gets testimonials from a survey, but she started the survey for the opposite reason. She wanted to identify dissatisfied clients and to uncover strong and weak points of Intelligraphics' operations.

"I find that asking specific questions makes it quick and easy for customers to respond," she said.

The best testimonials accurately reflect real-life use of a company's products and services, rather than rely on puffery, business owners say.

A testimonial has the greatest impact if it relates to the interests of the prospective customer who reads it, marketing expert Schroeppel said.

"A testimonial is a great way to help (the prospect) believe and relate to the benefits of a product or service," she said.

Some Experteam clients might not want to admit to just anybody that they sought outside help for a financial turnaround or other sensitive issue, so Lamprecht is selective about who receives the audiotape. "It is provided (only) to potential clients who insist on client testimonials and will not be satisfied until they get them."

JMG Security Services in Fountain Valley gives prospects an alternative, said president Ken Jacobs. They can get a long list of past customers and their phone numbers or copies of JMG's newsletter, which includes stories of customers' experiences.

"Most prospects understand that it takes a pretty happy customer to cooperate in a newsletter article," Jacobs said.

"I've worked with many different alarm companies, but I wanted an alternative to the big companies, who have not always provided the service and experience we need," Chad McIntosh of Home Depot said in a newsletter article about the retailer choosing JMG to install security alarms at two stores.

Stacks of testimonials are worthless unless they're used in marketing. And most business owners have little difficulty in finding ways to get the good word out.

Healthy Dining, which also presents food-tasting seminars, not only prints its testimonials in its books, it puts them in a sales-presentation binder and in brochures, and frames them and hangs them on the office wall.

Mitch Goldstone, partner of 30 Minute Photos Etc. in Irvine, devotes two walls in his shop to framed letters of commendation, including one from area state legislators.

Silverado consultant Barbara Taylor puts testimonials on her Web site.

One states, "Barbara is gifted at anticipating problems and identifying solutions. She is a superb communicator and understands people issues."

The Orange County Forum puts testimonials in its seminar schedule.

"Great project. Mentoring leadership skills is a key factor for Orange County's economic growth," Gov. Pete Wilson is quoted as saying on a flier for the fall schedule.

Schroeppel points out that testimonials printed on the envelope of a direct-mail piece have instant punch.

The company should always get the customer's written consent to use the testimonial and keep it on file, said Pines of PC-2-Copy.

"We explain the plan for using the testimonials and make sure that the final draft of any use of testimonials receives an OK in writing," she said.