(By Pat Bryson) There is nothing more powerful than using a third-party reference during your sales process. To that end, I ask you, “How many testimonial letters do you have on file at your office?” These letters give us the opportunity to provide great comfort to our prospects. They give us the opportunity to tell wonderful stories about successful advertisers on our stations.
Each time we ask someone to invest money with us, they begin to debate the risk versus the reward. If the risk is perceived as higher than the perceived opportunity for reward, they will not give us their money. It’s that simple.
Using a testimonial letter from another client who has risked his money and has seen good rewards tells our story better than we ever could. We represent a biased party. They do not.
Some of my stations produce audio testimonials as well as written ones. They play these for prospective customers. Some play them over the air. Playing these success stories on the air can also produce warm leads from businesses that listen to our stations.
When using a testimonial letter, don’t just hand the letter to your prospect and sit quietly while they read it. Instead, tell them the story: embellish with details. Think “telling a bedtime story to your child”. You make it come alive. After you’ve told the story, then you can hand the letter to the prospect to keep.
You can also select short quotes from success letters, put them on one page, and add the logos from those clients. This makes an attractive way to stack value. It’s a colorful page. It summarizes the best parts of the stories. Again, our job is to increase the value and reduce the risk. Nothing does it better!
If you haven’t updated your testimonial file recently, now is the time to do it. Happy, satisfied clients lead to new business. Use the power of the third-party reference. Higher revenue awaits!
Happy Selling!
Pat Bryson is the CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with sales managers and salespeople to raise revenue. She is the author of two books, “A Road Map to Success in High-Dollar Broadcast Sales” and “Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change” available on her website. Read Pat’s Radio Ink archives here.
