Comments on: How to Not Get a Testimonial… http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/ Marketing blog focused on marketing optimization, improving website conversion rates, search engine marketing, web analytics, word of mouth, etc. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:31:42 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Caricature King http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-51326 Caricature King Mon, 14 May 2007 16:40:55 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-51326 Just thinking on this some more - one reason businesses do not ask for testimonials is because they are afraid they may get complaints! Of course a complaint is merely a suggestion in disguise! It is an important but significant emotional hump for many business owners to get over. Just thinking on this some more – one reason businesses do not ask for testimonials is because they are afraid they may get complaints! Of course a complaint is merely a suggestion in disguise! It is an important but significant emotional hump for many business owners to get over.

]]> By: Mike thiel http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-50976 Mike thiel Mon, 14 May 2007 06:53:36 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-50976 Well before online became the thing in travel or there was ever a TripAdvisor, we have always follow-up on trips we have planned for our members (the Hideaways Aficionado Club) with a detailed questionaire that solicits comments on how our agents handled member's travel planning and their reaction to the places we sent them (structured questionnaire for each place or experience, even car rentals), plus room to write general comments. Since the advent of the internet we send these by both snail mail and e-mail after customers return from their trips. You would be amazed at the valuable inputs we get from members. Some even write extra pages long-hand. These prove not only valuable for feedback on our services and the places we recommend but provide testimonials for marketing materials and content for our community e- and print newsletters(Hideaways Life). We share the comments about destinations and hotels/resorts on our web site and in a Members Forum section in Hideaways Life. The ratings on our services we database and monitor. Luckily (or hopefully skillfully) the ratings our travel agents get range from 4 - 5 out of 5 and so do the ratings of the places (carefully chosen) where we send people. But it is the comments that are most valuable. Well before online became the thing in travel or there was ever a TripAdvisor, we have always follow-up on trips we have planned for our members (the Hideaways Aficionado Club) with a detailed questionaire that solicits comments on how our agents handled member’s travel planning and their reaction to the places we sent them (structured questionnaire for each place or experience, even car rentals), plus room to write general comments. Since the advent of the internet we send these by both snail mail and e-mail after customers return from their trips. You would be amazed at the valuable inputs we get from members. Some even write extra pages long-hand. These prove not only valuable for feedback on our services and the places we recommend but provide testimonials for marketing materials and content for our community e- and print newsletters(Hideaways Life). We share the comments about destinations and hotels/resorts on our web site and in a Members Forum section in Hideaways Life. The ratings on our services we database and monitor. Luckily (or hopefully skillfully) the ratings our travel agents get range from 4 – 5 out of 5 and so do the ratings of the places (carefully chosen) where we send people. But it is the comments that are most valuable.

]]> By: Tom Grimes http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-50868 Tom Grimes Mon, 14 May 2007 03:59:46 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-50868 Wait isn't what your wrote above that letter of testimony for AAA? Wait isn’t what your wrote above that letter of testimony for AAA?

]]> By: Elizabeth http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-50855 Elizabeth Mon, 14 May 2007 03:28:23 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-50855 Our current testimonials are getting stale and your story encouraged me to write to all our staff here to get new testimonials from all our advertisers. In fact, to make the job easier, I am going to create a feedback form for all our live remote broadcasts so they can be handed out to the customer to be filled out and sent back in. You are so right in that you can't be afraid of the less positive remarks. Thanks! Our current testimonials are getting stale and your story encouraged me to write to all our staff here to get new testimonials from all our advertisers. In fact, to make the job easier, I am going to create a feedback form for all our live remote broadcasts so they can be handed out to the customer to be filled out and sent back in. You are so right in that you can’t be afraid of the less positive remarks. Thanks!

]]> By: Caricature King http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-50647 Caricature King Sun, 13 May 2007 21:51:35 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-50647 At CaricatureKing.com, we ALWAYS ask. Its part of the satisfaction thing. Its simple, in the email we send the finished caricature/s we write: "Your feedback testimonial is welcomed by the artist" This simple act has a flood of feedback happening and plenty of words to put on the website from satisfied customers! At CaricatureKing.com, we ALWAYS ask. Its part of the satisfaction thing.
Its simple, in the email we send the finished caricature/s we write:

“Your feedback testimonial is welcomed by the artist”

This simple act has a flood of feedback happening and plenty of words to put on the website from satisfied customers!

]]> By: Cade http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-49768 Cade Sat, 12 May 2007 21:09:35 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-49768 I think successful marketing only happens when you are open and not imaging a pie in the sky as how your business operates. There are always weaknesses and ways to improve and as you said the only to truly understand what those are and how to improve it is to get a customer response. Great post. I think successful marketing only happens when you are open and not imaging a pie in the sky as how your business operates. There are always weaknesses and ways to improve and as you said the only to truly understand what those are and how to improve it is to get a customer response. Great post.

]]> By: Terrill Fischer http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-49247 Terrill Fischer Sat, 12 May 2007 05:04:01 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-49247 It took me a long while to figure this out and I still struggle with it. I learned that the best time to ask for a testimonial and a referral is when you have done something as you say to "Delight" the customer. If you have helped them solve a big problem or relieved them of some pain or just made them feel better, that is time to ASK because you'll get some very powerful emotional responses and FANS. It took me a long while to figure this out and I still struggle with it. I learned that the best time to ask for a testimonial and a referral is when you have done something as you say to “Delight” the customer. If you have helped them solve a big problem or relieved them of some pain or just made them feel better, that is time to ASK because you’ll get some very powerful emotional responses and FANS.

]]> By: Communication Style: How Does Your Boss Rate? »TechAddress User-Generated and Aggregate Technology News http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-48555 Communication Style: How Does Your Boss Rate? »TechAddress User-Generated and Aggregate Technology News Fri, 11 May 2007 11:15:37 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-48555 [...] Source:Conversion Rate Marketing Blog - GrokDotCom by Future Now, Inc [...] [...] Source:Conversion Rate Marketing Blog – GrokDotCom by Future Now, Inc [...]

]]> By: How to Not Get a Testimonial? »TechAddress User-Generated and Aggregate Technology News http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/comment-page-1/#comment-48554 How to Not Get a Testimonial? »TechAddress User-Generated and Aggregate Technology News Fri, 11 May 2007 11:15:15 +0000 http://www.grokdotcom.com/2007/05/11/how-to-not-get-a-testimonial/#comment-48554 [...] Source:Conversion Rate Marketing Blog - GrokDotCom by Future Now, Inc [...] [...] Source:Conversion Rate Marketing Blog – GrokDotCom by Future Now, Inc [...]

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