How to create raving fans

Posted July 23rd, 2007 by Dr James Pratt

A variation of word-of-mouth advertising is what I call testimonial marketing. The best way to explain it is with some examples.

The best automobile salesman I've ever met is David Khan. This guy is a true professional in every sense of the word. He's knowledgeable, competent, a skilled listener. He's able to exert pressure without being offensive and has many other great sales skills but his most impressive attribute is mastery of testimonial marketing.

When you go in and sit down at his office you'll find a typical car salesman's cubicle, a little desk, a couple side chairs, and a rather tacky tile floor. Just what you'd expect!

But the walls in David’s office are covered top to bottom, side to side with instant snap shots of David's customers standing next to their new cars. Each snap shot shows the happy customer next to or in front of his or her new automobile. As you look at the hundreds of these photos on his walls you can't help but notice two things, first you'll probably see someone you know or know of. Second the photos are dated and you'll see some customers displayed several different times, years apart, pictured next to their new 1980 car, then again next to their new 1985 car, again next to their new 1990 car and again next to their new 2002 car.

These pictures are worth thousands of words. Inevitable reactions are all these people can't be wrong and these people wouldn't keep coming back if they weren't being treated well.

I've seen this same idea taught and demonstrated by a former top cash register salesman. He would carry huge fold out sheets of pictures of happy customers next to their new cash registers when he made a sales call on a store owner.

I've also taught this to thousands of doctors and know that those who use it get great results. In their waiting rooms you'll find giant scrap books filled with photos of their happy, healthy patients.

Self-made multimillionaire W. Clement Stone used this exact tactic to build a huge insurance sales organisation from scratch beginning in the great economic depression. His reps then and still today enter a business and start selling by flipping through page after page after page of lists of other area business people who bought their insurance programmes.

In my business, speaking and consulting, testimonial letters and comments from satisfied clients are the most valuable selling tools possible. You need to carefully consider how you can collect testimonial type evidence of customer satisfaction and then use that evidence to attract and motivate other customers.

There are two specific applications of this idea that I'd suggest you think about that I'll cover in my next blog in just a couple of days.

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