document.write('<p><b><font class="heading">How To Get Your Customers To Trust You</font></p><p><font class="text">An extremely powerf');
document.write('ul marketing tool that we get &quot;too busy&quot; or &quot;too smart&quot; to use is the testimonial.</b></p><p>Accor');
document.write('ding to marketing guru Dan Kennedy, &quot;What others say about you and your product, service, or business is at least 1');
document.write('000% more convincing than what you say, even if you are 1000% more eloquent.&quot;</p><p>The reason is obvious. Custom');
document.write('ers doubt what we say about ourselves, but believe other customers. And the more customers who say good things about us,');
document.write(' the more prospective customers will believethem. Is this a new idea?</p><p>Frank Bettger discussed the power of tes');
document.write('timonials in Chapter 18 of <i>How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling</i>, published in 1949, and I\'m sur');
document.write('e there are earlier examples.</p><p>When Ira Hayes of National Cash Register made sales calls, his presentation princi');
document.write('pally consisted of showing binders of testimonial letters to his customers.</p><p>Time management consultant Larry Dol');
document.write('an told marketing guru Dan Kennedy he closes every inquiry he gets for a speaking engagement. He has no brochure, no dem');
document.write('o tape, no video tape. When a prospective client calls, Larry simply sends a hand-addressed box of copies of testimonial');
document.write(' letters.</p><p>Can you imagine the power of hundreds of letters praising his presentation? This is more compelling an');
document.write('d believable than anything Larry could say about himself.</p><p>So when you send a sales letter, include as many testi');
document.write('monials as possible. The testimonials are more likely to make the sale than your letter. When you make a sales presentat');
document.write('ion, have a supply of testimonial letters. If possible, get audio tapes and video tapes with testimonials.</p><p>Inclu');
document.write('de testimonials in your advertisements. In some cases, an entire advertising campaign can be built around a series of te');
document.write('stimonials. Those who are not permitted to use testimonials about the <i>results</i> of their products or services may b');
document.write('e able to use testimonials about <i>how</i> they deliver their products or services. If these limitations apply to you, ');
document.write('get legal counsel to advise you about what you can do.</p><p>For example, &quot;The team at the Dr. Roth\'s office are ');
document.write('so nice I would like to visit there for my summer vacation. They made me very comfortable when I had always been stresse');
document.write('d out going to a dentist. Their office is so fun and oriented to patients that when I go there I feel like I\'m at Disney');
document.write('land! They took care of all of the paperwork for my insurance claims and helped me arrange a payment plan for my co-paym');
document.write('ent.&quot;</p><p>&nbsp;<br><b>How To Get Testimonials</b></p><p>First, you must provide an outstanding product and s');
document.write('ervice. Then, ask your customers for help. Interview your customers about what they really like about your product and t');
document.write('he service you provide. What do they especially like about working with you and your company? Ask if they would write wh');
document.write('at they told you in a letter or if you can write it for them for their approval. Ask if you can tape record or video rec');
document.write('ord your interview. If you make a presentation, request that the audience complete evaluation forms. Some of the comment');
document.write('s could be valuable testimonials.</p><p>Another source of testimonials is a client/customer advisory board. We had a c');
document.write('lient advisory board for our firm last year. As a warm up, we asked the participants to tell about how they were involve');
document.write('d with our firm. They responded with at least a half hour of beautiful testimonials, many of which we incorporated in ou');
document.write('r firm brochure. (Facilitating client/customer advisory boards is one of the services we offer.) Ask for, collect, and u');
document.write('se testimonials for your business and you will see an improvement in your results!</p>');