Is your communication program up to snuff?

Client testimonials can add credibility to your marketing message and help persuade potential clients to choose you as their advisor.

“Potential clients can relate to the positive experiences of existing clients who have endorsed you,” says Nadia David, marketing and communications consultant with Premier Consulting Partners in Mississauga, Ont. “Testimonials can remove doubts prospects might have about choosing you as their advisor.”

If clients endorse you for helping them to deal with specific issues, these recommendations can help you attract clients with similar needs. (Client testimonials are similar to the celebrity endorsements you see on television, but they are more credible because celebrities are normally paid to endorse products.)

In order for endorsements or testimonials to be effective, they must be genuine and speak to your strengths, David says. They can address negative client perceptions. For example, a client might write: “I was always skeptical about investing in the equities market, but now I’m a big believer in equities investing thanks to your advice.”

Here are some tips for making effective use of client testimonials:

> Keep it real
Use only real testimonials from actual clients.

“It’s easy to make up testimonials,” David says. “That’s why people often believe they are fabricated.”

Testimonials that appear to be fabricated can do you more harm than good, David says. The best way to ensure testimonials are believable is to use the client’s full name, with their permission, instead of just their initials. For even more credibility, include a photo.

“People will more readily identify with someone they see as a real client, with a face and a name,” David says.

> Use testimonials that endorse your strengths
You might get feedback or endorsements for a variety of reasons. But you should focus on testimonials that endorse the services you want to promote — for example, estate planning, or succession planning for business owners. Such testimonials should focus on how you have helped clients to achieve their objectives or resolved specific issues.

“They should state what you’ve done for them in their own words,” David says.

> Be specific
Avoid using testimonials that simply state that you are a good person to work with, or that highlight your personal attributes. While such comments may be flattering, they are not effective marketing messages.

“Prospects want to know why they should choose you as their advisor,” David says. “It’s about what they want, not who you are.”

Photo copyright: gstockstudio/123RF