Here's a scenario I've faced many times throughout my career: a customer success manager has a quarterly business review with one of your biggest customers. The QBR goes extremely well, and the customer is experiencing significant success against their business goals.
Me: Did you ask them to do a testimonial?
Customer Success Manager: No. We're going to try to do an expansion deal.
I get it, the money is more important, but you have to strike while the iron is hot. Expansion is inevitably going to lead to issues. You know, mo' money, mo' problems. Testimonials can also be an amazing way to generate brand awareness and net new business. B2B brands shouldn't be afraid to have a conversation with customers about sharing their stories.
Below are the golden rules for securing public customer testimonial:
Rule 1: Make It About the Customer
First things first, it’s not all about you. Yes, you heard that right. The spotlight should be on your customer and their success story.
Highlight Their Achievements
Showcase what your customer has accomplished with your product or service. Did they double their revenue? Launch a groundbreaking campaign? Win an award for best office snacks? Whatever it is, let their success take center stage. Encourage them to talk about their overall success, even outside of your product.
Frame the testimonial as a story. Begin with the challenges they faced, move on to how your solution helped them, and end with their stellar results. Everyone loves a happy ending.
Rule 2: Make Customer Testimonials Easy To Participate
Your customers have a job. Anything you ask of them will be in addition to their regular work. The easier you make the process, the more likely they are to say yes. Here’s how to lower the barrier to entry:
Templatize the Process
Show them exactly what the process looks like and how you plan to use the content. Help them understand what approval processes they might need to go through on their end, especially if they have never done a testimonial before. Offer a simple template or set of questions to guide them.
Schedule Conveniently
If you’re conducting an interview or recording a video, be flexible or maximize an existing event. For example, if you're going to a conference where you'll have a lot of customers in attendance, use that as an opportunity.
Rule 3: Help the Customer Get Promoted
Remember, testimonials should be a win-win situation. Help your customers shine and gain exposure from their participation.
Understand Their Internal Goals
The hardest part of testimonials is getting measurable ROI. You want to avoid customers generalizing with statements like, "work is faster." The best way to figure out metrics is to understand their internal KPIs and company goals. How did you help them accomplish that?
Share In Their Company
You know what's going to really help gain expansion deals with B2B technology? If people who are using the product get promoted. Don't just focus on sharing testimonials with prospects, make noise within the customer's organization too. All you ABM people already understand this, I know.
When I worked at PepsiCo, that's what led to massive expansion of Tableau. People who were building dashboards were having impact on the business and then getting promoted. There was a long line for Tableau licenses.
Create Shareable Content
Design the testimonial in a way that’s easy for your customers to share with their network. Create eye-catching graphics, short video clips, or even pull quotes that they can post on their own channels. The easier you make it for them to share, the more likely they are to do it.
Do you need help getting customer testimonials? Let us help! Contact Storymind
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