Testimonials - how do you measure their value?

[AdultMySpace]

I see such a large consensus when it comes to testimonials. If you are looking to sell a product, you almost "have" to have them.

How do you measure the results they provide though? As a consumer, the last thing I am going to do is believe someone who is interviewed "infomercial style" when it comes to reviewing a product. Testimonials are not independent and its difficult for me to take them seriously or believe them to be credible.

As a person with a sales background, I would never use testimonials as I believed they actually hurt the sale. Client references where people can be contacted are a different story. Well known business people or celebs providing a testimonial are more believable because their name is their reputation in many ways.

So I was curious to know what type of research has been done or if you as an individual have noticed much of a difference? I cant help but think that a testimonial is so "door to door" and the kind of cheese that makes people more concerned about a product being a scam.

Im open to this though, as internet marketing is very different from traditional face to face sales so I have a long way to go. Please be gentle

[JMPruitt]

I know most people use them because they are productive.
You have to realize, as marketers, we know the tricks and have a different perspective than the average person. Most people don't know that the testimonials are not necessarily given freely.

[Ebo Etoyep]

Very well said, JMPruitt!

I personally removed all of the testimonials from my product pages after the most recent FTC ruling to avoid the legal gray area. I know a lot of the big marketers are doing this as well. Having a good product and accurately representing it is the most effective sales technique. Always has been, always will be.

[AdultMySpace]

Ebo, having removed your testimonials, did you see a drop in conversions?

[Ebo Etoyep]

Originally Posted by AdultMySpace

Ebo, having removed your testimonials, did you see a drop in conversions?

None at all. I replaced them with a second set of videos and haven't seen any decline in sales.

[lilijapaula]

Personally I do not trust any testimonial, I simply do not read them at all. Every company wans to sell their products and can put any testimonials but we never will know it is true or not. I believe only in friends testimonials.

[towels]

I have a site in one sector where testimonials and case studies would normally be all over it that converts well - having said that I'm building one with a lot of exposure for the testimonials and case studies as I honestly had assumed lack of them on my first site was a possible leak. Will be interesting if it turns out as some of you suggest the opposite is true - no testimonials = better.

The testimonials I have are genuine and were freely given however - no cheesy sales wording that I wrote myself.

[Hannu]

I "heard" can ask testimonials also from Warriorforum members. How does this work? Does the product owner give the product to the member for free for testing and then a member will write a testimonial for him/her, or does it need also money + the product?
Hoping you with better knowledge will answer how the system really works.
Thanks,

[sbucciarel]

The only testimonials I read are from a handful of people that I trust. Since fake testimonials are so rampant, I ignore them.

I don't use them on my products and just wait for the real testimonials to happen naturally.

[Rohan Anderson]

Dan Kennedy tells the story of a guy whose sales approach was to send prospects a "book" full of satisfied customers testimonials.... I think something like 200 pages... each page 5 or 6 testimonials from happy satisfied customers.

Nothing else. No sales letter or product info.

All of his competitors would send glossy brochures and the typical Madison Ave stuff that businesses which don't understand direct response marketing waste their money on.

This guy had people beating a path to his door, prepared to pay any price he named, while his competitors fought it out for the cheapest price.

He went on to make a fortune and his sole marketing strategy was testimonials.

It's a great story. Of course ... even better when Dan tells it. And whilst it's about off-line marketing, the principle remain true for marketing on-line.

People are people and their buying decisions are influenced hugely by the recommendations of others. It's human nature.

I hear your concern about scammers and unethical marketers using fake testimonials. They've always been around. It's only because of the recent FTC investigations that it's been brought to everyone's attention.

It's no reason to stop using testimonials though. Fact is... testimonials work! And they work really, really well.

As a marketer who wants to be around for a long time yet, I try to be as honest and transparent as I can with my testimonials. (It helps me sleep at night. )

If some readers choose to question the legitimacy of a testimony I print, that's their choice.

All I know is I've been using testimonials in my marketing for years now and I would be very reluctant to stop doing so even though they've been given a bad rap recently.

[Victor Edson]

I sold Door 2 Door, and I'd use social proof to hook sales every single day.

Just open up my little sales book and say hey do you know X (the neighbor) she's great just bought such and such from me.. how about this other person, or this one or this one... hey that dude is hilarious and he bought 4 X from me!

Anyway, if it's working so well for everyone else and so many people have so many praises to say about something why wouldn't it work for me?

Plus you can use testimonials to overcome fears and objections without doing it yourself.

I recently left a review about a product here on the WSO section and said that it was filled with easy to implement strategies... which it was.

I was surprised later to see it was bumped up to his number 1 testimonial... until I saw he highlighted that line.

If you're new online.. improve your copywriting skills. Find someone to disect a sales letter for you to see the psychological reasons behind why certain lines are said... it's powerful stuff.

[Anne Laidlaw]

I think testimonials help sell a product especially to newbies not knowing much about the product.

Anne L

[David Jackson]

While some of you here may not use or believe in testimonials, the fact of the matter is, alot of people do believe in them. Studies have shown, testimonials do influence buying decisions. They do work. Legitimate testimonials will only strengthen your sales message, so why not use them?

David Jackson