l experience of doing business with you.

So, please, if you're not already doing it, from this moment on:

Ask Clients for Testimonials

- and guide them in what you want. Ask them to include in their testimonial more about the experience of doing business with you than about the quality of the product or service you provide. - - and, by the way, a video testimonial that you can then put up on your website is worth three written ones!

Now what about referrals? A referral is where a client specifically recommends you to

In my sort of business testimonials and referrals are the oxygen that powers the business growth. I try never to miss an opportunity to ask a Client, or a delegate, for a testimonial and similarly I always try to obtain three referrals from every Client I have.

But why should that apply only to my sort of business? I'm sure we've all been in shoe shops where the assistant says:

"a good choice sir (or madam) - I've got a pair of those".

That's a testimonial and it does help persuade us to buy.

It is just the same for your business - no matter what it is, no matter what size of business you are, prospective clients will be more likely to buy your products or services if they see, or hear, testimonials from others talking about the experience they have had with you and/or your products or services.

This is totally free marketing!

Despite this obvious truth I look at the websites of many businesses which, not only, don't seem to "sell" to me at all but include no testimonials from satisfied customers.

That's a big opportunity lost.

Many of you will have heard me talk about how I believe businesses now need to differentiate themselves - and that's on the process they take customers through rather than on the quality and performance of their products or services. Everywhere I travel around the world I find these days that there simply aren't mediocre products or services any more - or indeed, mediocre companies. If you are mediocre you are dead, it’s as simple as that. We all have such high expectations now on the quality of the products or services we buy. Many of us can remember how cars used to regularly break down, for example, but no more – that is simply unacceptable.

This means then that we must differentiate ourselves on the "experience" a client has in dealing with us - the way we treat them, the efficiency of our processes, and the professionalism and approachability of our people.

If this is the case then testimonials become an even more important part of our sales and marketing strategy. Only from testimonials (and referrals - but more of that shortly) will potential clients hear about the real experience of doing business with you.

So, please, if you're not already doing it, from this moment on:

Ask Clients for Testimonials

- and guide them in what you want. Ask them to include in their testimonial more about the experience of doing business with you than about the quality of the product or service you provide. - - and, by the way, a video testimonial that you can then put up on your website is worth three written ones!

Now what about referrals? A referral is where a client specifically recommends you to a

ur business - no matter what it is, no matter what size of business you are, prospective clients will be more likely to buy your products or services if they see, or hear, testimonials from others talking about the experience they have had with you and/or your products or services.

This is totally free marketing!

Despite this obvious truth I look at the websites of many businesses which, not only, don't seem to "sell" to me at all but include no testimonials from satisfied customers.

That's a big opportunity lost.

Many of you will have heard me talk about how I believe businesses now need to differentiate themselves - and that's on the process they take customers through rather than on the quality and performance of their products or services. Everywhere I travel around the world I find these days that there simply aren't mediocre products or services any more - or indeed, mediocre companies. If you are mediocre you are dead, it’s as simple as that. We all have such high expectations now on the quality of the products or services we buy. Many of us can remember how cars used to regularly break down, for example, but no more – that is simply unacceptable.

This means then that we must differentiate ourselves on the "experience" a client has in dealing with us - the way we treat them, the efficiency of our processes, and the professionalism and approachability of our people.

If this is the case then testimonials become an even more important part of our sales and marketing strategy. Only from testimonials (and referrals - but more of that shortly) will potential clients hear about the real experience of doing business with you.

So, please, if you're not already doing it, from this moment on:

Ask Clients for Testimonials

- and guide them in what you want. Ask them to include in their testimonial more about the experience of doing business with you than about the quality of the product or service you provide. - - and, by the way, a video testimonial that you can then put up on your website is worth three written ones!

Now what about referrals? A referral is where a client specifically recommends you to

f you will have heard me talk about how I believe businesses now need to differentiate themselves - and that's on the process they take customers through rather than on the quality and performance of their products or services. Everywhere I travel around the world I find these days that there simply aren't mediocre products or services any more - or indeed, mediocre companies. If you are mediocre you are dead, it’s as simple as that. We all have such high expectations now on the quality of the products or services we buy. Many of us can remember how cars used to regularly break down, for example, but no more – that is simply unacceptable.

This means then that we must differentiate ourselves on the "experience" a client has in dealing with us - the way we treat them, the efficiency of our processes, and the professionalism and approachability of our people.

If this is the case then testimonials become an even more important part of our sales and marketing strategy. Only from testimonials (and referrals - but more of that shortly) will potential clients hear about the real experience of doing business with you.

So, please, if you're not already doing it, from this moment on:

Ask Clients for Testimonials

- and guide them in what you want. Ask them to include in their testimonial more about the experience of doing business with you than about the quality of the product or service you provide. - - and, by the way, a video testimonial that you can then put up on your website is worth three written ones!

Now what about referrals? A referral is where a client specifically recommends you to

er how cars used to regularly break down, for example, but no more – that is simply unacceptable.

This means then that we must differentiate ourselves on the "experience" a client has in dealing with us - the way we treat them, the efficiency of our processes, and the professionalism and approachability of our people.

If this is the case then testimonials become an even more important part of our sales and marketing strategy. Only from testimonials (and referrals - but more of that shortly) will potential clients hear about the real experience of doing business with you.

So, please, if you're not already doing it, from this moment on:

Ask Clients for Testimonials

- and guide them in what you want. Ask them to include in their testimonial more about the experience of doing business with you than about the quality of the product or service you provide. - - and, by the way, a video testimonial that you can then put up on your website is worth three written ones!

Now what about referrals? A referral is where a client specifically recommends you to

l experience of doing business with you.

So, please, if you're not already doing it, from this moment on:

Ask Clients for Testimonials

- and guide them in what you want. Ask them to include in their testimonial more about the experience of doing business with you than about the quality of the product or service you provide. - - and, by the way, a video testimonial that you can then put up on your website is worth three written ones!

Now what about referrals? A referral is where a client specifically recommends you to another potential client. Referrals are worth their weight in gold! - they are the hottest lead you're ever likely to get and must, therefore, be worth going to some lengths to achieve.

Many of us don't like to ask the client for referrals - it can, perhaps, feel confrontational but my friend Frank Furness has an answer to that.

What Frank recommends is that you ask the client:

"If you were me, who would be the three people you would approach to get business?"

Try it - it works!

I would suggest to you, therefore, that you must ensure that a fundamental part of your sales and marketing process is that you and your salespeople never, ever, miss an opportunity to

- ask for three referrals from every single customer.

You don't have to be clever at maths to work out the free business growth that could so easily generate for you.

PS. I find that some members of the traditional professions – Solicitors, Architects, Accountants etc. don’t think anything of what I say applies to them.

Well it Does! – you, above all, should be in the business of testimonials and referrals – big time!

© 2007 Roger Harrop Associates