How To Ask For A Customer Testimonial (Call + ? = Authentic Video)

Just Hop On A Call – It’s That Simple

I love hopping on phone calls with my subscribers. It’s an incredible way to connect with your audience on a deeper level and it can help you convert more sales too.

I don’t recommend this for every type of sale though.

I use it for a lot of my high-value coaching packages but I don’t go this route for let’s say, my content marketing services.

When your offer coincides with a lot of complex emotional “stories” it’s a great way to learn more about your prospect’s pain points.

Now to be clear, these conversations aren’t sales calls, they are connection calls. They don’t always lead to sales, but if they do that’s great.

Even calls that don’t end up converting into sales give you valuable insights that can become game-changers in how you market your business or even what types of solutions you’re offering.

Oh, and the best way to get on the phone with someone is simply just to ask. Whether it’s by email or a social media post, just put out the offer to connect and a link to your calendar. Then watch what happens.

You may be surprised but people naturally want to connect. Especially if they see you as a person who has a lot to offer.

This brings me to how you can manage these calls and maximize value for both sides.
 

Getting The Most Out Of Customer Calls

1. Record Them & Take Notes – This is another no-brainer, but it’s worth saying. Always ask for permission of course, but recording these calls is key. You’re not going to catch everything that’s said when you’re in the moment, but after multiple listens you’ll gain new insights. Usually, there is something said that is very subtle, a key word choice or phrase that can lead to a huge breakthrough.
2. Create Mini-Testimonials – When you’re on the phone with a customer you’re providing a massive amount of value and they are probably going to be appreciative. You can actually turn these moments into mini-testimonials for your business. Here’s how I do this: after our call, I’ll send them a follow up email that prompts them with the core idea they were communicating and how it particularly resonated. I ask them if they’d mind cleaning up the verbiage and turning it into a testimonial that I could use.
3. Ask Unique Questions – I like to ask unique questions because I want to keep whoever I’m talking to fully engaged in our call. Ultimately, I want to better understand the core challenge they’re having and if I’m asking easy softball questions they won’t be encouraged to give answers that mean anything beyond the surface.
4. Be Mindful Of Objections – Although you are not trying to close a sale, it’s likely that the services you offer will be a part of the conversation. These conversations are a great time to practice how you handle your most common objections. Consider it a practice environment where you continually improve how you respond to your prospect’s concerns. It’s interesting to note how the dynamics of these conversations change when there is no real pressure to buy or sell from either side.

I want to stress how simple this all is.

Don’t turn hopping on the phone with your audience into a mountain.

It is an incredibly valuable way to improve how you connect to customers but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult or complex. Just get out there and start talking.

 

Action Steps

1. Record your phone calls this week with customers (with permission).
2. Pay attention to specific language they use around pain points.
3. Follow up with an email that mentions a core idea they were communicating.
4. Ask the customer to re-write the idea in their own words for you to use as a testimonial.

 

Result You Will Achieve

Authentic testimonials for your business.

 
This article is based on an EHQ interview with the mentor.