Fix Your Real Estate Testimonials Before They Fix You...
Try this:
Go to Google and search for the following:
“Bryan & Yvonne Carpenter” (include the quotation marks)
Now take a look at the results.
Seems like Bryan & Yvonne Carpenter really get around a lot no? They’ve submitted testimonials to the 1700 or so real estate websites that Google retrieves.
Eek… I figure either Bryan and Yvonne move at least every 6 months or Bryan and Yvonne don’t exist. Which is more probable?
Whether or not the Realtors® in question know that these “testimonials” are even on their site isn’t the question. Granted, I am sure that the real estate web design firm that generated these pages probably had the best of intentions: just to fill them with example testimonials to show their clients how the page can be used… but this is kind of a big detail to overlook when you’re in a business that is all about relationships and trust don’t you think?
OK, enough about that.
This is a perfect reminder to improve how you use testimonials to add real credibility for your potential clients.
Here are some quick ideas:
1. Be specific about results. When you ask your clients to submit testimonials, request that they give specific details about the results you helped them create and how that made them feel. Don’t be happy with testimonials like “You did a great job!” They just don’t connect with people.
2. Print their full name, city and state. Prospective clients want to hear from real people in real towns living in real houses. Don’t weaken your testimonials by using names like “John B., Phoenix AZ.”
3. Use testimonials in all of your marketing materials, not just your website. Testimonials from satisfied clients are one of the cheapest and most effective ways to market your business, so use them and leverage them everywhere you can.
4. Create a system that collects testimonials automatically from your satisfied clients without you having to lift a finger. Do you request a testimonial from every satisfied client you have? Do you request one more than once? How many times do you ask? Have you automated those requests?
Take these steps above and put them into action. And if you ever run across Bryan and Yvonne, tell them I said “Hi.”
