How do you leverage testimonials, case studies, and referrals to build trust and credibility with your leads?

I don't care about what you have to say about yourself anywhere near as much as I care about what other people (paying customers are saying about you and your product/service offering). Social Proof is typically established in a few ways such as: - Logos: Logos on your website and marketing/sales docs that showcase logos of recognizable customers of yours. - Testimonials: A testimonial is a statement from a past/current customer on how your product/service helped them. An ideal testimonial will be concise, specific, and outcome-driven. - Case Studies: A case study is a report of an organization's implementation of a new product or service. Make sure to *quantify* the impact you unlocked.

A prova social é crucial porque não basta apenas afirmar que você é competente; seu valor é amplificado quando os outros validam suas habilidades. Ela está intrinsecamente relacionada à formação de sua reputação, que, por sua vez, está diretamente vinculada à percepção e julgamento que as outras pessoas têm a seu respeito, constituindo, assim, uma opinião coletiva. Portanto, a prova social desempenha um papel significativo na construção de uma imagem profissional de credibilidade.

It's true, in our virtual and online worlds, social proof is one of the most important currencies because it builds trust. And the most powerful social proof comes from objective 3rd parties who have no vested interest in us. Testimonial letters can be helpful in this regard, but we're finding google reviews seem to be the most powerful now, especially when accompanied with relevant photos. As well, if you can gather dozens or even hundreds of positive reviews, it will lend even more credibility to your social proof.

Social proof is important because it's not enough to merely claim that you are skilled. Its true value comes when others validate your competence. It is directly linked to building your reputation, which in turn is closely tied to the perception and judgment that others hold about you, essentially forming a collective opinion. Therefore, social proof plays a significant role in establishing a professional image of credibility.

One thing we know is that video is the most powerful type of content by far and people trust and remember these video testimonials more than other kinds of content. That said, it's not so easy to collect video testimonials by simply asking. If you want to easily collect, manage, brand and share video content, you need new tools, such as Gather Voices, which automates this process.

Gathering testimonials is important, and one of the best ways to do it is to build it into your customer service process so that it happens every time. Don't leave it to chance or to occasionally remembering. Send a request in your follow up email, or include a request on a card with the produce or service you are delivering. And if you don't hear back, it's ok to follow up once or even twice again. We've also found that if you let people know how a testimonial will be helpful to you, more people will be encouraged to give them.

Give to receive, then Ask! But first you must provide real value. Once you have given real value then you can start asking for testimonials which can be done via email, etc. Show people where to go to leave one, like a Google Review, and even ask if you can then share these reviews on your website. If you genuinely have improved your customers life with your product/service, etc. then asking for a testimonial is a good idea and if done right your customers will gladly promote you!

Adopt a standard metric to gather feedback that helps you track trends over time and identify your loyal and happy customers. For example, Net Promoter Score is based on a single survey question asking respondents to rate the likelihood that they would recommend a company, product, or service to a friend or colleague. By using a metric, you can identify the customers who provide a high rating and ask them to provide a testimonial on their experience. In addition, it's also a great way to seek feedback from unhappy customers so you can resolve their concerns. This singular metric can become a leading indicator of what's working and what needs to improve.

When creating case studies, make sure to include stats and data. Adding quantifiable metrics like ROI provides strong evidence of your products' effectiveness. By showcasing the measurable impact of your solutions, you can demonstrate how they solve specific customer problems. This strengthens your credibility and sets you apart from competitors.

In my experience, building a referral tree where your customers are incentivized to actually refer you helps. Offer your customers 10% of any sale that they bring you. You can actually make a lot of additional income / revenue if you have a strong referral system. With that being said, I've seen businesses empower their customers by offering a healthy spread. A meaningful margin will go along way!

ASK for the referral!!! The best form of advertising is to ask your existing customers for the referral. People work with people they KNOW, LIKE & TRUST. Word of mouth advertising is the best form of advertising since you’ve already built your reputation with a customer who will then ‘refer a friend’. Incentivize your referral and you will build a great network and customer base.

Your best referrals will be from customers who love your products and services and share it organically without incentives. Those are the most authentic and able to drive real connections. At the same time, offering incentives can also accelerate the growth rate and viral of referrals so it’s important to make social sharing easy. Having a simple way of clicking and sharing will make it easier for your advocates and in turn help you reach more potential new customers.

I use my testimonials on my sales page, email marketing, and podcast episodes to show what typical results look like versus what's possible. "Typical" results are often overlooked because they aren't flashy and don't have a number attached. However, these are your client's quickest wins. Typical results that all of my clients receive when working with me are that clients show up to sales calls ready to say yes, save time on their marketing, and have confidence in the value of their services. While results for what's possible for my clients look like landing a book deal or a TEDx talk, a waitlist of clients, and finally launching a group program. Paint a picture of what's possible vs. what's typical in your marketing assets

I always ask who referred me, or what did I say that made the person want to contact me (was it one of my 100+ recommendations on LinkedIn, hearing me on a podcast, or reading my posts or articles on LinkedIn?). This is vital information to determine how I come across, what medium works, and whom I need to thank for the referral. I ask good questions when they inquire and seek to understand exactly how I can help them, and how I can custom develop a solution for them, with nothing left to misinterpretation or open items that needed to be tied down, a strategy that has worked well in my 13 years as a LinkedIn coach/trainer/consultant.