A good testimonial should be shouted from the rooftops!
So how do you get them?!
Below you will find:
1. A 5 step process to follow
2. Several tips on how to generate quality quotes
3. A list of questions that could be included.
Testimonials are essential in generating business that isn't directly referral related. So the question is, how do you generate testimonials and how do you get feedback that can help you make your business/services better if a client isn't 110% pleased?
1. Ask yourself what you want to know about your business. Do you want to focus more on your approach? How about the length of time to getting a deal started? Is your attention to detail adequate? How well did you get to know your clients? Etc.
2. Design a feedback form based on what you want to know. Make it short and to the point so that clients will actually spend the time to answer them. It is definitely a good idea to give them a sentence starter to get their juices flowing (examples below). This is the most important part of getting useful testimonials. If you don't ask questions that give you good information, then you have nothing to work with. Spend some time carefully crafting 3-5 questions that you can include or rotate between clients.
3. GET THE FEEDBACK FORM TO THE CLIENT. This may be the most important part of getting testimonials. You can do ALL of the work getting ready for them, and then get held up by other things. A great system is to just send out an e-mail with your feedback questions to your clients IMMEDIATELY after the close. Make sure they are expecting it! At the closing let them know that you will be sending an email and tell them it is important to you and to be honest so that you can really improve upon your business.
4. If you do not hear back within 1 week, ASK AGAIN. Send another e-mail asking for their participation, acknowledging that they are busy and let them know it should only take a few minutes. If you need, to give them a call. This may seem like a lot of effort, but it can be worth your weight in gold to get a good group of testimonials. Another great way to light a fire under them is to drop by the house about a week or so after the closing to see how things are coming along, but be sure to bring a little something for their new home.
5. If there is a testimonial or part of the feedback that you would like to use, reply and ask for their permission to quote them. If you can get permission to list their FULL name on your website you will benefit greatly. Future prospects like that they can see your testimonials are from real people. If they can potentially contact them to verify the testimonial even better.
Tips:
INFORM YOUR CLIENT. If they know you will be asking for it at the end of the process, they will pay more attention to what they do, and don't like about your services.
DO NOT ASK FOR A TESTIMONIAL. This is key because if you ask for a testimonial, you will get cliched "He's 1 in a million!" types of responses and your clients will have writers block. Instead, ask for FEEDBACK.
LISTEN TO YOUR CLIENTS. If they say something you could use, ask them for permission to quote them on your websites.
So what can you ask in your questionnaire? (Again, only use 5 at most per person!)
- When you think about your real estate experience, what stands out most in your mind?
- What did you like about buying/selling your home?
- Would you recommend your agent to family and friends, why or why not?
- Do you feel that I really cared about your real estate needs?
- What made you decide to work with me?
- Was there an obvious advantage or anything specific that made me stand out in some way?
- What's your opinion of the services you've received?
- What stands out about what you've learned from working with me? (Biggest insights or light bulb moments)
- What is it that I do as a Realtor that you find the most valuable?
- What three adjectives best describe my style or approach?
- What's the one thing that you want me to take away from your thoughts on our work together?
- Anything else you'd like to say?
All in all, good luck on your endeavors to get amazing testimonials! Any other questions or tips that have worked for you would be greatly appreciated!
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