HOW
TO USE TESTIMONIALS
TO HANDLE OBJECTIONS
CARA'S
CORNER
I stopped efforting and flow happened. It is amazing. Instead
of driving and working and planning, I stepped back and focused
on my own well-being. And I watched for the signs.
The new activity has been around my writing. I have been given
the opportunely to both strengthen content and write it from scratch.
In fact, I'm back working on my next ebook "How to Write
Magnetic Sales Pages."
If you think I might help you strengthen your web content please
check out Magnetic Content
Development and Copy Writing for the Internet
As I continue to read books on business building and copy writing,
I of course, keep learning new things. I found it intriguing to
use testimonials to overcome objections on a sales page.
Enjoy
the article.
Warmly,
Do
How to Use Testimonials to Handle Objections
by Cara Lumen
There will always be objections raised in the
selling process. What if…I can't…maybe… An objection
means they don't have enough information. It's that simple.
Now it's one thing to be in conversation and hear an objection
voiced, you can immediately begin to determine what they are thinking
and ask questions to identify and clarify their objections. But
what do you do when you are writing a landing page and are essentially
having a conversation with yourself?
You have to anticipate.
Make the "what if's" part of your
content
When you do your homework to identify the problems of your target
market, also write down some of the perceived objections that
might be raised. If you have had conversations with friends that
represent your target market, be certain to explore their possible
objections. Put yourself in the shoes your target market. Is the
objection money, time, fear, lack of information, lack of need?
You want to beat them to the draw, so to speak, by addressing
those objections in your sales page content. And what better way
than to have someone else tell them what your product or service
did for them.
Let testimonials handle the objections
"Although I've been a professional magazine writer for
years, I didn't realize the incredible marketing potential of
articles until I took Cara's class, Article Magnetism, How to
Write Articles that Attract. Cara's class material was worth ten
times the cost of the class and her vast experience helped point
me in directions I would not have thought of on my own. If you
want to learn the nuts and bolts of effective article marketing,
Article Magnetism is the one class you can't afford to miss."
Nancy Hendrickson
www.CyberBookBuzz.com
Nancy identifies herself as a knowledgeable person, indicates
her problem of not having realized the marketing potential of
writing articles, and indicates the class raised her awareness
about that. This well-crafted testimonial is only three sentences
long and addresses value, benefits and results.
I've been interested in article marketing for nearly a year
now but I felt stuck and hadn't done much with the information
I'd received. In three weeks of Cara's class I've been inspired
to write 7 articles and have brainstormed a list of 27 more article
ideas to write about. She's really pulled this topic together
for me so that I can write with confidence, ease, speed, organization
and pleasure. I don't feel like I have to write an article anymore.
I want to write an article! Cara gets herself and her students
right into the beat of this topic, with each and every session.
No one is looking at their watch, multitasking or asking "where's
the beef" in this content rich class. Her original (and really
generous) bonus materials are great and her tips and resources
are not the usual ones that everybody lists. I really loved
this course. Anyone who orders it will be richly rewarded.
Beth Borray
www.redpeony.com
www.createmysoulmate.com
This is actually a bit long and I could easily edit it but I
include it because Beth speaks of emotion, how stuck she felt
and how relieved she was to actually want to write an article
instead of feeling she had to. And she gives insights into the
richness of the content.
And I didn't have to say a thing. You sometimes don't have to
do anything more than include the testimonial.
Use the parts and pieces
Some of my best testimonials come unsolicited in an email comment
from people I interact with. First, I save them all in my "Acknowledgment"
file so if I ever start feeling dumpy I can go look at the great
things people see in me. But I also email them back and ask if
I can use an excerpt as a testimonial and if so, how would they
like their name and URL listed on my web site. Who can turn down
an offer like that!
By asking for an excerpt I can take the short, juicy phrases
out of a longer rambling testimonial and make a major point with
just a few words. Feel free to edit the testimonials that are
offered.
Place the testimonials where they count
A good testimonial helps overcome objections so place them strategically
on your sales page at those places where an objection might come
up in a conversation or the natural thought process might be "I'm
not sure…"
You could even go so far as to have a sub heading "Not convinced?
Read what Nancy has to say about this class." But more often
setting the testimonial apart by indented italics or in a colored
box is enough to help them stand out.
I'm not a fan of complete pages of testimonials. I don't think
many people go read them, but a short well-placed testimonial
in a sales page can humanize you and your process.
Keep them colloquial
You want testimonials to be written as people speak, not as a
slick, well-crafted advertisement. Keeping them colloquial makes
them more believable. Testimonials are like a pat on the back,
congratulations on a job well done, an expression of gratitude.
Let others see how much your offerings are appreciated and more
importantly, what they helped others achieve.
If you don't have them, ask for them
By the way, writing unsolicited testimonials for someone whose
work or product you like will most often land you on their site
along with a live link to your web page. Whether you are writing
or requesting, here are the questions you'd like to see answered
in a testimonial:
- Why they came to you in the first place
- What was decision that made them say "yes?"
- What happened?
- What was the result of the process?
- What the future will be because of this process
Use testimonials to convey your benefits and help you achieve
credibility. Ask for feedback when you give a teleclass or a workshop
and from your clients and ask for permission to use excerpts when
you do. Sure, you can write leaders in your field for a testimonial
but the voice of the person whose heart you touched will count
for a lot more.
©
Cara Lumen 2008
www.caralumen.com
WANT
TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EMAGAZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as
long as you include this bio with it:
Cara
Lumen, The Vision Distiller, Cara Lumen, The Vision
Distiller, helps you focus your passion into profitable course
of action. Through internet marketing, content strategy, signature
product development and her own information products she helps
proactive entrepreneurs become Success Magnets. www.caralumen.com
THE
ROLE OF A CONTENT STRATEGIST
