How To Use Testimonials In Ecommerce Value Propositions

You Don’t Need Better Testimonials —  You Need Better Storytelling Your Testimonials Are Dying in Your Docs Most businesses are sitting on a goldmine of social proof. (And letting it rot) Here's the truth no one's telling you: Raw testimonials don't sell. Stories do. Here's how to transform dead feedback into living proof: 1. Find the Tension First → What kept your client awake at night? → Which "solutions" had already failed? → What made them finally reach out? 2. Build the Stakes → What would happen if nothing changed? → Which obstacles almost stopped them? → What convinced them to trust you? 3. Show the Transformation → What specific results emerged? → Which surprise benefits appeared? → How does their world look different now? Example: Before: "Great service, helped us grow our sales!" After: "We were burning through $40K/month on ads that didn't convert. Two agencies had failed us. Within 8 weeks of implementing the new framework, our cost per lead dropped 65% and our team stopped working weekends." See the difference? One is forgettable. The other makes prospects reach for their wallet. Your testimonials are story gold. Stop letting them gather dust. ♻️ Share if this shifted your thinking 🔔 Follow Mike Hays for more modern marketing psychology

Testimonial requests tend to sound like homework. “Would you mind filling out a quick review form?” “Could you write a few lines about your experience?” As Abe Lincoln once said - ain't nobody got time for that. Not when they’re drowning in QBR decks and budget asks. But here’s the good news: You’re ALREADY getting testimonials. You’re just not capturing them. How? Well, your best reviews happen mid-sentence...not in post-call surveys. Every week, your customers are saying: - “This saved us so much time.” - “I had no idea we could do that.” - “You’ve made my job way easier.” THAT'S your testimonial. Don’t ask for it later. Double back immediately. “Loved that feedback - any chance I can turn that into a short quote for our team? I’ll write it up for you to approve.” The answer is usually yes. Here’s a 3-part system CSMs can use: 1. Use Sybill to identify key praise moments. Tag the call. Clip the quote. Make it easy for marketing to use. Bonus points if it aligns to a launch, feature, or persona. 2. Send the follow-up within 24 hours. Keep it short: “Hey Samantha - loved what you said on today’s call. I drafted a quick version below. Let me know if you’re cool with it or want to tweak anything.” Now it’s opt-in. You removed homework from the equation. 3. Tie review asks to key milestones. Don’t wait until EBRs. Ask after: - a successful onboarding. - a new feature rollout. - a strong support save. - a surprise ROI win. All you're doing is reinforcing momentum. tl;dr = testimonial collection isn’t so much of a marketing play as it is a CS system. If your team’s sitting on dozens of glowing comments each month, but none of them make it into your website, your decks, or your content, you simply need to do a better job of capturing what's already coming your way. Fix that and the next case study writes itself.

Most people do customer testimonials wrong. Here's my winning playbook for great testimonials... 👇 1) Start with a video interview If your client agrees, always start by interviewing them on camera (you record over Zoom). People share a lot more when speaking so you'll have more content to work with than if you start with text. Here are some questions to ask on the interview: - What problem(s) did you face before working with us? - How did you first discover our company? - What made our product or service a good fit for you? - What made you choose to hire us over other solutions? - What were your goals when you started working with our company? - What results have you achieved since you started working with us? How has it impacted your business? Can you quantify the results with numbers? - What has your experience been like working with our product or our team? - What advice would you give to anyone thinking about working with us? 📌 Interview tip: Ask them to mention your company name and to rephrase the question in their answer 2) Edit the video Edit the video to highlight the most interesting and positive comments. 3) Pull out highlights Find one or two highlights from the interview and write them as text. Then send a message to the client saying something like, "this was really great what you said, would you mind sharing this quote as a Google review as well?" Send them the text of what they previously said so they can simply copy/paste. This way, you get video and text reviews 😎 You can ask them to post the text on LinkedIn, Google or anyplace else you're trying to get more online reviews. Make it as easy as possible for your client to help you. 4) Share the testimonial Share the video and text highlights far and wide - Organic social - Paid social ads (especially for retargeting) - Embed on your website - Create a mashup video from multiple client interviews Any other suggestions for getting better customer testimonials?

Boost Your Sales by 270% with Effective Testimonials and Reviews What if you could increase your sales by up to 270%—without changing your sales process, presentation, or lead volume? The key lies in how you use your testimonials and reviews. I’ve been doing this for over 10 years, and it has transformed my sales. Here's how: The mindset a prospective customer brings makes a HUGE difference—between facing objections or meeting a pre-sold prospect who’s ready to buy. Online Reviews Matter If you're selling online, this is obvious. But even offline businesses benefit. Consider these stats: 93% of consumers say online reviews impact purchasing decisions. Products with five reviews are 270% more likely to be purchased. Customers spend 31% more on businesses with excellent reviews. 72% say positive reviews increase trust in a local business. A one-star Yelp increase can boost revenue by 5–9%. 94% say a negative review convinced them to avoid a business. Businesses with nine or more reviews earn 52% more revenue. This is why I focus heavily on getting, publishing, and updating reviews. Strategies for Collecting Online Reviews Most customers research online before purchasing. To collect reviews: Time Your Requests Ask at key moments—after they become customers or receive your product or service. Make It Easy Actively prompt customers for reviews instead of waiting passively. Respond to Reviews Positive reviews reinforce trust. For negative ones: Handling Negative Feedback Negative feedback is inevitable. Respond quickly to show commitment to customer service. Future prospects forgive occasional bad reviews if they see engagement. Leveraging Reviews in Marketing Post reviews on social media, use them in marketing, and feature them on sales pages to boost conversions. My Review Flow In my e-commerce business, I capitalize on customers’ excitement post-purchase. On the thank-you page, I ask for a review before they even receive the product. Their excitement is at its peak right after buying. To maximize reviews across platforms, I rotate links to different review sites on the thank-you page. This diversifies reviews across platforms without overwhelming any one site. Understanding Testimonials Testimonials are like reviews but allow more direction. Memorize this: The purpose of a testimonial is to address sales objections in advance. Collecting Testimonials When gathering testimonials: Identify concerns customers had before buying. Ask about their experience during delivery. Get feedback on how your communication made them feel. Inquire who else would benefit from your product or service. Ask if they’d choose to work with you again. What To Do Next If you’re not doing these things, start now—they can double your profit or more.