What do clients want...

We compete everyday for business, meet people, shake hands, cold call, work our sphere of influence... it is part of any sales job. If you are like me and have been at it for decades, you are hopefully getting lots of repeat business and referrals. But we still have to earn the clients and always be on the look out for a stranger to help.

So today I ask "what do clients want?"

The world of marketing has changed, and continues to change almost daily. When I started people asked for your business card, put you in their rolodex, phone calls were normal, mailers, printed flyers... even carbon paper. Now it is "social media this" and "internet that".

Well I have a suggestion, just my opinion, but one that I think merits attention. Clients want to hear others talk about you. They want video testimonials. they want people to talk about what a great job you did for them, they want strangers to vouch for you. If their friends and coworkers have used you they want to hear from them. They want other people to tell them it is ok to use you, to make them feel good about their decision.

So get testimonials, and use them to promote yourself. Simply...

• Ask for testimonials, ask clients to make a cell phone video recommending you, ask them to post it on their social media and let the world see it.
• Printed letters of recommendation are not a bad thing either. Gather them up, post them, send them out and use them in your marketing.
• But ask for testimonials and then ask again. Encourage clients to talk about you, help them spread the word and watch business grow

We are in a time where there is so much information online, but not all of it is true. People can slam you, even if you did a great job. I have seen restaurants slammed by 30 bad reviews, each one having the same misspellings... have always wondered if it is a competitor making stuff up. We are in a time where most people accept what they read, see or hear online.

So you need to make sure you have the right message out there for people to see, and testimonials are the best way to do it. So ask for them, post them, show them to everyone you can... your business will thank you for it.