Get 380% More Leads With This B2B Testimonial Template

If you could do one simple thing to get an increase in the number and quality of leads generated, would you do it?

What if I told you the bump might be a 380% increase, or more?

I’m guessing the answer is a resounding YES.

In this article we’ll look at how you can use testimonials to massively increase your site traffic. And get monster increases in engagement at the same time.

Testimonials Matter, A Lot

Think back to the last time you made an online purchase. Did you check the product reviews? I’ll bet you did.

Everyone does. Well, almost everyone.

Spiegel Research Center found that a remarkable 95% of people check reviews before making a purchase.

And here’s the thing. If people are checking reviews before they spend $10 on a pillow case, you can be SURE they’re checking you out, too.

In fact, Spiegel found that as the cost of an item increased, so did the importance of reviews. When reviews were shown for lower-priced products the conversion rate increased 190%. But for higher priced products the conversion rate increased 380%.

The takeaway is, if you’re selling expensive solutions, you’d better have some testimonials to justify the price tag.

Spiegel found that as reviews were added, conversion rates steadily increased. Products with five reviews got 270% more conversions than those with no reviews. And a consumer’s likelihood to purchase increased by 4x.

But B2B solutions aren’t the same as consumer products, are they?

For one thing, there’s potentially a lot more risk involved.

When someone buys a watch, if it doesn’t work they’ll just return it for repair or replacement.

Most of the time, B2B solutions aren’t as transactional. And finding easy recourse isn’t straightforward. If you discover a bug 6 months after receiving bespoke software, what then? It’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?

That’s why trust is paramount for success in B2B. If buyers aren’t sure your solution will work for them, they’ll look elsewhere.

B2B solutions come with higher price tags. So the buyer’s risk is potentially higher. This is important as Spiegel found that the more expensive your solution is, the more important testimonials become. People want to feel like you are 100% going to solve their problem!

Keep Your Testimonials Authentic

Buyers value authenticity in a review. It doesn’t have to be 100% perfect, but it does need to capture their experience.

Testimonials work best when they take the reader through a mini-journey. The buyer had a problem. And the solution provider helped solve their issue.

Buyers consider the source of the testimonial. People with problems similar to their own are given more weight.

And verified buyers are more trusted than unverified buyers. Notably, people are more likely to buy (15% increase) when they see a review from a verified buyer.

Your testimonials don’t need to be perfect. Testimonials prove you are trustworthy – not perfect. In fact, 82% of buyers specifically look for negative reviews for a well-rounded understanding of customer experience.

For consumer products, star ratings in the 4.0 – 4.7 range are most valued. Purchase likelihood actually decreases in the 4.7 to 5.0 range. This indicates people are skeptical of solutions that seem too good to be true.

Reevoo did a study that supports these findings. They found 68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad scores. And 30% of customers suspect faked reviews or cherry-picked reviews if there is nothing negative at all.

The great new is, shoppers who go out of their way to read bad reviews convert 67% more than the average consumer.

The biggest violation of authenticity is a fake testimonial. Don’t do it. Ever.

Seriously, people can spot them a mile away. And they’ll destroy your brand before you’ve even gotten started.

I once refused to accept a client because the staff on his website were stock photos beside fake names. It looked real, but somehow not. People can tell.

No one cares if you are big or small, new or established. They care if you can help them solve their problem at a reasonable price point.

And that’s why authentic testimonials are so valuable.

Client Testimonial Template

Getting great client testimonials doesn’t happen by accident. You’ve got to put a bit of thought into it.

If you just ask for a review, the odds are you’ll get it. But it won’t be very useful for your company or marketing.

Here are some tips for using this b2b testimonial template.

(1) You know WAY in advance that you want a testimonial or case study from your client. So tell them you’ll be asking for one in the future – ideally at the start of the project. Usually they’ll be happy to agree. And there won’t be any surprises when you do ask.

(2) Decide how long you want your testimonial to be. Is it a quote for your website? Or a 10 minute video interview. If you don’t structure your request, the results won’t fit your intended use case.

(3) Write the testimonial for them. Executives are busy and as much as they’d like to support you, it may not be a priority. Help them, help you. Write out the testimonial exactly the way you want it. Then send it to them as an example. Sometimes they’ll add their own thoughts. But other times they’ll sign off on it, as is.

(4) Focus on transformational questions and outcomes. A strong testimonial will cover the problem, the solution, and the outcome.

(5) Plan your keywords (see the indexable content section below). Testimonials are a form of content. If they’re going on your website, then include service related keywords to make your solution stand out to Google’s algorithm. Be sure to use your target keywords in your testimonial template example. They may end up using them.

(6) Be clear they don’t have to give you a testimonial. If they decide not to, it won’t affect your relationship.

(7) Finally, remind them that other clients are giving out strong testimonials. A little social proof never hurt.

Here’s a sample testimonial template you can use to elicit fantastic reviews from your clients.

Testimonials Can Uncover Opportunities To Improve

If you think you’ve created strong value for your client then it makes sense to ask for a testimonial.

But what happens next?

When a client receives your testimonial request, there are 4 possible responses. They can:

1. Enthusiastically agree to participate.
2. Agree to participate, but not take any action.
3. Decline the request, or express reluctance.
4. Ignore the message.

Responses 2 – 4 can mean one of three things.

First, they may just be busy. Your request is important to them, but they haven’t gotten around to it yet. A gentle follow up is warranted, but don’t push too hard.

Second, you may need to tweak your testimonial template. Test different approaches to your copy.

Third, they may not feel like you’ve created enough value to justify the strong recommendation you requested in your testimonial template.

If it’s the third case then it’s really tough to hear. But it’s an amazing opportunity to improve. Clearly there is a gap between the client’s expectations for your service, and what they felt they received.

So do the hard thing and ask them about it.

Companies improve when they really listen to client feedback.

And the processes you put in place to address their concerns will ultimately be more valuable than the testimonial itself.

B2B Testimonials Are Indexable Content

If trust factors alone don’t convince you, here’s another big reason to start getting testimonials.

Testimonials are a form of indexable content. And content is (hands down) one of the best ways to generate b2b sales leads.

Google isn’t a human, it’s an algorithm. And the algorithm’s job is to find the best match for the searcher’s query.

How does it do that?

Well, there are LOTS of factors that come into play. But one consideration will be keywords. If you want a page to rank well, it needs to include keywords related to the page topic.

And testimonials are perfect for doing exactly that. When you publish a testimonial on your website it’ll say what you do in a way that reflects natural language. That’s exactly what Google wants to see!

And if you have multiple testimonials on the same page then they are probably all describing your solution in a slightly different way. Google loves to see variations on a keyword theme. This helps them refine and focus their search results. Without themed content Google can’t parse nuanced concepts.

This idea of indexable keywords even extends to Google My Business (GMB).

When someone near you searches for your solution do you appear on the map? It’s one of the easiest ways to get found!

Google uses the keywords in your GMB profile to match you to searchers. But here’s the kicker. There are only 3 spots in the map pack.

If you have multiple competitors, how does Google know who to choose? Well, they only show the 3 companies they believe to be the most relevant and trustworthy for the search query.

Relevance is easy to understand. But how does Google decide who’s trustworthy?

You guessed right! They look at client reviews to see who is getting consistently positive feedback.

Google search traffic is one of the most scalable ways to get new business leads. And testimonials are a fantastic way to generate highly relevant, niche keywords for your site. While making you appear more trustworthy in the process!

How Client Testimonials Impact Lead Generation And Sales

Let’s take the idea of testimonials as content one step further.

What do you do with content? You share it of course!

Businesses create content (like this article) to attract new opportunities. And demonstrate niche expertise.

But we also use content to stay connected with prospects who have yet to convert.

When a new article gets published we share it on social channels. And pop it into the email marketing list.

The idea is to remind past prospects who didn’t convert that we’re still around, and ready to assist.

But articles don’t really move the prospect, do they? If a prospect declined to work with you, it’s because they thought you couldn’t solve their problem. Or the price point wasn’t a good fit for their needs.

If they didn’t see enough value in your proposition to take action, a pithy article won’t change that.

So why not share your testimonials?! They’re WAY more convincing than an article. And make for better reading, too.

Put yourself in your prospects’ shoes. If you got an email like the one below every week, would you start to trust in their abilities?

How Do You Use B2B Testimonials?

I’d love to hear from you. How are you getting testimonials? What does your process look like?

And how do you use them? Where do you find they have the most impact on your marketing efforts?

Drop me a line and let me know!