Wouldn’t it be good to see what your business really looks like to the outside world? And, more importantly, to your clients? Sourcing b2b customer testimonials is one of the best ways of finding out your business’ real strengths and weaknesses.
It’s also one of the best ways of building a strong relationship with your clients and all the benefits that result: low client turnover; increased revenue (hooray!) and glowing testimonials to use in your marketing.
Below we walk you through some of the key points to consider when sourcing testimonials:
Why bother with b2b customer testimonials?
Seeking b2b customer testimonials will give you the chance for some real and honest feedback from your clients. It’s a perfect opportunity to get an idea of how your business really appears to the people that keep you in business. It might even reveal some surprising things to you about your business, help to keep your staff on their toes, and provide one of the best possible ways of strengthening your relationships with your clients. Additionally, the positive feedback you get can be used again and again, both inside your business and in the outside world.
Who should participate in testimonials?
All of your live clients. That’s right, not just the good ones! If you’re not 100% confident that a job has gone well, this is a good opportunity to find out why. It’s your call at the end of the day, but don’t avoid the negative feedback. It’ll hurt, but remember that knowledge is power, and negative feedback that you can act and make improvements from will benefit your business a hundred times more than flattery.
When should I seek customer testimonials?
Seeking b2b customer testimonials should be done at the end of a project or can be done on an ongoing basis, e.g. once every 6 months, depending on the way you work with your client. Unless you do project work, it can be more efficient to do them bi-annually, all at the same time of year.
Who should do source testimonials?
When you're planning to capture b2b customer testimonials, allocate the person who your client will find it easiest to be completely honest with. Sometimes this is best done by someone external to their project, or even someone from outside the business. In this case, they should always be introduced by the clients’ main contact within your business. Above all, your client needs to feel that their views will be received in utmost confidentiality, treated with respect, and put to good use.
How should customer testimonials (or case studies) be sourced?
Ideally, sourcing a b2b customer testimonial or a case study should be conducted face-to-face, or at least over the telephone. However, we always recommend sending clients a written template beforehand, so they have a chance to think about the questions in advance. The meeting shouldn’t take more than 15 or 20 minutes. Some clients may just want to complete the form and send it back to you. You will need to respect their wishes on this, but be aware that you will get the most (including potential referrals) out of a face-to-face meeting than a form returned in the post. Your call!
One last thing!
Make sure you let you clients and staff know in advance (right at the beginning of your business relationship, if possible) that you will be requesting b2b customer testimonials, and tell them when it will happen. This way the clients get that warm fuzzy ‘good service’ feeling right from the outset, and you’ve given your staff the chance to be the best they can be - right from the beginning.
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