Your customers are seeking validation of their decision to do business with you. Testimonials and case studies from fellow customers can help overcome doubts and close the sale.

Truly powerful testimonials and case studies come directly from customers. If you try to create a case study from scratch without the customer’s involvement, you are missing out on some valuable information.

Gather the Information

Sean D’Souza reminds us that we shouldn’t make testimonials too sugary. To create testimonials with substance, he suggests asking customers these questions:

1. What were your perceptions before you bought our product/service and were you reluctant in any way?
2. How did you feel as a result of using the product/service?
3. What specific results did you get as a result of using the product/service?

John Jantsch on his Duct Tape Marketing blog suggests you ask a client four questions:

1. What solution were you seeking when you hired us?
2. What did/do we provide that you value the most?
3. What has been the result of working with us?
4. What would you tell others who are considering hiring us?

Instead of guessing why a customer chose you or likes to do business with you, you can gather that information straight from the customer. You’ll probably even get feedback you weren’t expecting.

Combine these two sets of questions together to mix and match those that best suit your business and customer base.

Tell a Story

Asking questions of your customers and clients allows you draw out their “story” so you can then retell it to other prospective customers.

Your customers will each have their individual challenges and needs. You can relate situations and successes from previous customers via testimonials and case studies to prove that you can help solve your prospective customer’s problems.

Resolve Common Concerns

If you know your customers frequently have the same questions, you can leverage testimonials to show how others may have had those same doubts and yet your product masterfully delivered what you promised. Imagine the power your “frequently asked questions” page would have if your current customers answered the questions based on their own experience with you!

Your claims carry far more weight and credibility when you can back your statement up with those from real life users.

Price increases must be communicated to customers in advance and at the time of the adjustment. Any surprises along the way will damage your customer relationships.

Last week we got our phone bill and noticed an increase in our long distance service charge. Ironically, the last time I wrote about preparing for price changes, I wrote about this same provider: AT&T.

I couldn’t find on the bill why the price had jumped. After waiting on hold for over ten minutes, I spoke with a customer service representative that informed me that indeed the service fee had increased.

In my previous post, I talked about three key principles:

• Explain why the price is increasing
• Give advance notice of the increase
• Lock in previous pricing

AT&T failed to explain “why” my rates went up. I can only assume they are trying to squeeze a little more money out of me.

Apparently the price change had been communicated at the bottom of a previous bill in a section titled “News You Can Use.” I never saw that notice.

This month’s bill contained no explanation for the increase. Any previous communication was irrelevant because right now there was nothing.

Price changes can stir up your customer’s emotions rather quickly. It is therefore necessary to mitigate potential trouble during any such changes. Just because you told a customer once that their service was changing, don’t expect them to remember or even hear that first communication. You’ll find safety in over communicating pricing changes: before, during, and after the fact.

In the time it takes to point out a customer is wrong, you could probably just fix the issue and have a happier customer.

I went with some coworkers to a Mexican restaurant last week for lunch. When the waitress brought out our food, she put a plate of rice and beans on the table between a coworker and myself. We both thought that our meals came with these side dishes.

The waitress told us that the side dishes went with my meal. My coworker pointed out that both our meals were in the “dinner” section of the menu where it stated that all dishes came with rice and beans.

The waitress told him that his plate was different and that she would go get the menu to show him.

She returned a few minutes later and pointed out the item on the menu. From our reaction, she realized that might not have been the best decision. She returned a few minutes later with an additional plate of rice and beans.

Is it worth it?

As a company, you serve customers. Your customers may be mistaken or wrong at times but your end goal isn’t to point out those flaws. You want to keep your customers happy and spending money with you.

If a customer is wrong, ask yourself: what is the worst that can happen? Can you act in the customer’s favor without a major impact to your bottom line, fellow customers, yourself, or others? If so, swallow your pride and take action.

Don’t let a figurative cheap plate of rice and beans stand between you and a future return customer.

Prevent Confusion from the Beginning

Once the immediate customer needs are resolved, you can turn your efforts to preventing problems in the future. With the Mexican restaurant, the menu could have been more clear in its description of which side dishes were included with which entrees.

Ask your customers for feedback. You may need to rework your marketing copy, advertising, or instructions to help your customers fully understand what they should be expecting to receive.

Your product requires some minimal level of knowledge or understanding by the customer. As a marketer, you must communicate that prerequisite to prospective customers.

A few weeks ago my wife convinced me to take a dance class with her. We don’t know much about ballroom dance so we decided to take an entry level class at a local community center.

We thought that a beginner’s class would be ideal to get started with our new dancing skills.

The night of our class arrived. Once we located our classroom at the community center, it took one minute to dash our hopes to pieces.

The instructor began by asking if this was the first ballroom class for any one. We were the only ones of more than 20 that sheepishly raised ours hands.

No big deal, right? We had signed up for Viennese Waltz 1. The beginner class. The easy stuff, right?

Wrong. Acknowledging our hands, the instructor said that the Viennese Waltz is one of the most difficult dances and is best attempted only after learning other ballroom dances.

Needless to say, the night didn’t go so well. We were over our heads and ended up leaving early.

Prevent Customer Confusion

Courses in college have prerequisites that communicate to students what they need to know before they attempt the new course. Your product may require similar warnings. Up-front communication will prevent confusion once it is too late.

Pre-Sales

Your marketing, advertising, and packaging should make it clear what a customer needs to be successful with your product. Our “Viennese Waltz 1″ class looked on paper like a beginner course. After all, it was a level one class. Your products may appear benign but really may need some expertise to use or operate. You need to filter prospective customers based on these requirements or train them on how to use your product.

Point of Sale

By the time your customer is paying for your product, it isn’t too late to help them be successful. You can reiterate what they need to know to use your product. You can offer training materials or courses.

Post-Sale

Once the customer gets your product home and starts using it, how can you help them succeed? Quality documentation, step-by-step guides, and examples will help.

Learning Curve

No matter what you do, there may always be a learning curve for your product. That is fine. Just make it as easy as possible to learn and you open up the possibilities of the number of people you can call customers.

Setting expectations is a powerful tool for setting your business up for success. However, if not used properly, things can backfire and completely undermine your customer’s trust in you.

Our recent experience with Logoworks offers another lesson in customer relations. Their automated project management site indicates when your next logo revisions will be ready for your review.

We found on more than one occasion that when we would check back at the designated time, that the deadline was magically updated and moved a few hours later.

That new time would arrive and once again, the deadline had moved.

Missed Deadlines and Customer Perceptions

How do shifting deadlines make you look to your customers? Customers will think that:

• You can’t be trusted.
• You don’t know what you’re doing.
• You give poor estimates.
• You are probably rushing to finish the job.
• Your quality may be poor since you did it at the last minute.

All of these factors combine to completely destroy any trust your customer had in your business.

The Power of Early

Now imagine that you set a deadline and deliver your project ahead of schedule. What does that make your customer think?

• You can be trusted.
• You know what you’re doing.
• Your estimates may be off, but hey, you delivered it early!
• You do what you say you will do.

What if you can’t make a deadline?

If you know that you are going to miss a deadline, tell the customer. Notify them as early in the process as possible. You want to avoid any surprises, especially near the deadline when a customer’s expectations are highest that you are about to deliver on your commitment.

Setting Expectations

Setting proper expectations will allow you to underpromise and over deliver. This sets you up to “wow” your customer with a great experience.

Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Green Book of Getting Your Way follows in the tradition of his other “little books” and delivers some solid advice on how to persuade others.

Gitomer knows that you have many different venues for convincing others to do what you want. These may be via speeches, presentations, writing, emails, phone calls, and more.

Getting Your Way starts by talking generally about persuading others to your way of thinking. A lot of Gitomer’s writing focuses on building your self confidence so that you can actually visualize and believe in what you want to achieve. Building on that, he introduces you to the concept that a key to getting your way is to understand those you are trying to convince. Once you understand their motivations and needs, you can tailor your message to be more effective.

Gitomer gives hundreds of speeches a year. He shares his secrets for success from his public speaking experience throughout the book.

He touts that he is never nervous when giving a speech. How does he do that? He “owns” his presentation. It isn’t memorized, but rather he knows it inside and out. Being fully prepared is a powerful foundation that gives you not only confidence but flexibility in presenting.

Another key point he makes about presentations is getting your audience to laugh. Now, you can’t just tell a cheesy joke and call it humor. If you get people laughing, they are more likely to not only pay attention but also believe you and take action in your favor.

Since Gitomer is a salesman by trade, most of his examples have to do with sales presentations and following up with prospects. The principles he teaches are sound and apply not only to that arena but also to your marketing materials and online copy writing.

Joe’s Recommendation

Buy a Copy - I found some gems in this book and am sure you will too. The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, although a quick read, delivers great tips that can improve your persuasion techniques.

Buy Little Green Book of Getting Your Way from Amazon.com.

Prospective customers may not know all the great features and benefits of your product or service. Don’t overlook a simple step in marketing your products: tell your customers why they would want your product.

I was checking some football scores this past weekend on ESPN.com. Before the scoreboard launched, they showed me an intermediate page:

This ad was trying to promote ESPN’s premium service. However, all they could say to entice me was “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

If I don’t know what I’m missing, why would I want to sign up?

Why don’t you tell me I get extra articles and interviews? Tell me I get discounts and streaming online video of games.

Please tell customers what they get and why they should care.

Some customers will be curious and try to find out what they are missing even if you don’t tell them. However, that is the exception to the rule. Most potential customers, oblivious to your great product, will walk on by without further investigation.

First, tell customers about your product’s great features. Second, translate those into how they benefit the customer. By so doing, you’ll paint a picture that the customer can imagine and will compel them to proceed down the sales path.