Sarah is a sales & marketing content writer, with ten years of experience within the engineering & manufacturing industry. Working both at Qimtek and on a freelance basis, she can usually be found hammering away at a keyboard or with her head in a pile of engineering drawings.
As an engineering company, chances are that you use a number of different tools and techniques to attract potential customers and win new business. From your company website, which takes care of your online presence, through to social media, exhibitions and Qimtek membership, there are lots of different avenues to attract new buyers your way.
However, when it comes to actually closing the deal, one of the most understated - and often one of the most effective - sales tools are testimonials from your existing customers. By having a few of these at your disposal, you'll make it a lot easier to turn prospects into live accounts - and if you're yet to collect any testimonials, then read on to find out why you should.
Why You Need Testimonials:
Testimonials can go a long way towards showing potential customers that you're a legitimate, reliable supplier.
One of the hardest parts of the sales process when dealing with new customers is establishing trust. Almost every buyer you speak to will have had a bad experience with a new supplier at some point, which means that some will be particularly wary of placing their business with suppliers with whom they have no prior experience. Setting up relationships with new suppliers - from a buyer's perspective - can often feel like a massive leap of faith.
Just as you may have your own reservations based on whether the buyer will have reasonable expectations and pay on time, this wariness is definitely a two-way street. Unfortunately, until both parties have worked together, there is no way of completely dispelling any doubts; however, there are steps that both buyers and suppliers can take to establish trust ahead of time.
This is why testimonials are such a great sales tool, as they afford new buyers the opportunity to hear from your existing customers. Trust (or a lack thereof) is without a doubt one of the biggest obstacles within the new business process, but testimonials can go a long way towards showing potential customers that you're a legitimate, reliable supplier who delivers a high standard of quality.
READ: How to Organise Your Sales Approach and Win More Customers!
How Do I Collect Testimonials?
Once you've successfully completed a job for a customer, why not ask them for a testimonial as standard procedure?
Most companies will be happy to oblige if you ask them for a testimonial - especially customers with whom you have a close working relationship. It's a good idea to try to incorporate the collection of testimonials into the day-to-day account management side of your business - for example, once you've successfully completed a job for a customer, why not ask them for a testimonial as standard procedure? The more really is the merrier and you'll soon find that you'll have a bank of testimonials to draw upon within your new business process.
When it comes to the testimonial itself, either ask your customer to email you a few quick lines of recommendation, or conduct a telephone interview and write the testimonial yourself. Once you've come up with something that summarises your conversation, simply email it over to your customer for approval as a way of saving them some time.
READ: Three Reasons Why You Should Always Follow Up On Your Quotes
How Can I Use Testimonials to Market My Engineering Company?
Testimonials are incredibly versatile and lend themselves to a whole host of different applications.
The great thing about testimonials is that they're incredibly versatile and lend themselves to a whole host of different applications. It's absolutely a great idea to attach testimonials along with any quotations you send out, but this is not to say that you cannot use testimonials in other ways.
For example, testimonials should definitely be included on your company website, as they may help to draw new customers into enquiring after your services. The same can also be said for posting your testimonials on social media - having these in rotation will attract new followers and reinforce your credibility amongst your existing ones.
If you exhibit regularly (or at all!), then testimonials also make for great literature to hand out at shows. For example, why not incorporate some of your best testimonials into flyers and company brochures?
READ: What Are the Best Ways To Promote Your Engineering Company?
Qimtek's Reviewing Platform:
A great way to get testimonials is by asking buyers to submit a review of your company on the Qimtek network.
If you're a Qimtek member, then a great way to get testimonials is by asking buyers to submit a review of your company on the Qimtek network. Once a job has been completed, buyers are given the option to leave a review based on communication, quality and delivery - any reviews left will then be visible to other buyers within the network.
We recognise that establishing trust is a two-way street, which is why suppliers are also invited to review the buyers that they work with. This evens the playing field and gives suppliers the opportunity to have their say by leaving feedback about communication, lead times and payment terms.
By establishing a trustworthy, transparent network, we hope that both buyers and suppliers will feel reassured when entering a new business relationship - what's more, positive reviews can also serve as great marketing tools and help you to expand your customer base.
READ: Qimtek Engineering Reviews - Buy & Supply With Confidence
For more information about Qimtek's reviewing platform, please don't hesitate to call us on 01256 394 500, or email [email protected].