The Value of Testimonials
The most powerful sales and marketing tool that builds attendance, or helps new exhibitors/sponsors sign on the dotted line is a targeted testimonial

Author and speaker Jeff Gitomer said it best: "When you say it about yourself, it's bragging. When somebody else says it about you, it's proof!" Most organizations use testimonials as part of their marketing strat- egy, but fail to implement them to their full advantage. * Here's what I mean:

• "The ABC conference was the best conference that I attended last year."
• "The trade show delivered significant ROI for our company."
• "XYZ provided exceptional customer service."

Sure, it's nice to share this kind of praise, but these testimonials lack specific benefits or value-added items that were realized by the organization or individual. By going a little deeper, you can deliver a message with greater impact:

• "The ABC conference was very rewarding for me professionally. I brought back ideas for new sales strategies that have increased my production by more than 10 percent. I can't wait to join you in Orlando next year."
• "The trade show delivered twice as many qualified leads as any other show we participated in last year. We had steady traffic, great quality leads, and plan to expand our presence at next year's event." 
• "We used ABC Company for the last five years, but switched to XYZ for our 2007 event. Now we realize what exceptional customer service is like. We only wish we would have switched our vendors sooner."

Smart marketers will target testimonials to the audience that they are trying to attract. By segmenting your audience, you can deliver messaging that is right on track and more persuasive. A specific campaign and testimonial to attract first-time attendees, or a specific title in a specific industry can improve results. To add credibility, testimonials should always include the company name and, when permitted, the individual's name and title.

If you want to crank your testimonials up a few notches, consider developing case studies. When making a purchase decision (like whether or not to register for your event), a case study can do wonders for accelerating the sale, reducing risk, adding credibility to your pitch, and helping an employee justify to his/her organization why attending your meeting will deliver ROI. A good case study will:

• Use the words "case study" in the title and subject line. It gets people's attention.
• rofile the customer, including industry, size of organization, and title.
• Include a photo of the client, photo from the convention, or client logo.
• Identify real business issues, challenges/problems, or objections that needed to be overcome (e.g., too expensive, too much time away from the office, or not strong enough educational content). Build suspense.
• Give them a happy ending. Document quantifiable results, such as how you delivered value for their exhibition or sponsorship dollars, provided education that they couldn't get anywhere else, or expanded their business network.

Remember to keep a consistent case study flow by offering: 1) Profile 2) Challenge 3) Solution 4) Results. Keep each case study to one page and 300-500 words. Post them on your Web site and distribute as PDFs on a targeted basis.

The ultimate selling tool is to videotape your best client testimonials or case studies. After viewing a believable, satisfied customer with an emotional tie to your conference, a prospect will feel more confident about your value proposition.

Dave Lutz is managing director of Velvet Chainsaw Con-
sulting, www.velvetchainsaw.com, a business improvement
consultant specializing in the meeting and event industry.
His company assists organizations in realizing top- and bot-
tom-line growth by delivering customer-focused solutions in
business development, best practice and process improve-
ment, strategic planning, and training.