Testimonials are important tool for promoting any business. Potential customers want to learn more about your work before they make a commitment. Testimonials offer that customer a unique opportunity to ‘get to know you’ through the eyes of a third party.

 

If a potential customer is ‘on the fence’ about whether to sign with a virtual assistant, often a good testimonial could positively influence that final decision. Additionally, potential clients may peruse a virtual assistant’s website before requesting a consultation call so it essential to have a solid stack of testimonials available; helping to ‘break the ice’ during that call.

Good, detailed testimonials are ‘proof’ that what you say about your service or product is true!

 

Customer testimonials can be copied to a website as text or they can be found in the form of a video or an audio. (For this post, we will only cover audio testimonials.)

Audio Testimonials

Google Voice is a free service used to receive audio files which can be copied to a website or blog.

Sign up at http://www.google.com/voice and follow the prompts to select a phone number to be specifically used for receipt of testimonials. Settings can be modified to have the calls forwarded to a particular phone.  An introductory pre-recorded message can be utilized to welcome your client to a testimonial audio line.

 

When a client calls the audio testimonial Google Voice number and leaves a voice message, the transcript of that call and the audio file will go into your Gmail email box.

 

This is what the transcript looks like when it has been recorded and sent to a Gmail Inbox. (click twice for larger image) You can listen to the file right from the Gmail box and decide if that recording can be used as an audio testimonial.

 

Download the audio file from your Google Voice box is super easy. There are two choices…embed and download. You can download and save the file as an MPEG 3 file as seen in this photo.

 

Or you can copy the code into your blog as pictured below.
Here are few tips for obtaining audio testimonials:

 

1)  Make up a short questionnaire asking for a testimonial.  The very best testimonials include details and results of the good work a business has done so ask for details.

 

2)  Ask for a customer headshot and be persistent about this request because having the speaker’s photo next to the words really makes an effective impression on the listener.

 

3)  Specify a timeline when you want the recording completed.

 

4) Offer to write the testimonial and then send it to the customer for review and approval.

 

5)  Offer your own testimonial in return for the favor.

 

6)  Google Voice allows for a re-recording meaning that if the speaker does not like the audio, the program will allow for a re-recording. So let the customer know ahead of time that this is not a ‘one shot deal’.

 

7) Make sure you have permission to use the audio, the name, the company name and the headshot.

 

8) Use the transcript on your website in another section. Google Voice offers a transcript along with the audio so why not take advantage of both the audio and the text?

 

9) Thank the customer…profusely…for the favor of the recording the audio!

 

Click here to listen to a sample of audio testimonials from my blog.
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