expert testimonials

a tip for selling to businesses

Seminar materials, company websites and brochures, and books often feature testimonials from key executives in well-known companies who can be valuable contacts for you. The people quoted are often mid-level managers and the hands-on people who attend industry events and work with customers and suppliers. These are people you want to know, but may not find mentioned on a company website. Sometimes they’ll be the final decision maker and other times they be an influencer.

Type the word “seminar” into any search engine (Google, Yahoo!, MSN, etc.) and you’ll find pages of companies offering professional and personal development seminars. Add an industry term (see #30) and you can narrow your results. Then review seminar programs for topics that may interest your customers, and look for the “what our attendees say” section. You’ll find name, title and company, and then you can go to the company website to find the basic contact information (or one of the business information or list providers – see #16 & #44).

Review your competitors’ websites for testimonials as well. Review websites for companies that sell other products or services your customers need. You may find a testimonials section, or just a few quotes scattered on the homepage or throughout the site. Again, you’ll find name, title and company, and then you can go to the company website to find the basic contact information.

Go to a bookstore or library and locate industry-specific books that might interest your customers (you can search by topic on www.amazon.com to compile of list of titles before you go). Then review the covers and the first few pages for quotes. As before, you’ll find name, title and company, and then you can go to the company website to find the basic contact information.

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