Testimonials, Feedback, Referrals and Bonuses

Now that we have setup a plan to make more profits, it’s time to get testimonials, case studies, and specific feedback.

You should realize how powerful testimonials and case studies are. It’s social proof of what you do or how good your products are. You can toot your own horn, but it’s far more believable if others do that. It will boost your credibility when you add them to your all your marketing materials, which will lead to more sales in the end.

I’ve already written about how to get testimonials and case studies in How To Write Great Email Follow Up Series.

Feedback is of the utmost importance too. So don’t forget to ask your customers about the ease of use of your product, the ordering and fulfillment process, everything. Here’s why.

For every single customer who tells you about an issue or pet peeve, there are probably 10 or more that are thinking it, but don’t tell you. So when you DO get feedback, you have an opportunity to address each concern, or at a minimum explain it in your FAQ section - which you’ll send them in the welcome email, remember?

But here’s what you really want to get from the feedback: The Golden Nuggets.
These are the types of related products they’d be interested in, or product variations and that sort of thing.
As an example, the immense number of Wordpress plugins shows how important product variations are. Getting this sort of feedback creates new chances to improve and expand your product line.

The next big thing in your after sales procedure are referrals. You should ask your customers for referrals and make it worth their while.

I guess you do know about “tell-a-friend” scripts. If not, these basically handle the technical part of offering your customers and prospects an “ethical bribe” for referring other people to your website, where you have the chance to sell them or have them join your list.

I’ve tested them and have had some mixed results. They DO work, but unfortunately a lot of the emails generated by these scripts get caught in the various spam filters.
You should test them and see how they work, because in some non-IM niches they do exceedingly well. But unfortunately they are increasingly regarded upon as spam these days.

That’s a real shame, as the concept these scripts are based on, still is powerful. The key is to reward the referrer AND the person he is referring.
Famous marketer Dan Kennedy describes a twist of this concept. It involves sending your customers a letter with 2 gift certificates: one for them to use, and one for them to pass along to a friend (or even better, 2 for them to pass along to 2 of their friends).

There are all kinds of ways you can use this for holiday and other promotions, but the concept is the same: you reward your customers and the people they refer.

If you leave this technique out of your email follow up series, you’re missing out on an unrealized profit center for you.

Finally, don’t forget to overdeliver. Provide unannounced bonuses to exceed your customers’ expectations.
Back in the nineties of the previous century I learned this from Marlon Sanders. He called it ‘dollars (the value delivered) for dimes (the price paid)’.

The logic behind this is that everybody loves to receive a gift they didn’t anticipate. Unannounced bonuses after they’ve bought gives them even greater value and demonstrates your willingness to overdeliver on your promises.

It adds customer loyalty and reduces refund rates. And it increases the likelihood they’ll refer others to you, as well as recommend and endorse you.

The “bonuses” can even be in the form of additional content to help them with product consumption. For example, a video showing them how to do a certain task or get a desired result by using your product.

Just keep this in mind when you provide these bonuses:

1. Make sure the bonus is relevant to the product they’ve purchased. Just like back-end sales, you don’t want to bombard them with stuff they don’t want or need, even if it is free. The best bonuses are ones that allow them to get even MORE value out of the product they purchased from you.
2. Your bonus should stand on its own as a product. It should contain real value and be something you could sell outright. Giving them junk won’t fool them into thinking you’re giving them “something extra.” If anything, it’ll make them think twice about you and your product. In fact, crap bonuses can actually reduce the perceived value in the product they paid for and increase refunds.
3. The timing of when you give extra bonuses should be tested or at least well-reasoned. For example, do you think it’s better to give them valuable bonuses they don’t expect before or after you ask them for a referral? (Answer: Both, but give your better bonus first!)

So, that’s how you handle your ‘After Sales’ process.
Any comments or additions?
Post them below.

Tags: after sales, bonuses, feedback, follow-up, referrals, testimonials

Welcome to Affordable Internet Marketing Blog.
You may want to Subscribe to my Updates or to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Related Articles:

• Your Online Marketing Funnel
• Pareto’s Principle: The 80/20 Rule
• Is Your Marketing System: Ready? FIRE! Aim
• How To Be Different
• Internet Marketing Articles - Tutorials