Comments on: Don't Let Testimonials Dictate Your Marketing Strategy

By: 6 Little Success Tips | Catherine Lawson

6 Little Success Tips | Catherine Lawson — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:17:25 +0000

[...] to make plenty of mistakes – it’s the only way you’ll learn. Early in his career, Brad Shorr made a costly marketing mistake but it taught him a valuable lesson he never forgot. 4. Find Your Own Definition Of Success [...]

By: Danielle Ingram

Danielle Ingram — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:13:24 +0000

Interesting post!

It is so important to take a look at competitors and see what they are doing that you aren’t, and then work upon it, enhance it in your own way.

I agree with you that testimonials are so important as if they are good, they will generally suggest that using that marketing technique will have a successful effect for you too.

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:17:14 +0000

Lloyd, Thanks for stopping by, and hope the articles help. Sorry for the late response/welcome.

Jackie, It’s nice to know you’re not alone when it comes to goofing up marketing campaigns. Your comment made me feel a whole lot better. Interesting how the humor element is such an aid to learning … I remember years ago watching a series of sales training videos by John Cleese. Probably the best sales training I ever had – I can still remember some of the key points, 15+ years late.

By: Jackie Cameron

Jackie Cameron — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:12:18 +0000

That was quite an “investment” you made on your own Brad! My more “conservative” former employer wanted me to reach prospective clients for our new service ( pre internet) and to help I subscribed to a reputable directory of what we considered to be top notch companies at a huge cost ( by our – not your standards). The enormous tome arrived in the mail and I had to trawl through it to find appropriate “target” companies – of which there were probably 20 out of thousands…and not one of them would even meet us to discuss working together. At least I could fall back on the fact that my boss had signed that spend off as he was suitably impressed by its potential…

As usual I laughed at this post – and as is also usually the case I learned a lot!

By: MCE Round Table: Laugh! Cry! Real-Life Stories of Customer Experience | Maximum Customer Experience Blog

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:18:44 +0000

[...] out and almost hanged myself.” Brad Shorr tells a story where he could have used some help in Don’t Let Testimonials Dictate Your Marketing Strategy at Word Sell, [...]

By: lloydsbackyard

lloydsbackyard — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:58:01 +0000

i read your article, its nice and im learning. im a newbie on blogging and is still suffering from low traffic. thanks for your posts.

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:35:59 +0000

Lillie, True – I might have spend $2000 a year on ads for 10 years and never been the wiser.

Barbara, LOL. Perhaps that should be my new tagline as well.

By: Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach

Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:48:15 +0000

“In #Marketing, There’s No Substitute for Thinking”

Can I have a t-shirt with that emblazoned on it? That really cuts straight to the heart of the matter – great article!!

By: Lillie Ammann

Lillie Ammann — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:31:40 +0000

Brad,

Your lesson was expensive, but you learned it well and probably saved a lot of money through the years. Maybe it wasn’t as expensive over the long haul as it seemed at the time.

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:38:34 +0000

Hi Fred, Another great point – testimonials can be misleading and it usually pays to talk to the endorser. I find this to be particularly illuminating for web design and programming.

Kay, It always amazes me how infrequently companies follow your advice and actually talk to customers and potential customers. I’m reading that portion of your book right now – you have an excellent resource for firms that want to figure out what and how to ask. http://www.plantescompany.com/beyondprice/