Issue 1 - January 2005

Building credibility with testimonials
By Ron Grisanti, DC

You’ve just completed a series of chiropractic treatments. You are happy and your patient is happy. As the patient prepares to leave your office, do you (a) shake hands and say good bye or (b) ask for a testimonial?

If you answered “shake hands and say good-bye,” do you realize that you are throwing away one of the simplest and most effective ways of adding power to your brochures; Web site; direct mail, print and yellow-pages ads; and other professional copy?

A testimonial does all of these things — and it is free for the asking!

Testimonials let others speak for you. They serve as a “blessing” on your practice from satisfied patients. And they work, because they provide the same assurance to a potential patient that a referral does.

These third-party endorsements can help you build credibility and trustworthiness and prove your superiority over your competition.

Think of it this way: If Ms. Manager at IBM can tell your prospective patient why she has you for a chiropractor, you don’t have to work as hard to sell yourself. Someone else (who already has credibility in the eyes of potential patients) is doing it for you. This is why testimonials are also called endorsements.

HAVE NO FEAR

Perhaps you have thought about testimonials, but you are afraid you’ll be turned down if you ask for them.

Don’t be afraid to ask for a testimonial. Satisfied patients are almost always happy to oblige your request, which you should send by letter or by e-mail.

Here are few pointers:

• Use a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Giving your patient a stamped envelope to return the testimonial can give you a response rate of more than 50 percent.

• Print and save an e-mail testimonial. If you decide to use e-mail, simply have your patient reply to your e-mail and print the comments. Save the e-mail as proof that you received permission. It is that simple.

• Don’t write a testimonial for a patient. Testimonials you write may sound “canned” and will lack the ring of truth that only your patients can give.

• Encourage specificity. Avoid editing endorsements down to short generic phrases such as “fabulous service” or “excellent” or “wonderful.” These say nothing about your service and seriously detract from your credibility.

Instead, use testimonials that are two- or three-sentence statements.

• Use the patient’s name. HIPAA requires you to get permission to use a person’s name in marketing materials. Make sure that permission is in writing. And remember that anonymous testimonials are not credible. Use the patient’s first name at least.

• Get permission to use unsolicited testimonials. It’s also a good idea to let your patients know how you’ll be using testimonials and where. The last thing you want is an unhappy customer because you’ve used a business name without permission in a print ad or other high-exposure marketing piece.

Once you get a few solid testimonials, use them in your marketing communications programs. For example:

• Use your patient’s words in print ads.
• Add power to your direct mail by sprinkling testimonials throughout your copy.
• Group testimonials on your brochure or Web site for greater impact and visibility.
• Use a testimonial handout. Create a single-page handout sheet, headlined: “What our patients say about us!”

If you have a number of testimonials, print on the reverse side or go to a second sheet. Don’t forget to include your name, address and phone number at the bottom of each page. Use the testimonial sheet as a hand-out or as an additional enclosure in direct mail pieces.

• Build a binder of thank-you notes. When you receive thank-you letters from patients, add them to your portfolio or put them in plastic binder sleeves and display the binder in your reception room. Improve your marketing efforts by asking for and using testimon-ials. Don’t underestimate the power of this simple technique!