Testimonials - The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 209: “The Ten-Point Checklist”

June 15th, 2011

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Synopsis

Today we’re talking about a face-to-face word-of-mouth checklist of credibility-enhancing materials you need to have available.

Testimonial letters from satisfied clients
Photos (of yourself, your office, your products)
Logos of your key customers
List of memberships and affiliations
A question-and-answer sheet (FAQ)
Photos of awards or certificates you and your staff have earned
Articles that you’ve published or been mentioned in
Brochures, circulars, datasheets, product catalogues
Items that help you explain your business, e.g. annual report
Articles about trends affecting your business

You should have these materials available both in hard copy, to bring with you, and on your website.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Marketing | Testimonials
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Discussion: 4 Comments

Episode 176: “What Makes a Good BNI Testimonial?”

October 13th, 2010

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Synopsis

The BNI Testimonial is fundamental to chapter meetings. Here are some guidelines for giving a good one.

Focus on one person. A good testimonial is about one other member. Go into detail about how good they are.
Be specific. Talking in generalities does little or no good. “Specific is terrific in BNI.”
Whenever possible, make it a first-person testimonial. Even with an outside referral, you can say “My client/friend/colleague told me…”

It’s great to put your testimonial in writing, but that’s not a requirement of BNI. Go ahead and give your testimonial, and make it personal.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Testimonials
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Discussion: 4 Comments

Episode 145: “What’s Important When You Refer People?”

March 10th, 2010

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Synopsis

Dr. Misner just finished surveying 12,000 business people from every populated continent. He asked which of these four things was most important when making a referral:

Knowing a person’s character
Knowing a person’s level of competency
Using the person’s product or service myself
Knowing a person’s success

Not surprisingly, knowing a person’s character number one. What did surprise Dr. Misner was that neither using a person’s product or service yourself nor knowing a person’s level of success mattered very much.

This means that many of your referrals will come from people who have not actually used your products or services—if they have reason to believe in your character and competency.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Referrals | Testimonials
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Discussion: 1 Comment - Post Your Comment

Episode 88: “Capture Your Success Stories”

January 21st, 2009

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Synopsis

Dr. Misner calls in from Hawaii to talk about how to share your success stories without bragging. Telling your success stories is vital to the growth of your business. Here are five ways to do this.

Ask for written testimonials. (Write samples to help clients get started.)
Write down two success stories that represent your preferred client and your strongest work.
Write a personal introduction for your network to use when making referrals.
Toot your own horn. Tell people about the good things your business does.
When someone gives you a testimonial at a BNI meeting, write it down and ask them for permission to use it.

Feel free to tell us which of these you’ve done, and how they worked.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

View the entire transcript of this episode

Published In: Getting The Most From BNI | Networking | Testimonials
SOLUTIONS FOCUSED COMMENTS ARE WELCOME
Discussion: 6 Comments

Past Episodes

Ivan Misner on Twitter

International Networking Week® begins on Monday! If you haven't already found an event to attend, make sure to... http://t.co/msYS7IQs about 3 hours ago from Facebook Reply Retweet Favorite
SixFigureStart Interview with Dr. Ivan Misner http://t.co/rgk8Je5D about 5 hours ago from Facebook Reply Retweet Favorite
I recently did this live online video with Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, for "Six Figure Start". http://t.co/Y7mgA8wO about 5 hours ago from Facebook Reply Retweet Favorite
Another way to be specific, when asking for referrals: Break your business down into its Lowest Common... http://t.co/CJ2VZvPR about 6 hours ago from Facebook Reply Retweet Favorite
Another way to be specific, when asking for a referral: Share customer profiles and case studies of current... http://t.co/6htCInG5 about 8 hours ago from Facebook Reply Retweet Favorite

@ivanmisner

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