You grab a can of soup off the shelf at the grocery store without much thought. You’ve seen the commercials, you’re familiar with the brands and since soup is fairly inexpensive, you’ve probably tried out a bunch of different kinds to see what you like. Other than pausing to glance at the nutritional information, you likely have all the information you need to make your purchase.

But what happens when the decision is more complex? Most people would never spend hundreds of dollars on a new television without chatting with the sales guy about the features or hopping online to do a bit of research. A new car would probably necessitate a few hours spent reading reviews, while choosing a new enterprise system for your business would be even more involved. The riskiest of decisions – say selecting mission-critical software that could make-or-break your company or a heart surgeon to handle your quadruple bypass – would result in you voraciously devouring just about every scrap of information you could get your hands on to make sure you’re making the right decision.

Enter the testimonial. It’s one of the most powerful ways to affirm the quality and credibility of your business and illustrate the trust and respect you have gained from your existing clients. Although we search for references for the most complicated decisions, don’t be fooled into thinking your business isn’t critical enough to benefit from testimonials. Case in point: staying overnight in a dirty hotel won’t kill you, but it’s an experience most people prefer to avoid. That’s why TripAdvisor is so popular.

Most of us agree testimonials are important, but too often we mistakenly think they will take care of themselves. To reap the rewards, it’s not something you can leave to chance – it must be a carefully planned and executed strategy, just like any other marketing approach. You must ask if you want to receive. This week, we share a podcast by Omar Zenhom of the $100 MBA, where he outlines the benefits of written and video testimonials, and simple ways to obtain them from your clients.

Here at Schooley Mitchell, we believe it’s more important to give than to receive, so don’t just focus on collecting testimonials from your clients. Make sure you’re writing them regularly for the businesses you frequent both professionally and personally. It will provide them with great value and boost your relationship capital at the same time.

To listen to the podcast, click here.