Your existing clients are often a prime instrument for winning new business. If they are willing to talk about your services and how you’ve helped them with their financial goals, then use this support to the advantage of your business.
It’s even better if the happy clients are willing to put their name to a testimonial or user story in support of your business.
The power of a testimonial
There’s nothing more important to a sales or marketing professional than a client story. Consumers are always seeking a reason to believe – a strong sign that you can deliver consistently; therefore, if someone is happy to give your business the thumbs up, and put their name to it, then you have the basis of a user story.
Words or video
User stories present in many forms; written and video versions are the most common.
Written user stories
We’ve addressed previously how to present a written user story. The key to writing one is to start with the client, their challenge, the solution you provided, and the outcome.
Once written, the story can be used in a variety of ways. Make it a downloadable asset from your website, post about it on social media, and run campaigns using the key messages from the story. It’s possible to take shorter testimonial quotes from the document and use these in proposal documents, on your website and in other digital assets.
Video storytelling
Video is an increasingly powerful tool. It will appeal to time-poor clients, as it’s quick and relatively easy to consume.
Moreover, video allows the audience to gain a unique insight on the client and what they were seeking to achieve by using your services.
This might sound obvious, but don’t put forward a client that isn’t completely satisfied with your services. At the same time, the more personal the story is, the better it will be in promoting your business. Don’t forget, journalists love case studies, too. User stories that profile real people can bring a feature article to life or illustrate a point a reporter is making. So, be sure to involve your public relations people in the preparation of your video scripts, and written case studies, for that matter.
Not all clients will want this level of public exposure; however, if you don’t ask them, you’ll never know. If a client is satisfied with your financial planning services and is willing to put their name to positive statements about your firm, you have the basis of a user story.
