Giving Testimony Why are you blathering on about your business when you can get happy clients to do it for you?

Sure, you know you're the hottest homebased businessto grace this planet or any other. But why should potentialcustomers believe you? Not many homebased BIZ Experiencess admit thatthey blow, after all. But what if, say, Dr. U. Rock of Zebulon,Georgia, were the one singing your praises? Now that people know anactual customer has been pleased with your product or service, theycan rest assured that you won't disappear with their money to aNew Orleans strip joint.

Since assuring prospects that they'll get their money'sworth should be the number-one priority for every homebasedbusiness owner, read on for the who, how, what and where ofsnagging and using testimonials.

Who
Since Oprah probably won't give you the time of day, you'llhave to settle for regular people. Don't worry-the buyingpublic won't scoff at testimonials from John Q Neverheardofhim."In most cases," says Shel Horowitz, author ofGrassroots Marketing, "what they sayis more important than who they are."

What
Okay, so what your customers say is more important than who theyare. Got it. Now what is it that makes a mind-blowing,tear-jerking, wallet-opening testimonial?

Drool marks and tears on the paper? Good. Drylanguage and all the emotion of the Terminator? Bad. "If I can'feel' their words," says Barbara Sybal, owner ofhomebased business GFX Printingin Toronto, "so can others."

Did your weight loss program help a customer lose 452pounds? Did your copywriting increase a client's business by6,000 percent? Try to get results into your testimonials.

If possible, get the customer's permission to usehis or her full name and e-mail address. Otherwise, who's tosay you're not making it all up?

How
Now that you know what you want, how can you ask your customers topour their hearts out onto a sheet of paper for you? Thesehomebased business owners have all sorts of tricks up theircollective sleeve for getting the goods:

"I always follow up with customers-first byletting them know the item is on the way and then asking if it madeit safely," says Sherri Breetzke, owner of The Creativity Zone inMelbourne, Florida, which offers handcrafted gift items."These two contacts provide great opportunities for customersto respond with positive feedback. I then ask for permission to usethose comments as testimonials."

Sybal entices clients by offering to provide a linkto their Web site with the testimonial.

Not all clients are budding Hemingways, and theymight feel dread at the thought of their rambling prose beingshared with the world. "If I want a testimonial badly enough,I'll even offer to write it for someone," says Horowitz."But I don't have to do that very often."

Where
Try a sprinkling of testimonials on your Web site, in yourbrochure, in the signature of your e-mail messages. On yourbusiness cards. On your forehead. Anyplace where prospects will seethem and where you'll get that much-needed dose ofcredibility.

Linda Formichelli has written for more than 70 magazines,including BIZ Experiences's Start-Ups, Redbook,Woman's Day and Psychology Today. You can visit heronline at www.twowriters.net. She also runs asite that's against intrusive advertising at www.badads.org.