There's more to obtaining testimonials than just asking your customers for their comments and feedback. If you want to have powerful testimonials that catch your prospects attention and build a relationship of trust, consider the following testimonial strategies

1. Try to get a testimonial from your customer as soon as possible. This could be the day you make the sale or within the first week after you make the sale. Your customer will be at their "giddiest" and most motivated to write you a great testimonial then. Don't wait until the honeymoon period is over. Consider having them write the testimonial before they leave your office or store.

2. Always ask your customers to include your unique selling proposition (USP) in the testimonial. For instance, if your USP includes exceptional customer service, same-day installation, and a money-back guarantee, then ask your customer to attest to those qualities.

3. Have your customers be specific in their testimonials. For instance, if you delivered your product the same day your customer purchased it, tell your customer to include the time that it arrived. If you delivered some kind of outrageous act of customer service have them write specifically about what you did and how it helped.

4. Ask your customer to talk about the struggles they were having previous to receiving the benefits of your product or service. Most likely, the reader will have had the same or similar struggles and will empathize. This will only make your prospect more interested in receiving the benefits of your product or service.

5. Ask your customer to state their credentials. This will make their testimonial even more persuasive because their comments will be perceived as coming from a credible source.

6. Always try to get a picture with them using your product or service. As a matter of fact, try to take the picture yourself so that you know you'll get a good one. Take several and make sure they are showing the benefits of the product or service. Pictures double the effectiveness of your testimonial and bring the testimonials to life.

7. Make sure you get permission from your customers to use their testimonials in your advertising. Thank them profusely and let them know that it is testimonials like theirs that help your business grow.

8. Ask them if you cannot only use their name but the town they live in. Addresses, even if it's just a city name, increase the believability of the testimonial. It demonstrates that they are real people who live in the same community.

9. Now here is a controversial tactic but it has worked every time for me: Let's suppose your customer procrastinates in sending in their testimonial. Call them up and mention that you know they are very busy, but that you value them as a customer and their testimonial is important to you.

1. When you need to show a presentation, for example a demo of your product.
2. To develop interactive games, like those found on sites for kids like Sesame Street, Nickelodeum, or Yahoo! Games.
3. When you want to dress up a minimalist site. In this case, a small Flash animation or banner embedded in an HTML document will not consume excessive bandwidth, will load fast, and will enhance the appearance of a bare-bones site.