How to Grab a Testimonial from Serena Williams

How to Grab a Testimonial from a Sports Superstar like Serena Williams

The testimonial was for my client sports agent Leigh Steinberg.  In fact, the movie “Jerry McGuire” with Tom Cruise was based on Leigh’s superstar agent story.  But Leigh ran into tough times, was beginning to stage a comeback, and my goal was to capture a reunion testimonial with his former client Serena Williams.  It was a challenge because of the crush of people at Leigh’s annual Super Bowl party.  This was in Dallas.

There was Leigh.  There comes Serena.  The crowd is pushing in.  People were loud, sometimes shouting.  Serena is used to crowds, but it’s an uncomfortable situation.  I’m shooting video.   Serena was happy to cooperate but offered a kind but obligatory comment when I asked what she could say about Leigh.  After all, his representing her was a first in tennis.

I gave it another shot, and that was the soundbite we used, sandwiched between their greeting each other and Leigh’s comments  Serena was about to move on to an event for the Serena Williams Foundation, so I was happy to get what I did.

Even if you’re not grabbing testimonials on the run with superstars, you will benefit from capturing quick comments from happy clients.

TAKEAWAYS

• Instead of waiting to capture the ideal testimonials — the glowing comments about you and your company —  ask if they would be kind enough to do just that, take out your cell phone, and capture it in a short clip

• If you’re not hearing the glowing comments you want, just ask in a different way:  “What do you like most about our company?” or “If someone asked you about our company, what would you say?”

• Explore the most important point of difference:  “What makes us uniquely valuable?”

• Make it more of a conversation, not a formal interview, so your customer will feel more comfortable.

• If you set up a YouTube account, which is free, you can upload your video clip in just a few minutes.  YouTube will then email you the link you can share.  For example, the link for the video accompanying this post is https://youtu.be/C-tjieQFmck

• You can post the video clip on social media and your website in minutes.

You can shoot these with a cell phone or camcorder, if the video doesn’t have to look super professional.  Contact me with any questions, as I’m happy to help guide your through the process, guide the personal offering the testimonial, and even shoot the video on a high definition camera.  Also, I can produce the video to include visuals that support the comments.  For example, when a happy customer talks about the great new upgrades on their house, we’ll show that.

Let your competitors resort to text testimonials while you bring your customers’ appreciation for you to life with video:  bob@kaplitz.tv.

Consumers are skeptical about glowing comments they see in writing.  They believe what people say on camera for obvious reasons:  They can see them, hear them, and judge their sincerity.  That will build you brand and your business.