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Networking is my favorite, low-cost marketing tool. However, a large number of people often find it a challenge to get results and turn prospects into clients, simply by networking.

So here is another very effective marketing tool that requires no skills, can be applied to your business immediately and will help you to gain many new clients.

Simply get testimonials from your current clients!

Testimonials from satisfied customers are typically the best way to promote your business. And it doesn*t cost you a thing. So, stop selling and let your clients and raving fans do it for you.

Contact your best clients, since they already know you, appreciate and value your products and services. Most likely they will be happy to help you and provide you with a testimonial that praises your products and services.

Be sure to obtain their permission before you use their information in your brochure and on your website.

Use their testimonials on your website. This way your clients will make the sales for you. Don*t you think that if people see the results and the benefits your clients reaped from using your products and services, that they too will want the same results for themselves or their businesses?

Don*t use a testimonial like *Mary it was great working with you* John S., NY. This is useless.

Instead use effective testimonials where your clients mention the benefits of working with you. What was their experience and results in their businesses after they bought your product/service or program? Make sure that you mention their name, website, and eventually their email and phone number. Give your prospects the opportunity to see that they are real people like them, who they can contact or just check out their website to see who they are and what they do. They will probably never contact them to ask about the experience they had with you, but they will feel comfortable if they can identify themselves with your current clients.

When it comes to testimonials, I always mention one of my businesses www.focusoncareer.com, my French consulting business, because I don*t even have to promote it. Due to the fact that I am working within a specific niche - French solo-entrepreneurs who want to start their own businesses in the US - and that my website has a very rich content which provides a great deal of free information and has some very powerful testimonials from clients - I have at least 3 to 4 people each week who contact me for a consultation. I don*t have to chase them, they just come to me. And when I ask them why they decided to contact me, they always mention the testimonials. They say, *You did so much for so many people that I imagine you can do the same for me*. And because my clients did the sell for me, after the first consultation, 50% decide to work with me immediately while some others may need to talk further or find out a little more about me and my services.

Have a complete page with all of your testimonials on your brochure or website.

Or if you promote a special product or program, insert your testimonials along with the description and benefits of your program.

As an example see my program at http://www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com

I work with lots of people who are just starting their businesses, so their question is always, *But I don*t have clients yet. How can I get testimonials?*. Well, offer to trade your services with a couple of people who really need your services but who perhaps cannot afford them, in exchange for a testimonial. That is a good way to start.

So don*t hesitate to contact your best clients now and ask them for a testimonial. Make a list of clients you could contact today, some of your raving fans who enjoyed working with you and for whom your products made a significant impact on their businesses. You will see that they will be more than happy to help you in return for what you did for them.

And while you ask for testimonials, don*t forget to ask for referrals: friends, colleagues or family who would benefit from your products or program also.

Then another way to us your testimonials is to prepare a direct mail campaign that you will send to the list of referrals your clients just gave you.

Don*t you think that when the targets see their friends* names in your brochure or mailing campaign, they will trust you and be keen to work with you also? You will get a better response to your campaign than advertising in a magazine, where nobody knows you and most readers won*t even notice your ad.

Need more techniques and strategies to boost your business and turn more prospects into clients? Then learn more about *The Power of Networking*. In this 5 step program, you will find everything you need on how to maximize your networking results.

You will learn: how to create an outstanding business card * how to polish an elevator pitch which will hook your audience so that people will remember you * how to create a 7 step follow-up system to turn more prospects into clients * how to use testimonials - how to use your newsletter to promote your products or services without hard selling * how to create strategic alliances to grow our business faster. For complete details of the program *The Power of Networking* visit http://www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com

(c) 2006 Biba F. P*dron