The
Good, Bad and Ugly Template
Dear
Associate,
"I'm
working on a new, big account prospect," Charles explained.
"They want to read some testimonials from my clients
first. I've gathered a few. Can you sign one for me?"
"Of
course," I chimed. "Let me see what you've got."
He
was rushing to complete a deal with a potential client. Two
of his current clients have put their signatures on testimonials
he composed and I was next. I scanned the testimonial he wanted
me to sign. I told him I might have something better for him
sitting in my laptop.
Although
he spent a lot of time putting his client comments together,
he committed one critical error: He used a Microsoft template
to produce these testimonials.
Now
there's nothing wrong with Microsoft. And there's nothing
wrong with templates. In fact you could stuff a dozen or so
comments on a page and call it your testimonial page.
But
in Charles' case, he was producing individual comment pages
to stuff inside a sales binder. To maximize his presentation,
each client comment page called for something unique. Using
a template approach defeated that purpose.
Why?
Because
each page had the same look and feel:
His
company contact info on the top-left corner. The financial
institution he represents right beneath. The current client's
contact info on the top-right. A generic salutation to the
prospect. Four to five paragraphs of text. And the close.
All three were typed in Times New Roman 12pt font and had
a uniform look.
Which
wouldn't work for him. Here's why...
There
was minimal variety. One testimonial didn't stand out from
the rest. Which made all three appear whitewashed and sanitized.
This would take away from his credibility when selling to
a new potential client.
And
most of the paragraphs were written with wordy vignettes that
really didn't get to the point. Usually, shorter is better.
But then you must also answer the big question, "Where's
the beef?" Meaning what is that one critical element
you're trying to communicate to the reader.
Don't
get me wrong: I'm not anti template.
Templates
are good because they're a fast, easy and inexpensive way
to churn out projects. Just plug in the facts or numbers and
you're all set. You save lots of time working with templates.
But
in Charles' case, using a template for testimonials is bad
because the prospect can physically see the lack of uniqueness.
If they see a cookie-cutter assembly line of testimonials
the prospect may suspect the clients didn't actually write
them. Or possibly doubt their authenticity. And that's not
the impression you want to give when a prospect is deciding
whether or not to hire you.
And
here's where templates can get ugly:
A
Human Resources director reviews one hundred resumes with
73% done in a popular template. Those 73 resumes look and
feel so uniform not one stands out. In that group, a highly
qualified applicant can easily get lost in the mix if her
resume looks just like the rest.
I
e-mailed Charles my testimonial from my laptop. It was a three-sentence
paragraph, double-spaced in 14pt Courier New font addressed
to him with my picture on the top-right corner. He absolutely
loved it. Sometimes less is more.
Now
he has some contrast. Now his credibility has risen. Now he's
ready to meet the big account prospect.
Most
of the time, a template can be a great tool. Certain marketing
situations require more variety. Put yourself in your prospect's
shoes to see if using a template will help or harm you.
Warm
regards,
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