Comments on: Do You Ask for Endorsements? You Should! http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/ Everything about writing and marketing white papers Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:42:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Michael Stelzner http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2780 Michael Stelzner Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:15:47 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2780 Hi Everyone; Thanks for your responses! Ed, wow! Sounds like you used a white paper to sell your idea and it worked! Great! Patsi, I agree that sometimes you need to prod and guide folks that you want endorsements/testimonials from. I went through that with my book. See http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/press/Testimonials.pdf AND, sometimes it is OK to write it for the person. Griffin, Nettie and Dianna! Thanks for stopping by. Mike Hi Everyone;

Thanks for your responses!

Ed, wow! Sounds like you used a white paper to sell your idea and it worked! Great!

Patsi, I agree that sometimes you need to prod and guide folks that you want endorsements/testimonials from. I went through that with my book. See http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/press/Testimonials.pdf AND, sometimes it is OK to write it for the person.

Griffin, Nettie and Dianna! Thanks for stopping by.

Mike

]]> By: Ed Rawson http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2769 Ed Rawson Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:20:09 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2769 I am very new at this White Paper writing business but after 30 years as a Consultant in the Business Process and Enterprise Content Management fields I have gone out on my own. I have written white papers before but just last week I sent a White Paper on Email Management to 5 of my former clients and ask them to review the White Paper and send me their thoughts and recommendations. I was very pleased with the results, all 5 sent recommendations and glowing reviews and one CIO ask if I would work with her to implement my paper at her company. ( Fortune 50 Company) Of course I agreed and just closed a $500K two year project. This works but you have to not only put your time and energy into it you need to know what your talking about just in case they ask you to put your money where your White Paper is. I am very new at this White Paper writing business but after 30 years as a Consultant in the Business Process and Enterprise Content Management fields I have gone out on my own. I have written white papers before but just last week I sent a White Paper on Email Management to 5 of my former clients and ask them to review the White Paper and send me their thoughts and recommendations.
I was very pleased with the results, all 5 sent recommendations and glowing reviews and one CIO ask if I would work with her to implement my paper at her company. ( Fortune 50 Company)
Of course I agreed and just closed a $500K two year project. This works but you have to not only put your time and energy into it you need to know what your talking about just in case they ask you to put your money where your White Paper is.

]]> By: Patsi M. Krakoff http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2767 Patsi M. Krakoff Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:17:32 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2767 Very important post, Michael. We will actively solicit testimonials after a project, and in particular, we will ask people to tell about results and differences. We aren't seeking compliments, although that's always nice, we want to hear how our work increased or improved xyz. People find it easier to write when you give them direction. Recently we reached out to some 'big names' for some testimonials in the form of an endorsement for our credibility and professionalism. We wrote a personal email telling these well-known Internet professionals reminding them of where we had worked together and if they could say a few words about our passion, expertise, and sincere desire to help others. We reached out to people who had published books because we knew they would like the opportunity to remind people of their book. We also gave these people direction for their testimonial, because we know busy people don't want to have to think or spend time. In one case, we were asked to write the testimonial ourselves (in their style) and they merely had to tweak it. This works, but you have to put time and energy into it and be proactive. Very important post, Michael. We will actively solicit testimonials after a project, and in particular, we will ask people to tell about results and differences. We aren’t seeking compliments, although that’s always nice, we want to hear how our work increased or improved xyz. People find it easier to write when you give them direction.

Recently we reached out to some ‘big names’ for some testimonials in the form of an endorsement for our credibility and professionalism. We wrote a personal email telling these well-known Internet professionals reminding them of where we had worked together and if they could say a few words about our passion, expertise, and sincere desire to help others. We reached out to people who had published books because we knew they would like the opportunity to remind people of their book. We also gave these people direction for their testimonial, because we know busy people don’t want to have to think or spend time. In one case, we were asked to write the testimonial ourselves (in their style) and they merely had to tweak it. This works, but you have to put time and energy into it and be proactive.

]]> By: Griffin http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2741 Griffin Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:45:50 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2741 Testimonials can be the deciding factor for helping a potential client make the leap of faith and buy your services and/or products. Great post! Testimonials can be the deciding factor for helping a potential client make the leap of faith and buy your services and/or products. Great post!

]]> By: nettie hartsock http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2738 nettie hartsock Thu, 04 Jan 2007 09:57:31 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2738 Hey Mike, Another great question. I collect em, treasure em, keep em and use them! Hey Mike,

Another great question. I collect em, treasure em, keep em and use them!

]]> By: Dianna Huff http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2708 Dianna Huff Thu, 04 Jan 2007 03:24:05 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/03/do-you-ask-for-endorsements-you-should/#comment-2708 Do I use testimonials? Heck yeah! Do I use testimonials? Heck yeah!

]]>