Testimonial's are all fake

I beg to differ OP. I've left reviews countless amount of time and I'm by far, not one of the most generous people around; even though I consider myself pretty kind.

Especially when someone or a company does more than what's expected, I feel so drawn to leave a review and you can bet it won't be something half-assed. Sometimes it's like I'm pouring my heart out because I'm so grateful of how much the person/company did for me.

I do feel that A LOT of reviews online are faked however, but on the flip side, a lot of them are real. Some markets and niches just have more scammers than others.

I always leave reviews for exceptional service. I want those companies to succeed so I ccan enjoy their exceptional service.

On my customers sites, I do not allow fake testimonials, I call the person leaving it and verify it.

For the record, many small businesses ask for and get testimonials from their customers. It just usually takes a little nudge. You need to push them into your review funnel.

I use this statement:

If you think my service was stellar, I would appreciate it if you would leave me a review on the web somewhere. If you think my work was anything less than spectacular, I wouldn't expect a testimonial, and if you were not happy with my work, I would appreciate you taking the time to e-mail me and give me the details so I can deal with the issue personally.

Then I give them a card with a QR code and a link to take them to a page like this and tell them:

"You can go here and find quick links for various places to leave a review, and a link to e-mail me directly."

since this page is responsive, if they use the QR code in their phone it will take them to the site to leave the review and sort of puts pressure on them to go ahead and leave a review, since that page is already brought up on their phone and they said they would, and you are standing there watching them.

This is the most informative thread I have ever read on BHW and I would not be
where I am today without it! A++++

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^ This is definitely a fake review.

BassTrackerBoats said:

I certainly have done that in the past... I think that helps keep the business on the right track and is part of what a good consumer ought to do. People respond to positivity and that usually causes them to be sure to maintain a high standard.

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It's a really good thought and all but.. Not really: that's not how the real world works, maybe *some* individuals understand that this would be the "best case scenario" for a business so they proactively care to leave a good review, but most ppl don't bother and would ONLY leave a comment if it's a complaint on something that went wrong. Short reply: of course most testimonials are actually totally fake.

sirgold said:

that's not how the real world works, .

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Maybe you are living in a different world as I have seen a bunch of guys/gals post after me that they do the same.

It was actually taught to me by my Father when an email was not how things worked, an actual letter was sent out back in his day and that takes more effort.

If we, as individuals who appreciate a service, can't even go the easy route of an email as opposed to a letter, what does that say about us as a person?

Karldo said:

Have you ever written an email telling a company how great they are ? Lol NEVER!.

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Yes, many times. Locally, I order out and cook in. Where I order out from, I leave detailed positive reviews of the restaurant. I think being a marketer, that is just one way to pay it forward in it, and it is common courtesy. When I buy a book, picture, equipment, or electronics on Amazon, I leave the seller a positive review. Again, this is common courtesy among marketers because I sell on Amazon, too.

relating to your post: I have actually found through split testing my sales go up slightly when there is no testimonials on my landing page

My presumption was that it was because of my site looking less spammy but i guess theoretically it could just be probability theory trolling me.

BassTrackerBoats said:

It was actually taught to me by my Father when an email was not how things worked, an actual letter was sent out back in his day and that takes more effort.

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Some things are lost on the younger generation. Some of them, not all. It's interesting watching people in their twenties. I've seen some who had bad upbringings and they are very respectful, kind, and they know how to function professionally in the outside world. I've seen some who were given everything and had everything done for them, and they are disrespectful and clueless about life. You and I come from a different time, and most in our generation were taught the old school way. I still have issues with hand written thank you notes which was drummed in my head since I learned how to write. LOL

OP is partially right IMO. Bad news flows faster than good news, that's just human nature. Negative reviews always come in greater numbers.

I wouldn't say they're all fake though, that's a bit of a generalization.

One thing's for sure: testimonials/reviews sections everywhere are plagued by fakes.

BassTrackerBoats said:

Maybe you are living in a different world as I have seen a bunch of guys/gals post after me that they do the same. It was actually taught to me by my Father when an email was not how things worked, an actual letter was sent out back in his day and that takes more effort. If we, as individuals who appreciate a service, can't even go the easy route of an email as opposed to a letter, what does that say about us as a person?

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In case you didn't notice you're just reinforcing my point with your reply... PPl tend to be vocal WAY more when they have something negative to complain about rather than when they have to praise something positive... That's what you do, what *some* other ppl do, not what the majority does, plain and simple no matter what anybody taught *you* or *me*, for that matter.

redrubies said:

Some things are lost on the younger generation. Some of them, not all. It's interesting watching people in their twenties. I've seen some who had bad upbringings and they are very respectful, kind, and they know how to function professionally in the outside world. I've seen some who were given everything and had everything done for them, and they are disrespectful and clueless about life. You and I come from a different time, and most in our generation were taught the old school way. I still have issues with hand written thank you notes which was drummed in my head since I learned how to write. LOL

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This bit about younger generations might be true, but all it does is just to reinforce the idea that you have someone to teach you to make yourself heard when you *like* something... While it's hard to deny everybody has the natural tendency to *complain* in public when something goes wrong... So can either think the vast majority of these positive reviews comes from well mannered folks with a superb upbringing and the foresight and heart to understand what makes somebody else's business thrive or we're still left to think that the vast majority is actually bullshit and fake and bought off some, ehm... service on the interwebz that sells this kind of stuff.. Which one is more likely? lol Oh and hard to believe there might be some place where these services are offered...

sirgold said:

In case you didn't notice you're just reinforcing my point with your reply... PPl tend to be vocal WAY more when they have something negative to complain about rather than when they have to praise something positive... That's what you do, what *some* other ppl do, not what the majority does, plain and simple no matter what anybody taught *you* or *me*, for that matter.

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I don't know that I'm actually trying to make a point but if I were it would be that, as OutOfTown stated much better than I could, common courtesy in leaving/sharing positive remarks is how a marketer should probably respond to a good experience.

I agree with you 100% that people are way more vocal generally when there is an issue but that does not negate those that leave positive comments and make them all liars, thieves and hucksters.

I also think social media exposure and the online buying experience has spurred a lot of people to leave reviews. So many people value their own opinion now a days, and consumers rely heavily on reviews and testimonials to decide what to purchase.

The result of that is that savvy consumers today are much more prone to leave a review to help others in their search.

Of course people are much more likely to leave a bad review if they are unhappy.

That fact has nothing to do with the fact that a lot of people also leave reviews when they are happy, and a few nutcases leave a review for everything they buy.

Just because you would not do it, does not mean everyone else will not do it also.

BassTrackerBoats said:

I don't know that I'm actually trying to make a point but if I were it would be that, as http://www.blackhatworld.com/blackhat-seo/members/768995-outoftown.html stated much better than I could, common courtesy in leaving/sharing positive remarks is how a marketer should probably respond to a good experience.

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What a good business man -or a good person in general- should do and what *most* people do are two very different things... That's why it's hard to believe so many people spend their own time to address a *good* service...

I also think social media exposure and the online buying experience has spurred a lot of people to leave reviews. So many people value their own opinion now a days, and consumers rely heavily on reviews and testimonials to decide what to purchase.

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Texchan here offers an interesting take on what could encourage joe schmuck to leave a positive comment on something he actually enjoyed: ego boost, primarily, because he thinks his opinion is "omg soooo valuable" -as opposed to showing courtesy or respect due to the upbringing and so forth- that in a time or social media attention-whores could serve as a way more likely explanation for those good reviews that are not blatantly PAID and FAKE...

sirgold said:

This bit about younger generations might be true, but all it does is just to reinforce the idea that you have someone to teach you to make yourself heard when you *like* something... While it's hard to deny everybody has the natural tendency to *complain* in public when something goes wrong... So can either think the vast majority of these positive reviews comes from well mannered folks with a superb upbringing and the foresight and heart to understand what makes somebody else's business thrive or we're still left to think that the vast majority is actually bullshit and fake and bought off some, ehm... service on the interwebz that sells this kind of stuff.. Which one is more likely? lol Oh and hard to believe there might be some place where these services are offered...

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We got off on a bunny trail. What you're saying is a bit different from what the OP said. I think people are still addressing the OP's statements that all website reviews are fake, and also that no one ever writes a positive testimonial.

Techxan said:

I also think social media exposure and the online buying experience has spurred a lot of people to leave reviews. So many people value their own opinion now a days, and consumers rely heavily on reviews and testimonials to decide what to purchase.

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Going off on a tangent here. One of the things that brings me great joy is when people ban together and go at a company via twitter. One good thing that came from social media is how a company can't as easily ignore complaints as they did in the past. Everyone is watching now including the media. It puts a smile on my face when thousands of people bombard a company with hostile tweets, and the media gets involved, because of an injustice that the company did to someone.

OP seems really pissed off about testimonials must have been scammed

sirgold said:

What a good business man -or a good person in general- should do and what *most* people do are two very different things...

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We have a lot of the same train of thought; I do not agree with what the OP is saying and that is "all are fake"; I believe there are a lot that are legit people that share their positive experiences.

No doubt there are fakes out there... no doubt at all.

On the other hand, no doubt there are legit positive reviews as well.

You and I are not that far off in what we think is correct in what is happening.