You get paid to say good things about your company - so do any employees that you have. When a customer becomes a raving fan, that is wonderful because you have helped them, AND you have a new potential endorser. Value this relationship because it really could be invaluable to your success.

I was reading my favorite PR buddy Nancy Juetten's (Main Street Media Savvy) blog on this topic, and started posting a comment. By the time I got done, I was so excited about it I wanted to talk about it here. You can see Nancy's post, and read two comments, including mine - but in a nutshell, Nancy was talking about HOW to ask for endorsements.

The comments I added:

Asking for an endorsement is a strategy many of us in sales effectiveness teach as one of the best, no-cost ways to offer a prospective customer more reasons to work with you.

A big issue for customers is tha tthey don’t know what to say and often don’t have the time. I offer to write something for them as a “draft” and have them review it and add to it as they see fit - then I would craft it to hit the high points that would be most beneficial - people usually are very appreciative of this.

Finally, ask for it on their company’s letterhead - from there you can scan this, add it to your electronic files, or frame and create a “wall of fame” which could really inspire you on a day that you need to see some successes.