Building Customer Reviews Strategy

I made a $1M ARR mistake in 2024: treating my customer journey as a line & not a flywheel. My revenue flywheel didn't start (& we couldn't have done $500k last month) until I treated our customer journey as a loop. When you first start you think you have it all figured out: Lead -> Warm Lead -> Sale -> Customer. But I was missing a step & it cost me. Then I turned that line into a loop by feeding the customer back into our sales process. It's not rocket science: find your happy customers & amplify them. But adding process to it is actually hard. Look at the incentives: - sellers are comped on closing customers - CSMs are comped on keeping customers Whose job is this - Product Marketing? Customer Marketing? the Founders? It's everyones job. If I were a VP of marketing today I would make sure (even with a small marketing team) you're incentivizing someone to surface 5 customers wins/day and cycle them back into the top of your lead funnel. Here are 3 plays we started at Warmly that would have earned me another $1M ARR if I started them a year ago: 1/ Micro grants to customer advocates Find happy champions and offer them $2k in mico grants to be an official advocate. Compensate them for 2x referral calls per month & ask the to be 100% truthful even if its doesn't always make you look good. Push them to screenshare & show *how* they're using you - not just wax about you. 2/ Public posts about wins with independent audits/reviews I think case studies are kind of dead. Can't remember the last time a prospect truly read or referenced one. Real posts from real people are the way to go. We invite agencies and reviewers to get full access to what we sell to give their honest opinion even if its not 10/10. We strive for honesty & transparency as core to our brand and that is recognized in the buying process vs our peers. 3/ Customer love wall in TINY font Screenshot all wins and add them to a never ending scroll page for your reviews (get permission of course). No one trusts G2 anyways, but they will trust an actual public post with their name tied to it On Warmly's page you can literally click into ANY of the LinkedIn posts and go read it for yourself, including the comments. You can connect with the person and double verify they meant what they said. And the best part? TINY font. I have no proof but but we make the font small to fit in more reviews. My hypothesis is that prospects scroll down and are impressed at the sea of happy champions and think "Dang I need to zoom in just to see all these great reviews!" Check out our customer page on our website! Warmly, Max #marketingtips #marketing

Ever notice how that one customer who can't stop raving about your product or service is like a walking, talking billboard? Well, guess what? They're also your secret weapon for growth. It's like having a friend who tells everyone they know about this new restaurant they discovered. Word of mouth is powerful, especially for SMBs. So, how can you use that to your advantage? 👉🏾 Start by identifying your superfans—the ones who leave glowing reviews, refer their friends, and can't get enough of what you offer. Treat them like VIPs, and make them feel like a part of your inner circle. It could be as simple as sending them a personalized thank-you note or offering them exclusive access to new products or services. 👉🏾 Next, encourage them to spread the word even further. Ask them to share their experiences on social media, write testimonials, or participate in case studies. Their authentic stories and recommendations will resonate with potential customers far more than any ad campaign ever could. 👉🏾 Remember incentives. Consider creating a referral program using tools like Viral Loops, which rewards your loyal customers for bringing in new business. It could be a discount, a freebie, or a unique experience. Not only will this show your gratitude, but it will also motivate them to keep spreading the love. The beauty of this approach is that focusing on those who already love what you do will likely attract similar individuals who will become loyal fans. It's a win-win situation. So, stop overlooking your happy customers. Nurture those relationships, empower them to become your advocates, and watch your business thrive. #apollineadiju #ABM #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration

Plot twist: Your top performer isn't even on payroll. While you're grinding through cold calls and perfecting pitch decks, your actual sales superstars are sitting in your customer base, and most companies completely ignore them. Think about it: Who's more convincing? ❌ You explaining why your product is amazing ✅ A customer explaining how it transformed their business Here's the playbook that's turning customers into commission-free closers: 🎯 Turn success into content: Skip the generic thank-you note. Get that win in front of eyeballs; case studies, LinkedIn posts, video testimonials. Success is contagious. 🎤 Hand them the microphone: A 2-minute customer video explaining their transformation beats your entire sales deck. Let them tell the story in their words. 🔄 Build the referral machine: Make customer intros part of every quarterly check-in. The best reps I know cut their sales cycles in half with warm introductions. 💬 Steal their language: Stop using marketing speak. Use the exact words your customers use to describe their problems and wins. That's what resonates with prospects. 🏆 Make them famous: Customer of the month. Slack shoutouts. Social media features. People love recognition, and others want to be next. The reality check: Your customers aren't just buying your product; they're betting their reputation on it. When they succeed, they become walking proof that you deliver. And in a world where everyone's selling, proof beats promises every time. Your customers already said yes once. Now make them want to repeat it for you. #sales #customersuccess

Here’s 3, free easy things you can start doing today (or maybe tomorrow, Monday) to create a more positive and productive workplace. I posted last week on a chance connection where a former colleague, Rose, introduced me to work that had a big impact on me. Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology, revolutionised the way we think about workplace well-being. Instead of just fixnig problems, positive psychology focuses on what makes people thrive. And when employees thrive, performance, engagement, and retention follow. So, here’s the 3 things for you to start doing this week: 1 - Recognise and Amplify Strengths -> Instead of just focusing on weaknesses, help your team play to their strengths. Gallup research shows that employees who use their strengths daily are 6x more likely to be engaged at work. How to implement: Use strengths-based performance reviews…ask employees what they love doing and how they can apply that more in their role. ✔️Run a team strengths-mapping exercise (Gallup’s CliftonStrengths or VIA Character Strengths are great tools). ✔️Assign tasks based on individual strengths instead of just job titles. Example: If someone is a natural problem solver, give them complex challenges to tackle. 2 - Practice Gratitude A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way. Studies show that workplaces with a culture of gratitude experience higher job satisfaction and lower turnover. Send a quick message of appreciation to a colleague today. I did this earlier to a colleague that gave me some feedback where I dropped the ball (thanks Amber) I’m genuinely grateful to them - they care about me and the team. How to implement: Start meetings with “Wins of the Week”…have team members share something they appreciate about a colleague. ✔️Use a recognition board (physical or digital) where employees can publicly shout out great work. ✔️Schedule a “thank you” moment in your day…send one email or chat message appreciating someone’s contribution. 3 - Reframe Challenges Encourage a growth mindset. When problems arise, shift the focus from “What went wrong?” to “What can we learn?”. This approach fosters resilience, problem-solving, and a culture of continuous improvement. The alternative sucks - it is stagnant and allows toxicity. How to implement: Use solution-focused language in meetings. Instead of saying “This is a problem,” ask, “What’s the best way forward?” ✔️ Encourage a ‘failure as learning’ mindset…share stories of past mistakes that led to growth and innovation. ✔️ Hold weekly reflection sessions, where the team discusses what worked, what didn’t, and what they’ll try next time. … Great workplaces don’t just happen. They’re built on positive psychology, strong leadership, and intentional culture. Hope this above helps! For more info please check out Martin’s work. Any other suggestions of people I should read about? Please pop in the comments. 👇

Positive feedback: the easy way to boost performance. 'Good job' or 'well done' is not enough. Too often positive feedback only boosts egos. It doesn't reinforce behaviours that boost performance. It doesn't lead to increased employee motivation. It's vague praise, quickly forgotten. To be effective, positive feedback needs to: → be clear, objective, specific → reinforce behaviours → boost motivation Here are 4 frameworks that make that happen: 1/ 𝗦𝗕𝗜 (𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿-𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁) ↳ Situation: "In yesterday’s meeting ..." ↳ Behavior: "... you presented a clear and comprehensive report." ↳ Impact: "This helped the team make informed decisions faster and with greater confidence." 2/ 𝗡𝗩𝗖 (𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻) ↳ Observation: "In yesterday’s meeting, you presented a clear and comprehensive report." ↳ Feeling: "I felt very reassured by your thoroughness." ↳ Need: "Our team needs this level of clarity to make informed decisions efficiently." ↳ Request: "Would you be willing to continue providing reports with this level of detail?" 3/ 𝗖𝗢𝗜𝗡 (𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁-𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁-𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀) ↳ Context: "During yesterday’s meeting, while discussing the project’s progress ..." ↳ Observation: "You delivered a report that highlighted key insights clearly and efficiently." ↳ Impact: "This helped the team make informed decisions faster and with greater confidence." ↳ Next Steps: "Pls continue doing this, as it helps the team be aligned and make faster progress." 4/ 𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗗 (𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀-𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁-𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁) ↳ Strength: "Your ability to synthesise complex data into clear reports is one of your standout strengths." ↳ Action: "In yesterday’s meeting, your report provided key insights that helped move the project forward." ↳ Impact: "The team made an informed decision faster and with greater confidence." ↳ Development: "It would be very helpful if you could take the lead on systematising this process." These methods go beyond 'good job' or 'well done'. They provide clarity, motivate, and drive performance. When did you last receive impactful positive feedback? ---------------------------------------------------- ♻️ Repost for more managers to provide truly impactful positive feedback that goes beyond 'good job'. ➕ Follow Mica Vaipan for more on how managers and leaders can bring out the best in people.

"Keep up the good work!" "You're doing a great job!" "I really enjoyed your presentation." "You handled that call really well." Unspecific positive feedback is not helpful. How would any of those statements actually help a person grow? How would any of those statements even help a person duplicate what they did? They won't. If someone is doing a great job, tell them how. What specifically did you like about their presentation? What were 3 things they did during the call that made it a success? Why are those things important? Would something have gone wrong had they not done them? Try something like: "You handled that call really well. I like how you set a prep call with me before-hand so we could get on the same page. You facilitated a good discussion and made everyone feel heard, while ensuring we got through the whole agenda. You then circulated clear action items on your own, without my asking you to do it. Because you did that, there's a great chance we can wrap up this project on time." "Great job" might feel a lot better than "Plz revise thx". But it's just as (un)likely to lead to any growth. #management #growth #feedback #development

Testimonial requests tend to sound like homework. “Would you mind filling out a quick review form?” “Could you write a few lines about your experience?” As Abe Lincoln once said - ain't nobody got time for that. Not when they’re drowning in QBR decks and budget asks. But here’s the good news: You’re ALREADY getting testimonials. You’re just not capturing them. How? Well, your best reviews happen mid-sentence...not in post-call surveys. Every week, your customers are saying: - “This saved us so much time.” - “I had no idea we could do that.” - “You’ve made my job way easier.” THAT'S your testimonial. Don’t ask for it later. Double back immediately. “Loved that feedback - any chance I can turn that into a short quote for our team? I’ll write it up for you to approve.” The answer is usually yes. Here’s a 3-part system CSMs can use: 1. Use Sybill to identify key praise moments. Tag the call. Clip the quote. Make it easy for marketing to use. Bonus points if it aligns to a launch, feature, or persona. 2. Send the follow-up within 24 hours. Keep it short: “Hey Samantha - loved what you said on today’s call. I drafted a quick version below. Let me know if you’re cool with it or want to tweak anything.” Now it’s opt-in. You removed homework from the equation. 3. Tie review asks to key milestones. Don’t wait until EBRs. Ask after: - a successful onboarding. - a new feature rollout. - a strong support save. - a surprise ROI win. All you're doing is reinforcing momentum. tl;dr = testimonial collection isn’t so much of a marketing play as it is a CS system. If your team’s sitting on dozens of glowing comments each month, but none of them make it into your website, your decks, or your content, you simply need to do a better job of capturing what's already coming your way. Fix that and the next case study writes itself.

Less than 1% of agencies in the world have 40+ video testimonials on their site. We're one of them. Here's how we get clients to agree to them: 1. Comp them for their time Most people won't do testimonials for free, and that's totally fair. We constantly tell clients we'll drop their lead cost for the next month or give them a few leads for free in exchange for 10 minutes on camera. Put an actual incentive out there and people say yes way more often. 2. Incentivize your team to ask Our account managers get asked the same question every week during their one-on-ones: "How many testimonials did you ask for this week?" We literally write that number down. If you're telling your manager "zero" every single week, you're going to feel pretty weird about it. The repetitiveness drives the behavior. 3. Use feedback signals to time your ask After every call our account management team has with a client, the client gets a feedback form asking them to rate the call 1-10. Anything 8 and above gets sent straight to the account manager so they know the client is happy. That's when they strike and ask for the testimonial while the client is feeling good about working with us. We've been doing this for years and it works. Most agencies ask for testimonials once when they get a good result and then never again. We've built it into our weekly process so we're constantly adding new ones every month.

“𝗔 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝘅 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲.” A while back, S.A. Shruthi from QOQO BAE did something smart. She wanted her brand to show up higher on Google. Not through ads. Not through campaigns. Through reviews. So she placed a 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗤𝗥 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 at the counter, and offered a free scoop if you left a review. Simple, right? But here’s the important part: 1. The reviews were genuine. 2. People didn’t write fake praise just for the scoop. 3. They wrote about the flavors, the experience, the memories. And because of that, her 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 started stacking up. Which meant her brand began ranking higher, became easier to discover, and ultimately drove 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸-𝗶𝗻𝘀. And that little system 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. Because one customer’s story is 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 you write about yourself. Now, I don’t mean the answer is “always offer incentives.” That’s just one way. The real point is: 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. When I meet entrepreneurs in F&B, this is what I tell them: 1. Invite customers who are active on LinkedIn. Let them share their experience 2. Encourage your team to capture moments when people engage with your brand 3. Think of small ways to make it 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 for others to post about you. It doesn’t have to be a paid partnership. Sometimes it’s just giving people the space - and the permission - to talk about you. Because here's what you need to understand: 1. A testimonial you write feels like marketing. 2. A customer writing about you feels like proof. And in the F&B world, proof is everything. - It’s what brings new visitors. - It’s what convinces partners. - It’s what makes distributors and investors think, “This brand already has a community.” So if you’re a founder, ask yourself: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶? Because the day your market starts telling your story for you - that’s when you know your brand is compounding. #FNB #ConsumerBrands #UGC #Growth #BrandBuilding #Ozigen

The Time I Messed Up (And What It Taught Me About Feedback)   Last week, a mentee I’ve coached for a very long time & someone I’ve celebrated for countless wins was too quick to seize a rare moment when I slipped up. With a mix of glee & sharpness, she highlighted my oversight, even playfully mocking me about it. While her point was valid, the tone stung. It wasn’t the critique that bothered me, but the subtext that said ‘Look at you failing for once!’ Sound familiar? We’re all wired to spot flaws faster than we acknowledge strengths, it’s a survival instinct. But in leadership (& life), this reflex erodes trust, stifles growth & connections.   How often do we pounce on what’s broken while taking what’s working for granted? Feedback shouldn’t be a weapon to shame or “win” a conversation. It’s a tool to align, uplift, & collaborate.   Here’s the shift that changed my approach, lead with the good. When giving feedback, start by naming specific positives. By pointing exactly what someone did well, when they did it, & why it mattered. Example, ‘In yesterday’s client meeting, when you paused to clarify their core concern, it showed emotional intelligence & kept the team focused on solving the right problem.’ Then, address the gap with curiosity; However, ‘I noticed the financial summary wasn’t included, was there a hurdle? Without it, the team might undervalue the project’s ROI. How can we fix this?’ This isn’t sugarcoating, it’s scaffolding. You’re saying, I see your strengths. Let’s build on them.   The key is intent. Are you trying to change a behavior or diminish a person? The moment feedback becomes about superiority, you’ve lost. People forget critiques, but they remember ‘…how you made them feel’. So, this week, challenge yourself. For every critique, offer three genuine praises. Not vague ‘good job,’ but specific moments you noticed. Something like ‘…your calm tone in that tense call de-escalated the conflict, it mattered.’ Watch how it transforms your relationships & culture.   Later, I pulled that mentee aside & shared with her that she was in deed right that I misunderstood the situation. And reminded her if she can imagine for a moment how much more powerful her feedback would’ve been if she’d led with a kind of grace, I’ve seen her show others. Reminding her that’s how we grow together. She paused, then smiled. ‘Touché. Let’s both do better.’ It became a lesson for us both. Feedback isn’t just about being right, it’s about being human. And yes, she gave me permission to share this story (thanks, Sarah!).   Tag someone you’ve been quick to critique but slow to celebrate or better yet, go tell them why their work matters. Let’s normalize lifting louder than we nitpick