Showing client testimonials is one of the most powerful ways to get people to buy from you. What your past clients think of you is much more persuasive than any other form of advertising. They act as social proofs that your services are worth the investment. If you are not currently displaying testimonials on your website, you are missing out on powerful free marketing, and revenue on the table.
Not all client testimonials are the same
You want them to be compelling and persuasive. If you ask a client for a testimonial outright, what comes back can often be bland and uninspiring. Even worse, you may not get a response at all.
In this blog post, I'm going to show you how I get compelling testimonials from my clients.
What makes a compelling testimonial?
1. Specific
"I loved working with you. You're the best!" doesn't quite cut it. It's too generic. Anyone could have written it. You could have written it yourself! A great testimonial should talk about specific problems, solutions, features and outcomes.
2. Authentic and natural
Forget about convoluted flowery language. The testimonial should be in your client's natural, conversational voice.
3. Follow the "Problem - Solution - Result" structure
- Thorn in finger (problem)
- Thorn removed (solution)
- Finger is healed (result)
What was your client's problem? What solution did you provide? A great testimonial shows potential clients what results they can expect from working with you.
How do you go about getting a killer testimonial?
1. Ask for feedback, not a testimonial
First of all, don't ask for a testimonial. Ask for feedback. Sometimes people can get nervous when you ask them to give a testimonial. "What should I say?" Using the word "feedback" not only helps reduce that anxiety, it also helps you get more a more natural response because people don't usually mind sharing feedback.
2. Ask specific questions
Instead of asking your client an open-ended question like "Can you give me some feedback?", provide directions by giving your client structured questions that will give you the kind of responses you need. Frame your questions to highlight specific benefits and experiences.
3. Format the responses to craft a testimonial
Once you get the responses back, format them together into a couple of short paragraphs. Tada! There's your testimonial!
Important: When you format your client's responses, stay true to their natural language and meaning. What you are doing is just combining the answers into a flowing, cohesive testimonial. Don't twist their responses to get a more glowing testimonial than is intended.
When you're finished, send your client the formatted testimonial and ask for permission to use it on your website and marketing materials. Ask them if there's anything they'd like to edit. Also ask if you can use a photo as well as link the testimonial back to their website.
Happy clients are usually only too willing to sing your praises. So far I have never had a client who doesn't give permission for me to share the testimonial publicly.
When to ask for feedback
It's best to ask for feedback while you are still fresh in your client's mind. I usually do so a week after I finish working with a client. Don't worry if you have left it a little late asking for feedback though. It's absolutely okay to reach out to past clients that have worked with you in the past 6 months.
Over to you
Now that you have this testimonial system in place, you can use it time and time again to get killer testimonials to use for your business. Go ahead, try it out and let me know how you get on.
Thank you, Mui, for the checklist! These are all really fantastic tips!
Great Advice Mui
Glad you found them useful Jessica and Eileen. And thanks for dropping by.
I love the idea of asking for feedback instead of a testimonial. I would actually find that much easier to provide if someone asked me. 🙂
Me too! 🙂
How incredibly handy! Thank you for sharing your ideas and your checklist! Your advice about asking for feedback is solid and much less intimidating.
What a great idea to ask for feedback rather than testimonials. I love the formula you follow, too!
Asking for feedback instead of a testimonial. Such a great suggestion. Thanks?
Great post! I love the suggestions on how to frame asking for testimonials in a way that isn't intimidating and even doing some of the work for clients in terms of putting the pieces of feedback together. Thanks for all the ideas!
Yes Brenda. It's about making it as easy as possible for your client, and getting feedback that is compelling.
Great checklist, Mui!! And I love idea of asking for feedback rather than specifically asking for a testimonial. As we know, semantics really make a big difference!
Definitely! The easier we can make it for our clients the better.
Great post Mui, it's something I have had people struggle with so they end up just giving you stars! The download is very useful too!
Thank you Melanie! And so glad you found the download useful.
Awesome.. will definitely need to check it out... My thing is... you'll never get it unless you ask for it.. so just ASK!
Great ?? summary Hun. And I agree that feedback sounds less formal thank asking for testimonials ! Thank you for sharing and have an amazing weekend xx
http://www.elegantduchess.com/2017/11/03/october-2017-recap/
This is great. Sometimes I feel like I am asking a significant favor When asking for the testimonials. The feedback sounds less formal. That's true. Even I need to admit that no matter what term I use I never get difficulties to get testimonials. 🙂 I'll ask for the feedback in the future to see what happens. 🙂