
A reader asks, “How can I get people to open up about their experiences? I want some good testimonials!”
Most of us can relate to this challenge. Service businesses rely heavily on testimonials.
Some services have public attendance instead of testimonials. You can look into a restaurant and count heads. Most people get nervous about entering an empty restaurant space.
If you’re a solopreneur, you’ve probably realized a bitter truth: people don’t believe you can help them if you’re not part of a bigger firm. When they’re considering whether to hire you, they look closely at testimonials. They also look closely at what you write in your blog or sales letter for evidence of credibility.
But here’s the catch. It’s not a testimonial about YOU. Ideally, your client doesn’t say, “John was amazing.” Effective testimonials certainly don’t say, “I enjoyed working with John.”
And there’s another problem. Clients often don’t know how to write testimonials. It’s not something they learn in school, like a 3 paragraph essay.
So how do you get clients to open up and share their real story? Here are three tips to make it work.
1 – Teach people to recognize a good testimonial story.
First, what is a testimonial? A testimonial is a recommendation for your services (and products). You ge testimonials from clients who genuinely benefited from your offer.
A great testimonial story resembles a selling story. A selling story leaves people saying, “I want what he’s having” or “I want the same thing for me.” Your audience relates to the main character; in fact the lead character is designed to resemble your ideal client. You’re there as a guide but you don’t have a big role.
Click here for a podcast episode about telling a story that sells.
2 – Give people a guide.
As I said earlier, most people haven’t the vaguest idea of how to write a testimonial. If we’re lucky they know what a testimonial is!
There are two ways to guide people through testimonials.
One is to show them other people’s testimonials so they know what a testimonial should sound like. You can also send them sometime you’ve written, with a comment, “I’d like to use this as a testimonial. Is that OK?” I’ve never had anyone say no. If anything, they add more!
Another option is to make up a guide that people can use. I have mine here. There’s a free download associated with it.
A testimonial story has 3 parts: where you were, how someone came to help, and the outcome. It’s a lot like a selling story but it’s told from the perspective of a client.
Of course, sometimes you won’t get a testimonial no matter how much you try or how cleverly you ask. Some businesses just don’t get testimonials because the clients don’t want to admit they used the service. Psychologists are a classic example but you may find clients won’t admit they got help with budgeting or home decorating. I made a whole podcast about this.
3 – I’m trying to focus on storytelling. But I have to mention those people who just don’t like to give testimonials…period! For that reason, it’s a good idea to have something in your agreement about testimonials.
My agreement says that yes, I’ll ask for a testimonial, and I also reserve the right to use drafts as examples in my stories. If anyone protests, I’d negotiate, but so far that hasn’t happened.
Also, whether you include testimonials or not, everything you write can contribute to credibility. I have a low-priced course on writing content for credibility. You’d be surprised at the things you can do without testimonials or success stories.