When you ask a client for a testimonial what do you get?
“You write it, I’ll sign it!”
How many times have you had a client say that?
The truth is, even your raving fans might find it hard to give you a testimonial that will have your prospects queuing up to hire you, so sometime the only option is the obvious one.
How to structure a great testimonial
Step 1 Identify: “We chose you because we were struggling to get the profits we knew were possible. We were impressed by your understanding of our business and interest in our issues.”
Step 2 Quantify: “Within six months we could see significant improvement in our sales.”
Step 3 Audit: “By the end of the year we had increased our profits by £10k.”
Step 4 Priceless: “We can’t imagine running our business without you and have no hesitation in recommending you to others.”
Here’s a great example:
Angela Wilson Bookkeeping
“When I found Angela my accounts were a mess and I was wasting lots of time looking for papers and information. Within 1 month Angela had provided a simple working system that reduced my stress and freed up enough time for me to start a new project which has so far netted £3,000 profit. Angela is totally trustworthy and I sleep better knowing that I don’t have to worry about getting the VAT return done on time! Hiring Angela isn’t a cost to my business; she adds so much value I wouldn’t be without her.”
Make the testimonial even more compelling
Before writing a testimonial from your favourite client think about what you’re really selling. We all engage with people on an emotional level and need to understand exactly what that means to our clients. For example Harley Davidson sells freedom, Nike sells winning, Revlon sells hope. In the testimonial above, Angela is selling peace of mind and trust. If you’re in doubt – ask your clients and be sure to weave these emotions into the testimonials for maximum impact.
Think about recording your clients giving an audio or video testimonial – especially if you can get them to do it spontaneously. It may not be as carefully constructed as a written one but the genuine enthusiasm and transparency will make it very powerful.
If you’d like to talk about how to grow YOUR business, get in touch!
