Everyone likes a bit of social proof, right? Personally, I don’t buy anything online without reading at least 5 reviews. So I’m super surprised when some clients tell me they don’t follow up with clients, or ask them for testimonials or feedback. Whaatt?
If that’s you, read on. You’ll soon see how easy it is to get reviews and how they can build your credibility, client base, and confidence.
There are 3 big reasons why you should be asking for client feedback
1. Research
To be successful in business, you should be obsessed with your customers and how you help them. Asking customers what they were struggling with before they came to you, why they picked you, and how you helped them, will:
Build your confidence
Give more strength and clarity to your message
Make your marketing efforts more targeted
2. Create trust & authority
If people read how you help others to succeed, they’ll know you’re skilled in what you do and naturally think they’ll be successful with you too.
3. Know your uniqueness.
Do you know why people want to work with you? How do clients get results with you? Once you’re clear on your specific abilities you can double down and make them a focal point of your business and marketing
How to get great testimonials
Set the expectation
If clients know they’ll be asked for feedback during and after working with you they’ll be more likely to provide thoughtful, useful comments. You can include a point about testimonials in your client intake form, or mention it at your kick-off session. To get buy in I tell clients how important I think feedback is – good or bad – and that by giving me a testimonial they’ll be helping me to strengthen my business.
Systemise it
Make it a monthly action point to follow up with clients. Block out time in your diary and create an email template that you can copy and paste. Make it easy on yourself.
By the way, now not all clients are created equal. Initially just follow up with those who you really enjoyed working with and who you know experienced success. When you’re a little more practiced I would encourage you to get feedback from people who didn’t get the breakthroughs they or you expected – this is where the real learning is.
Keep it simple
The key is to make it painless for clients to give you feedback. This is not the time to create a multi-question survey or bribe them with a local discount card. Keep it simple & straight-forward.
When I ask for testimonials I’m pretty open ‘…I really enjoyed working with you and I love to have your honest feedback about our time working together’
What questions to ask
There are only three Qs, but these are foundational to any great testimonial. As a business owner, you’ll want to know how you helped clients get from A to B and why they picked you. And, your potential clients want to know if you’ve solved similar problems to theirs before.
Q1 What situation were you in before working with me? What were you struggling with?
Q2 What’s different for you now, how would you describe the change that happened?
Q3 What actions did you take before working with me. And what made you want to work with me?
Now you have some glowing testimonials, use them
An obvious place is your website; curate and place them strategically – to support claims you make in your sales page, for example. Include testimonials in your email newsletter, record an interview with a happy client and share the video on your social channels. And don’t forget independent reviews on social pack a lotta punch – follow up with clients and request a recommendation on LinkedIn, or send them a specific link to add a testimonial on Facebook and Google.
Need help getting amazing clients to get amazing testimonials from? Click here to book a free Clarity & Connect session with me – it comes complete with no-strings & no-sell!