Client testimonials are one of the most powerful marketing tools coaches can use. Did you know that they can help you attract new clients, increase customer confidence and generate a positive “buzz” about you and your services? (Actually, those are just a few of their marketing uses.)
Human nature gives testimonials such power because we love discovering what one person thinks of another - even when it's positive! It's the same dynamic that makes gossip so hard to resist. As a professional coach, you want the positive “gossip” that testimonials provide because you can use that information to promote yourself, your services and products, to call attention to your strengths and to distinguish yourself from your competitors.
Testimonials also are powerful because they are first-person accounts: when a client makes a positive statement about you and backs it up with his or her name and contact information, it enhances your credibility.
In addition, written testimonials are fabulously flexible. They can be used powerfully on your website, in printed and electronic promotional materials, following the signature line of your emails and in many other ways and places. Once you have obtained testimonials from your clients, you will think of a hundred ways to use them!
Now that we have established the value of client testimonials, here are a few dos and don'ts to guide you as you obtain and use them to grow your business.
DO let your clients know the benefits to them of providing testimonials that will be used on your website(s), such as:
- increased exposure for their business, thanks to internet serendipity;
- increased website traffic and/or business for them, generated by a link from your website to theirs;
- enhanced standing among search engines, due to more internet exposure; and
- that genuinely warm feeling that comes from helping another “solopreneur”!
DO obtain your clients' permission to use their full name and email address because it will give
their testimonials a great deal more credibility. (Let's assume I have written a glowing
testimonial for someone whose services I use. Now compare the impact of these two testimonial
signatures: “A.S., Coach” or Alicia Smith, Business Coach and DISC Ninja;
Alicia@aliciasmith.com
DON'T (ever) use fictional testimonials because they can destroy your credibility.
DO utilize honest (verbatim) testimonials that speak to what your potential clients will most want
to know about you, including (but not limited to!) why you are such a fantastic coach and why
you, your services and your products are so special.
DO store your client testimonials in a Word document or Excel database so that you can find
them easily. You may want to organize them by client name, service or product.
The next step is to obtain testimonials from your clients. Here are the basic steps and some questions to get you started.
Begin by sending your clients a friendly email stating that you are seeking a testimonial you can use in your marketing. Personalize your communication as much as possible. For example, your letter may begin, “Dear Jim: Last December, you participated in my teleclass, (name of class). I certainly hope you found the class to be helpful. Because I am revamping my marketing materials, I am writing to ask you a favor: I would deeply appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to answer the questions below.” (Be sure to work into your letter the benefits to these clients of providing testimonials that will be used on your website.)
You may want to ask your clients some or all of the following questions and to customize each email with the name of the product or service the client purchased. When a client has purchased more than one product or service, send a separate email request for each.
- What first attracted you to (name the teleclass, internet course, product or service the client purchased) and why did you decide to purchase it?
- What was the most beneficial tool, concept or idea that you gained from (the product or service)?
- How are you currently utilizing (the product or service in your business and/or life)?
- Has it saved you and your business time, money or energy? If so, in what way(s)?
- Why would you recommend (the product or service) to your associates, colleagues or clients?
- What would you like to say to someone who is considering purchasing (the product or service)?
You now have the basic information you need to obtain client testimonials that you can use to power up your business and Make Money Now! Here's a very important final tip: once you begin to receive testimonials from your clients, be absolutely sure to enjoy the wonderful things they say about you!
© Copyright 2004 Alicia Smith
Permission to reproduce granted if all attribution & contact information is included.
Using the Power of Client Testimonials to Grow Your Business
The Power of Testimonials for the Home-Based Business Owner
Including testimonials on your web site and in your marketing material is a great way to establish trust with your potential customers and boost your credibility.
Giving a testimonial to someone else is also a good way of building your business, and getting visitors to your site.
When a potential buyer is considering whether or not to buy from you, testimonials may reassure her. Use testimonials on the back of your business card, in your brochures, web site, letters, e-mail, and so on.
Include the name of the person providing the testimonial, otherwise people might think you just made it up. Also, print the provider's full name, company name, and city, state/province, country, etc.
Provide links to their web sites and if you can get a picture of them, even better.
Testimonials like the one below will do very little to add credibility or believability to your business ...
"Thanks to your help in getting clear on my goals, I am moving forward much quicker than I was before we started working together. - J.S., New Zealand"
Not only is the testimonial void of any significant content, it's very difficult to accept the provider as being real. There's no way for us to confirm he or she even exists.
Here's a testimonial I received a week after promoting a new book. Notice how it is detailed and provides full info on the provider so you can verify that yes, she is a real live person and a trustworthy source. (Personalization has been removed for the purposes of this article.)
"I've been a subscriber to your ezine for over a year and love the information and ideas you provide.
I wanted to thank you for sharing special products and offers and to let you know that as a result of a promotion you sent out, I won an 8-month coaching certification program valued at $6,000! - What an incredible gift!
I'm already a Professional Certified Coach and run a full-time business from home, and I'm the first to acknowledge there's so much in the world of coaching to learn. I am thrilled at this opportunity and thank you for creating it for me!
Writer's Name, Occupation, Country
Company name
Company website address
Picture of writer "
I posted the complete testimonial on the newsletter sign up page of my web site. Do you see how this will add credibility to the benefits this ezine provides?
If you're just starting out and don't have any professional testimonials under your belt, get personal ones.
When I first began as a Life Strategy Coach, I asked friends and acquaintances for testimonials. What their testimonials did was add to my likeability and trust factor, and helped portray who I am as a person.
When a prospective client is looking for a coach, one of the first things they're looking for is someone they can connect to, someone they're attracted to through certain characteristics, energy, etc.
Even though I since transitioned to coaching entrepreneurs to build thriving home-based businesses, the forming of our relationship isn't only about results. It still boils down to chemistry, how well we connect, trust and likeability.
Achieving results is paramount, but as a client or customer, you need to feel closeness and trust with the person you hire. The personal testimonials I collected helped create that trust in the beginning, then the professional testimonials I collected in the years following, provided the additional credibility.
As you begin to promote yourself, start asking friends, acquaintances, co-workers, whomever you can think of who can provide a testimonial that will portray your strengths, skills and character.
Ask their permission to provide their full name, town, state/province and a picture for added integrity.
As your business grows and you gain satisfied customers, ask every single one of them for testimonials and include them in your marketing materials.
This one practice alone will pack a powerful punch in your business building efforts.
2006 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source