In my last post, I shared opportunities for getting great testimonials from ideal clients who don’t necessarily hire you. This post focuses on what you do to get testimonials from clients that support your selling efforts.
Yes, a thoughtful and carefully crafted client testimonial CAN actually help you sell more of your programs, services and products. It’s because the words of your client tell the story of her experience working with you and communicates the value of your services in her own words. It’s much more effective than almost anything you can say about your programs and services yourself.
Testimonials are business assets because of how you can leverage them to earn more money in your business.
I can remember early on in my coaching business, I looked forward to getting testimonials from the clients I coached. I was part of a program designed to help me grow really masterful coaching individual clients.
Unfortunately, those testimonials weren’t always the best. Instead, they were weak and fluffy which meant they didn’t really come across as credible. A weak testimonial focuses on saying things like, “WendyY is great!” or “I just love WendyY!” While well-meaning in sharing their praise, my clients did me a disservice. A weak testimonial doesn’t sell the impact of your service, program or product.
Great testimonials that sell reflect a tangible result of your coaching include:
- Who you are as the coach (i.e., As my business coach, WendyY…)
- What you do as the coach (While serving as my business coach…)
- The impact of your coaching in dollar amounts and percentages
- Return on the investment (increased income, weight loss, etc.)
- Business impact (efficiency, systems, tools, resources, etc.)
- Lifetime (more freedom, better relationships, etc.)
If you’re speaking, ask the host if you can write a testimonial on their behalf and send it to them to wordsmith. Often times, it’s a bonus to the organizer because they may not be able to find the time to write the testimonial in their otherwise busy schedules.
The three most important parts of a great testimonial are:
- What are your keywords? (Not SEO, but words that are buzz words for your brand and what you do. For example, the keywords for my brand are: income acceleration, revenue generation and client infusion.)
- What is the experience your client had in working with you? In other words, ask your client what it’s like to work with you.
- Who is your most ideal client? How does the person reading the testimonial see themselves in the title or language or experience of the testimonial?
If you didn’t know before, I hope now you know that all testimonials are not created equally.
What have you noticed about some of your best testimonials?
Wendy Y Bailey
WendyY Bailey is often called a Force of Nature and a trendsetter in the coaching industry and for good reason. With more than 20 years of experience, she brings fearless innovation and bold strategy to entrepreneurial leaders, coaches, speakers, trainers, and consultants across the globe serving clients across the U.S., Canada, the UK, Spain, and Italy. Affectionately known as “WendyY” by clients, business associates, and colleagues, she’s also lovingly called “Auntie” or “Mama Coach” for her signature blend of Southern charm, fierce wisdom, and deep coaching insight. That special mix helps her clients double, triple, even quintuple their bottomline profits. WendyY is an internationally recognized thought leader, award-winning coach, two-time bestselling author, and sought-after business mentor.
