When you’re working with someone that doesn’t already know about you and your reputation, hearing how impressive you are from someone other than you can be the most powerful argument as to why someone should hire you. Testimonials are very powerful because they tell your story from the clients perspective. Even a resume of all of your success in the past isn’t as convincing as hearing third party testimonials that share a client’s  personal experience with you. If you showed up to an appointment with a new client and had nothing more than letters of recommendation from you past clients, you would be successful most of the time.

 

The question isn’t how powerful client testimonials can be. The real question is “how do I ask for a testimonial from my clients?” There are several points to remember when you’re securing testimonials:

1. Make sure you don’t ask for a testimonial until after your clients have both perceived and recognized the value associated with the service you provided.
2. Once appreciation for your services is acknowledged, ask for the testimonial or letter of recommendation immediately. This is when their feelings for you are the strongest.
3. Listen carefully to what your client has identified as being most impressive and offer those as suggestions for what the client could write.
4. When a client puts their feelings in writing, it reinforces those feelings and makes it far more likely they will become “raving fans” of yours and refer you more business.

 

Listed below, is an example of what you could say when you’re requesting a testimonial letter:

“I want to thank you for pointing out what I have done that you appreciate the most. I’m wondering if I could ask you a favor? I spend most of my time providing the highest level of service to my clients, so I don’t usually have much of an opportunity to promote my business to new clients. Would you be comfortable giving me a letter of reference that I could share with future clients?”

Once you’ve asked for a testimonial, be sure to follow-up on the request. It’s very easy for your clients to put aside the task of writing you a good recommendation because it’s not something they do every day. If you haven’t heard from your client after you’ve asked for the testimonial, send them an e-mail and include the positive points they had identified about your service in your previous meeting. Testimonials can be the absolute best way to grow your business, so include a testimonial task as part of your priorities with every client.