When running an online, service-based business, word of mouth holds a lot of weight.
Getting as many glowing client testimonials as you can is never a bad thing, in fact, it is something you should strive for after every project you complete.
Not only will client reviews provide you with credibility, but it will also let potential clients know who you’ve worked with in the past and the kind of projects you have experience with.
Sometimes new clients who are still on the fence about hiring you may just reach out to your past clients to find out what it was like to work with you and if they’ll recommend your services.
Testimonials you share on your website and social media platforms will then act as “references” and are a powerful way to get new people to trust you as a service provider long before they even reach out to you directly.
In this blog post I’ll be sharing some helpful tips and tricks to transform your vague, generic client testimonials into five-star feedback snippets that tell your next dream client EXACTLY how awesome you are to work with! And most importantly, will have you booked out with even more dreamy projects in the future!
Today I’ll be taking you through 3 tips to help you get better quality testimonials from your clients…
1. Ask clear, specific questions
Asking your client a vague, open-ended question such as “Would you share a few words about your experience working with me?” is a sure way to get canned testimonials that don’t exactly stand out and say much about you or your work.
When you ask for a testimonial you need to keep in mind that your client may not know what it is you’d like them to highlight, and can therefore miss the mark with their review. This is why I recommend asking really clear, specific questions that steer them in the right direction.
Here are a few things you may want to think about – focus your questions on these areas to draw out responses that highlight the positives from your client’s experience in working with you:
- What is it that sets you apart from other businesses in your niche?
- What is it about your onboarding process or project process that you dedicate most of your time to?
- What sort of results do you promise and how do these transformations improve your clients’ lives?
- How would you like your dream client to describe the problem they had before working with you vs after working with you?
- What are 5 adjectives you’d love for your dream clients to use when describing your business and their experience working with you?
By asking more clear cut questions that work to highlight the good things in your business – the things that sets you apart from everyone else in your niche – you can get high quality testimonials that actually speak directly to your next dream client!
2. Make it as simple as possible
As hard as we all try to maintain some sort of “balance” in our lives, there’s no denying that each of us are running very busy lives. This is why I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that your client is far too busy to play 21 questions, especially if those questions require too much effort to answer.
If the process of writing a testimonial for you is time consuming and difficult then it is likely your client will either take a long time to write a testimonial or they’ll just not bother doing it at all.
This is why you need to make it as quick and easy as possible!
A really effective way to get high quality testimonials is to create a simple survey using Google Forms or TypeForm. Set up your survey with 5 clear, specific questions that they can answer without much fuss, and direct them to the form with a link sent via email.
Please be sure that your survey doesn’t take much time to complete. I highly recommend telling them how long the survey will take so they know exactly what to expect – around 3 minutes is the sweet spot!
Another great way to collect client testimonials is to have your clients fill out a form right on your website or share their experience on your Facebook Page. This is wonderful social proof, which you can screenshot and share as is; adding to your credibility and allowing you to build even more trust with future clients.
3. Send your survey as soon as possible
Collecting a client testimonial should form part of your client off-boarding experience!
As soon as your project wraps up, you’ll want to send your survey to receive feedback from your client. The reason to do this so soon after wrapping up a project is because everything is still fresh in their minds. Since they are still delighted by the results and transformation you’ve helped them achieve, and they are happy with the project being completed, the chances are very high that you’ll get a testimonial that reflects their vibe.
Testimonials that are filled with emotion and positivity makes a much stronger impact than one that is neutral. Delaying your review process will not only decrease the likelihood of you getting feedback at all, but it will also decrease the quality of the testimonial you will receive from your client.
The perfect way to work your testimonial survey into your off-boarding process is to include the link to your questionnaire into the final delivery email you send to your client when wrapping up your project.
Something as simple as a couple lines can mean you’ll have another raving review to add to your bank! Here is an example of how you’ll request your client to leave a review:
I had such a blast working alongside you and can honestly say this has been one of the BEST projects I’ve had the pleasure of completing. For this reason, it would mean a great deal if you could provide me with a brief testimonial on our time working together to add to my services page and promo content, so I may undertake more projects such as this in the future.
If you could fill out this quick form for me I would really appreciate it: [link to your survey]
Feel free to copy that snippet and add it to your final delivery email. Don’t forget to pop in the link to your survey!
4. Bonus Tip
There are different ways in which a testimonial can be delivered, and you want to make sure that you capture the review in a way your client can best share it.
Using a format your client is most comfortable expressing themselves in will ensure that you get a good quality testimonial that describes their experience in the most natural, casual way.
If this means opting for a video testimonial (which you could transcribe with their permission) then go for it! The main point is to have the testimonial bring a strong, positive message about you and your services.
Nothing says you’re awesome quite like a glowing client testimonial!
People looking to hire professionals will always do their homework and find out as much about the person of interest as possible. This is why you should always try to collect testimonials from your clients and share them as proof that you are as good as you say you are!
So, if you want to attract dream clients, you should work towards getting yourself to a point where you can share multiple testimonials from different dream clients you’ve worked with in the past. This will help you to attract similar projects with similar people or niches!
Now, if you want a fun, eye-catching way to share your glowing client testimonials on your Instagram profile, I’ve got a little something that will do the trick!
Your reputation as an online service provider can set the tone for the direction of your business and the kind of clients you work with. If you have any hope of attracting your DREAM clients to conduct business with and finally begin working on projects that you find yourself fantasizing about, then you are going to need some social proof!