How to collect testimonials for your service based business
A mini masterclass
Welcome to the 12.22.2024 Edition of "What I Did Last Week (and what I'm looking forward to) where I share what I am doing personally and professionally
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Anatomy of a Holiday “No”: How to say “I can’t gift this year”
How to collect testimonials for your service based business: A mini masterclass
If you need to collect testimonials for your business, a short masterclass
Socialize the idea that you will be collecting a testimonial early and often. Ask, if when we are done here, would you be so kind as to write a testimonial if you were happy with the service or experience?
After the work concludes, here is a script to ask for a testimonial:
Hi [Client’s Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Business Name]. It was great working with you recently!If you’re happy with the [specific service] we provided, would you mind sharing a quick testimonial? It would mean the world to us and help others discover our services.
Thank you so much!
Folks are busy. They often stare at a blank page and don’t know what to write.
I just hosted a workshop for a university. I wrote a first draft of a testimonial, with language that shared the problem the students were facing in building a personal brand (I had pre interviewed the students) and the OUTCOMES I created as a result of sharing exercises that helped to crack the code.
What a Generic Testimonial Reads Like
"The team at [Your Business Name] was great to work with! They were professional, friendly, and delivered what they promised. I would definitely recommend them."
Why it's generic: While it’s positive, it lacks specifics or measurable results, making it less impactful for potential clients.
What an Outcomes-Based Testimonial Reads Like
"Before working with [Your Business Name], we were struggling with [specific problem, e.g., low website traffic]. After their SEO services, our website traffic increased by 150% in just three months, and we started receiving 30% more inquiries from potential customers. Their strategies have had a measurable impact on our business growth, and we couldn’t be happier!"
Why it's outcomes-based: This testimonial provides specific results (e.g., "150% increase in website traffic" and "30% more inquiries") and addresses a problem that potential clients can relate to. It demonstrates the tangible value of your service.
4. I shared it with 1 of the organizers and asked if she had any changes to it. She made 2 slight changes and greenlit it.
Where to store testimonials
In the early days, I had testimonials stored in Dropbox, Google drive. I could never find them when I needed them. Then I found the holy grail of testimonial collecting apps.
The Testimonial.to App
It allows you to keep all your testimonials organized in one place.
You can create separate workspaces for different service offerings.
For example: My mastermind versus a retreat versus 1:1 coaching.
You can create a questionnaire, where folks can answer questions and submit to your “Wall of Love.” It can be video or text.
Those ‘workspaces’ or “wall of love” have “embed codes,” so you can insert all the testimonials into a landing page, a website, an email without having to do it in piecemeal.
Joya's "Wall of Love" [click link]
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