Tripadvisor. Google. Amazon. Trust Pilot. Yelp. We live in the review economy!
The consumer of today often looks to these sites to confirm the background, reputation and suitability of the service or product they are considering.
If you are launching or refreshing your website for your consultancy, accounting or coaching practice you may be looking at some white space where testimonials should be and find yourself with nothing to put into it.
And what’s more, perhaps you’re not quite sure how to ask clients for a testimonial.
Here are some thoughts…
Hang on, what about confidentiality?
For coaches in particular, there is a contradiction to think about. We constantly emphasise the confidentiality of the session and the coaching partnership, so when we ask for a testimonial it can seem to fly in the face of that confidentiality. Therefore, we need to handle it carefully.
Focus – What is the purpose of the testimonial?
A testimonial is evidence. It’s proof that you can do what you say you can do. Are you a safe investment? Can the client confidently buy your services? This really comes down to TRUST.
Can they trust you? Remember the 3 C’s of Trust? Could that theme run through your testimonials? Trust of character, competence and communication. Here’s an example;
“Alan is extremely approachable and easy to work with (Character). Every challenge we worked through he had great insights and models to make the breakthroughs that became major results for our team (Competence). From initial contact right through the coaching relationship, Alan was always at the end of the phone or an email even outside the sessions (Communication). Looking forward to continuing this successful partnership”
Stop using the word Testimonial
Testimonial is just a word. Other sites might call it a review or a recommendation. Everyone is asking for testimonials so let’s just kick it to touch right now and change how we talk about it. Compare these questions;
- Could you write me a testimonial for my website? [vague]
- Could you send me a couple of sentences about your experience of working together? [specific]
In true coaching fashion, make the request actionable.
A great coach is a competitive advantage. Your client may not want to reveal their secret weapon by publishing a testimonial
Why your client may be reluctant to give one
If you know why a client may be reluctant to give a testimonial you can address their concerns before they have them 🙂
Here are some reasons that a client may not want to meet your request and ideas to overcome them.
Didn’t expect to be asked
Instead of just dropping it on your client at the end of the sessions, make it part of your contracting at the START of the coaching relationship. When you are agreeing with your client how the coaching partnership will work, make a testimonial part of that conversation.
Script idea
“I like to help people find me as a coach, and have confidence in picking up the phone to book a session. A few lines from other clients is really helpful for that. Is it ok to ask you for a few lines about our experience working together after our block of sessions?”
Unhappy with your service
Get the initial contracting right and this won’t be a problem. Ask your client what success will look like at the end of the sessions together. This helps you to be confident that you have delivered the service, and gives the client a sense of ‘before and after’ and how you helped. Plus, as coaches we always ask our client for feedback at the end of a session. We also ask if the client needs anything changed in how you are working together so to better support them. There are plenty of opportunities to get back on course during the relationship.
Asked too soon
Timing is everything! I’ve seen this happen a few times where a supplier hasn’t delivered what was asked. Yet. Yes the relationship is good and it looks good so far; but if we are asking a client to put their name to an endorsement, they need to know they can stand over it.
Employer concerns
It can be very exciting to be working with a client who works for a household name like Google, Microsoft or Twitter. You can already visualise their well known logo on your website! However, that well known brand will likely not allow that person to sign off a testimonial as Head of Coaching, Google. This is because it will then appear that Google is endorsing your company or service. PR departments don’t like that! Here’s an idea; what about signing the testimonial as HR Business Partner, Top 5 Tech Company. It get’s the point across about the level of client you work with. Sometimes you can get the sign off to use the logo and endorsement, but as you can see there are other ways around it.
Privacy
Your client may not want anyone to know that they are engaging your services. This could be because they are discussing something sensitive, or what I often find is that they view their coach as a competitive advantage – a secret weapon. They don’t want other people to know that their success partner is you. They have spent time and effort researching a coach and may not want to just hand that insight to competitors. Again, this could be a situation where an anonymous testimonial could be work around. (Ironically, the better you are as a coach the more of a problem this one becomes! )
Client is not good at writing them
Some clients believe that they are not good at writing testimonials. They don’t know what to say and may be concerned that it would not be good enough for you. For that reason it could be helpful to simply ask your client to answer a few questions as part of a feedback/review process. When you have received it, pick up the phone and say “I’m so proud of your feedback. Thank you so much for taking the time to do it. How would it sit with you if I was to bring together a few of your lines and add it to my website. Because of the confidential nature of our work together I won’t be attaching your name to it, but would it be ok to mention your job title or organisation type?”
Finally, Blame your Coach!
If you find yourself needing a reason to ask for a few lines from your client, blame me! Try something like this…
“Do you know how we work together around setting goals and actions? Well I have a coach too and the area that I need to work on is how I market myself. One of the things I agreed with my coach was to ask 3 clients for a few lines about their experience working with me so I can add it to my website – even without their names attached. Is this something you could help me with? “
Boom!
So what has worked for you in the past? What did you find helpful here? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
By Alan Brereton
