What is a marketing tool that’s doesn’t cost a cent, easy to implement, and will bring in clients?

The answer is Testimonials!

Not only are testimonials free, but they add instant credibility to your website, power up your social proof, which will bring in more clients.

Now, many business owners KNOW they should be gathering testimonials, but it’s not sexy or fun, and definitely not their favorite thing to do. Here are the top 3 excuses I hear:

1. I’m shy and don’t like asking for testimonials
2. I asked for a testimonial from my client but they never sent it
3. I get really great feedback all the time but the emails just sort of sit there and I don’t do anything with them

If you aren’t using testimonials in your marketing, you are missing out! Not to worry because I have a system that will turn those excuses into solutions.

Here we go with my 5-step testimonial-getting system…

Pop quiz: What is a marketing tool that’s doesn’t cost a cent, easy to implement, and will bring in clients?

The answer is Testimonials! Not only are they free, but they add instant credibility, social proof, and bring in more clients.

Many business owners know they should be gathering testimonials but I get it, it’s not your favorite thing to do. Here are the top 3 excuses I hear:

• I’m shy and don’t like asking for testimonials
• I asked for a testimonial from my client but they never sent it
• I get really great feedback all the time, people say things or email me, but they just sort of sit there and I don’t do anything with them

If you aren’t using testimonials in your marketing, you are missing out. So today I’m going to help you because all you need to fix those excuses is coming up with a system. Here we go with my 5-step testimonial-getting system.

First, determine when is the right time to ask for a testimonial. If you have a business in which you do a project or your services are for a limited time, say 3 months of coaching, then asking for a testimonial can come at the end. But if you are a service provider working with someone month after month, there is no real end so you can come up with a timeframe. For example, what I liked to do is schedule a 90-day check-in with the client to go over goals, projects, or just have a conversation. During that time, you can ask for a testimonial. Something like, I’ve loved working with you and would love to feature you on my site, would you be up for a testimonial?

The next key piece is to determine the format for the testimonial. What I mean by that is do you want it written? And if it’s written do you get a photo so that you can see the individual who is giving you the testimonial? That adds a little personalization to it. For the clients who had a little bit of a block and didn’t like to write, I would write it for them and they could just add their voice to it. Maybe you’d prefer a video testimonial because that would fit better with your site. Whatever the options are, write them down.

The next thing is to create a policy on how testimonials are handled. How are they collected? Who can review and approve? Do you have an assistant or a manager who you trust and knows your business? Who can edit, review, and send them to you for final approval? Or does that person have the authority to make the final approval? Whose responsibility is it? It can be as simple as you run a solo ship and collect the testimonials or you want your VA to handle this task.

And then, how is a decision made as to where it’s going to be used? Is there a general testimonial site on your website? Do you want to use it for current products? Maybe there is a parking lot for testimonials for future products.

Who is going to put the testimonial on the website or post it to YouTube, and put it in your ezine? Really figure out who is going to take the action and make sure those testimonials just don’t sit on your computer.

And this will address the issue of getting testimonials that just sit in your inbox.. It’s really saying who can review and approve it? How can we decide where we are going to use it? Who is actually the person putting it into action and actually getting it up for you?

And the last piece which is so key on everything is – execute! Get your team on board. If you have designated several people to be in charge of reviewing and approving. Then make sure that they know that. Make sure that they know they have the authority to do that. Or maybe they are just doing the clean-up, let them know they need to clean up within 24 hours or 48 hours they need to get that to you for the final review and approval. Let them know what the plan is, and what their responsibilities are, and what their authority is.

And then put reminders on your calendar to make sure that it is being done. Anytime that my clients implement a new system it can be really easy to forget about it. If you are a solo ship, then you can set a reminder every Friday to execute your plan, and if you have a team, remind yourself to bring it up during your weekly check-in or monthly meeting or if you have a quarterly planning meeting.

You can just touch base with the person and say “Hey, I haven’t seen testimonials come my way. Do you have any? What is going on with that?” It will reinforce to them that you find it important and it’s going to remind them to do it.

If you need some help in this area, I have a couple of solutions for you. First, I have a free testimonial request template with some swipe copy so you can just grab it and send it to your clients for testimonial requests. You can add your name and email to the fields below and you’ll get this template automatically emailed to you.

Second, head on over to VA Business Builder Boutique and check out my new Referrals and Testimonials Growth and Profit plan, a quick and dirty training system in which I show you how to implement a referrals and testimonials system. Like I said, they don’t cost you anything to implement, it has huge returns, and it is something that you can definitely streamline with your team. You can click on the link below or visit my shop and you’ll find it under the Growth and Profit Plans section.

Enjoy!

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