Testimonials are one of the most potent marketing tools available to help you power up your conversions.

Yet they are often the most often overlooked element by coaches and consultants.

Testimonials are defined as:

“Recommendation from a celebrity, influencer, expert or satisfied customer affirming the performance, quality, and/or value of a product or service”

Sharing testimonials can trigger our negative thoughts about our worth and the judgement we think we may get from “bragging”.

It’s normal to feel that you’re not the best in your industry and that you are being a fraud sharing compliments you’ve received.

But this can cost you big time.

The other issue to getting testimonials is that your clients are so wrapped up in their own stuff (including the stuff that doesn’t go as well for them), that they may not even share all their successes with you (or forget that you even helped them get there).

This can then make you feel awkward asking for them, and then feel like you may tread on their toes by sharing them when you do get them.

It’s important to remember that the addition of a testimonial or case study when used in social media, Facebook Ads, landing pages, email marketing and sales pages can do so much of the conversion work for you.

And it can easily 5x your sales (at least).

Think about it, you get the benefit of more trust, credibility and authority and also it helps your prospects imagine the success they could get too by relating to your past clients.

They see how it could be possible for them and allow them to step into the “ownership experience” of the investment.

But how do you ask for them if you have avoided it before?

Here’s a summary of the essentials you need to start compiling amazing testimonials that do the selling for you:

1. Get testimonials in multiple different ways so you can use them in different formats.

The formats that work best are written testimonials, quick shout outs, one-liners, video testimonials, Linkedin endorsements, Facebook Page Reviews, Google Reviews.

You can also conduct live or pre-recorded interviews and create case study blog posts that go into more depth on your client’s journey.

Here are some examples of written testimonials used on a sales page.

I have also featured a client in a popular podcast episode.

And a case study interview can be seen in a post in my free Facebook Group (you can just request to join to view).

2. Testimonials should be something you’re thinking about consistently each week as a way to allow your clients to “do the selling” for you.

You can ask your clients for them to give you a blurb, a shoutout, a comment on what it is like to work with you and you always want it to be results-focused.

Remember, your clients will be just as timid about sharing their results as you are, so you will have to work to extract the magic.

This is where incentives can help (not to influence what they share or compromise it, but just to inspire them to take action!).

I like to offer a one on one session with me for a case study interview, but don’t forget they also get the extra exposure to your audience and I know many of my clients have had the benefit of this).

There are also more incidental testimonials you can use as you go (even if you keep the identity of the client confidential to protect their privacy).

These include Facebook Comments and Instagram Story mentions.

Here is an example of the kind of requests you can make to your clients to illicit a testimonial in a variety of circumstances:

When you know they had a recent win: “Hi [name], Congratulations on [insert specific win]! You did so well. Would you mind if I featured you on my website to give you a shout out?”

When you get any positive feedback: “Hi [name], Thank you so much for that sharing that feedback, I really appreciate it. Would you feel comfortable writing a few words on your experience working with me? I’d love to make it as easy as possible, just let me know”

General :“Hi [name], I’m so proud of all you have achieved in these past few months of working together. I’m looking for a few of my star clients to feature online and I think you’d be perfect. Would you be interested in an interview with me to share your journey so far?”

3. Influencer or expert testimonials are like the reviews at the beginning of a bestselling book – they create instant credibility by association.

I’ve collected testimonials by the likes of Lewis Howse, Marie Forleo, Danielle Laporte and Amy Porterfield by helping them out or just asking for them after they have shared positive feedback with me.

It’s important to make it as easy as possible for them to say yes, even if you have to write out a couple of prompts and get their approval to use them.

You can see how I use these on a landing page here.

So there you have it. All you need to know to get cracking with testimonials, no more excuses.