When to Ask for a Testimonial

27 replies
Is it reasonable to ask after a free consultation where you provided a boatload of value?

Seems reasonable to me, but its been like pulling teeth to get them. They always seem extremely impressed and appreciative but getting a testimonial has been tough. Never had that problem in retail.

I'm wondering if its because business people (especially of bigger companies) are leery of having their name associated with someone until they're very sure they can trust you.

But all I'm asking for is the truth..."I had a consultation with Paul and got a lot of great ideas on how we can grow our business. If you get the chance I think you should talk to him".

If I could get these car dealers to give me a testimonial, it would be huge! With the first one I tried to make it an upfront contract....I'll wave my consulting fee if you'll agree to give me a testimonial if you feel you got a lot of value. He avoided it.

The next one I asked after the consultation was over. He said lets have another meeting, get me a proposal and then we'll go from there.

Any thoughts? Thanks.
#testimonial
  • Profile picture of the author hayfj2
    Get the testimonial AFTER you've given and demonstrated real value.

    The testimonial would add more weight if they explain what the problem was they had, how you helped, and what the direct result was in applying your advice (or you executing your recommendations.)

    You could of course ASK them for 2 referrals, after you've gotten your testimonial too and thus create a perpetual sales pipeline....

    regards


    Fraser
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    Ask several times. But the best time to ask is when they are the most euphoric about you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Sure, you can ask right after your consultation. Why didn't they buy though if they love what you've shared?

    Could be a good lead-in to finding out the answer to that question.

    Ask for testimonials as often as you can. You can never have too many, too fresh or too glowing reviews.
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  • Profile picture of the author internetmarketer1
    I think it is always best to wait after a little while. I sometimes don't ask for referrals or any reviews up until I really have built trust and have given them what they wanted.

    Certain services that are offered that take a little while for them to see results may require for you to wait before you ever ask for a testimonial for them to benefit.
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  • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
    Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

    Is it reasonable to ask after a free consultation where you provided a boatload of value?

    Seems reasonable to me, but its been like pulling teeth to get them. They always seem extremely impressed and appreciative but getting a testimonial has been tough. Never had that problem in retail.

    I'm wondering if its because business people (especially of bigger companies) are leery of having their name associated with someone until they're very sure they can trust you.

    But all I'm asking for is the truth..."I had a consultation with Paul and got a lot of great ideas on how we can grow our business. If you get the chance I think you should talk to him".

    If I could get these car dealers to give me a testimonial, it would be huge! With the first one I tried to make it an upfront contract....I'll wave my consulting fee if you'll agree to give me a testimonial if you feel you got a lot of value. He avoided it.

    The next one I asked after the consultation was over. He said lets have another meeting, get me a proposal and then we'll go from there.

    Any thoughts? Thanks.
    I am going to address your question from a different angle then everyone else.

    Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. You had a conversation with them.
    They have no real idea if what your telling them works, or will work.

    I would not give you one. We talked, it appeared like you were intelligent
    and had some great ideas. ... Ideas.

    At this point nothing has been done. I have no proof of anything.
    What exactly am i giving you a testimonial for?

    Also, something for you to think about, if you and I had a really good
    conversation and you did not even attempt to get a commitment for us
    to work together, I would find that suspect. It might even make me
    decide not to work with you.

    Just my thought on the subject.
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    • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
      Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

      You had a conversation with them. They have no real idea if what your telling them works, or will work.

      I would not give you one. We talked, it appeared like you were intelligent
      and had some great ideas. ... Ideas.

      At this point nothing has been done. I have no proof of anything.
      What exactly am i giving you a testimonial for?
      Exactly. Surely this is obvious?

      A decorator comes round and tells you what he can do to your house. Which colours would work best etc etc.

      You are not going to be recommending him until he has actually finished the job to your satisfaction.

      All he has done is tell you stuff. So what?

      Dan
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      • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
        Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

        Exactly. Surely this is obvious?

        A decorator comes round and tells you what he can do to your house. Which colours would work best etc etc.

        You are not going to be recommending him until he has actually finished the job to your satisfaction.

        All he has done is tell you stuff. So what?

        Dan
        So...ideas have no value?

        How many times have you listened to someone who gave you ideas for free, and then went and implemented them successfully? (This is called Unpaid Consulting and salespeople fall victim to it all the time).

        How about HOW the person conducts their process? That can be different and valuable. How well they interview. How well they demonstrate they understand your business. How well they show their breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise with the solutions they suggest.

        A "free" consultation IS work, for the expert. The testimonial should be for the consultation and how it was carried out.
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        • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
          Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

          So...ideas have no value?
          I haven't written that in the slightest.

          People who have ideas that others value get paid for them which is what some of your post refers to. ie We agree.

          However I would have sought out those people and been happy to pay for those ideas.

          Now I can either implement them myself or allow them to project manage them for me.

          But some bloke coming round for free and telling me a few things that I may think, 'Ok that makes sense' I'm not going to be referring him to anyone.

          If his ideas made so much sense I would have moved the conversation onto how can we get started on that.

          And once he started and what he said would happen happens I would be more inclined to mention him to others.

          Now he can go in with a $500 consultation fee. Roll it into the implementation fees if the business wishes to move forward with him.

          He should get on his knees and be thankful no one has referred him.

          What would happen if he suddenly had the guy say 50 of his buddies would like a free consultation and they all say 50 of their buddies would like one too?

          Penniless headless chicken is what.

          Dan
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          • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
            Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

            He should get on his knees and be thankful no one has referred him.

            What would happen if he suddenly had the guy say 50 of his buddies would like a free consultation and they all say 50 of their buddies would like one too?

            Penniless headless chicken is what.

            Dan
            Your "Bad Prospect Referral Tree" is a scary idea!

            This is where good qualification skills come into play.

            "Birds of a feather flock together"--very true.
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          • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
            Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

            But all I'm asking for is the truth..."I had a consultation with Paul and got a lot of great ideas on how we can grow our business. If you get the chance I think you should talk to him".
            Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

            What exactly am i giving you a testimonial for?
            See above

            Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

            All he has done is tell you stuff.
            And all I'm asking is for the prospect to say that I told him stuff that he considers valuable.

            Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

            He should get on his knees and be thankful no one has referred him.
            What would happen if he suddenly had the guy say 50 of his buddies would like a free consultation and they all say 50 of their buddies would like one too?
            I wasn't asking for referrals and I only give consultations to qualified prospects.
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  • Profile picture of the author Seo2013
    Banned
    I think you should ask for a testimonial once you finish their job for which they are going to pay you.. Because after only the consultation it doesn't sounds reasonable to give testimonial.. my 2 cents.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    Paul if the only things you were doing was a free consultation and they seem satisfied that is great. I've done that a few times on here with minor sales training and advice.

    Beyond that you need to focus on selling though getting them to write down in a testimonial how you helped them could be used to promote the sale. But it's a method I have never personally tried. Though I understand the psychology behind it enough to believe it could work.

    it's very similar to how you might have them tell you what they loved about _____ as a way of closing. Putting it on paper (Ben Franklin is a variation of this) reenforces it more because not only are they telling themselves but they are writing and reading it. Thus it hits all 4 learning styles, Visual, Auditory (have them read it out loud),Reading/Writing and Kinesthetic (aka Doing).
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

    What would happen if he suddenly had the guy say 50 of his buddies would like a free consultation and they all say 50 of their buddies would like one too?
    If he were me, those would be the ones with whom I use the consult to sell.

    @Paul: What no one's touched on is that there are different types of testimonials. I classify them into 3 categories.

    I think you can ask for a testimonial after a consult, and it works best if you go into the consult with that agreement that if the prospect felt it was worthwhile, you'll get a testimonial as your payment.

    That kind of testimonial is what I call the "exit door" type, where people feel good about what they've just experienced, not having done anything with it or know if it's any good or not, and so that's about all they can talk about.

    Like when they attend a seminar and are enthusiastic about all the content they've just heard. They haven't tried it or seen any results yet, but they can talk about how valuable the information seems, the quality of it compared to others, how excellent and clear the speaker was in imparting information and how they can't wait to impliment it and what they expect will happen when they do and how it'll help them.

    And those are the points you'd want them to cover in that testimonial.

    It's not the best form of testimonial but thankfully, a lot of people don't comprehend the difference.
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    • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
      I agree with you misterme. I'm not asking for an "endorsement". Just something that explains what happened and what his thoughts are about it.

      Originally Posted by misterme View Post

      go into the consult with that agreement that if the prospect felt it was worthwhile, you'll get a testimonial as your payment.
      I tried that on the first guy and he balked so I didn't press it. I thought maybe he would give me one when we were done and then forgot to ask.

      It's not the best form of testimonial but thankfully, a lot of people don't comprehend the difference.
      At this point, I'll take whatever I can get and testimonials from these dealers would carry a lot of weight and be a huge help to get more prospects to take me up on the free consultation. That is the strategy for using the testimonials.
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      • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
        Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

        Is it reasonable to ask after a free consultation where you provided a boatload of value?

        If I could get these car dealers to give me a testimonial, it would be huge! .
        Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

        At this point, I'll take whatever I can get and testimonials from these dealers would carry a lot of weight and be a huge help to get more prospects to take me up on the free consultation. That is the strategy for using the testimonials.
        Hello Paul, forgive me if I seem a little left of center on this, you have written twice in some way thinking that with these holy grail testimonials that you can grow and become the next super star in the shiny bling of the auto world.

        And even though on the surface it may seem like it is important but in the wash of things it is not, and it really looks like a hook to hang the next level on, ? If I can just get these shiny bits of bling I can go to the next level.

        I would not focus on asking for or hoping for referral letters or the like, but more focus on your delivery and getting the results you promise for your clients in spades and keep your focus there, and by doing that over time you will naturally pick up referrals from those who genuinely are impressed not with your talk of promises in the land of bling but based on real results.

        Even when you have these holy grail referals from your loyal followers and believers in your presentation, you will find most will still look past them and give them little time, Yes they are good to have and will help, but do not make them your focus, just enjoy as them the sweet rewards for jobs well done when they come.

        The next big and real step to becoming huge as in that you seek is in you, your belief and your actions, not in waiting for a testimonial, do a good job and they will all be talking about you and your phone will run hot.
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        • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
          Originally Posted by tryinhere View Post

          Hello Paul, forgive me if I seem a little left of center on this, you have written twice in some way thinking that with these holy grail testimonials that you can grow and become the next super star in the shiny bling of the auto world.
          I'm not looking to become a super star, just trying to make a living. And I don't think they're the holy grail but they can get your foot in the door and get people to listen, especially if the testimonials are from their peers. Lets face it, when you cold call, you are just another internet marketing consultant trying to sell seo until you can prove you're different. The right testimonials will do that.

          At my first meeting with the gm of a car dealership, the 2nd question he asked (after asking me about my business) was "so who have you worked with". It would have been really nice to pull out my sheet of testimonials from other car dealers and say take a look at these.
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          • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
            Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

            I'm not looking to become a super star, just trying to make a living. And I don't think they're the holy grail but they can get your foot in the door and get people to listen, especially if the testimonials are from their peers. Lets face it, when you cold call, you are just another internet marketing consultant trying to sell seo until you can prove you're different. The right testimonials will do that.

            At my first meeting with the gm of a car dealership, the 2nd question he asked (after asking me about my business) was "so who have you worked with". It would have been really nice to pull out my sheet of testimonials from other car dealers and say take a look at these.
            I understand your reply and was only trying to give some perspective and to shift focus on importance.

            To give you some real life numbers ( and I am a nobody here compared to the gurus ) I closed out close to 1 million in personal sales last year with in the hundreds of customers give or take, from that I got back 3 genuine testimonials from very happy customers say 1 / 100 if that or abouts if your lucky (I do not ask or expect them from anyone), from that I could probably count half a dozen people who actually took the time to read them in my presentation and from those 6 most if not all were sold regardless of that icing on the cake.

            I agree it would be great to have those bits of paper to pull out, but let them come natural and not be a focus / or excuse for not moving forward / wishing you the best.
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            • Profile picture of the author KevUK
              Paul
              Perhaps you should consider a feedback style form. This would act as an end to the consultation meeting & generally is not seen by the prospective client as anything out of the norm. It is not a heavy task for them to carry out & it will also give you a feel for what went well & what did not.
              I have used the following basic feedback form:

              1) Did the consultation cover everything you expected/needed? If no please provide brief explanation.
              2)Did the consultation provide useful information? If no please provide brief explanation.
              3)Did the consultation provide true value? If no please provide brief explanation.
              4)How would you describe the overall nature of the consultation.
              5)Is there anything you wish me to come back to you on?
              1-3 give you valuable information to learn from if they answered no & gave an explanation.
              4 gives them the opportunity to rate the consultation. Again it gives you valuable information.
              5 Invitation / Call to action.

              This provides you with a form you can keep in your portfolio to show to all prospects you meet with, you could generate a document saying something along the lines of 90% of consultations carried out were deemed by prospects to deliver true value. Or utilise positive/glowing content that was given in how they rated the consultation.
              Every form I have used is only identifiable by an index number each form has so the client can be assured of confidentaillity.

              Hope this gives you an idea.
              Kevin
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by misterme View Post

      I think you can ask for a testimonial after a consult, and it works best if you go into the consult with that agreement that if the prospect felt it was worthwhile, you'll get a testimonial as your payment.

      My thought too. Make a testimonial the payment for the consultation. And use the testimonials to help market more consultations.

      I don't think I would ask for referrals at that point though, unless they were offered.

      I think some are confusing referrals with testimonials.
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  • Profile picture of the author mworwell
    Anytime you've added value to customer/person, you should ask for a testimonial. Just have them explain how you helped them, and what they learned from you.
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  • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
    It's perfectly reasonable to ask for a referral ANY time.

    But the way you ask and what you ask for has to be in
    the context of the relationship you have if you want some
    success doing this.

    In other words if you did a gift consultation and it's obvious
    your prospect got a lot out of it then you need to be asking
    for the referral in that context.

    eg. "You can see that even this gift consultation has tremendous
    value to a business like yours. And I'm sure it would also have
    tremendous value to other business owners you know.

    "Because I know you I'd be willing to give a gift consultation
    to a couple of the business owners you know...perhaps you
    know an accountant or a business broker who might benefit
    from some internet marketing advice..."

    In context done well at the right time you can get a referral
    in any stage of the process.

    I've got them talking to people I've never met on the phone,
    talking to people I've just met in the street.

    It can be done and the more confidence you have and the
    more at your core you realize what you have is of enormous
    value the more success you're likely to experience with it.

    Kindest regards,
    Andrew Cavanagh
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  • Profile picture of the author shawnlebrun
    Personally, I like asking for testimonials AFTER enough time has passed where the buyer could have gotten a specific result.

    In other words, after they started using what they bought, and hopefully got a specific result.

    Then, with permission, you can use that specific result in future marketing.

    If you ask for a testimonial too soon, in a lot of cases, you will only get generalities.

    "Mark is a great guy and offers a ton of value" is not a great testimonial.

    Sure, you can ask someone to give you their thoughts on the quality of the product, or the perceived value.. .but it's FAR more powerful to use specific results in your testimonials.

    What holds more weight... "Mark was great, he spent an hour with me and showed me some stuff, and helped me out a lot, very valuable.

    Or...

    "In one hour, Mark showed me 3 things and when I did them, I made over $3,000 in that time period"

    "John helped me lose weight, he really kept me motivated"
    or... "John helped me lose 18 pounds in the past 30 days, and i didn't
    have to diet or do a ton of exercise."

    For me, I'll always ask for testimonials in a certain way, I want them to
    give me specifics and results, so that when i go to use them, they are more
    believable.

    Many newbie marketers use testimonials that are weak... the ones that say "Gee, John was great"

    but try being as specific as possible, so when you ask for a testimonial, lead them down the path you want and ask them for specific results... which will help your future marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author patadeperro
    Every time you spend time consulting with somebody you should ask for a testimonial
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  • Profile picture of the author Graham Dytor
    If you have provided real value, it is not only allowable to request a testimonial; it is advisable!
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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

    Is it reasonable to ask after a free consultation where you provided a boatload of value?

    Seems reasonable to me, but its been like pulling teeth to get them. They always seem extremely impressed and appreciative but getting a testimonial has been tough. Never had that problem in retail.

    I'm wondering if its because business people (especially of bigger companies) are leery of having their name associated with someone until they're very sure they can trust you.

    But all I'm asking for is the truth..."I had a consultation with Paul and got a lot of great ideas on how we can grow our business. If you get the chance I think you should talk to him".

    If I could get these car dealers to give me a testimonial, it would be huge! With the first one I tried to make it an upfront contract....I'll wave my consulting fee if you'll agree to give me a testimonial if you feel you got a lot of value. He avoided it.

    The next one I asked after the consultation was over. He said lets have another meeting, get me a proposal and then we'll go from there.

    Any thoughts? Thanks.
    Are your free consultations giving them specific things they can implement?

    If so, how long are you waiting to ask for the testimonial? Have they had time to implement and measure the results of your input?

    If it is clear ahead of time that a testimonial is expected, then have they had time to implement?

    In other words, what is the content of your free consult? What is the structure of your whole "free consult for testimonial" process?

    I'm thinking you want to get something like, "Paul gave me three great ideas for
    marketing my dealership. We have had time to implement two and have closed
    x more deals from the first idea, and have increased floor traffic by x per weekend
    from his second suggestion."

    Dan
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    "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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