Asking for Testimonials

Many people are uncomfortable asking for recommendations and testimonials from clients. They don’t know how to word the question so it isn’t awkward.
But people in business have to ask for what they need or wait forever to get it by chance.

Here are 3 ways you can get testimonial quotes from your clients:

1. Catch it.
When you are working directly with a client, they often will say something about how they feel better,  praise their own accomplishment or yours, or rave about how the space looks. Catch them when they do this; tell them how nice it is to hear and ask if you can write that down to use for your website.  Ask if they would like to remain anonymous or if they don’t mind lending their name (because it is more credible that way.)

2. Ask for it.
I got this lovely little note from someone I have hired to do design work. I was impressed with her work, so I had no trouble shooting out a quick couple of sentences for her.  Here is what she wrote:

“Hello there my much appreciated client!
I’ll be updating my website very soon and that includes adding some more-current client buzz.  If you’re interested in submitting a short comment about the joys of working with me please click the link below.  I’ll include a link to your website (whether I’ve designed it or not) along with your comments.  If you need examples, I’ve put a link to the current buzz page below as well.”

Not only is it a win for her, but a win for me as well because she will link back to my website… which shows off her work.

3. Give recommendations
On Linked In, the social networking website,  when you recommend someone, the program automatically asks if they would like to recommend you. Take advantage of that gift!  On the same note, you can write a recommendation on someone’s fan page on facebook. If the business owner has worked with you, you may get a recommendation back.

4. Send a survey
Send a survey to your clients after a day’s work or after the final job (but that sometimes never comes.) In the survey, ask open ended questions that would spark a positive comment such as: What did you learn from your organizer? What made you happiest about working with your organizer today?  If you send a survey after a class, you might ask “What do you think was the best part of the class?” or “What did you like about the speaker?” When you word at least one question that way, you can only get positive answers.

What are your tried and true methods for getting testimonials?