How are you asking for testimonials?

Here’s my hard learning experience with testimonials:

I’ve gotten weak testimonials because I was asking WEAK questions.

"Tell me about your experience?" That's a participation trophy question. You're asking someone to do your marketing homework while they're still in the thank-you-note mindset.

Here's what actually works:

Ask for the transformation, not the feeling. Skip "how was working together?" and try "what's something you couldn't do six months ago that you can do now?"

Feelings are fuzzy. Feelings aren’t facts. BUT results … that is what’s quotable.

Make the client the hero. Your client took action. Your client did the work. Or maybe you did most of the work, but that doesn’t really matter. The message to the client you were just the guide helping them down the path.

When they tell the story this way, they feel proud sharing it. Nobody wants to admit they got results because someone else did the heavy lifting.

Give them permission to be honest. The best testimonial I ever received started with "I was skeptical at first because..." That vulnerability built more trust than any polished five-star review ever could.

Testimonials aren't for you. They're for your future client, scrolling at 11pm, wondering if this actually works.

So - what's your next testimonial question gonna be?

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