3 ways to get testimonials (and 5+ places to use them)

I recently read The Revenue Growth Habit — a book that talks about quick, daily tasks to increase revenue. (And who doesn’t like more revenue?)

Two of my favorite revenue growth techniques are collecting and using testimonials.

The author suggests calling clients on the phone, recording the call, and asking them a series of questions. From a quick 5-10 minute conversation, you can easily get 10-15 testimonials that you can use, well, everywhere. (More on that in a bit.)

I don’t always love talking on the phone, but I’ve had success with a form on my website that asks a few simple questions:

• What was your biggest concern before hiring me? Did it come true?
• What, specifically, was your favorite part about the project and why?
• If you were to recommend me to your best friend, what would you say?
• Do you have any other feedback, comments or questions?

Ask anything you want, but ask something! Open-ended questions are best. If you’re going the phone route, you can tailor your next questions based on how the client responds, and always keep asking why. This will help you get at the heart of the value your client has received from working with you.

(If adding a form to your website sounds daunting, try Typeform — a tool that allows you to create a free form with up to 10 questions. You could also write an email script that you can send at the conclusion of every project. Keep it simple!)

I like to ask for a review/testimonial shortly after a project has been successfully delivered (read: when the client is extra happy).

From here, use the testimonials! This is one part of the book that gave me a ton of ideas. I was already adding testimonials to individual case studies and on my dedicated testimonials page, but the author suggests using them everywhere. Add them to everything. They should live on every page of your website, plus in your email signature, proposals and contracts, your newsletter (I’ll add one for you below :)), invoices and any printed materials. (I added three to my latest proposal and got the gig!)

There are several other great, quick and easy suggestions for revenue growth in the book. Check out my review.

P.S. The content above relates mainly to service-based businesses, but the sentiment still applies for other types of businesses. Your products should have a place for reviews. Encourage people to leave reviews, and use them everywhere you can.

P.P.S. As promised, here’s the testimonial!

“Rene’s work is meticulous; I felt that she understood my vision, and her process made it easy to know what to expect with each step. I loved that Rene kept track of the timeline and helped me stick to it.” Liz Fetchin, Owner of Octofree