How to Get Client Testimonials (even if you haven’t had your first customer yet!)

Can we talk about how helpful good word of mouth is? And not just word of mouth like when you're at happy hour and it's all "oh hey you need a doga instructor? My sister is a doga instructor I'll connect you!" but actual real written testimonials saying, "damn! that Phyllis is the best I ever had! (in business & marketing strategy you saucy minx you)

Testimonials do 3 things for your biz:

Build trust with social proof - "social proof" is a fancy way of saying people are inclined to buy a product or service if they feel like other peeps have already done it and had a good experience

Tap into emotion - humans actually aren't all that logical like, most of the time. We don't like to admit it but we typically make our purchasing decisions based on how a product or service makes us feel

Pique interest with storytelling - narrative is our friend and everyone loves a good transformation story. Love her or hate her, Cinderella stands the test of time for a reason. Having your customers explain in their own words how your product or service helped them or changed their life is powerful stuff, boo

Okay. But how do you actually get these magical testimonials? Try this:

If you haven't had your first paying customer yet, that's okay! Who's sampled your product? Or who's benefited from your help / guidance? Have you led a workshop? Mentored a family member? Gifted your product? Reach out to those people and ask them to speak to your expertise. Yes, friends and family are totally fair game with this!

If you've had paying customers it's time to circle back with them! If you've never asked for reviews / testimonials email all your past peeps that had a great experience with you. Tell them how much you love and appreciate them then ask them for their help

Moving forward, be sure to add this step as part of your "off-boarding" or exit process. Once you wrap up with your client be sure to send a love note asking for a review so you never miss this opportunity again

Now that you have your testimonial(s) what do you actually ya know,dowith them?

Promote them on your website (with or without a photo of your customer). An ideal spot is your home page and landing sales page. You can even make a dedicated testimonials page if that's your thang

Spotlight them on your social media platforms

Share them in emails to your list (you do have an email list, right?) especially when launching a new product or service

Pro tip for sharing your testimonials: don't make it about you. Use testimonials to celebrate your customers not humble brag about your awesomeness

Are you collecting testimonials from your peeps? If not, who can you ask TODAY to help you out with this?