Use the “Testimonial Formula” to Get [Stronger] Testimonials from Your Clients

We all know how important testimonials are in building your speaking business — especially good testimonials (i.e. the ones that say more than “Bob is such a great guy!”).

The thing is, most clients want to give you a great testimonial after a successful engagement. But you’ve heard of writer’s block, right? Clients get “testimonial block” — they don’t know what to say in 2-3 sentences that will sound good and serve you well, so they think and think and think… and then get sidetracked with other work and… you get no testimonial.

For better results, try this:

Set your client up with the questions that you want to answer in your testimonial — or more accurately, the questions that your prospective clients want to have answered in your testimonial. Direct questions will be much easier for your client to answer, and then they — or you — can assemble the answers into a very powerful testimonial.

Here’s an example:

1. Why, specifically, did you select me as your speaker?

We selected you because of your dynamic speaking style on the video, and because we felt your message was exactly what our people needed to hear in these challenging times.

2. What goals did I help you accomplish at your meeting?

You helped us kick off the conference with a bang and got people excited about our program.

3. What are the 2-3 most frequent comments you’ve heard from attendees related to my presentation?

People keep telling me how they appreciated your authenticity — how they really believed you and your message, and they believed you cared about their success.

4. How do you see my presentation continuing to benefit your organization or your attendees in the year ahead?

There’s no doubt your reminder to “fire it up” will stick in our members’ minds for a long time to come and trigger a boost of energy when they’re feel burned out.

5. What is the #1 thing you’ll remember from our engagement together?

Definitely your “fire it up” catch phrase and also, just how easy you were to work with.

6. What would you say to a prospective client trying to decide if I am right for their event?

If you’re looking for someone who is real, engaging, inspiring, and easy to work with, hire Jane!

Now, mold it all together and what do you get?

“We hired Jane because we knew her presentation style and message would be a perfect fit for our audience, and wow, did she kick our conference off with a bang! Our attendees repeatedly tell me how much they connected with her and believed in her message. There’s no doubt her ‘fire it up’ message will stick in our members’ minds for a long time to come. And to top it all off, she was so easy to work with — hire her!”

That would be a pretty convincing testimonial, wouldn’t it?

Are you going to try this in your business?

Have you ever used this strategy?

Comment below and let me know what you think.