In short, good testimonials follow the ‘Once I was…and now I am…’ theme. So in you case it’s along the lines of “My business was going nowhere, but since working with Lisa I’ve turned things around and tripled my profits in the last 6 months”.

The best testimonials arent scripted. That’s why those natural, almost goofy testimonials you see on late night infomercials are good. They’re believable. So don’t be afraid to use them as they come in, warts and all. Too polished and they’re unbelievable.

Of course, there’s nothing saying you can’t get a feeling for what people are saying and ask their permission to summarise it, and then their OK to use it. But make sure you get their opinion, and don’t just make it up. Often their feelings on what you did for them will be a real gem. They’ll talk about some benefit they got that you may not have even thought of, but will resonate with your prospects.

Secondly, regarding Lisa’s question about what is a good testimonial and how to get them. I’ll leave the “what it good question” to you Hugh the how to get them – design a feedback form that you give every client at the conclusion of each session or program that asks for feedback with specific guidelines and includes questions like “Would you recommend our services to others?”
Why?
What was your situation before you used our services?
How has that changed?
And also include a check box for permission to quote the comments and how they would like their name etc to appear (or not). Again, I’ll let Hugh provide more detail on what a good testimonial includes, it would even make a great blog post.
Shelley Cox
Career Angel

How do you go about getting a good testimonial and what makes a good testimonial – any thoughts? Many thanks!

Lisa

PS I am an executive coach and trainner

Cheers,

Hugh

I like your stuff tho. Good read.