Collecting testimonials that aren't dogshit

Yo. Took a week off sending emails.

Had some stuff in my personal life that needed sorting. Nothing major. But it shifted my attention away from socials and content for a bit. Simply wasn’t a priority.

Starting to get back into the swing of things now.

And one question that KEEPS cropping up from people I work with is…

“What questions should I ask when collecting testimonials / case studies?”

And this is important.

Because the reality is this:

If you’ve just spent 3+ months (or more) getting amazing results for your client, then the quickest way to squander all that hard work is to get a testimonial like…

“Dave was amazing to work with. He’s a true professional and provided amazing insights that helped me get to the next level in business. 10/10 would recommend.”

Look. That is fine.

But it’s shrouded in obscurity.

And, as a result, it doesn’t connect with the people viewing your offer doc, landing page, sales page, or wherever else you’re displaying your results.

Meaning? People are less compelled to work with you.

So, let’s fix that.

And, before we start, let’s get clear on something…

Your testimonials / case studies exist for ONE reason:

To describe the SYMPTOMS the person was experiencing because of the PROBLEM they were facing, and which you RELIEVED.

You’ll see what I mean as you read the following 6 points your testimonials need to address:

1. What problem were you facing?

Ask them to get specific.

No “I was struggling to land clients”.

Why? Because no-one is “struggling to land clients”.

They are hearing “we don’t have the budget right now”, or “stressing about next month’s revenue because they can’t retain them for longer than 1-2 months”.

Specifics. Specifics. Specifics.

I will repeat this until I die — specifics are what makes EVERY single piece of your content connect. Testimonials are no different.

That is what makes your testimonial SPEAK to the people reading it.

2. What were you worried about if you couldn’t solve this problem?

This is where you evoke the SYMPTOMS this person was experiencing as a result of the problem.

Example: “I was starting to wake up every morning dreading the business I once loved, and was worried about what my wife would think of me if I failed.”

Can you see why this works?

Because that is how people EXPERIENCE life — symptoms. So that is how you must connect with them.

After all…

People don’t Google “how to heal my gut”.

They Google “why am I bloated”.

I hope you can see how that analogy connects with the above.

Right. Next point…

3. What did YOU do to help them resolve the problem?

I am only going to say this once:

You need to show that you got to the ROOT of the problem.

The person thought they were struggling because of X. But they didn’t understand that the ROOT CAUSE was Y. Once you helped them see this, everything changed.

Your ability to go beyond the surface level problems and dig to the REAL issue is what differentiates you from everyone else.

4. What was the TANGIBLE result?

Pick the biggest win they experienced and ask them to highlight that.

This does not need an explanation.

5. What does their life look like AFTER working with you?

The results you helped them achieve mean very little.

Why? Because people do NOT buy for results. They buy for the experience that the results bring.

After all…

Helping them hit their first $30k month is nice.

But the experience of being able to take their wife to a fancy restaurant and not care about the bill, for once? Priceless.

Show the result. Describe the way this impacted their life.

Got it?

6. What would you say to someone who was “on the fence” about working with you?

It’s blatantly obvious that this is the “nudge” that attempts to push people over the edge.

But I’m yet to see anyone explain WHY this works.

This is the reason:

99% of your audience already KNOW they need to act. They have been sitting on their hands for weeks, if not months, umming and ahhing over their decision.

And the reason they are not acting?

It is NOT that they don’t believe in your offer.

It is because they have not yet given themselves PERMISSION to act.

People literally need someone to say to them “it’s okay, go ahead — I give you my blessing to work with X”.

This final part of the testimonial achieves this.

It is what makes them feel SAFE in their decision.

Right. Those 6 questions should give you a good baseline for your next testimonial and/or case study.

But while we’re on the topic:

Everyone seems terrified to ask for testimonials in case the other person says… “no”.

My god.

You’ve just spent 3+ months fundamentally improving this person’s business and/or life? Do you HONESTLY think they are going to refuse to write a 1-2 minute testimonial for you?

That literally NEVER happens. Ever.

So please.

Put your big boy pants on.

Send the Telegram / Slack message.

And just…. ASK!

Talk soon,

Harry

PS. If you’ve gotten good results for your clients, but want to know how to get the most out of your testimonials / case studies…

Reply “testimonial”, tell me what you’re working with, and I’ll be happy to offer some guidance.