ASK US WEDNESDAY: “I dread asking for testimonials. Help!”

by Rachel Smith
13 September 2017

Hi Rachel. I have a question for Ask Us Wednesday. I dread the idea of asking for testimonials from previous colleagues and clients, even though I know how important these are. How do I ask them without feeling completely ego-centric? Helen

Ah Helen! This is a tricky topic. We have to ask people for testimonials all the time at Rachel’s List though (word of mouth is everything for us, as it is for freelancers, too) so while it can feel embarrassing to put yourself on the line a bit, a good one can be so valuable – both for building trust in your brand and your abilities, and for getting more work. It also becomes easier the more you do it.

There are several ways to ask. If the client emailed you saying how happy they were with your work, ask very nicely if they’d mind you re-purposing it as a testimonial. Leo is a fan of directing clients to an online testimonial survey (which is easy to create through a program like Survey Monkey). And if you want to ask outright, here’s a handy script from our new eBook, 25 Scripts for Freelance Success (available in The Toolkit).

Hello [Happy Client],

Hope you’re well. I really enjoyed working on your recent project about Artesian mineral water / World Bog Snorkelling Championships. It’s great to hear that your audience really responded to it.

I’d like to use your feedback as a testimonial – or would you prefer to write something? Just a couple of sentences would be great or you can click on my testimonials  link to answer a few questions if that’s easier.

Thank you so much for your time, and again, for the work you’ve passed my way.

Cheers,
Helen

Hope that helps, Helen!

Rachel Smith

2 responses on "ASK US WEDNESDAY: “I dread asking for testimonials. Help!”"

  1. Love the script! Will use that tomorrow!

    1. Rachel Smith says:

      Hope you get a great one, Lynne 🙂

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