Stop Asking for Testimonials

Start asking or stories.

I spent nearly 20 years in professional services marketing, sales, and business development. Before launching GoodSeeker I was the CMO of one of the top midsize consulting firms in the country. Amazing team.

I always knew success stories from clients about the positive impact of our work held a lot of value for marketing and recruiting too. However, for most organizations asking for testimonials was always a struggle and a dance.

The challenge of motivating professionals to ask for testimonials was an issue I studied. I asked tons of questions to pinpoint what makes gathering testimonials so hard to sustain in professional services. Besides “my client’s legal team won’t let them,” here’s what I learned. There’s fear.

• Fear of being viewed as selling (The irony — one client told me, “how would I know how you can help me if you don’t sell to me! Don’t waste my time by making me find someone else only to discover later that It could have been you — and a lot less paperwork.”),
• Fear of discovering problems (The irony — it’s better to know and remedy, than to not know and lose future opportunities),
• Fear of giving someone a writer’s block headache. When you ask someone for a testimonial it feels like you’re giving them a task. (The irony — More often people wonder why you haven’t asked).

I also spent time talking to clients about the experience of being asked to share a testimonial. Here’s what I learned.

1. It feels good to spotlight the work of people, not entities. They want to know that the testimonial they share will help the people they work with grow internally, i.e. get visibility, help at promotion time, etc. But most of the time clients are asked in the context of helping the company with marketing, sales and business development. Here’s the thing. They know the obvious benefits for your BD, but it feels better knowing their words will help a human get the visibility they deserve. People-first!
2. If you pose a question, it’s simple to respond. No one likes looking at blank sheet of paper. Wondering what to say is painful for many. It’s a task, and we have plenty of those at work already. If you ask a question to show that you want to hear about their experience with your team (the heart and soul of your brand — see #1 above), it’s a lot easier to respond. Feels good actually. They know their response will be helpful to a human.
3. They wonder why you don’t ask more often. Responding to your ask allows the customer another outlet to talk about the impact of their work as well. When you ask for a testimonial many view it as a sign you are proud of working with them. People want to be seen as “good customers,” and prefer to work with people who make them feel valued.

My revelation was this: Let’s stop asking for testimonials, and start asking for stories that put people at the center of success.

A good testimonial story is one where current and future clients / employees can see themselves being successful with you, not because of you. A testimonial story with meaning and emotion that highlights values, skills, and talents is priceless at a time when trust is so low.

A story can boost someone’s career, validate your brand claims, and spotlight the positive impact of everyone involved. This might sound hard. But it’s a big reason why we built GoodSeeker.

GoodSeeker is the first spotlight story generator designed to help talent and brands collect the meaningful content they need thrive and grow.

If you are a values-driven organization looking for new ways to capture the positive experiences people (employees, clients, partners, and other stakeholders) have with your team, I invite you to try GoodSeeker.