Hi everyone,



I've just started my business BUT I've been doing little side jobs of desktop publishing and typing for different friends for several years, and freebies too. I would love it if some of them could provide testimonials that will help me acquire new clients. (I know for sure that 6 of them would do it for me.) I've thought of several options but would like to know what you guys think. Should I:

• provide a questionnaire to ask for specific things
• write up the entire testimonial and get them to just sign it
• let them write the entire testimonial

I have concerns about each one of those options:

~ If I provide the questions to lead them in a certain direction, what questions should I ask?
~ If I write up the testimonial it's essentially just putting words in someone's mouth and seems somewhat fake.
~ If I let them write up the testimonial, what they say might not be targeted enough (too general).


I'd appreciate some advice and opinions, and to know what works for you. Thanks!

Personally,
I let my clients send me the testimonials in their own words but, when I ask them to do it, I also ask if it's ok with them for me to make minor adjustments to the wording to better focus on the aspects that a potential client will be looking for.
All have said yes and I always send them a copy of the edited version for approval before adding to my website.

Hope that helps,
~C

__________________
~Christina|BD Mag|VOSTeam

If someone sends me a compliment for a job well-done, I automatically ask them if I can use that compliment for my website or blog. In most cases, they automatically rewrite the compliment to give more detail especially when I tell them I will link the testimonial to their website.

Janine

__________________
WRITE FAB RFP PROPOSALS & land THE VA job. WinningRFP unveils soon! SignUp www.WinningRFP.com

One time someone asked me to write a testimonial for them. After I wrote the testimonial they were not happy with what I had written and asked me to rewrite and gave me suggestions of what they were looking for. I became very uncomfortable with the whole process. I think it is important to take what they honestly and truly feel. Maybe tweak grammatical errors but let it be in their own words. If you don't like what they write don't use it.

__________________
Lisa Olinda of Olinda Services
Keeping you on the path to success!
www.olindaservices.com

It's interesting that you asked that question because I just got something in my email about that very topic. The email was about an ebook called The Secret Life of Testimonials (that's not an affiliate link by the way).

Anyway, it's not free, but some people might be interested in it, so I thought I'd post the link. He talks about "six critical questions" so you are probably on the right track with your questionnaire idea.

He includes something about your website being like a magic mirror, which sounds very interesting. Might just invest in the ebook myself.

Deb

__________________
Deb at Ivy Freelance
Metrics, Marketing and Macros

Oh, neat! With a little searching, I managed to find the 6 critical questions from that ebook which appeared in an article online:

1. What was the obstacle that would have prevented you from buying this product? (or: your main concern)
2. What did you find as a result of buying this product?
3. What specific feature did you like most about this product?
4. What would be three other benefits about this product?
5. Would you recommend this product? If so, why?
6. Is there anything you'd like to add?

I'm going to try to adapt these product questions to relate to services. Thanks ... now I have some guidelines to point me in the right direction!

zippy