A FREE Way to Get Clients to Hire You

Tip: It’s client testimonials!

I’m a big fan of doing things the lazy way.

I like to wear daytime PJ’s, and work on my couch.

And in business, I like new clients to find me and say yes to joining Build A Real Business or another one of our programs easily.

So, I look for low-hanging fruit.

And the best low-hanging fruit that gets more clients to say yes is client TESTIMONIALS.

But most coaches overlook the power of testimonials, and don’t take the time to collect them.

No realizing that the more good ones you have, the more clients you’ll get.

So, to help you start or grow your coaching business, today Couch School is all about how to get great testimonials.

Here’s the agenda for today:

1. The Amazon approach, and why you should spend time on getting testimonials
2. How to get great testimonials and the strategy you should employ. It’s different for new coaches versus growing coaches, I’ll cover both!
3. More help + the coolest testimonial approach I’ve ever heard

The Amazon Approach

Last time you were searching on Amazon and found a product, what was the first thing you did?

You read the reviews.

Yep, it’s human nature.

You wanted to know if other real people had a good experience with the product, or service in question.

We are wired to be social as humans.

And we trust the recommendations of others over almost anything else.

Coaching is no different.

If you see a coach with no testimonials, or 1 *super vague* testimonial, versus one with hundreds of great specific ones (here’s an example), then which one are you likely to trust more?

You know the answer 😊.

This is why when we see a product with 18,000 4 – 5 star reviews on Amazon, we tend to click “buy.”

And given that you want to play to human nature and not fight it – spending time gathering great testimonials about your coaching is worth it.

Good testimonials will lead to more paying clients.

Also, they are FREE marketing.

And most important: Good testimonials are a confidence boost for you.

Who doesn’t want to read nice things about your work, right?

So, get out there and collect them!

Which leads to our next point…

How to get great client testimonials, also STRATEGY

Whether you are brand new or seasoned, good testimonials will help you.

But before you gather them, I want you to understand that it’s not about one single testimonial, it’s about telling a specific story to your prospective clients.

You want your testimonials to work together to paint a picture, sharing what it’s like to work with you, what kind of specific results your clients are seeing, and what to expect in coaching.

This way they understand what is possible for them, which gets them excited about the coaching!

So keep that in mind as you strategize.

You don’t need to get one person to share all of the above, but collectively you want your testimonials to tell this story together.

So here’s an example of a vague testimonial, not telling a great story:

Helpful how?

That’s pretty generic and doesn’t tell me, a prospective client, anything concrete. Which doesn’t get me excited about coaching.
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So, let’s shift gears!

Here’s an example of testimonials that tell a story working together. These testimonials paint a picture of clear results, how the coaching felt for the client, and what big accomplishments can be achieved.

See the difference? If I’m a client who wants to lose weight and I’ve struggled, these testimonials together tell an amazing story! 👇

Next up: Getting testimonials!

BRAND NEW COACHES: A simple way to get client testimonials as a brand new coach is to coach for free for a few sessions or for a reduced rate, with the payment being “honest feedback.”

Make an agreement that they need to give you detailed honest feedback as a part of getting coaching for free, and if they enjoyed the coaching they are willing to make it public via a testimonial you can post on your website and anywhere else you want.

So, you aren’t forcing them to give you positive feedback, but you are leaving the door open to use it if they do.

GROWING COACHES: And for a growing coach, you can do several things:

• Do video “exit interviews” with past clients on their experience with you, ask to use the positive ones as video testimonials on your site
• Offer a survey at the end of your coaching to collect feedback
• Send an email asking for quick feedback to one or two big questions, ask them to hit reply and respond with just a few sentences to make it easy
• Offer a survey or a chance to give feedback before part of your program unlocks, or in the middle right after they’ve accomplished something important
• And just periodically ask for testimonials – it’s absolutely okay to ask!

And if you are wondering what to ask so you get great testimonials, here are some questions to jump start your thinking:

1) What was the number one concrete thing that changed in your life after coaching?

2) What was your favorite insight or a-ha from working with me as your coach?

3) What was it like being coached? Was it what you expected?

4) What was the #1 thing you accomplished during our time together?

The first and last questions are similar, but not quite the same. Sometimes it’s helpful to ask things a few different ways to try and get to concrete results.

Bottom line: Make it a habit to collect feedback as a part of your coaching, so you can collect these great case studies and results.

And your homework right now is to make a plan to get ONE new testimonial this week. *waves hands excitingly!*

The Coolest Testimonial Approach EVER

Okay, there’s a lot more to say about getting client testimonials, including around mindset needed to make it non-gross, and the latest episode of the Coach Pony podcast covers all of this and more.

And, on it you’ll hear the absolute coolest way of collecting a testimonial that I’ve ever heard myself, and it relates to GROUP programs.

It’s a way of getting a testimonial that actually HELPS your clients in the moment.

I wish I had thought of it, but at least I can share it.

You’ll find it at the 16:40 mark of the podcast.

🎙️ Go here to listen

Want more help?