In a world where more and more people buy online based on others recommendations, testimonials are more important than ever. To stand out from the crowd why not mix this with the internet fastest growing form of media, video!

Always go for a video testimonial first and if they say no then get a written one. I’m not saying written testimony is no good it’s just that video is so much more powerful for lots of reasons plus you can extract the words and turn it into a written testimonial too using something like Trint.

When you ask someone for a testimonial make sure you ask them to do it like this:

STEP ONE: Ask them to share not just the results they got, but the story of how it came about. How their life was before you started working together.

You want that person to share how overweight they were and what their life was like as a result, the specific struggle they were going through. You want them to express the pain that they were in, their low energy and all the areas of their life this affected.

You need them to share the emotions they were experiencing. How frustrating it was for them to not be able to fit in the clothes they really liked, how insecure they felt when they would go to the beach and take off their clothes and how they felt when they saw themselves in the mirror.

STEP TWO: The next thing that you’re going to want to ask them to share is how they met you. How did they find out about you? Was it through a friend or social media? And what was their first reaction? This is so important. What was their first reaction when they came across your content?

Were they skeptical? Did they think it was a scam?

Whatever people’s first reactions were you want them to talk about it. Whether they didn’t think it was worth it, whether they weren’t sure if they could do it or whatever, because the people that are going to be watching this testimonial will have those same feelings when they meet you and this will help reduce those objections and resistance.

STEP THREE: Why did they decide to sign up with you?

For example: “I decided to join because I saw the results of the other clients and I thought if they can do it I can too”

Or

“When I heard your story I just felt sure you could really help me.”

People will say all sorts of different reasons why they decided to join and the reason you need this is because the reasons other people joined your program will be the same reasons the testimonial viewers are going to join, they need to hear it from your clients to convince them to take the plunge.

STEP FOUR: Ask them what they learned They learned to diet properly. They learned to make time for themselves. They learned it doesn’t require an hour a day in the gym.

STEP FIVE: Share what tangable results they got. They dropped 3 dress sizes. They ran a marathon. They found love. They learned to love themselves. Get them to share even the indirect positive outcomes that came from working with you. How did it change their life?

STEP SIX: Share what emotional benefits they got. “I feel confidence on a night out. I feel proud and a great example to my children. I feel energised, clear and productive at work”

The more emotional the language and the energy in the testimonial the more powerful and compelling it will be.

Emotions are personal and universal at the same time. They are the fuel that drive decisions.

When you share emotions people feel it They come out of the intellectual and into the visceral. Remember people buy with emotions and rationalize after it with intelligence.

Follow these 6 steps and you’ll have a pretty powerful testimonial.