Seeking Testimonials

Testimonials assure your potential clients that other people just like them, in situations much like theirs, felt comforted and were helped when working with you. Unfortunately, many of our clients are often hesitant about asking for testimonials, because they are unsure how to begin.

For Your Website

You can ask for a client testimonial through e-mail or over the telephone. Your request does not need to be long or overly sophisticated. All it takes is a simple: “Hello, [client]. I enjoyed working with you and helping you to resolve your case. I am putting together a website and was wondering if you would be wiling to provide a testimonial for it?”

There are three main ways a client could provide a testimonial for your website: the client could write it; you could provide suggestions and then let the client draft it; or you could write it for the client and let him/her approve it. The last method often works best for business clients. It is important to let clients know that remaining anonymous is an option and will not impact the effectiveness of the testimonial.

Attorney and Business Review Websites

Beyond posting testimonials to your website you can also seek testimonials and reviews using third party websites such as Yelp, AVVO, LinkedIn, Google Local and others.  Building up positive reviews on these services can boost your online credibility and generate new clients.  Similar to asking a client for a written testimonial you can ask them to review you using the review websites that are most popular in your area. Something to the effect of “Hello, [client]. I enjoyed working with you and helping you to resolve your case. I am trying to build up my credibility on AVVO, a lawyer rating website, and have created a profile here [Link to your profile].  If you could take a few minutes to leave me a positive review it would be sincerely appreciated.”

Most review websites have some form of a star or numeric rating system and will usually show the reviewers first name only.  Of course, receiving the highest number possible will yield the best results.  As for which service to use AVVO has a broad national appeal and good branding so you cannot go wrong there.  If your practice is business focused try LinkedIn. In dense urban areas, local sites such as Yelp usually have more influence.

Some of our clients resist using services like AVVO for fear of receiving a negative review. Problem is, these sites are out there and if a client is angry, they're going to use them to review you regardless of your involvement.  It's best to be proactive and start building a collection of positive reviews to minimize the impact of a fuming future client.

What It Should Say

Testimonials focused more on the feeling of working with you and how your process affected your clients are typically more effective than testimonials focused simply on results.  As simple as it may sound, testimonials brining up things like being a good communicator, having friendly staff and a reassuring tone will help others feel that you’re approachable.

You Are Good

Though, at first, many of our clients are wary of asking for testimonials, it often becomes a heart-warming and enjoyable experience. You spend a great deal of your time resolving your clients’ conflicts and dealing with their problems. Once your work is done, you rarely get a chance to find out how much you helped them and how much better your efforts made them feel. Asking for a testimonial helps you reconnect with previous clients and gives them a (usually much appreciated) chance to thank you.