How to get more client testimonials (even when you don't have a lot of clients)

At my recent branding and marketing workshop (which was AMAZING!), one of the brilliant participants asked an equally brilliant question – and it was a sensible question at that. She wanted to know how you can stand out, especially when you’re starting out as a freelancer and it’s such a crowded field.

And, for a moment, I was stumped.

I answered as honestly as I could, which is to say that I don’t think you can. I don’t think you can stand out and I don’t think that should be your goal. And I don’t think marketing and branding should necessarily just be about standing out in a crowded field. I think you have to keep going, one client and assignment and project at a time, gathering testimonials one by one, laying them down like bricks to build the foundation of something that really serves you and your people.

(Okay, I probably did NOT say all of that because I have the benefit of taking the time to edit and be all eloquent now!)

As it turns out, they appreciated the brick-by-brick approach. Just look at their lovely feedback! And it’s only this morning that I realize how much resemblance this has to that time honoured advice by author Anne Lamott, who wrote Bird By Bird.?

“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he'd had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

That’s good advice for writing, for business, and bird reports. But I also realize now that sometimes the challenge is where do you find your bricks (or birds!) When you are new at writing or maybe just new at putting yourself and your writing business out there, a barren website with no projects or testimonials (bricks!) is nerve wracking. Here’s my best advice for having the bricks come to you.

• Ask for them. Seriously. Think about anything and everything you’ve done the past five years and send your contact a note and TELL THEM you are eager for testimonials because you’re refreshing your website, trying to reach a new market, keen for a rebrand, etc… In my experience, everyone says “Good for you!” because they too wish they were doing the same thing for their LinkedIn page, etc… This is the perfect time to offer a testimonial to them in return and catch up. These testimonials don’t have to be fancy, by the way. Something as simple as “I enjoyed working with Mary and was glad she could help our team” is gold.?

• Stop ignoring your non-paid work. Did you edit your friends’ wedding invitations? Help proof-read the church bulletins? Finesse your cousin’s resume? Yep, that’s valuable work and they owe you. Tell them you want a testimonial (heck, you can even write it for them!). And you don’t have to specify that you were proof-reading wedding invitations when you’re looking to attract more clients as a science writer. “We trusted Susan to get the wording right for a highly personal project that would be visible to friends, family, colleagues, and business acquaintances”.

• Finally, grab testimonials for non-writing work that can still support your writing business. The skills you developed as a nurse, as a public relations intern, or a corporate communications supervisor are hugely relevant to your work as a writer and they can indeed be bricks you use to shore up the foundation of your career. Your testimonials don’t have to mention the specifics of your past career. Instead of “John was the most caring nurse I ever worked with”, maybe “John is excellent to work with. His passion always shines through” is just perfect. Again, TELL FOLKS WHAT YOU WANT AND NEED!