Some days we might feel we’re not making any progress.
And our brains pile on with the taunts.
It’s times like this, testimonials come in handy.
And it’s why, if you have to nail me down to a few rules for freelancing… one of my top ones is:
Always be looking for testimonials.
This is the way I go about it…
Obviously, I’ll work to the best of my ability with my client.
After a project is completed, I’ll give it a couple of days and follow up to ask how they’re getting on.
When they reply to say “It’s going great, thanks” (I guess they could say it’s pretty awful, but I’ve not had to deal with one of those yet)…
Then I’ll reply — and be quite upfront — that my business relies on testimonials.
If it’s from a job on Upwork, I’ll ask directly for them to leave me a five-star review.
To help them out.. and direct them towards creating a better testimonial… I’ll always suggest they follow this simple format:
1) Describe the problem they were trying to solve and any concerns they had before starting the project.
2) How I helped them solve the problem.
3) Any other comments.
After they send me the testimonial, I’ll follow up to say “thanks”.
But will also ask: “Would you mind if I put this on my website and put your name and photo alongside it?”
About 75% of the time people are quite happy about that.
Sometimes it might be “no”. Or “Yeah, I’m OK with my name but not my photo”.
And that’s fine. You just respect those wishes.
So that’s my simple process for asking for testimonials.
And then it’s just a matter of using them where I need them.
So I put them on my website. And I might include quotes from them in relevant proposals.
The the cool thing with these testimonials is — even if they don’t want me to use their name on my website — I’ve still got this record of success.
So on days when you’re feeling a bit blah… glancing at testimonials is a wonderful way to lift your spirits.
And it helps remind you that: yeah… the work you’re doing is important. It’s helpful. And you’re doing a great job!
Have a wonderful day and I’ll catch you next time.
P.S. I’m thinking of putting together a short, low-priced ebook… a “howto” guide on writing daily email.
This product will provide a helpful way to get into a regular daily writing routine as a freelancer — writer or not.
In it you’ll find things like:
Why write daily email? And the benefits for your freelancing business
Why having an audience is a MUST (it can’t just be a convenient family member!)
How to ignore just about every bit of copywriting advice you’ve ever learned for emails. And why this will make your daily emails SO MUCH BETTER.
How forgetting about images and design in emails can work to your advantage. And your audience’s.
My toolkit for writing and emailing daily. Including why I use BerserkerMail. And I’ll also point out some free options that won’t leave you pulling your hair out (too much, anyway!)
How to leverage daily email writing practice as a core part of your business.
If you’d find an ebook like this useful… let me know by clicking here
If you think something other than an ebook would be helpful. Click the link AND ALSO reply with your ideas. I’m all ears!
Ready to build your email list? Go here…
EmailForTheWin.com
Chris Milham