Hi there

Have a look at the testimonial below:

It was meant to be a recommendation, to entice people to work with this particular coach. However, in my view, it missed the target. It's so generic and offers very little insight into what it's like working with the coach, that it almost seems like it was a copy-paste job.

I personally would be disappointed to receive such a testimonial. Not because it's a bad one, but because it doesn't do what a testimonial is supposed to do: offer valuable insight into what working with me is like and a recommendation for people who are considering doing so.

In all fairness, it's not entirely the client's fault. Some people have no idea how to write an effective testimonial and what to include in it and I believe it's our job to guide them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that we write our own testimonials or that we tell people what to write. However, offering them some guidance or a structure to follow can be very helpful.

I talked about this in my previous YouTube video where I talked about onboarding and offboarding coaching clients. Since releasing that video, I received some requests to elaborate on the subject, which is why I'm sending this email.

When I ask for testimonials, I mention the following points that the client can consider giving feedback on:

• My mentoring/coaching style: encouragement, feedback, challenging them, etc.
• My knowledge and expertise: commercial acumen, knowledge of the market & tools, ability to apply to their circumstances, etc.
• My work standards: ethical principles, punctuality, professionalism, etc.
• The impact our work had on them/their business
• If they'd recommend me as a mentor/coach
• Anything else they might deem appropriate

I do a blend of mentoring and coaching, and therefore knowledge and expertise are important. If you do pure coaching, that point is less relevant and you might want the recommendation to emphasise something else about your work together.

The idea is to put yourself in the shoes of a prospect and ask yourself: what would help me in deciding whether to work with this coach (i.e. you)? Based on the answer to that question, you can put together your own guidance for your clients to follow when giving you testimonials.

I have different series of bullet points that I send to people depending on my relationship with them and what they are giving me a testimonial on: speaking engagements, workshop deliveries, collaborations, etc.

If you haven't tried this so far, I encourage you to do it next time you ask for a recommendation. In my experience, most people embrace the guidance and you'll end up with much more effective testimonials in an ethical way.

What are your thoughts on this? Hit reply and let me know.

Take care and speak soon,

Alisa.