I like me. Do you like me?
This isn’t me being needy; I’m thinking about reviews and testimonials.
Let me be clear, asking for reviews is a great idea. It might make you feel a bit nervous but it has so many benefits for you and what you do.
From your client’s point of view
You’re giving them a way to say thank you. A route for them to explain not only that they appreciated what you have done but why. If you’re already sharing reviews a request for one won’t come a surprise. I share mine a lot and clients often now suggest writing me one before I ask (I always do though because it’s part of my offboarding process).
From a community point of view
By requesting and leaving reviews you’re contributing to community knowledge. It’s not as binary as this is a good/bad business. You’re telling people what a business or individual can help with. This is why reviews that say more than ‘they were amazing’ are even more helpful. Adding in even a couple of bullet points with specifics will make your review more useful to someone else in the future.
From your point of view
Requesting a review can feel a bit uncomfortable. Preparing to read one might feel like you’re about to open your school report. That’s ok. Don’t let it stop you though. Your client probably feels a bit nervous about writing it. They’re about to share their opinion with the world – what if other people disagree with them or don’t have the same experience?
So it’s easy to forget or decide not to as you wrap up a project. To avoid this make it part of your off-boarding process. It only needs a sentence or two in an email and it’s taken care of. Then make the most of the reviews you receive. A review means that your client or customer was not only happy with your service or product but a bit inspired. Inspired enough that they understood what you were trying to achieve and were keen to articulate that.
Don’t forget to ask longer-term clients too. Just because work might be ongoing doesn’t mean they can’t leave a review.
Then use your reviews. Share them on social media. Add quotes from them to your website. Read them to remind yourself of why you do what you do. I knew someone who filed emails with positive comments in a folder to ‘well done’. It was there for when they had a bad day.
And remember to leave reviews yourself. The practice of writing a review and explaining why something made a difference is an important one.