You know how brilliant your therapy or healing modality is. Maybe it gave you confidence, helped treat you with anxiety, depression or came at a point of major transformation in your life. Perhaps it helped get rid of chronic symptoms or even is a go-to for you at times of acute stress. You tell everyone about the wonders of what you do. But is that enough?
I used to feel uncomfortable asking for testimonials; a sense of Was I overbragging about not only the therapy but what people might think of me? I’d been one to shy away from attention, not wanting to appear over-confident, vain or self-congratulatory. After all, those were traits that at the time I didn’t really admire in other people. I’d look at other people in the mind, body, spirit industry and think well, they must be good and it’s alright for them, they can just put it out there, but that’s them and this is me. Did that approach get me anywhere? Absolutely not.
So I had to step outside that comfort zone and ask people. I started off by asking people, on the advice of a colleague, to write me a review in exchange for a gift. I had some feedback and began to build up a few testimonials. My confidence began to grow and I could see the value in asking for feedback. However, I wasn’t keen on asking people if they wanted a free gift. For me giving is an unconditional act. So now I have a few rules:
1 – Everytime someone says to me “Thank you , you have solved/helped with X problem”, I ask them to put that in writing as they are my ideal client and I’d love to attract more people like them. They don’t always do it (time, forgetfulness, etc) but when they do it’s much appreciated and it really helps me.
2 – If a patient says they want to come for a follow up but can they postpone it due to funds, but they really value what I have done for them I ask them to write me a review.
3 – If someone is a cheerleader on your behalf and makes many referrals to you via word of mouth then these are the people I need to thank in my business. Being asked to write a review because their opinion counts really matters to them and helps you no end.
Now every time I get a new testimonial I share it. For one, it helps people to know that I am genuine and people value what I do. Secondly, it makes me feel good about what I do. In the self-employed therapy world no-one else is going to give you a pat on the back! Finally, it raises the profile of my therapy – homeopathy- which needs all the love and support it can get. So a testimonial for me is actually a shout out to this wonderful healing system and that to me is pure gold.
And do you know what, I do still give gifts to my clients, but I like to do it spontaneously, unconditionally and when the time is right.
If you would like any support in going through the process of gaining testimonials and feeling OK about asking, then a coaching session might be just what you need.
