Recently I pointed out to a colleague that despite the fact that he has well over 500 LinkedIn connections, he had only a couple of recent recommendations. Now, I KNOW that his clients love him. So, what gives?
We all know that having good testimonials helps business. In thinking about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are a few common reasons that have us not ask for recommendations.
First, how many of us want to ask someone to say something nice about us, and on top of that, to make it permanent, for the world to see? It seems kind of presumptuous, doesn’t it?
Second, we know it will take people’s time, and heck, they’ve already paid for our services. Now we’re asking them for their time, too?
Third, what if they say no? That’ll be awkward. And you’ll feel bad.
Fourth, some of us just have a knee-jerk reaction of “I don’t want to and I shouldn’t have to.”
All valid, to a degree. Let me tell you though that from my perspective, asking for recommendations truly is a win-win. Let’s go through the objections one by one.
It’s presumptuous.
Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. Personally, I think people WANT to say nice things about others, particularly when they are pleased with the service they’ve received. I mean, don’t you? And, the satisfied client may be just as uncomfortable offering unsolicited praise as you are asking for it, but absolutely delighted to do it when asked.
It’s time-consuming.
Um, not really. It takes most people a few minutes tops to write a testimonial. You can email them the URL to your LinkedIn page, making it even easier. And guess what. If they don’t want to write it or think it’s too time consuming, they can decline. Which brings us to….
Rejection.
Yes, they might indeed say no. But if they do, what a great opportunity to open a dialogue and find out why! Was there something you did with which they weren’t pleased but they were reluctant to point out? Is there some way you can make good on any disappointment they experienced, or improve for the future? If you are genuinely open to constructive feedback, then you really have nothing to lose.
I don’t want to.
Ok. You don’t have to. But I’d like to share with you what I think one of the greatest benefits of recommendations. When you are an entrepreneur, you don’t have someone evaluating your work– a boss or HR person or even co-worker who periodically pats you on the back and says “great job!” No. You get that acknowledgment from one place and one place only: your clients. That’s it.
So, if you’re having a bad day, go read some of those testimonials. They’ll get you right back on track and remembering why you’re so great. And to me, that alone is worth it. So, how about for the next three months, you try an experiment and ask every client for a testimonial. Every one. And just watch your recommendations, and your pride, grow. Feel free to let me know how it goes.