How To Earn Their Trust When You Can’t Get Client Testimonials

Content creation can give you credibility.

Client testimonials matter. You’ve probably been told — many times! that prospective clients are looking for social proof when they sign up for your services.

Nobody wants to be the first client …or worse, only client.

People avoid restaurants that look empty.

Lots of us read ratings on TripAdvisor, Amazon, and other places when we’re making choices.

But what if you can’t get signed reviews?

Sometimes you’re just too new.

You’re in startup mode. You don’t have enough clients who will write reviews.

The truth is, your newest clients may be quite different from those you’re seeking for later.

Sometimes you’ve got clients but they don’t want anyone to know they consulted you.

After I wrote my book on relocation, someone somehow got on my email list. She wrote, “I just loved your book. I carried it with me on the journey and read a section every night.”

So, I asked, why not write a review?

“I don’t want my boss to see that I was looking for a new job.”

If you run a career service, a psychotherapy practice, a life coaching service, or most kinds of personal growth services, you’ll likely have clients who won’t want to tell anyone they hired you.

Some will refuse to write anything at all. Some will agree if you disguise details, signing something like “Lisa K., Dallas.”

Occasionally a business owner will hesitate to give you a testimonial. That’s rare: giving someone a testimonial can be good for your business.

Go ahead and get the review, even if it’s not signed, if you can. Readers can tell if you’re making things up.

Whether or not you have reviews, you can tweak your content to show that you’re trustworthy.

One important technique is to show you “get” what your readers are all about. You understand their problems.