Show Off Your Expertise With Well-Placed Testimonials And Case Studies

What’s better than social proof? A solid testimonial from a raving fan. Here’s how to get those all important first testimonials, and some common mistakes to avoid.

If you're a brand new coach who hasn't had the opportunity to work with a client, you may need to offer your services to a handful of people for free. If not free, then for a low introductory special. This way you can coach these individuals and then gather their testimonials and case studies based on their results. If you've been a coach for a while, you should have a system in place so that you're always asking for testimonials from clients and building case studies to add to your marketing materials.

Why is it important to get testimonials and use case studies? This may be a bit obvious, but it's easy for all of us to say how great our service or product is. After all, we worked hard and it's our 'sweat and tears' we've put into it so of course we know how great it is. But that doesn't matter to your prospective client. They don't want to hear you tell them how great it is, they want the proof from other people. They want to know that others have worked with you and achieved results they're looking for.

One thing to keep in mind about testimonials, though: Don't just use a name. It's easy to write fake testimonials, so without a photo (or better yet, video) those kind words about your coaching work will be largely ignored. Instead, be sure to include a photo, location, website URL and other identifying information. Do whatever you can to show others this is a real testimonial from a real person.

While testimonials are a great thing, let's talk about why case studies can be even better and are important to your coaching business.

As mentioned already, testimonials are a must have, and they certainly add some credibility to you and your coaching services. But a testimonial doesn't really show what an individual client can expect to gain. That's where case studies come into play.

When you're looking for your dream coaching client, you want them to be able to come to your website and know without a shadow of a doubt that you're going to offer them the solution they need to one of their biggest challenges. And the best way for them to see this isn't by reading all the great testimonials clients have written, it's by being able to look at a few different case studies you've shared and actually learn how you helped someone solve a problem.
 
Does this mean you shouldn't use testimonials anymore? No. They still serve a purpose. But you should use them in conjunction with case studies to help build your credibility and give prospective clients proof that you do what you say you can do.