Want to feel really good?
Want to create a moment of immediate confidence?
Write an unsolicited testimonial for a person that helped you; supported you; mentored you; straighten out a sticky problem; completed a service you needed.
Why?
Cause it feels so good to receive a comment on how you performed. I especially like the feedback given or received when it is a complete surprise.
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Testimonial, Reference, Referral:
- Contains the value or contribution the person or service made to you
- Usually says “thank you” in some form
- Shows appreciation for skills, promptness, caring, service excellence
- Comments that they would use that service or hire that person again and would recommend them
- Details some of the excellence or skill level of the person and/or service
- Makes comparison to other services or people who have not performed as well and why they are truly appreciated
- States the value, value, value of the service and/or person
I recently received a testimonial from a former client who wanted me to have a “formal” testimonial of our work together. I had recently posted some client testimonials and she had seen them. She told me that she wanted potential audiences and clients to know, from her point of view, the extraordinary value that our work together provided for her.
Wow. That felt so good and still feels good because not only did she give me a reference/testimonial to point to for others looking to work with me, but I immediately took on a new client because of what she described in our work together.
The writing of the value of the person and service can be very public, like mine.
Sales people love referrals. Technicians need them for their business. However, bosses need them too.
No leader or boss is ever done learning. When they do something that supports you, let them know. You can stand up in a meeting and say thanks, here is what I learned. You can write a note to their boss telling them how significant the leading has been. You can write to the Board of Directors of the organization and let them know the “boss” is doing a good job and why.
No one is ever too big and important that they don’t need or appreciate a reference to the job they are doing. (It also tells them people are watching and listening…make it good!)
A testimonial, reference, referral can be private too.
You can easily write a thank you note to someone thanking them for their service. If you want to just give an anonymous thank you, you can easily put a thank you on the windshield of their car.
I know a church group that got together and wrote a series of “thank yous” for one of the deacons who was having family issues. They put the handwritten notes throughout the church, collection basket, rectory and other places he would find them. Two weeks later, he thank spoke from the church lectern about how significant these notes of thankfulness were key to him being able to work through family issues. He felt great! The people at church felt great! And the group who had written the notes felt great!
When I sold my home, I put together a listing of everyone that had worked on my home – furnace, yard, rehabbing the house, painting and decorator – in a list telling the buyer of my home who they were; their contact information and why they were valuable to me and my home. The buyers loved the info and the service providers were delighted to have a recommendation and reference they could use.
You might want to write a testimonial, reference or referral today. I could sound something like this:
“I just wanted to let you know how much I benefited from your valuable service (coaching, mentoring, support). In this day and age of everything needing to be fast and now, your thoroughness and listening to what I truly needed was terrific. I just wanted you to know. Do know that any time I can recommend your service to people, I will. I am that pleased with how our work together created success for me. Thanks again.”
And a reminder…once you write your comments and send it, you will feel so amazingly good. You will create a situation of immediate confidence for the person you are commenting to.
This has been another in our series on Business Communication Etiquette (personal too). Let me know any topics you would like me to cover that would be interesting and beneficial to you, your team, your organization.
Blessings and love,
Natalie
P.S. Here is a link to my testimonial page in case you would like to see other examples of testimonials, referrals, references that would be helpful and valuable to you.