In a perfect world, you would be correct. In reality however, people are distracted by the demands of work, family, bills, TV, and a thousand other things. They might -mean- to give you a good word, but on their list of priorities, it probably falls somewhere between taking the cat into the vet for a dental cleaning and setting the trash out before the truck drives by.

I'm always happy when someone values my opinion enough to ask for me to endorse them (assuming they did a good job!). If anything, asking for the testimonial helps cement in the customer's mind, what a good choice she made in selecting you and your firm.

Paul

Asking for a testimonial for me is okay but if the service you deliver is so awesome wouldn't you get this without asking for? also this leads to word of mouth.

The best testimonial I got recently is: “One of the career and interviewing ideas you gave me not only got me the job, but got me $10,000 more than I expected. Glad I worked with you on my job change.”

Also, I attended your discussion in Houston at the University of Houston. Good information and entertaining. As we say in Texas, y’all come back now, ya hear.

I advocate following the rule of "It is better to give than to receive". If you have worked with someone and appreciate the way they work, the quality of their work, etc. then YOU provide a recommendation for THEM. If they feel so inclined and you are deserving, they will return the favor. That way, you avoid putting yourself in a position to ask....and putting them on the spot.

Obviously if you have a great, deep and long-lasting relationship with a person, there are ways to politely ask for them to provide a recommendation, but I think everyone is better served if you initiate the recommendation.

"I give Andrew a huge recommendation. My business is successful now, but just three years ago I was working at a private school and not enjoying it in any way.

I had lost the love of teaching I once had and was dreading going to work for someone else everyday. I really wanted to start my own business but I wasn't sure what would be the best bet. Because I never started a business before and had little capital saved to start a business, I was pretty unsure what my next career step should be.

I had witnessed Andrew help other business owners so I asked him to help me strategize and for the next year or so he helped me build a successful in-home tutoring business serving San Diego and the North County area. He both hooked me up with other consultants with special knowledge of business growth strategies and personally mentored me for about 200 hours.

I started my business with less than $10k in capital and I now manage over 15 tutors who travel every day to help students improve their grades. He even helped me name my company "Better Report Card Tutors," because the end result of a better report card is what parents care most about. He helped me develop a simple yet effective marketing strategy, and execute various marketing campaigns, including helping me develop a website which you can visit at BetterReportCard.com.

He also helped me execute a post card campaign, including guiding the design, picking the photo, and helping me write the sales copy. He helped me stay within my budget and attract my first group of clients.

As a consultative sales specialist, he helped me develop a sales script (when clients call) based on the marketing campaigns and now I have close rate of over 50 percent. For every touch point, from when my client first reads my marketing pieces or pay-per-click all the way to closing the deal and signing a contract, Andrew has helped me optimize the sales process, using words and images that most encourage my prospective clients to take action. He is a powerful strategist and "brain-stormer" when it comes to small business growth strategies.

The investment in Andrew's consulting has produced a manifold return, giving me an advantage over my competition and helped me enter a very competitive market place with strength, which in turn allowed me to turn a profit my second year into the business, much faster than most start-up businesses.

Again, I highly recommend Andrew to both start ups and existing business owners who are looking to grow their revenues, reduce their risk in developing marketing campaigns, and ultimately grow their sales faster. I'm happy to even give you my phone number to answer any questions. Just call me at 760.230.4572.

If you are looking to make more money in your business, Andrew has marketing solutions that produce strong ROIs. Give him a ring. You'll be glad you did.

Sincerely, Jeff Bibler Director Better Report Card Tutors” July 22, 2009