Mel,
I know this software developer who left his cozy Dilbert cube job last summer for the "kill it and drag it back to the cave" life of a consultant.
He's a cautious guy with a young family, so he made sure to line up a promising gig (with a fat monthly retainer) before he made the jump.
The first month went great—then his second invoice went unpaid. And the client stopped answering emails.
Two weeks later they get back to him...
So sorry, cash flow, ad spend, yadda yadda, have a great life!
Thus began his "August of Angst."
Late summer is probably the worst time for a new consultant to start pounding on doors to drum up clients. The people who write the checks are tooling around Disney World or enjoying summer barbecues; they're usually not in a hurry to respond to cold emails that reek of desperation.
Finally he got a live one on the line—a prospective client with an urgent job.
They're emailing back and forth, and he thinks he's just about got the job, and then the ax falls: "I decided to go with another consultant."
What was the deciding factor, he asks.
"The other guy had GREAT testimonials."
Testimonials (and their kissing cousin, endorsements) are just about the biggest underrated asset in every business.
How many raving notes or emails have you gotten from your clients or customers, read appreciatively... and then immediately pitched in the trash?
Those heartfelt notes are marketing gold.
In some markets, testimonials might be your only "moat" against competition. This is especially true when you're selling expertise—consulting or information.
My own products aren't necessarily that hard to knock off. When AdWords was exploding, there was a new book coming out every week.
Now yes, I really did have the best book on the subject, but how would people know that before they bought it?
From the testimonials. Are you going to buy the book that's endorsed by Joe Bloggs from Biloxi Mississippi, or the book that's endorsed by Alex Mandossian, Dan Kennedy, Ken McCarthy, Gary Bencivenga, John Reese, Jonathan Mizel, Joe Vitale and 100 others?
I've made testimonial-gathering one of my part-time jobs, and you should too.
Here's a hint that's especially useful when you're starting out:
You don't have to hit a home run for a paying client to get a useable testimonial.
Did you do a free consult with a prospect who valued your insights?
There's a testimonial.
Did you do something that caught the eye of an authority or celebrity in your market?
Ask for an endorsement.
And while you should never work for free, there's no rule that you have to take payment in cold hard cash.
Fill out your profile on Marketers 24/7 and offer to barter your expertise in exchange for the "social capital" of an honest testimonial.
My software developer friend learned this lesson, and he started stockpiling testimonials like a miser hoards Double Eagles.
Now on his website he has a "wall of proof"—videos, photos, emails, tweets... Celebrities, happy clients, former employers.
When you do this, the sheer volume gives you gravitas.
The piles of PROOF calm your prospect's fears...
And your competition is locked out—because it's impossible for them to ever get the same endorsements you have.
Carpe Diem,
Perry Marshall
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