Are Your Testimonials Polite Praise or Powerful Proof?
“Everyone is so happy with the completion of our big project implementation. Sure, there were a few problems to troubleshoot along the way, but your team stuck with it and performed brilliantly. We now have a system that is operating at capacity and is creating the real-time results that we need to meet our goals.”
This client quote could be about any business in any industry. It says everything and nothing at the same time.
And yet, companies keep publishing testimonials like this, hoping they’ll build credibility. But here’s the truth: generic testimonials don’t influence decisions. They get ignored.
The Problem with Your Testimonials
Buyers today are drowning in content. With AI-generated marketing messages flooding every channel, they’ve become more skeptical than ever. They’ve heard all the polished claims before. What they’re looking for isn’t more generic praise—they want real proof that a company delivers on its promises.
That’s why testimonials should be more than just kind words. Done right, they provide the authenticity buyers crave, cutting through the noise with real, relatable experiences. But most testimonials fall short because they lack detail, emotion, and specificity.
The reason? Clients don’t naturally frame their experience in a way that speaks to future buyers. They’ll say they’re happy and they’ll thank you, but they won’t connect their success back to the real problem you solved—unless you help them do it.
If your testimonials sound like polite but vague praise, they aren’t working for you.
Buyers in 2025 Need More Than Empty Praise
A testimonial that simply says, “Great service, highly recommend!” doesn’t stand out. It doesn’t make an impact.
Buyers today want proof. They need to see real, specific outcomes before they trust a company. The best testimonials don’t tell the whole story, but they capture key moments—why a client chose you, what challenge they faced, and what results they achieved.
• What problem made them seek a solution?
• Why did they choose you over alternatives?
• What measurable impact did your solution have?
A strong testimonial answer comes from these questions, turning customer feedback into credibility that moves buyers to action.
Your Client Stories Are Waiting to Be Told
Sometimes, without even asking, your clients will say nice things about you. That’s a signal that there’s a deeper story waiting to be uncovered.
When you recognize one of these signals, ask the individual if you can have a conversation about their experience. People are often more open to this than you might expect, and many are flattered that you want to hear their perspective.
The interview process is key to getting clients to open up and share their story. The interview should feel more like a natural conversation than a rigid Q&A, and that’s how you’ll uncover insights you never thought to ask about. You’ll find the moments that truly define their journey—the challenge they faced, and the impact they’ve experienced because of your solution.
Testimonials don’t tell the full story, but they capture these critical moments. They highlight not just the problem your client faced but also how they felt about it and what changed after working with you. These details are what make a testimonial feel real, build trust, and help buyers see themselves in the story.
How to Extract Impactful Testimonials from Client Stories
Once you’ve uncovered a client’s full story, the next step is pulling out the most compelling moments and shaping them into testimonials.
That doesn’t mean forcing a story into a soundbite. It means carefully selecting the key insights that make a testimonial meaningful.
Why did they choose you? The decision-making process is often overlooked in testimonials, but it’s what future buyers want to understand.
What was their biggest challenge? Identifying this makes the transformation more powerful.
What changed as a result? Specific outcomes—whether qualitative or quantitative—give the testimonial weight.
By pulling out these details, you create testimonials that do more than express satisfaction—they show why your company was the right choice.
Make Your Testimonials Work for You
Your clients already have powerful stories to tell—they just need the right person to help bring them out.
I’ve been talking to my clients’ customers for years, asking the right questions to uncover real, compelling success stories. With a proven process, I help businesses turn client feedback into testimonials that actually work.
If your testimonials aren’t helping you persuade buyers, I can help.
