One of the hardest letters to get from your client is the testimonial letter.  Usually you get something like this, "Green, Green is a great company", or "  We’ve used Green and Green for a long time and we like their work and would recommend them".  No brownie points here.  Results like these are not even worth the paper they are written.  Nope, if you want really powerful Letters, it is up to you to guide your clients hand.

The 4 Questions 
    1.  What is the Product or Service Used?
    2.  What benefit did the Client get by using it?
          Was time saved?  Money?  By using it did the client’s job become easier?
    3.  What did the Client most enjoy about your Product or Service?
    4.  What would you, the Client, tell someone about the Product or Service.
By getting these questions answered, you will have powerful testimonials.  Don’t be shy.  Ask the client to include their answers to these 4 questions.  Even suggest or remind them of some stellar performance you gave or the length of time you have been their vendor.

Once upon a time, my company had a large, prominent hotel as a client.  We were there when they first opened in downtown Cincinnati.  Every year, the Manager held a special lunch for the hotel vendors and during the lunch he would acknowledge each one and say how long they had been with the hotel.  As the years went on, fewer and fewer had been there at Day 1 so, after 18 years it was just us and the window washers.  The next year they were gone and we were the only ones left from the very beginning.  I asked the GM for a letter stating that fact.  He did and  as time went on and I showed the testimonial letter, I was always pleased to see how new clients were impressed.

 That is the power of the Testimonial Letter.

It is so important to get your Client’s testimonial that I recommend asking for one after the first year of service or after a particularly well done installation.  Ask while your superior performance is still fresh in their minds. 

For the Second Generation of Client 
These letters are a treasure trove for ongoing relations as well as going after new work.  Think about the new GM at the Hotel.  Having a letter of your worth written by the preceding manager is worth its weight in gold particularly as the new guy is trying to decide what and who to change.

Ask that the letters be on the Client’s company stationery and keep them in a file by categories so you can show hotel managers letters fro other hotel managers, mall managers letters from other mall managers and so on.  Sometimes it is best to cull a few choice quotes from the various letters and put these one to two line tidbits all on one page with the client’s name, company, title, and phone or email underneath. 

Another interesting list that garners credibility is a list of accounts with the length of service.  The fact that several companies have kept you as their service provider for 10 years or more speaks volumes as to the quality of your service.

Make it a point to gather these letters and make sure that you guide the Client so that you get Testimonials that really get the job done.