How to Learn from Criticism and Gain Raving Reviews for Your Facilitation Business

Ideas and tools inside:

Happy testimonials are great, but don't help you get better like the negative stuff does.

1. Chris Guillebeau on asking for negative feedback.

2. Chelsei Henderson on getting positive reviews and testimonials the non-icky way.

3. Templates for asking for testimonials.

“I like it!” doesn’t help you much.

Chris’s last bullet hits home. I like the negative reactions to my work because it helps me get better more than the happy stuff does. I zero in on the critical feedback from participants and the client and try to pick it apart—to understand what it was that didn’t work for them.

Surveys are a good start, but really just let you know what you need to talk to the client about. To me, the follow-up conversation is where the most useful stuff shows up.

And that makes me a better facilitator in the room, and better at helping the next client. When the feedback stings, turn it into fuel.

Flip it into a raving review - five non-icky ways to ask for testimonials

Warm and fuzzy feedback from your facilitation clients (aka testimonials) is super useful for marketing. They help your clients choose you. 

I don’t know about you, but I get uncomfortable asking for testimonials. That’s a pretty silly anxiety, I think. After all, they are paying me to help them solve a problem, and I want to know if I accomplished that. So you have to ask. You don’t need to feel icky about it.

A testimonial I asked for (and received!)

Alex and I met more than a decade ago when we both attended the same retreat. We hadn’t talked since, but recently reconnected when she saw VitaminF on LinkedIn. A couple of weeks ago asked if we could talk about her new start-up facilitation and training business.

Earlier this week, I figured I better practice what I’m suggesting to you here. (Thanks Alex!)

Need some help getting started? Here are 25 ways to ask for testimonials. 

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Have a question or idea you want to talk with me about? Just reply to this email. It may take me a couple days to get back to you, but I will!

Get the deets on me, Joe Bartmann, at joebart.com.

Sources in this issue: Chris Guillebeau , Chelsei Henderson, Simon Grant.