Social Proof = Rocket Fuel
We all know how client testimonials boost sales on your website and social channels. When you can prove that your clients are achieving amazing results, it makes it easier for prospective clients to say yes.
But what about in your book?
While testimonials work beautifully in other channels, client raves don’t actually come across so well in a book format.
Partly, this is because readers don’t pick up your book to learn what YOU do. They picked it up to learn what THEY should do (according to you). It’s a subtle but important distinction.
Also, most people pick up a book expecting stories, not a sales pitch – and even if testimonials aren’t overtly salesy, they’re inextricably connected to the sales process in most readers’ minds.
Readers don’t pick up your book to learn what YOU do. They pick it up to learn what THEY should do (according to you).
Finally, testimonials have to be separated from the text for clarity (because they aren’t told in the author’s words). Which usually means a shaded box on a facing page … which a large number of readers are going to just skip over because it means breaking away from the good stuff – aka, the story – to read something that the author – aka, the reason they picked up the book in the first place – didn’t write.
So how can you tell your most powerful client stories in a way that WILL land well in a book format?
You tell them from your perspective.
Tell me the story of the time you were on the phone with your client and they had a massive breakthrough. Let me watch her evolve through YOUR eyes, and grow alongside her.
Tell me the story of how you got a phone call from a client in a challenging spot, and let me watch you coach him through it in real (story) time, moment by moment. Write it like a scene in a drama film, with closeups of red eyes and twisting hands, and with weighted pauses in the dialogue.
Make it real for me. Not in a “this happened, then that happened,” kind of way, but in a real-life-human way.
As they say in the literary world: "Show, don't tell."
This approach does two things. It increases “like, know, and trust,” because the reader gets to know you better through your perspective on the story. And it creates a powerful, long-lasting memory of your client results because the story is now tied to EMOTIONS, which are then – through the story arc – tied to OUTCOMES.
I remember well-written client stories from books I read years ago. You probably do, too.
But honestly, when was the last time you remembered ANYTHING you read in a testimonial for more than thirty seconds?
So please, for the love of literature, stop putting testimonials in your book, and start TELLING STORIES.
Pro Tip 1: When you have a particularly great client moment, take time at the end of that day to write down all the details (even if you don’t have time to write an actual story). Keep a file of these so when you’re ready to start on your book you have a wealth of stories and scenarios for you and your editor or ghostwriter to choose from.
Pro Tip 2: Sharing about your clients' experiences from your own perspective gives you leeway to protect their privacy. You can change names, jobs, and other identifying details without compromising the essence of the story. (Of course, you’ll still want to get your clients’ written permission to share – because, integrity – but if that’s not possible, these tweaks protect both them and you.)