If you want more clients, get more of these

5 years ago I figured out the “hack” to getting lots and lots of clients.

What’s the hack? Get really good testimonials.

After every single project I did on UpWork, I asked my clients for a review.

So I ended up with a big wall of them on my UpWork profile:

Once I had that “big wall of proof”, getting jobs got easier.

And even better, clients started reaching out to me.

Why are testimonials so important? Because on the internet, everyone automatically assumes that you’re a scammer.

Testimonials are the best way to prove that you aren’t a scammer. When people see that you actually did the thing you promise for somebody else, they get way less scared to buy from you.

So ask every single one of your clients for a testimonial.

The catch is, you need to know how to get good testimonials.

(There’s a huge difference between a good testimonial and a bad testimonial. A bad testimonial is better than nothing, but only barely.)

How do you get good testimonials? First of all, whenever you can, get a video testimonial. Video testimonials make much better proof, because they’re harder to fake. Also, videos carry a lot more emotion than words on a screen.

Second, I write my clients a loose script.

I don’t want them to just read the script word for word — because they’ll sound like a robot. That being said, 9 out of 10 clients won’t understand how to give you a good testimonial… so you need to give them some guidance.

(In fact, if you write them a script, they’ll probably be relieved. It’s easier to read from a script than to come up with something from scratch.)

How do you write the script? The best way to write a testimonial is to tell a story.

First, say where your client was before they hired you. Then, list all the ways you helped them. Finally, say the tangible outcomes they got by working with you.

Get just a few of these testimonials, and people will trust you a whole lot more.

-Theo

P.S. Want another great way to get people to trust you?

Create lots and lots of really good content.

Need some help with that? I will write daily emails to your list, in your brand voice.

Then, your readers will fall in love with you, and they will buy all your courses and sign up for all your coaching.

If you want to chat about that, send me a reply. :)

Grapes

“I’ve heard from some people that they’re amazing. I’ve heard from other people that they’re not worth the higher price.”

That’s my friend Jack, one of my roommates here in Tokyo. I’m in the living room, eating a bunch of grapes. “Try one,” I tell him.

He tries one. And he’s stunned.

“These are amazing,” he says.

In Japan, fruit is a lot more expensive than in the rest of the world. That’s because they put a lot more effort into making it.

It’s worth it. The grapes especially. They’re 3x more flavorful than any grapes I’ve ever had before. (One type of grape I tried felt more like a plum.)

Can you guess what the marketing lesson of this story is?

In case it wasn’t obvious, here’s the lesson. When you have a great product, you can charge more money.

I paid 1000 yen (about $7) for a medium-sized package of grapes today. I’m eating them right now, and I gotta say, they’re worth it.

Same goes for courses, coaching, memberships, and every other info product in the world. If you make great products — and you get a reputation for making great products — you can charge basically whatever you want.

How do you build your reputation? Simple: you make great content.

Need help making great content? I can write your content emails for you. Send me a reply if you want to learn more.

-Theo

How the Pokémon Center bamboozled my friend (and got him to spend 40,000 yen)

“I’d better get in line now, before I see anything else I want to buy.”

That’s my friend Blake. We’re in Osaka, Japan, at the sixth Pokémon Center he’s visited. (And the 2nd today.)

Why does Blake need to go to 6 different Pokémon Centers? You’d think you could buy all the stuffed Pikachus and card sleeves he wanted by just going to one Pokémon Center. Right?

Wrong. Because the Pokémon Centers have a marketing trick to lure him in: they have different stuff in every store.

So Blake has bought something new at every single Pokémon Center he’s been to.

(And he’s here for another 2 weeks, so he’ll probably visit more Pokémon Centers and buy even more Pokémon merch while he’s still here.)

You might say that Blake is a loyal fan of Pokémon.

If you build a strong enough personal brand, you’ll get a bunch of loyal fans of your own.

They will love everything about you and what you do. They’ll also buy basically everything you sell.

There are 2 lessons from this email. First, get as many loyal fans as you can.

(One loyal fan can be worth thousands of dollars to your business… maybe tens of thousands.)

Second, once you have loyal fans, figure out what they like to buy from you, and then sell them as much of it as you can.

The more stuff you offer, the more stuff they’ll buy from you. (Just like Blake at the Pokémon Center.)

How do you create loyal fans? Blake became a loyal fan of Pokémon because he consumed their content.

He watched the anime, and then he played the video games, and he played the card game. Now, he’s hooked for life.

You can get loyal fans by creating content, too. Give people good advice, say interesting stuff, and be a role model to your audience. Some people will fall in love with you.

(The catch is, it has to be good content… because there’s so much mediocre content out there already. You can’t stand out by being average.)

Want some help creating content? I can write you emails like this one, that say interesting stuff and turn you into a role model for your audience. So you can get some loyal fans.

If you’re interested, shoot me a reply.

Best,

Theo