Stop Asking for Testimonials

The word "testimonial" triggers resistance. It sounds extractive. It signals that you want something from the customer to use in your marketing. Even when the request is polite and reasonable, the framing creates a mental barrier that makes the customer hesitate. Research on resistance to persuasion shows that when customers detect a marketing motive behind a request, they are significantly more likely to disengage.

The solution is to stop using the word entirely. Replace "testimonial request" with "progress review."

A progress review positions the interaction as a mutual check-in about the customer's results. You are not asking them to help your business. You are asking them to reflect on their own progress so you can understand what is working. The testimonial becomes a side effect of that reflection, not the main goal.

The Progress Review Positioning has three parts.

• First, you acknowledge a specific win or milestone the customer achieved. Make it a concrete reference to something they did or accomplished using your product or service.

• Second, you express genuine curiosity about how they got there. What changed? What was harder than expected? What surprised them?

• Third, you ask permission to document their answers, either for internal learning or for helping future customers who are in the same position they were in before working with you.

The frame removes the "I need a favor" dynamic entirely. You are not asking them to write marketing copy. You are asking them to share their experience so you can learn from it. The shift is subtle, but the psychological impact is significant. Resistance drops because the request is no longer about you. It is about them and their journey.

Most businesses bury the testimonial ask at the end of a generic thank-you email. The timing is wrong. The tone is wrong. The structure is wrong. The customer gets a message that says "We hope you are enjoying our product" followed by a vague request for feedback, followed by a line about leaving a review or testimonial if they have time.

That structure fails because it treats the testimonial as an afterthought. The customer interprets it as a low-priority request that they can ignore without consequence. Even if they have positive feelings about your product, the lack of structure makes it easy to skip. They close the email intending to respond later and later never comes. Studies on customer feedback psychology show that 70% of consumers are willing to share feedback when prompted with structure—but generic, unstructured asks dramatically reduce that likelihood.

The progress review structure flips this. The entire message is about their results. You lead with the win. You ask specific questions about their experience. You offer to turn their answers into a shareable format, which removes the writing burden entirely. The customer does not have to figure out what to say or how to say it. They answer questions and approve what you write. The mental work is minimal.

The language matters. Compare these two requests:

Version A: "We would love it if you could write a testimonial about your experience with our product. Your feedback helps us grow and helps other customers make informed decisions."

Version B: "You hit the milestone you mentioned when we started working together. I want to understand what changed between then and now. Would you be open to a quick progress review? I will ask you three questions about what worked, and I can write a summary based on your answers if you want to share it publicly."

Version A is a testimonial request. Version B is a progress review. The second version does not mention marketing, growth, or helping the business. It focuses entirely on the customer's progress and offers to handle the work of turning their answers into a shareable format.

The reframe also solves the timing problem. A testimonial request feels appropriate only after the customer has had a positive experience. A progress review feels appropriate whenever the customer hits a milestone, whether that is three days after purchase or three months. The trigger is the result, not the arbitrary passage of time.

When you send your Say About Us collection link, frame it as a progress review in your message. Do not say "Please leave us a testimonial." Say "I want to document your progress. Click this link and tell me what changed." The link itself is simple. They click it, record a video or type their thoughts, and they are done.

The testimonial you get from a progress review is better than the testimonial you get from a generic ask. It contains specific details about the customer's situation before, the obstacles they faced, and the measurable change they experienced. Those details make the testimonial credible and persuasive. Specific transformation stories are what convert prospects.

The cringe you feel when asking for testimonials disappears when you reframe the ask as a progress review. You are not begging. You are documenting success.

Action Step: Write a progress review email for your most recent successful customer using the three-part structure.

Part one: acknowledge their specific win or milestone.

Part two: express curiosity about how they achieved it.

Part three: ask permission to document their answers and include your Say About Us collection link. Do not use the word "testimonial" anywhere in the message.