Letter Of Reference/testimonials

ron schenker

Along the same lines as Mike Finley's thread about "referral letter"....How do you go about asking a client for a letter of reference/testimonial? Do you write it up yourself and have them sign it, or do you have them type up a letter for you? If you use it on your website, do you legally have to tell them?
Of course this is assuming that they were very happy with your work

Double-A

The best is when you get one unsolicited.

However, you should not be afraid to ask for a referral.
If you want to use their letter, ask them first and get their OK in writing.As far as asking for a referral in a letter, I usually start by asking over the phone or in person.

"Do you feel comfortable referring us to friends or colleagues?" If no, let it drop, but find out why and address that issue. Unhappy clients cost you big time in the long run.

If yes,
"would you feel comfortable writing a letter of recommendation referring us to anyone interested in having this type of work done on their home?"
If no, let it go. If yes, "I'll sign one, but don't feel I can write it", write one up, keep it sorta generic

"Bob's Hot Shot Remodeling added 1500 square feet onto my existing home and did a wonderful job. Their guys were great; very clean and courteous.

Bob did what he said he would do, when he said he's do it. I couldn't have asked for more. I'm so happy with the addition.

I recommend Bob's Hot Shot Remodeling to anyone considering remodeling work in their home."

Let them know they can add to or strike out any or all of what you've written. Its amazing how many closet Steinbecks there are in this world.

__________________
"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

DecksEtc

Ron,

I've had a few different ways of asking for and getting referrals:

- clients offer to allow me to send any future clients to their home to look at my work. Some have even said that there is no need to call ahead. With that said, I ALWAYS give potential clients these customer's phone numbers and ask them to call ahead anyway
- ask them at the end of the job if they would mind me giving out their phone number as a reference - I always get a "yes" to this question
- if the subject of "referral letters" comes up, I'll ask them if they don't mind sending me an email with their feedback at their convenience. Not all, but most people eventually send something. It's at this time that I ask if they would allow me to post their feedback on my website.

Most people that I have dealt with like providing feedback, not always in written form, but feedback none the less.

The bottom line is that it doesn't hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no.

George Z

Our completion form has space for comments customers are encouraged to write.
Most of them do, and they are all going to be included in our new website:


http://72.29.89.101/~ecopaint/testimonials.html

Great relevant content for the search engines too.

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