Why I don't ask for testimonials
Apparently I sound like a prepubescent boy lol
It was 2013. I was working in a call centre and had just fixed a customer's problem when they asked to speak to my manager.
"Um, sure," I said. "Let me see if he's available."
I popped the customer on hold, found my boss Scotty, and got him on the call.
Scotty gradually developed a shit-eating grin on his face as he talked to the customer, before looking me dead in the eye as he said: "Yes, I'll definitely make sure HE gets the feedback, thank you."
HE???
Yeah, so apparently I sounded like a prepubescent boy on the phone. 🙃
Anyone who's got access to The Brief will probably know this already... assuming you chose to listen to the recording because—for whatever strange reason—you don't like to read. ⁉️
Scotty ended the call with the usual spiel: "Now, when I end the call, it'll put you through to a survey. The recording says it's about the company, but what you enter goes to Cass's KPIs, so it'd really help HIM out if you complete it."
And that was one of my first lessons on how easily people game systems.
(The next lesson was entering the world of SEO.)
The survey was TECHNICALLY about my employer...
But the score affected how much money I made each month.
What would YOU do?
(If you said you'd do the "honourable" thing and make even LESS money for a company that was making millions—I DON'T BELIEVE YOU. 😋)
This is the problem with feedback systems, KPIs and data in general—it can be very easily manipulated. Especially when said feedback is connected to someone's performance.
Which is why I nodded profusely along to Nick Gulic's email earlier this week where he stated that...
Most testimonials are kinda bullshit.
Of course, Nick gave way more reasons than just "people rig systems to make themselves look good/make more money."
He gets into things like mere ownership effect, post-purchase rationalisation, acquiescence bias and plain old inexperience—all the fun little ways our brains make us unreliable narrators.
Now, not everyone is as cynical as Nick "OG Funny Guy on LinkedIn" Gulic. In fact, MOST people trust reviews because they're considered social proof. Something I talk about a fair bit in Brief #1: Write to Persuade.
But people definitely HAVE become more savvy to fake ones, which is why platforms like Google, Product Reviews, Amazon, TripAdvisor, etc, have built-in credibility layers to prevent gaming the system.
That being said, credibility "layers" don't stop all the not-so-useful reasons people GIVE reviews in the first place that Nick covered.
They also don’t change our natural tendency to give a 5-star review for something that was only adequate service.
Like WHY is it a crime to give an Uber driver a rating that's less than 5 stars even though they only provided an adequate service??
This is why I think NPS—when used properly and not rigged by call centre agents like yours truly circa 2013—is probably a better measure than stock-standard 5-star ratings.
If you're unfamiliar with NPS, how it works is:
You ask someone: "How likely are you to recommend this to a friend or colleague?"
And they give you a score from 0-10, which get split into three groups:
- Promoters: 9–10
- Passives: 7–8
- Detractors: 0–6
Your NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. So if 70% of people are promoters and 10% are detractors, your NPS is 60.
Why I think it's more useful is because the calculation factors in the negative impact low scores have on your aggregate, while meh scores are meh and have no impact. This means global NPS averages tend to sit lower than people expect, with general standards labelling 50 as excellent and 70+ as world-class.
Which MEANS there's actually something to STRIVE for instead of "5 stars" being the baseline.
But whether you use NPS or 5-star reviews, I think the number ultimately matters less than the trend.
If your score is trending up, you're probably doing something right. If it's heading the other way... well, time to have a look at what's going on.
Now, when it comes to using reviews in your marketing... people often use the aggregate scores as a quick filter when trying to make a decision. For example, if I feel like trying a new restaurant, I'll often have a glance at their 5-star rating.
But this works best for products or services where the transition from consideration to decision is pretty rapid.
For the majority of expertise-led businesses, the buyer journey is pretty hefty, and therefore people will spend more time scrutinising things before they make their final decision.
In which case, the actual testimonials—the nice or not-so-nice things people say when leaving their score—are way more important.
Which brings me back to Nick's point in his email: testimonials are often bullshit.
So, how do you make them NOT bullshit? Well, there are a few recommended structures for getting stronger ones. In The Brain Audit, Sean D'Souza includes a template for one that helps overcome a prospect's objection.
But my preference is to make testimonials sound as little like a "testimonial" as possible.
Generally, I don't ask someone to write a testimonial for me... I just ask them what they thought of my product/service/email/etc.
That way the response is written TO me, not ABOUT me.
So instead of:
Cass’ understanding of the wider marketing landscape means her insights are always well-informed, grounded in data, but blended with creativity. A-Grade Marketer!
(Which is an awesome testimonial from my old boss... but still written ABOUT me and sounds like some random you don't know from Dick trying to convince you I'm good.)
You get:
Just made myself a cup of coffee and slowly read your first newsletter. LOVED IT!! It gave me the type of raw excitement about what’s coming I didn’t have in a long time. And taking into account how AI changed everything (and how exhausted we are from it and all the changes), it’s something so, so precious. Looking forward to the next one, Cass! 🫶
(Another awesome testimonial from a friend—hi Katya 👋—but this one feels WAY more genuine. Almost like you're a fly on the wall, rather than reading someone's cringe AF pitch.)
Anyway, this email is bloody long... so to quickly summarise:
- Testimonials are often bullshit
- Scores are easily rigged
- Pay attention to trends, not the general aggregate
- If you want testimonials to actually help people trust you, aim for ones that sound like genuine evidence, not an awkward advertisement
- Subscribe to Nick Gulic if you haven't already
Cheers,
Cass
P.S. Brief subscribers, I haven't forgotten my lil bonus I promised last week—keep an eye on your inbox this weekend. 👀
P.P.S. Non-Brief subscribers, if you sign up now you'll get it too 😉