Client endorsements are one of the most powerful items you can have in your arsenal of marketing and sales tools. People respond to what other people think and do. Testimonials are a great way to brag about how great your are without saying it yourself.

But there is a catch~ a client testimonial is only powerful if it is targeted to a specific benefit you offer your customers. So how can you ensure your happy customers will say what you need them to say about working with you?

Step 1: Know your audience. If you've done the work to know who a great client is for you, then you should also know their "pain"~what keeps them awake at night and how what you do or sell relieves that pain.

Step 2: Write the testimonials yourself. My clients often gasp when I suggest this...they don't feel they can put words in their customers mouths. I say, of course you can. You just can't publicize those words without their permission. Remember, this is just step 2.

When you draft the testimonial, write it to address a particular benefit to your customers. For example, one of the pain points my clients face is designers who don't meet schedules. So the testimonial I would write would be something like: "Meeting deadlines is critical to us. Two Sisters Creative works with us to deliver on time and within budget~I know I'll get what I need when I need it."

Step 3: Select one of your happy, wonderful customers, call them and ask if they'd be willing to provide a testimoninal. I've never had anyone say no...in fact, they're flattered that they've been asked. Then I tell them I know how busy they are, I've drafted something for them that has the gist of what I need them to say. They are always thrilled that I've done the work. I e-mail it to them, tell them to edit as they'd like and send it back. Usually, they say use it as is. Sometimes they tweak it a little, but it still has the message I need it to have.

Follow these three steps and in just a few short days, you'll have amazing client endorsements that you can use in your web sites, print materials, and ads. Don't be afraid to ask. Your good customers want to help you succeed, they just don't always know how easy it is for them to do it.