SendMyVoice

Testimonial template for coaches and therapists

Personal work is hard to sum up in writing, so a testimonial request often goes unanswered.

This template is four questions answered by voice, and SendMyVoice gives you the recording and a transcript to quote from.

The last question asks how the name should appear, or if it should appear at all.

Use this template
sendmyvoice.com/r/k7f2q9

Step 1 of 4

What was going on for you before we started?

Tap to record. Up to 2 min.

The questions

  1. 1

    What was going on for you before we started?

    The before. Keep it open, so the client chooses how much to share.

  2. 2

    What changed, and what does it look like day to day?

    Ask for a day-to-day example. It says more than "life-changing".

  3. 3

    Would you recommend working with me? Who would it suit?

    Tells the next client whether it's for someone like them.

  4. 4

    Can I share this? Say if I can use your full name, your first name only, or no name.

    Personal work needs a clear choice. You get it on the record, in the client's own voice.

On the free plan (3 questions), use 1, 2 and 4. Keep the permission question in every version. The questions work in any form tool too.

Example answers

ML

Maria Lopez

Answered today at 10:42

  1. 1. What was going on for you before we started?

    1:04

    I'd just been promoted and I was panicking every Sunday night. I said yes to everything and then did it all at midnight.

  2. 2. What changed, and what does it look like day to day?

    0:52

    I block two mornings a week for real work now. Last month I said no to a project, politely, and nothing fell apart. My partner says I'm nicer on Sundays.

  3. 3. Would you recommend working with me? Who would it suit?

    0:29

    Yes. Anyone who's new to managing people and pretending they've got it figured out. That was me.

  4. 4. Can I share this? Say if I can use your full name, your first name only, or no name.

    0:08

    Yes, you can share it. First name and initial only, please. Ella R.

Easier said than written
Writing about personal work is hard, and it often comes back as one careful line. A spoken answer has the details, and you pick the lines to quote.
Permission on the record
The last question asks how the name should appear. You keep that answer as a recording, next to the testimonial.
A private link per client
Each client gets their own link, and only you see the answers. Nothing is public until you share it.
Text or audio
Quote the transcript on your website, or share the recording as a link when you have permission.

Questions

How do I ask a coaching client for a testimonial?

Ask near the end of your work together, or soon after a good result. Send one private link, say where you'll use it, and offer first name only.

Can a testimonial be anonymous?

Yes. The last question offers a full name, a first name or no name. If the voice could identify the client, use the transcript and not the recording.

How is this different from the testimonial form template?

The testimonial form is for businesses and agencies. This one is for personal services, with gentler questions and a clear choice about the name.

More templates

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A long intake form gets skipped or answered in a few words.

5 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1What does your business do, and who is it for?
  2. 2What made you look for help now?
  3. 3What would a good result look like in three months?
  4. 4What have you tried already, and what happened?
  5. 5Who else has a say, and what budget do you have in mind?
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Creative brief

A blank brief document often comes back half filled in.

6 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1What is this project for, and what should it change?
  2. 2Who needs to see it, and what do they think today?
  3. 3If people remember one thing, what should it be?
  4. 4How should it feel? Name a brand or an ad you like.
  5. 5What has to be in it, and what's off limits?
  6. 6When do you need it, and who signs it off?
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Testimonial form

A written testimonial request often gets one polite line back.

4 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1What was going on before you worked with us?
  2. 2Why did you pick us over the other options?
  3. 3What changed afterwards? Give an example.
  4. 4Can we use your name and this recording on our website?
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Feedback form

A rating scale gives you a score without the reason behind it.

3 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1What worked well?
  2. 2What was slow, confusing or annoying?
  3. 3If we changed one thing first, what should it be?
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Audio guest book

Renting a vintage phone guest book costs $299 to $399, and there is one handset for the whole party.

2 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1Leave us a message: a wish, a memory or your best advice.
  2. 2How do you know us?
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Family stories

A memoir book keeps the words, but not the voice telling them.

5 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1Where did you grow up, and what was your street like?
  2. 2What was your first job, and what did it pay?
  3. 3How did you meet the person you married?
  4. 4What do you know now that you wish you'd known at 25?
  5. 5What would you like your great-grandchildren to know about you?
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Exit interview

An exit interview in a meeting room gets polite answers.

6 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1What made you start looking for something new?
  2. 2What would have made you stay?
  3. 3How was the way your work was managed?
  4. 4What did you like most about working here?
  5. 5What should we fix before the next person starts in your role?
  6. 6Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?
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Event feedback

A post-event survey with ten rating scales tells you the average and not the reason.

5 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1What was the most useful part of the day?
  2. 2What would you change for next time?
  3. 3Was there a session you'd skip?
  4. 4What should we cover next time?
  5. 5Would you come again, and would you bring someone?
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Podcast listener questions

A listener question read out from an email loses the voice of the person who asked it.

4 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1Your first name, and where you're listening from
  2. 2What's your question for the show?
  3. 3Is there a story behind it?
  4. 4Can we play your recording on the show?
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Customer interview

A customer interview needs a call, and finding a time takes a week of emails.

5 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1What were you trying to get done when you started looking?
  2. 2What did you try before us, and why didn't it stick?
  3. 3What nearly stopped you from buying?
  4. 4What made you decide in the end?
  5. 5If you could change one thing, what would it be?
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Coaching check-in

A weekly check-in form turns into "fine, busy week" by the third Sunday.

4 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1What went well this week?
  2. 2What got in the way?
  3. 3How were your energy and sleep, from 1 to 10?
  4. 4What's your one focus for next week?
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Voice auditions

Auditions sent by email arrive in six file types, with names like "New Recording 14".

4 questions, answered by voice

  1. 1Say your name and the part you're reading for
  2. 2Read this line: "Every town has a story. Ours starts with a bridge nobody remembers building."
  3. 3Now read it again, a different way
  4. 4Anything we should know? Availability, accents, experience.
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A testimonial with permission on the record

Free plan, no credit card. No account to answer.

Use this template