Given the spike in skepticism, building trust and credibility with prospects has never been more important.

Of course, the best way to do that is to get introduced by referral a referral - the reason referrals work is that they're a transfer of trust; when a client refers you to a friend or colleague, the trust that your client feels towards you is transferred to their friend.

Beyond referrals, another way to build trust is by offering to share testimonials with existing clients about the experience they've had working with you. The idea here is that when you're talking to a prospective client on the phone or meeting with them, you're able to say "Here are comments from some clients about the experience they've had working with me."

And on that piece of paper you have five short comments with the names of actual clients.

Ways to make testimonials more effective

There are a few things that can make testimonials more effective.

First, you have to use actual client names  - initials largely defeat the purpose of the exercise.

Second, you can say a bit about them - the area they live in and perhaps what they do. So for example, it might say Paul Smith, North Toronto, Consultant or Corporate Executive or Retired.

And in the perfect world, you'd borrow from American Express and talk about how long they've been a client - for example client since 1990, client since 2001, client since 2006.

Finally, you can make the testimonials relevant to your prospect.

So you could say "Here are five comments from retirees, or senior corporate executives or business owners."

By making the testimonials more relevant to your prospect, you increase their impact.

Getting client agreement

There are two steps to getting a client testimonial.

The first step is getting a client's agreement to provide it.

And once a client has agreed, you have to actually get the testimonial itself.

The best way to get a testimonial is face to face, although it can be done over the phone.

Let's suppose you've just had a meeting with a client you've worked with for a number of years. Your sense is  that they're reasonably happy and also that their personality is fairly open and outgoing - they're not someone who is secretive or withdrawn or uptight. In the perfect world, in fact, at some point in the past they would have referred someone to you.

At the end of the meeting , you say:

            "Paul, I wonder if I could ask a favour.

            When I've been meeting with prospective clients recently, a couple have asked if they could get a             sense from existing clients of the experience that they've had working with me.

            As a result, I'm approaching a few clients about the possibility of getting a short written             comment about what their experience has been that I could offer to prospective clients.

            And I wonder if you might be able to help me out by giving me a comment I could use, along with             four or five other clients."

Asked that way, most clients will agree.The key is how you started - "I asking for a favour."

And you've also said that this client will be one of five or six, so won't be singled out.

Getting the testimonial

Now you have agreement to provide a testimonial, but you don't actually have the testimonial.

Some clients will say "Why don't  I write something down and I'll send it along to you?"

The problem is that now you've lost control. The client may or may not send it and you don't want to be hounding them. In fact, they may actually start ducking phone calls on other things because they feel guilty about not sending your testimonial, so it could strain the relationship.

And even if you do get the testimonial, you may not be able to use it - it might be too long or too convoluted.

After a client agrees to provide a testimonial, your response should be

"That's great, thank you very much - I really appreciate your help on this.

I wonder if I could take two final minutes and ask you - if you had a friend or someone at work ask about your experience working with me and how you'd describe me, how would you answer that question?"

Then you sit back and listen and write down how your client answers that question.

Suppose your client says:

            "I have found Dan very good to deal with. He's managed risk in my portfolio, is on top of my             account and is always quick to respond to my questions.

Your response to your client is "here's what I heard you say" - and you play back the words the client just said, perhaps in somewhat shortened form.  And then you say:

            "That's exactly what I'm looking for - could I use that?"

Most clients will quickly agree, relieved because they're off the hook and now you have your testimonial.

Getting client agreement on personal information

There are a couple of final details.

First you have to get client agreement to use their name, saying something like:

            "Paul ,thanks again for your help on this - I truly appreciate your help.

             I'll send you the final list of all the testimonials. If it's okay I'd like to use your name and say you             live in North Toronto and perhaps say that you're a consultant, but won't provide any personal             information beyond that. Are you okay with that?"

Depending on your firm, you may also have to get clients to sign an agreement to allow you to use their testimonial and disclose their names - you should obviously button this down before talking to clients.

Note that there is an upfront investment of time to put together your client testimonials. By spending that time, though, you can differentiate yourself with prospects and build trust and credibility.