A practical proof-building guide for finding the testimonials you already have, preserving the customer’s own language, and placing each story where it helps a future client make a decision. This written playbook focuses on the activities and decisions demonstrated in the video, so you can adapt the approach without needing to copy the exact words or setup.
What this playbook covers
The video packages a practical working session around You ALREADY have enough testimonials (here's how to find them). Read it as a guide to the underlying activity: identify the situation, choose the right next move, and build a repeatable way to do the work well.
Look beyond the testimonial request
Useful proof already appears in project feedback, email threads, client calls, renewal conversations, public comments, and referrals. Collect those moments before asking someone to create a polished endorsement from scratch.
Keep the story specific
The strongest testimonial explains the situation, the work, and the change the client experienced. Preserve their language where possible. Specific outcomes and recognizable circumstances are more credible than broad praise.
Match proof to the decision
A testimonial works hardest when it appears near a relevant question: whether you understand an industry, can solve a particular problem, or can be trusted with a meaningful investment. Organize your proof around those decisions.
Take the useful part into your own work
Use the framework, then tailor it to your audience, offer, capacity, and goals. The goal is not to reproduce the video. It is to make one useful improvement in your own work.
- Collect three pieces of existing client feedback this week and label each with the problem it helps prove you can solve.
- Add one specific client story to an active proposal, service page, or follow-up message where a prospect needs confidence.
Continue learning
Explore more marketing playbooks from the Columbus community for additional field notes, tools, and retrospectives.
For a local conversation about the work, see upcoming Columbus Marketing events.
Watch the source video
Watch the full recording on Andy the Marketer on YouTube. The complete transcript remains available below for reference.
Read the video transcript
Kind: captions Language: en This is Andy and you stumbled across my channel where I teach you how I'm building a million-doll a year marketing services empire. Currently, I own three businesses. One is my design studio, MMG Design. We do web and SEO services for healthcare. Right now, this generates on aggregate between 10 and 30,000 per month over the last year. The CMO, which is my newest endeavor and is a supporting mechanism for my design studio. Columbus Marketing Organization or the CMO, which is the premier in-person networking events, mastermind groups for Columbus marketers. Also has a job board. And third is my podcast where I do business development and I interview, learn, and build relationships with leaders in the space that help me support my business efforts and all and all authoritate me as a thought leader. Today's video is going to be something I'm uniquely compelled to share because a lot of freelancers or marketers come to me saying that they don't have any testimonials or social proof. And I can say firsthand that having sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of marketing services that camera here that social proof is the most compelling asset that you have in order to convince people that you are who you say you are and generate and accelerate the sales process. So, I'm going to show a few things that have helped me and I'll show the examples of how I've abundantly used this on all my properties. So, this is my main studio website and it's absolutely littered with testimonials. Each of these logos right here link to a social proof case study. People can click into it and they can literally click in and learn more about the testimonial. So, not just a wall of logos. That's a great way to do it. Literally the third section on my website is in-depth quotable case studies where people can click in and learn more about them. Same effect. Also on this homepage here, we have just a wealth. We have an actual video testimonial from a client which we'll talk about. And we have just a whole testimonial wall, videos, backl people can go in and click into a profile about that person and just a stunning volume of social proof. Additionally, on the Columbus Marketing Organization website, you can see we have a remarkable amount of social proof as well in several different forms and places. We have a carousel. We have a nice little image right here. Another one right here at the bottom. And you might be thinking, man, I haven't been in it that long. Not that not that many people have verified these things, Andy. Like, how did you get this stuff? Did you do direct outreach to these people and ask them? I don't like doing that. That's uncomfortable. I'm going to show you guys. It's actually a lot easier than you think and the results of this has benefited to me has just done absolute wonders. So there's a few things that I want to share with you. Number one, you already have some. So if you don't have any direct customers that you provided out outcomes for, send a few emails asking for character testimonials. Say send an email to a friend that says, "Hey, I loved the work that we've done together. I'm starting this XYZ venture. could you say a a couple positive words about my character? They if you have any friends whatsoever and they like you at all, they'll be more than happy to do that for you. So, out of the gate, you should have several. In addition, you've definitely been missing a few as well. So, this was a post that I made for the newsletter kind of launching the Columbus Marketing Jobs newsletter, which serves as the top of funnel for the Columbus marketing organization. Within this in and of this is before I even built the website. I built this beehive newsletter in a weekend and then pushed a post about it. Had a nice little hook with the obviously very emotional post and you know photo that gets people's attention. And in this there are 47 comments of people. This rocks you know. I don't even go through all these. I freaking love that you're being a connector. Love this. Uh there's several more on here. Love the idea. Amazing work. There are great people out there. This helps connect them to those spots. This is an incredible idea. I'm in awe how much you do. So, all these things you might be thinking, "Wow, these are just static comments. I can't do anything with these. These are all your biggest sales assets. And once you start to see this, I'm telling you, you guys are going to start seeing it everywhere. A couple other things. When you have a meeting, so all of these I basically reformatted. Great idea. I've thanks to networking. You can literally take all of this. People have said this stuff online, so you already have their permission to use it and put them right here. Photos, actual quotes, names, job titles, stars. Share what the just bring to light the things that people have already said about you to the moment where it's appropriate for others to see it. So, that's a big part of that. Uh, another thing, if you do have a client, have a after you finish with a project-based engagement with a client, have a call with them. Say, "Hey, I would love to get on a call in order to get your feedback to help improve our process. It's remarkable helpful, remarkably helpful for us, and we want to see how we could continue to add more value in the future. You come ready with these questions and record this call and have a have a 10 question doc like this. What made you choose us over other options you considered? Walk me through what business felt like before versus now. Single biggest difference the new site has made. All of these questions that are not asking for a testimonial, but will lead them to a give you incredibly valuable feedback of your services and b also they're likely going to say very positive things as well. And you have that capture testimonial and then afterwards you send an email that says, "Hey, I love some of the things that you said today. Do you mind if I repurpose it for the case study on our website?" Guarantee they'll say yes. So that's the hardest thing to do. What makes it even easier is having a tool like Suna, which shout out to Sanja, not affiliated. I should definitely do some outreach and, you know, have them be a partner here. But this makes capturing testimonials remarkably easy. I have multiple forms built that you can send to guests. I send one to every single podcast guest, which by the way, if you guys haven't seen the podcast landing page, resources again, bombarded with social proof. Again, all of these collected from Senda videos. I am so big on social proof and that's why I'm so compelled to make this because all of you guys already have this stuff. You just need to bring it to light. Senda let you creates these forms which allows the opener of the form to capture testimonials. 17 of them here, four of them there. And I just do this stuff as an afterthought. So have something like that in your tool belt as well. And also within your emails, connect your Gmail account to Claude and ask it, have I received anything that I could use as a testimonial. This is a remarkable thing that you can do. It's a remarkable opportunity to not have to do this manually and sift through things. But I just got this email from Michelle and this is what prompted it to live to me. I'm so impressed. She just said this thing almost in passing and I almost missed it. I am so impressed by what you're building and how you're going about it. Your passion and energy are infectious and I love how you're connecting this community. That right away is something I can use for the Columbus Marketing Organization website. She owns an agency in Columbus and you know that's the stuff that you have to have an eye out for. So, pretty short video here, but I just want to say to you guys, this is your most powerful sales tool, you know, and it's also a good way to build your own confidence if you're someone that has imposter syndrome. Literally, look at this. I have a wall in my house where I have some of these things printed off. It's called my wall of awesome where you just reinforce and remind yourself that you are who you say you are. So, look for those testimonials, gain that sales credibility, and I'll see you guys in the next one. Cheers.