“Lee Rosen is an amazing lover. He’s outstanding in bed. He knows things about women that no one knows. He does things no one does. On a scale of 1 to 10, he’s an 11!”

— Anonymous

Did you believe that testimonial?

Of course not. No one believes praise like that coming from “Anonymous.”

And you’re right not to believe it because I just made it up (it is, of course, loosely based on fact).

No one believes the anonymous testimonials on your website either.

And, just so we’re on the same page, it makes absolutely no difference when you sign them something like “Amy D.” instead of anonymous.

We all believe you made it up.

It’s sad, but prospective clients are cynical. We aren’t naturally trusting. We hesitate to believe the things you tell us about yourself.

Of course you didn’t make up your testimonial. That fact makes no difference. We’re savvy consumers, and we don’t trust your self-promotional crap.

How to Reach the Cynics

If you’re going to use testimonials on your site (check your ethics rules first), you need to get permission from your clients to use their name. If your clients won’t let you use their name, then don’t bother using their testimonial. A “fake” testimonial is worse than no testimonial at all.

In an ideal world, you’ll not only get permission to use your clients’ name, but you’ll also get them to make a video. A video makes it real. If it’s on video, we trust it.

You didn’t believe the testimonial about me. Why would anyone believe the one about you?