I have an entire page devoted to testimonials and links on other pages to bring website visitors there.

By the time a deal closes you should know the personality of your client pretty well.  Most people who are happy with your service will be glad to give you feedback.  That's right, you can ask them for feedback if you are uncomfortable asking for a testimonial.  Some people will refuse and some people you might not want to ask.

When I get the feedback, and it is coherent and reasonably grammatically correct, I ask them if they mind if I put it on my website.  Most people will be happy to oblige.  Always get it in a letter or by email.  Most of mine came by email.  

I have many more that are not on my website page because too many will overwhelm a reader and never be read.  Its just a sample of what my clients say about my service.

Don't use initials.  Initials sound fake.  Use clients full names because that has the power of being believed.  

See it at:   http://www.gainesvillefloridahomes.com/Testimonials/page_220608.html/

I only ask once and never push anyone.  Some of my testimonials came months later when the client was giving me a referral and remembered they promised to give me a testimonial and had not done it yet.

Since I have the P2 web site, (only about a month), I worte a letter to most of my past clients asking for a brief testimonial. I even included a SASE. I sent letters to about 15 people and have received one back. I am going to start asking, in writing, at closing. I will even tell them that if I did not perform to their satisfaction, to put it in writing, that it will help me to improve my service.

I do have a testimonial page on my web site. I use the person's first name and last initial along with the city they are in. Maybe I should use first and last name like Mark said. I believe that the testimonials will help establish your reputation. It at least gives the potenital customer or client some benchmarks to judge you by.

I love testimonials and love when I get them. I usually get them after about 3 weeks after closing. When I talk to them on the phone and they say thank you so much for everything you did. Thanking me for listening and other words of kindness. I say thank you I really do appriciate your kind words. Would you mind putting that on paper so others can read it and eventually feel the same way about me as you do? I within a week everytime get a letter.

Todd

I ask for feedback about a week after closing. I call to check how things are going and ask for feedback then. I ask permission to post it to my website. I only use initials becuase some people are afraid of being spammed if their name is public. If they don't care then I use their whole name.

I hope this helps..

I have a page dedicated to testimonial. I do ask my clients but when I started with p2 website in 04 I had request to my past clients and surprise most of them responded. On the stats report page I do see lot of people jump to that page.

  I don't ask.  I have gotten several unsolicited thank you notes and those meant something to me.  

  I've seen too many testimonials in the spam I get.  If I needed one

I would get mom to write it, she knows me best.

Testimonials are great!  I always try to remember to ask for them.  Some people aren't so great at writing things, so don't hand them a piece of paper and expect them to write something wonderful while you're standing there.  Give them time to get back to you with it, so they have time to think about what they really want to say.

My broker was at a closing once with an agent that was asking for a testimonial, and she said the agent in stern words told her buyer "you better make it a good one, and this is what I want you to write".  She pretty much told the people what to write on there!  My broker was floored!!!  Unreal!  If you have to force someone to say something nice about you, then you have issues!  LOL!

They are great to have though, it gives people that don't know you a better understanding of what type of person you are.

Interesting timing on this.  I just sent a group e-mail to 4 past prospects that I had not gotten testimonials from yet.  I think 1 out of the 4 actually told me they were going to, the others, I guess I didn't really ask.  Anyway, I sent them an e-mail asking if they would do this so I can put it on my testimonial page, adding a link to my page for some samples/ideas.  I got one back the same night!(Not 1 that said I had one coming)  I plan on making it another habbit because I am sure it needs to be done while they feel the best about you, not months later when LIFE is going on again and they have their own problems to worry about.

I have thought about having a testimonial page, I would hope it would be a great tool to persuade others to work with me. But I am in a town where we all know each other and word of mouth spreads pretty quick here. I think for me, because they are able to hear it from the horses' mouth they may not need it on my site. Don't know, might try it.

There is an agent in my office (our top agent in fact) who prepares the glowing testimonial from her clients and as she freely admits because they are very busy high end clients and she does it as a courtesy to save them time!!!

I haven't been asking but I've received several really nice letter I included in my listing presentation. After reading this though, I think I will start asking after the closing ... only once. If they felt I did a good job, they will hopefully respond & if not, nothing lost as I don't have the letters flooding in at this time.