Stop waiting for the perfect client success story. If you think your testimonials aren't impressive enough, you could be making one of the biggest marketing mistakes coaches make. In this episode, Joanna shares why authenticity beats perfection, how prospects really evaluate testimonials, and why the results you take for granted may be exactly what your future clients need to see.

Timestamps

01:20 - Two Real Client Examples

03:10 - The Movement Reframe

04:45 - Don’t Dismiss Small Wins

06:15 - Testimonials vs Case Studies

07:40 - Better Questions to Ask Clients

08:55 - Why Overclaiming Backfires

10:00 - Look for the Shift

The strongest client stories don’t always end with a six-figure business, a dream job, or a dramatic breakthrough. Often, they simply show that something became possible that wasn’t possible before.

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Download the Free Digital version of Coaches' Planner (NEW edition 2026)

Free Essential AI Toolkit – 2 Must-Have Prompts for Coaches

How to secure more coaching clients' free training

Download the 12 ways to get clients now

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So you've got a client who has had a good experience with you.

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They feel better, they've made progress,

they are grateful for the work you've

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done together, but they didn't finish

the whole program, or they didn't

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have a dramatic transformation.

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Maybe they're not even your ideal client.

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So if you find yourself wondering,

"Can I even use this as a testimonial?

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And if I do use it, how do I talk

about it without overclaiming and

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making it hyped up and untrue?"

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And that is what we're

gonna talk about today.

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Did you know this podcast

is now on YouTube?

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I would really appreciate you

heading over to my channel, Joanna

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Lott Coaching, and subscribing,

liking, and commenting on a video.

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In return, I will put your name into a

draw to win a one-on-one session with me

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If we haven't met before, I'm Jo Lott, a

business coach who helps qualified coaches

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get clients with honesty, not hype.

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I have helped hundreds of qualified

coaches to build their business,

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and let's get started with today's

episode to help you maximize your

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testimonials and case studies so that

they really start to work for you.

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Let's start with a real situation,

because this comes up a lot.

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A coach shared this with me recently.

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She had two clients from a

test version of her program.

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Client one was not her target audience

of a woman in their 40s changing career.

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He came in low with confidence,

unsure about what he wanted.

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He did gain value from the

early stages of the program.

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He got clarity, and he actually took up a

new role in a more aligned organization.

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But he didn't complete her full

coaching program, and she didn't feel

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like it was a dramatic career change.

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He was still in the same industry

doing a similar job, but he had

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changed to a different organization.

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So that's client one.

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Client two was much closer

to her ideal client.

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Mid-life professional woman, recently

made redundant, confidence knocked.

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Through that early stage of the

program, she regained clarity,

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rebuilt her confidence, and started

interviewing for senior roles again.

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The program hasn't been fully completed

yet, but there is clear movement,

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and the coach was asking me, "How

do I position these testimonials?

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Can I use them?

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Can I show the value without

overstating the outcome, considering

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they aren't at that finish line yet?"

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And I think this really taps into

something deeper, because many coaches

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feel this tension around testimonials.

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You don't want to exaggerate.

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You don't want to make promises

that you can't guarantee.

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You don't want to turn your work into

something shiny and dramatic if it's not.

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But at the same time, you need your

work to feel attractive and credible

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for future clients to help them see

that this is worth investing in.

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So it is a really difficult

balance So here is a reframe.

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Testimonials are not there

to prove perfection, they're

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there to show movement.

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They show where someone

started, what helped, and what

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became possible as a result.

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And that doesn't have

to be an over-the-top

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transformation to be meaningful.

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In fact, most of the

believable testimonials are

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not the most extreme ones.

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They are the ones that feel

like a real transformation that

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some average person might have.

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So don't think everything

needs to be glossy.

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It really doesn't.

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People want to see and hear people

like them achieving results that feel

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like someone like them can achieve.

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So let's take that first client

that we talked about earlier.

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They are not your ideal audience, they

didn't complete your full program, they

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didn't change career drastically, so it

would be really easy to dismiss that as

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a not usable testimonial or case study.

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But actually, there is so much

value in what that person achieved.

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So that person came in feeling stuck

and unsure, they left with more

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clarity, more confidence, and they

did actually make a move into a better

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job that felt more aligned with them.

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Even if it wasn't, like, a complete

shift from being a office worker to

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being a plumber, there is still a

real shift, so don't underestimate any

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change that your clients possibly have.

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And instead of focusing on what didn't

happen, really focus on what did.

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So for this one, you might position it as

helping someone move from feeling stuck

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and uncertain to feeling clearer, more

confident, and gaining a new role before

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their coaching program was even complete.

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That will resonate with someone who

feels exactly that way right now So

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let's move on to the second example.

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This was much closer to

their ideal target audience.

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Again, not a finished journey, but

let's look at the movement there.

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So that person had been made redundant,

they were low in confidence, and now

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they have clarity, direction, and

they've even started interviewing

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again after many years out.

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So that is really powerful.

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You don't need to wait until your

coaching program is complete or until

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they have got the job at the interview,

because most people considering working

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with you are earlier in that journey,

so even the thought of going for an

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interview is, like, impressive for them.

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They don't always need to

see that final chapter.

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They just need to see that something has

shifted, and you will always have a chance

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to gain another case study or testimonial

further down the line to show the

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long-term impact of that coaching program.

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So something that also helps here

is how you ask for testimonials or

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case studies, and let me just pause

there 'cause I know I have used them

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interchangeably, and let's break

down what I see as a testimonial

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and what I see as a case study.

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And the clue here is we want to aim

for case studies over testimonials.

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So testimonials are when you say to

someone that you've finished working

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with, "Would you write me a testimonial?"

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And they say, "Yes, course I will."

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And you say, "Okay, great."

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And that person will write something like,

"Oh, you know, Julie is a great coach.

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She asks great questions.

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I really loved everything about her."

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But the thing is, to be a highly

converting testimonial or case study,

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no one really cares, sadly, about you

as a coach and how wonderful you are.

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They care that you can help people like

them get to where they want to get to.

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So aim instead for case studies,

which essentially puts the

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focus back on your ideal client.

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So where were they before

they worked with you?

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What was useful?

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And where are they now?

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So all of the testimonials in the

world about what an amazing coach you

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are won't always convert people into

clients, but gaining case studies will.

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So instead of asking someone,

"Can you write me a testimonial?"

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You can guide this slightly.

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So you might ask, "What was going on for

you before we started working together?

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What were you struggling with?

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What was the impact of that?

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What has changed as a

result of working together?

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What feels different now?

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And what would you say to someone

considering working with me?"

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That way, you have naturally drawn

out their journey, not just a vague

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endorsement of what a wonderful coach

you are, which just won't convert.

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Most of us are saying,

"What's in it for me?"

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So that is why your real client

result matters way more than

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what great questions you ask.

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And here's the most important part

for me, you do not need to overclaim.

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You don't need every testimonial

to be a huge transformation story,

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because people can really feel that and

start to think that it can't be true.

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So a variety of case studies

or testimonials will build

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far more trust for you.

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When someone reads something and

thinks, "That feels real, that sounds

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like where I am now," and they can

actually see themselves in that result,

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then they will believe it far more so.

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Some of my clients that have bought

from me often say, "Oh, I was just like

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Natasha in your case study, working

three days a week, and now having two

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days a week in my coaching business."

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So they didn't need to see that

Natasha was earning six figures

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in her coaching business.

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They wanted to see the full

journey of the balance of part-time

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work with her coaching business.

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So the same will be for your clients.

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Show them different variations

of small parts, bigger parts,

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everything you can gather in terms

of case studies that will eventually

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feed into your business success.

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So if you are sitting on testimonials

and unsure whether they are good

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enough or whether it's too early

to ask one, I will offer you this.

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Just look for movement and a shift,

and look for what became possible

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that wasn't possible before.

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That is really what

people will connect with.

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They don't need everything to be shiny and

perfect, they just want to see progress.

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If you would like more support

with this, I have a coaching,

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onboarding, and retention guide.

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It includes a client welcome

pack built in Canva that you can

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adjust and send to your clients.

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It has information on creating great

case studies and testimonials, and

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it is on sale for super low price,

which will help you to create

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that five-star client experience.

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I will link to it in the show

notes or description, and I hope

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it is really, really helpful in you

onboarding those clients beautifully.

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Thank you for listening to

today's episode, and like I always

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say, trust yourself, believe in

yourself, and be the wise gardener

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who keeps on watering the seeds.