Ask Clients These Questions to Craft Powerful B2B Testimonials

Trust and credibility are of utmost importance in the buying process, especially at the enterprise level. Buyers need to have confidence in your company’s capability to consistently deliver on its promises. Proving the real-world value of your solution is best done by showcasing genuine customer experiences. In fact, 97% of B2B customers cited testimonials and peer recommendations as the most reliable content type.

Failing to ask is a missed opportunity.

Don't miss the opportunity to turn satisfied customers into your most effective marketing tool. A common mistake companies make is either failing to ask clients for a testimonial or not utilizing them to their full potential. Happy clients are often more than willing to share their feedback. After all, it gives them positive brand exposure as well.  

How to ask for testimonials.

It’s a good practice to request feedback after delivering your product or service. Then it's best to follow up after the client has had adequate time to fully experience or evaluate your product/service, as well as after any key milestones. Think of who your current advocates are as well, reaching out to satisfied long-term clients.

Here are examples of different ways to ask for testimonials.

• Email a feedback form—setting up a form and landing page makes it easy for your team to send questions and collect answers all in one place. For example, after an implementation, ask your client about the experience while it is still fresh in their mind.
• Leverage events and conferences—take advantage of opportunities where you’re already connecting with clients in-person or online. Schedule individual sessions, even offering to film a quick interview. Make it easy for clients, providing clear instructions and questions in advance.
• Meet in-person or virtually—this is a great option for customers you have strong relationships with who like to engage face to face. It's a great opportunity to make clients feel valued and heard.

Testimonials aren’t one size fits all. Depending on the feedback you get, testimonials could range from an impactful quote to an in-depth case study. There are many ways to use and repurpose content, such as sharing ROI statistics on LinkedIn or creating a video series of common customer challenges solved. Content variety reaches a broader audience and builds credibility.

What should I ask my clients?  

Be careful not to overwhelm your clients with numerous questions. This can lead to vague or even incomplete answers. It could also have a negative effect on the overall customer experience. The questions should align with your marketing goals and the type of content you are looking to create.

Choose from some of the example questions below. These prompts also provide great feedback for your marketing, sales and customer service teams.

What problems did you face before purchasing our solution? 
Prompt your customers to share the challenges they were looking to solve. They are probably not alone with the problems they faced. Including relatable details in testimonials captures prospect’s attention.

What challenges did these problems pose for your team or organization? 
Ask them to identify how the challenges impacted the entire company. Explaining the broader context of your solution enables your audience to better understand the significance of addressing an issue they have or capitalizing on a new opportunity.

How did you hear about our company? 
Sharing how others started their solution-finding journey can help leads understand the path to achieving their goals. Gather this feedback and explain it to your audience, demonstrating clear next steps for prospects who are unsure or undecided.

What hesitations or concerns did you have? 
With a large B2B purchase, it can be difficult to seal the deal. When prospects see that your customers had these same concerns, it can help overcome purchasing fears. Highlight how your solution overcame common objectives.

What selection criteria did you prioritize? 
While cost certainly plays a role, it’s not necessarily the primary factor prospects are considering. What criteria did your solution meet? Did your solution produce long-term ROI which would not have been possible with a competitor solution—justifying your price point? This information can help leads better understand what they should be looking for in a solution.

What stood out about our solution? 
What did you offer that competitor solutions did not? Gathering this information not only helps you better understand what’s most important to your audience, but it also provides invaluable feedback to your sales and product development team.

Describe your experience with our product/service so far. 
Was it a smooth implementation experience? How is it impacting their daily role? Ask them to specify what part of the product/service they like most and what stands out to them. This can become great content for providing high-level answers about your product. 

How has our solution impacted your business? 
Statistics are powerful when they can be provided. What tangible results are they seeing? Specific examples are also great—do they have a customer success story that your solution made possible? Have they experienced any unexpected benefits?

It’s time to start capturing customer stories.

Client testimonials are one of the most powerful ways to build trust and credibility. By sharing real customer experiences on your website and social media, connect with potential buyers and reinforce your brand's value. For ideas on how to create case study and testimonial content, check out our blog post See the Anatomy Behind a Powerful Case Study.