Latest / Freelance Careers with Fexingo: Independent Work, Consulting, and Self-Employment / How a Freelance Consultant Raised Rates by Asking for a Testimonial
Transcript
- Lucas: Okay, Luna, I want to talk about something that sounds almost too soft to work in a business conversation: the humble testimonial. Luna: You're going to make a case for testimonials as a rate-raising tool? Lucas: I am. And I've got a specific story that shows why. Last year I interviewed a freelance marketing consultant — let's call her Sarah. She'd been stuck at the same rate for three years, and she'd tried all the usual things: she'd added services, she'd tried to drop hourly billing, she'd even fired a difficult client to free up her calendar. Luna: The classic moves. Did any of them work? Lucas: Partly, but not enough. The real breakthrough came when she went back through her old testimonials. She realized they all said the same thing: 'Sarah was great to work with, very responsive, met all deadlines.' You know the kind. Luna: The generic, kind of forgettable kind. I've definitely seen those on consultant websites. Lucas: Exactly. So she decided to change how she asked for testimonials. Instead of just saying hey, would you mind writing a quick line, she started asking for something very specific: a testimonial that named a number. She asked her clients to write about the actual outcome — how much revenue increased, how many hours were saved, what specific metric moved. Luna: And clients actually went along with that? Isn't that a bit awkward to ask? Lucas: That's what she thought too. But she framed it as a win-win: she said, 'I'd love to feature your results on my website — can you help me articulate the impact in a concrete way?' Most clients were happy to brag a little. And the ones who weren't? She learned something valuable from them too. Luna: What did she learn from the clients who didn't want to give a specific testimonial? Lucas: She realized they probably didn't feel they got a tangible result. And that was a huge signal. If a client can't name a single outcome you delivered, you either didn't deliver one, or you didn't communicate it well enough. Both are fixable. Luna: So the ask itself became a diagnostic tool. I like that. Lucas: Right. And here's the kicker: within three months of collecting these specific testimonials, she raised her rates by thirty percent for two new clients. Not because the testimonials directly convinced them, but because they changed her own confidence and her framing. Luna: How did the testimonials change her confidence? I'd think you'd need the rate increase before the testimonials, not the other way around. Lucas: That's the counterintuitive part. She said that reading her own testimonials back — with numbers attached — made her finally see the value she was delivering. She realized she'd been underselling herself for years. And that confidence showed up in her sales conversations. She wasn't justifying her rates anymore; she was stating them. Luna: So the testimonials were really for her, not just for prospects. That's a reframe I haven't heard before. Lucas: And it's a practical one. She also used them in proposals. When she sent a proposal, she included a one-page 'recent results' sheet with three testimonials and the specific metrics. It did a lot of the heavy lifting before she even got on the phone. Luna: That's a smart move — let the evidence speak first. But does it work for all types of freelancers? I'm thinking of designers or writers where the outcome might be more qualitative. Lucas: Good question. Sarah's in marketing, so numbers came naturally. But I've seen similar approaches work for a web designer who asked clients to write about how the new site affected their bounce rate or conversion. And a copywriter who asked for the open rates on an email sequence. There's almost always a metric, even if it's softer. Luna: What if the project genuinely doesn't have a hard number? Like a brand strategy project where the impact is more about positioning? Lucas: Then you ask for a different kind of specificity. Instead of a number, you ask for a before and after description. How did they feel before, and how do they feel now? What did they stop worrying about? That can be just as powerful as a revenue figure. Luna: And I suppose there's also the timing. When do you actually ask for the testimonial? Right after you deliver, or does it matter? Lucas: Timing matters a lot. Sarah's rule was to ask within a week of the final deliverable, while the excitement was still fresh. She also found that asking right after a big win — like a successful launch or a positive review — worked even better. And she always made it easy by sending a few bullet points the client could pick from. Luna: So you're basically drafting the testimonial for them. That lowers the effort barrier. Lucas: Exactly. And you can even offer to write the first draft yourself and just have them approve it. But the key is to make it specific, not generic. One of her best testimonials was from a SaaS client who wrote that their trial to paid conversion increased by eighteen percent in the quarter after she took over their onboarding emails. Luna: That's the kind of thing you'd remember. And it's also the kind of thing that justifies a higher rate to a future client. Lucas: Right. And that's the link to pricing: a testimonial with a number is essentially a third-party verification of your value. It does the selling for you. When you can show a prospect that a client like them saw an eighteen percent improvement, your rate becomes an investment, not an expense. Luna: I'm sold on the concept, but I'm curious about the mechanics. How do you actually ask without feeling like you're putting the client on the spot? Lucas: Sarah's script was simple. She'd say something like: 'I'm updating my website and I'd love to include your project. Would you be open to sharing a couple of sentences about the results you saw? If it helps, I can send over a few bullets we could work from.' Luna: That feels natural. And I like that you're giving them an out — they can just say no, and you learn something. Lucas: Exactly. And if they say yes, you get a powerful asset. But here's the thing, and this is where I want to bring it back to the bigger picture. Testimonials aren't just marketing fluff. They're a way to audit your own impact. When you have to articulate your value in concrete terms, you start to realize what you're actually good at, and that's the foundation for charging what you're worth. Luna: So the act of collecting testimonials is almost like a personal performance review. And one that you control. Lucas: That's a great way to put it. And honestly, if this episode gave you one small shift in how you see your own work, maybe you'd consider supporting the show. We're a small independent pod, and listener support keeps us going. If you feel like it, you can buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to say thanks if you found this useful. Luna: And we really do read every message. It's genuinely nice to know when something lands. Lucas: So, back to Sarah. The other thing she did, which I think is worth stealing, is that she started using her testimonials as a negotiation tool. When a prospect would push back on her rate, she wouldn't discount. She'd say, 'Let me show you what past clients have said about the impact.' Luna: That's a much stronger position than just saying 'my rates are my rates.' Lucas: Exactly. And she found that the prospects who still pushed back after seeing specific numbers weren't the right fit anyway. They were looking for a commodity, not a consultant. So the testimonials acted as a filter. Luna: So the whole system — asking for specific testimonials, using them in proposals, and using them as a negotiation tool — made her more confident and more selective. And that's what allowed her to raise rates by thirty percent. Lucas: Right. And it wasn't a one-time bump either. She told me that a year later, she'd raised rates again, and she credits the testimonial practice for keeping her grounded in her value. It's a habit she now does after every single project, no matter how small. Luna: I love that it's a habit. Because if you only do it when you need a marketing boost, it's not going to have the same effect on your mindset. Lucas: Exactly. So my challenge to our listeners is simple: go back through your last three or four projects and look at your testimonials. Are they specific? Do they name a number or a concrete outcome? If not, you know what to do. Send a quick follow-up to those clients and ask for a more detailed version. You might be surprised at what they say. Luna: And if they can't think of anything specific, that's a red flag worth investigating. Maybe you need to change how you communicate your results during the project. Lucas: That's a really good point. You can't ask for a testimonial that doesn't exist in the client's mind. So part of this is also documenting your wins as you go. Share progress reports, send a summary of results at the end — so when you ask for the testimonial, it's not a leap. Luna: So it's a three-part system: deliver with clear outcomes, collect specific testimonials, and then use them to position yourself. I can see why this worked for Sarah. Lucas: And I think the real lesson here is that pricing isn't just about the service you provide. It's about the story you tell — to yourself and to your clients. Testimonials are a way to make that story concrete and credible. Luna: And that's a story worth telling. Thanks for walking us through it, Lucas. I'm definitely going to look at my own testimonials with fresh eyes after this. Lucas: I might just do the same. That's it for today — go collect some specific proof of your own value.