“I’d love to, but I’m really camera shy.” “I don’t have time right now.” “Let me check with legal and get back to you.”
Sound familiar? You ask a happy client for a video testimonial and they hit you with one of these excuses. So you back off. You wait. And that testimonial never happens.
Meanwhile, your competitor has ten testimonials on their website and they’re closing deals you should be winning.
Here’s the truth: getting video testimonials isn’t about finding clients who magically say yes. It’s about knowing exactly what to say when they say no—and making it so easy they can’t refuse.
Today I’m going to give you the exact scripts and strategies that turn “no” into “when do we start?”
This is episode two of The Video Sales Engine series.
Come with me!
Why Clients Say No
Before we talk about how to get a yes, let’s understand why clients say no in the first place.
It’s rarely about you. It’s about fear. Fear of looking bad on camera. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of the time commitment. Fear of the unknown.
Your job isn’t to convince them testimonials are important—they already know that. Your job is to remove every single barrier between them and saying yes.
Let me show you how.
The Right Time to Ask
Timing is everything. Most people ask for testimonials at the worst possible moment—when the project is done and the client has moved on mentally.
The best time to ask? Right after a win. When the client emails you saying “This is amazing!” or calls you excited about results—that’s your moment. They’re feeling the gratitude. They want to tell someone about it.
Strike while the iron is hot. “I’m so glad you’re happy! Would you be open to sharing your experience in a quick video testimonial? It would mean the world to us.”
Handling the “Camera Shy” Objection
This is the most common objection, and here’s how you handle it: “I totally understand—most of our clients feel the same way at first. That’s exactly why we don’t have you record yourself. We interview you on camera, either in person or remotely. I ask you simple questions, you just have a conversation with me, and our team handles all the editing. It’s actually easier than you think.”
The key phrase is “we interview you.” That changes everything. They’re not performing—they’re having a conversation. That removes ninety percent of the fear.
And here’s the secret: when you interview clients, you get dramatically better testimonials. They answer the questions prospects actually want to hear. They stay focused. They don’t ramble for ten minutes about things that don’t matter.
Handling the “No Time” Objection
“I don’t have time” usually means “I don’t want to add another thing to my plate.” So make it impossible for time to be an issue.
“It takes fifteen minutes total. We can do it remotely—you don’t even need to leave your office. I’ll send you a link, you click it, and we’re done in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. How about Thursday at two?”
Notice what I did there? I gave a specific time commitment, eliminated travel, and immediately offered a specific slot. Don’t ask “when works for you”—give them a time. Make it easy to say yes.
The “Legal” Stall Tactic
When clients say “Let me check with legal,” they often never come back. Here’s how to keep it moving: “Of course! We have a simple release form we can send over for legal to review. In my experience, it usually takes them about two days. Should I send it now so they can take a look while we schedule the session?”
You’re running the legal process in parallel with the scheduling, not in sequence. By the time legal approves, the session is already on the calendar.
The Bottom Line
Getting video testimonials comes down to three things: Ask at the right moment. Remove every barrier. Make it ridiculously easy to say yes.
And remember—interview your clients on camera, in person or remotely. Never ask them to self-record. That’s the difference between a testimonial that converts and one that collects dust.
In the next episode, I’m going to reveal the biggest mistake businesses make with video on their websites—and it’s probably killing your conversions right now.
That’s it for today. Before you go, don’t forget to give us a like or leave a comment, and, if you haven’t done it yet, subscribe to our channel to stay informed about everything related to video for business.
See you in the next Video Lion!
To learn more about video for business, go to: https://www.leibproductions.com/