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The most expensive sentence on a sales page is "our clients get great results."
It is expensive because it makes a promise about a group of people, and you may have no records on most of the group. You have a few happy messages, a few screenshots and a vague sense that things went well. That is a mood, not a measurement. If you want results you can publish, you have to build the habit of measuring them from the first day of the work.
Why can't you publish a result you never measured?
Because a claim needs a basis, and a basis needs a record.
When you say a client "doubled their revenue," a skeptical reader should be able to ask: from what, over what period, measured how, and was that normal? If your honest answer is "I remember it was around that," you do not have a result. You have a recollection.
The standard is "typical," not "best"
The FTC's health products guidance says testimonials do not substitute for substantiation, that testimonials showing results more dramatic than typical users can expect are likely deceptive, and that a disclaimer such as "results not typical" does not cure the problem. The ad should instead disclose the results a typical consumer can expect.3 That guidance was written for health products, but the logic travels. For earnings claims, FTC business guidance on multi-level marketing says a claim should be backed by reliable, empirical evidence about what the typical person in the audience is likely to achieve, and that a "results not typical" statement is not enough.4
What should you record, and when?
Four moments. Keep the fields few and the definitions fixed.
At intake: the baseline
Record the starting point in the same units you will use later. For a business client, that might be monthly revenue, leads per week or hours worked. For another kind of service, it might be a score or a count. Write down how it was measured and by whom. A result without a baseline is a number floating in space.
At check-ins: the same measures, on a schedule
Pick two or three measures and ask for them on the same schedule every time. Resist adding new ones midstream, because changing the yardstick makes everything before it harder to compare. Note anything unusual that affects the number, such as a seasonal swing or a change in price.
At exit: the outcome and the story
Record the final measure, and also what the client thinks changed and why. The first is data. The second is context, and it often matters more to a reader.
After exit: a follow-up
A result that held six months later is worth more than one measured on the last day. If you can, check in later and record what happened, including when the gain faded.
- IntakeBaseline, in the units you will use later
- Check-insThe same two or three measures, on a schedule
- ExitFinal measure plus what the client thinks changed
- Follow-upDid the gain hold six months later?
How do you build a results ledger?
One sheet. One row per client.
- List the columns. Client ID (not a name), start date, offer, baseline, check-in 1, check-in 2, exit value, follow-up value, notes and consent status.
- Define each measure in a sentence. For example: "Monthly revenue = gross receipts from sales, per the client's own books."
- Enter every client. Include the ones who stalled or left. If a client is missing from the ledger, you cannot call anything typical.
- Mark data quality. Note whether each number came from the client's records, a screenshot or memory. Only the first kind should support a public claim.
- Compute the summary yourself. Median and range, plus how many clients are in the group. Those numbers, not your best story, describe what is typical.
- Review the ledger quarterly. Check for gaps, drift in definitions and clients with unrecorded outcomes. It fits the same rhythm as a weekly scorecard.
Do not measure only the touchpoints
Harvard Business Review's "The Truth About Customer Experience" argues that companies focus too heavily on touchpoints, the moments of interaction, and that optimizing each can give a misleading picture of how customers feel while pulling attention from the end-to-end journey.6 Apply that here. A glowing post-call survey is a touchpoint. A change in the client's own numbers over the engagement is the journey.
What does the FTC's testimonials rule change?
It bans a set of practices outright.
The FTC finalized its rule on fake reviews and testimonials in August 2024. It prohibits fake or false reviews, buying reviews conditioned on a particular sentiment, undisclosed insider reviews, company-controlled sites posing as independent, review suppression through intimidation or baseless legal threats, and buying fake social media indicators.1 The rule went into effect on October 21, 2024.2
What it means for collecting proof
- Do not write testimonials in a client's name, or edit them to say things the client did not say.
- Incentives are allowed, but not if they depend on the review expressing a particular sentiment, explicitly or implicitly.2
- Reviews or testimonials from people with a material connection to you, such as employees or relatives, must disclose that connection clearly.2
- Do not hide or remove negative reviews through intimidation or groundless legal threats.2
How do you get consent that holds up?
Ask early, in writing, and make it easy to say no.
What to include
State exactly what will be published, such as the numbers, the quote, the first name or the company name. State where it will appear and for how long, how the client can withdraw consent and whether they can review the final wording. Include a statement that you will not alter the meaning of their words.
When to ask
Ask at the start, as part of onboarding, and again at the point of publishing. A client who agreed in the first week may feel differently after an outcome that did not match their hopes. Respect it.
How do you turn the ledger into proof?
Run every public claim through a short test. If it is headed for a write-up, the structure in Case Studies That Sell takes over from here.
| Before you publish | Ask yourself |
|---|---|
| The number | Is it in the ledger, from the client's records? |
| The group | How many clients, and how did the others do? |
| The context | Did anything unusual drive the result? |
| The wording | Does it say what happened, not what will happen to the reader? |
| The consent | Do you have it in writing, and is it current? |
If the answers are clean, publish with the group size and the typical range next to the standout story. If they are not, wait. A smaller claim you can defend beats a bigger one you cannot.
The habit I trust most in client work is dull: measure at the start, measure on a schedule, and keep the record. It is dull because it is what lets you say a true thing about your work with a straight face. I show client outcomes with first names only on my results page.
Your best result is a story. Your typical result is a claim. Know which one you are publishing.
Keep building.Ekai
Questions people ask
Why do I need to track client results?
Because proof you can publish has to be measured before, during and after the work. Without a baseline and consistent check-ins, a result is a story, and a story cannot support a claim about what customers can typically expect.
Can I show my best client result in marketing?
Showing a standout result without context risks creating a misleading impression. FTC guidance on health products says testimonials showing more dramatic results than typical users can expect are likely deceptive, and that a 'results not typical' disclaimer does not cure it.
Can I offer clients something in exchange for a review?
The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, effective October 21, 2024, allows incentives unless they are conditioned on a particular sentiment, whether explicit or implicit. Material connections must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously.
What should a consent form for publishing results include?
What will be published, in what form, where, for how long, whether the name is used, and how the client can withdraw. Get it in writing before you publish, and keep a copy.
Sources
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