A Client Asked Me to Remove His Testimonial: How I Handle Trust and Consent

This week a client asked me to remove his testimonial from my website.

No dispute. No drama. He just did not want his words used publicly anymore.

I took it down straight away. No questions, no “are you sure,” no trying to talk him round.

Then I sat with it for a minute.

It wasn’t because I minded losing the testimonial. It was because of what it made me realise about the people reading my website.

If one happy client felt uneasy about being named, someone reading this probably feels exactly the same.

So let me show you exactly how this works. There is no mystery to it.

Every testimonial on my site got there the same way. The client wrote it themselves, in their own words. Then they ticked a box that says, in plain English, “you can use my testimonial publicly in your marketing and sales.”

No tick, nothing goes public. Ever.

I use a tool called Senja to keep that clean. It stores every testimonial alongside the permission to use it publicly. So I always know exactly who has said yes, and who hasn’t.

Why do I bother with all of this?

Because you have no real reason to believe me when I say I am good at this. Of course I would say that. I run a business.

But a client with nothing to sell you, describing in their own words what we actually changed together, is worth more than anything I could ever write about myself.

One thing still surprises me.

People who came in stressed about money, and left with a plan they finally understand, tend to want to tell someone.

There are now 106 of those testimonials on my website. Real people. Real names. Their own words. You can read every one of them here: https://www.bamillionaire.com/testimonials

I don’t know of another financial adviser or planner in Ireland with over 100 client testimonials on their website.

I have never submitted a single one of them. I only ever use the words my clients chose themselves.

Now the number I am actually prouder of.

245 of my clients chose not to give a public testimonial.

Different reasons. Some are private about money. Some simply didn’t fancy it.

Every one of those answers is completely fine.

You will never see their names anywhere. Not on the site. Not in a post. Not anywhere. The answer was no, so the answer stays no.

I am one person trying to change how financial advice is done in this country. I do not have a big firm or a marketing budget behind me. What I have is my reputation and the trust of the people I work with.

I will never trade that for a bigger wall of testimonials.

So if you have ever held back from working with someone because you were unsure where your story might end up, I understand it. With me the rule is simple. Your words are yours. They go public only if you say so, and they come straight back down the moment you change your mind.

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