How would a new VA go about providing references to prospective clients if they do not have any current clients? I'm curious to see what others have done when they were just starting out.

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Margaret
Helping You Build Your Empire

If you have written references from former employers you can use those but I'd pull their quotes onto a new document and refer to them as testimonials. You can also add them to your website.

Another way to earn a good testimonial relevant to your business is by volunteering an hour or two a week to a non-profit. It also gives you experience working with a client so you'll be ready to roll when you bring on board a paying client.

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Linda
Clockwise Virtual Assistance

The testimony from companies you have had professional dealings with even as an employee is valid and as Linda mentions, previous employers' recommendations are really useful.

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Sabrina L. Williams
For a bird's eye view of your business

Quote:

Another way to earn a good testimonial relevant to your business is by volunteering an hour or two a week to a non-profit

I completely agree with this advice. You could also take on a project or two as in intern in exchange for a written testimony.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Hello Linda,
I am currently in the same position. However Their many other things which your potential clients would be interested in.

Such as Qualifications, Work experience. Software experience.

Hope that helps

By the way which area are you specializing in for your VA business..

I am in the same boat as Margaret.
Linda, in reference to your comment, so if I have referral letters from previous employers, pull the letter content and add testimonials? Just their name and company? Does it matter how long ago the letters were written? Like even over 15 years ago?

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Fatima A., Owner
http://virtualadminconnection.com

Fatima, I used the best quote from each written reference letter, not the entire letter. I referred to those testimonials as "What Other People Are Saying About Linda". This got around the issue that the testimonials were about me, as an individual, and not my business. I am a solo VA practice so feel that those testimonials are still relevant. As I earn testimonials from my business clients I am dropping the employer testimonials off the list.

Choose a sentence (or two) that you think is most relevant to the services that you are offering, and sets you apart. Pull quotes that don't shout out that you were an employee or read too much like a standard reference. You probably only need three or four testimonials, just enough to show that people have good things to say about your work and your attitude.

You can just add the title of each person if you want it to remain more anonymous or use their name and title. I omitted their company name - just a personal preference. If a PC wishes to contact someone I worked for, I want to be able to ask them ahead of time. If in doubt, check with your former employers before publishing. If they gave you a written reference you should be fine, but it doesn't hurt to run it by them. Your call.

As for testimonials from 15 years ago, I think it depends on their relevance to the services that you intend to offer. In general, I think people prefer more recent testimonials but if you need to dig that far back and it's relevant, then I say go for it.

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Linda
Clockwise Virtual Assistance

I did use one former employer on my web page, but noted that he was a former supervisor. Guess I'll be taking a second look at that.

Thank you for all the great responses!

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Margaret
Helping You Build Your Empire

Volunteering is by far the best way to build testimonials for a website.

Volunteering doesn't mean having to go some place every day. It can be doing virtual work for a local church or humane society. My own humane society is looking for people to research rescue groups for their no-kill program.

Volunteer to do something that is one of the services you provide. If you create Facebook pages, offer to create the page for a non-profit and then use that image on your site as part of your portfolio so paying clients can see the good work you do.

If you offer accounting or bookkeeping services, offer to help with that an hour a week at a church or synagogue and ask if in return they can feature your business in their weekly bulletin. Free advertising and a testimonial.

I found many paying clients this way, built a good network of referrals, built a good reputation for helping, fine tuned my services without having to worry whether I was on the clock and garnered excellent testimonials.

When clients see that you volunteer, this opens up doors for conversation. I also got a press release and a news spot for working on a project for a local school.

Plus it just feels good to help others.

Janine

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There are some really good ideas mentioned here plus the (partly) none selfish element of doing good for a charity or non-profit organization.

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Sabrina L. Williams
For a bird's eye view of your business