I was reading a thread about issues VAs have had with VA subs and was wondering what everyone thought about this...

Do you provide your clients with sample work? Should I get some sample work already lined up so if a client asks for it I can say "here you go"?

Most of my work I already have samples of so this isn't a real biggy, just curious.

Thanks,

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Ferguson & Kurtz Professional Services
"where the virtual meets professional"

In my opinion, this is not something you would need to offer up front. But if they request it, certainly would not hurt for you to have a "portfolio" of sorts with some of your past projects.

On my website I actually offer this. I don't actually put the documents on the site, but give them the option of asking if they really want to see what I've done in the past.

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Kari Thevenot, Virtual Assistant
www.yourlefthand.net

A portfolio is always a good idea; whatever your specialty. Having a body of work you are proud of and can refer to is an excellent way to prove your mettle early on.

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Portfolios are especially helpful if you want to do desktop publishing or newsletters. I have had several clients ask for samples of newsletters I've created. I find it helpful to have electronic as well as hard copies.

Patti
Rahn Consulting ~ Virtual Assistance

Thank you ladies...

I am actually quite stoked...after a very stressful day at work, I got a "lead" for a possible client. Now hopefully my follow through is as good. Although I think that some of my energy and excitement in the prospect of helping other businesses is a plus, now I just need to show I know my stuff.

Thank you!

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Ferguson & Kurtz Professional Services
"where the virtual meets professional"

Congrats Brandy! Go for it!! Keep us posted on what happens. I'm sending you lots of good energy for the follow through.

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What would be ideas of sample work? Some of the work I do can't be sampled

I'm in the same boat. I don't really have samples of what I can do because most of it may be considered proprietary. I suppose I could ask my boss if I could use a couple of the press releases that I wrote for artist exhibits. I may also be able to use exerpts from the memoir I'm helping with, but the words aren't mine (and I don't always agree with certain grammar, punctuation and sentence structure she insists on using...lol), but I do have a couple of nice pages I created for her to highlight certain times (sort of like a "what happened this year" kind of thing). Other than that, if I really want to be able to provide "samples" of what I can do, I may have to make stuff up (a mock newsletter, for instance).

Has anyone else done this just so that they do have some sort of a portfolio?

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Stephanie
New VA in the research phase :daisy:

I was thinking more along the lines of using work I created when I was finishing my bachelor's last year in Business Admin.

Financial Statements, Business Evaluation Report, Business Plan, Resume, Cover Letter, Flyer, Business Card, Greeting Card.

Basically to let potential clients know the professional ability I can offer them. Now a days, people boast their professional abilities and drastically overstate or miss obvious ones such as "grammar and punctuation".

I am constantly exposed to colleagues as work who do not know the proper format for letters, spelling or wording/structure for documents. Hence I am already doing others work at my current job.

Brandy

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Ferguson & Kurtz Professional Services
"where the virtual meets professional"

Yes, I would most certaintly do a portfolio If a client asks for it then I can just easily email them a copy

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Julia Neal ...because we ♥ admin!
http://julianeal.wordpress.com