In my eBook, "The RFP Transformation - Take Your Virtual Assistant Proposal From Blah to Bling", I offer a list of RED FLAGS and Tips to be aware of when vetting and securing potential RFP Clients. This the 7th RED FLAG in the 10-Part weekly series.

Supporting Your Proposal with Testimonials

Please remember that the proposal is not about you, your children or your life stories.

The emphasis in your proposal should incorporate what you can do to support the potential client’s business and the value you can bring to the partnership.

Testimonials from past or present clients offer ancillary evidence as to the significance you conveyed to a particular client’s business. Thus, adding testimonials to a proposal builds trust.

So I recommend incorporating at least one testimonial in your client proposal.

Why are testimonials so vital to a well-crafted proposal?

• Testimonials are not sales-y because they are not written by you. An impartial statement written by another party strongly suggests truth behind the words.
  
• Testimonials remove any uncertainty and disbelief about you as an outsider writing to a potential client you have never met.

Link Testimonials Back to Your Website

I recommend that testimonials should be incorporated in the proposal content and include a link back to your website where they initially reside. This link is a continuation of the credence the testimonial offers as it is posted for the public to view and not solely hidden within the proposal itself.

It is important to have a page on your site specifically devoted to testimonials about you and your work.

I suggest the use of a client photo along with the testimonial quote on the VA website. If a potential client clicks from your proposal to your website to view the testimonial, have a great testimonial page available with good photos. Photos offer an additional ounce of credibility and match the quoted words to a personalized image. This is a great opportunity for a potential client to view your other testimonials on one page as well.

Bonus Tips

• Create interest on your Testimonial Page by including audio testimonials of present and former clients in addition to written testimonials. Create a Google Voice account and a special phone number just for audio testimonials. Follow instructions for embedding audio files on your website https://support.google.com/voice/answer/164648?hl=en Invite past and present clients to leave an audio and a written testimonial for use on your website and in your proposals.
  
• If you are a new VA and do not have any testimonials, the most expedient means to build an recommendation arsenal is to volunteer your services at any local non-profit organization in exchange for a testimonial.

For more RFP RED FLAG Tips: #6 - Using Social Media To Stand Out After the Proposal is Submitted

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