Should Professional Virtual Assistants Provide References?

I saw a recent post that addressed this issue. The gist of the writer’s opinion was that no, you shouldn’t and that if a prospective client wanted references then they didn’t understand the difference between an employee and a Virtual Assistant. She emphasized that a VA should distinguish between references and testimonials.

Ok, yes, I agree that testimonial is a better word and that we need to educate the marketplace that we are professionals and not employees. But at the end of the day - really, what’s the difference? What is it that your prospective client is really asking for?

They want you to eliminate their risk.

Period, end of discussion.

Ok, well let’s discuss a little…
When someone, anyone, hires a service, any service, they are taking a risk that the service provider will deliver upon their agreement. It’s not like they can take a box or a can off the shelf and read the ingredients. And they can’t sit across a desk and interview you.

So how do you replace those elements? As this writer stated, you clearly need to go back and review your marketing materials to be sure you are conveying the right message. No doubt.

But even so, anyone can put up a blog and say anything they want (yep, me too!) but that doesn’t make it real. Testimonials can be placed on a website but I can write those myself too. References, however can be verified.

Are we just talking about definitions here? Testimonials vs. References? Maybe. But the truth is that your prospective clients may want to hear from as objective a source as possible, that you are good. That you are worth the risk. They may not have found you from a referral, they may have found you on a Google Search or a job board so all they have is your word - and I don’t care how professional your website looks, it will only open the door to a relationship, it won’t create trust.

Blogging can demonstrate your knowledge and professionalism but it can be faked too. How many people are on Elance looking for ghostwriters for their blogs? These people ask writers to research and write for their blogs so that they can demonstrate the blog owner’s credibility. In fact, what they are demonstrating is the ghostwriter’s ability to research and write - about someone else’s expertise (their research sources).

So all your clients can go on that is reasonably (but not definitely) solid is a testimonial/reference (pick your term and let’s get on with it).

What do you do if you are a new VA?

Talk to former employers, coworkers, customers of your former employers, in short, anyone who has first hand knowledge of your expertise and professionalism. Ask them if they would be willing to give you a testimonial and if they are willing to have their contact information shared. This is absolutely key!

You don’t want to blast their contact information all over the World Wide Web if they don’t want you to. But then again, it could be good for their business too! So if you can find people who are willing to give you a testimonial and who would benefit from the networking opportunity, so much the better - then you have something to offer them in return.

The real point of all of this, however, is to realize that you are asking people to trust you with only a “virtual relationship.” You don’t offer them something they can see, touch and take out for a test drive. So you must find ways to overcome that barrier and remove the risk for them without giving your services away for free.

Agree? Disagree? Please share your thoughts by commenting!

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