Should Virtual Assistants Provide References?
There has been an ongoing debate in the Virtual Assistant community about whether potential clients should be allowed to ask for references.
Some VAs are offended by the request. Others don’t really mind. I’ve been on both sides of the fence over the years, and here’s how I see it now.
Virtual Assistance is no longer a brand-new industry. However, many business owners are still learning about what a VA does, how we can support their businesses, and what it is like to work with someone remotely.
Part of our job as Virtual Assistants is to educate potential clients about the value we bring to the table.
But remember: the interview goes both ways.
When you’re interviewing a potential client, you probably have a list of questions ready. You want to know about their business, their goals, their work style, their communication preferences, their technology, and what they actually need help with.
You’re trying to determine two important things:
- Can I work well with this client?
- Do I have the skills and experience to do what they need?
The potential client is doing exactly the same thing.
So when they ask for references, don’t automatically take it personally. They’re doing their due diligence.
And honestly, wouldn’t you do the same?
Would you hire another VA to join your team without knowing anything about their previous experience or speaking to people they’ve worked with?
I wouldn’t.
“But I’m a business owner. I shouldn’t have to provide references.”
This is one of the arguments I’ve heard many times, and one I tended to agree with.
The idea is that because we’re entrepreneurs and business owners ourselves, asking for references somehow diminishes our professional status.
I’m not 100% convinced.
If I’m going to trust an important part of my business to another person, I want to know about their track record.
I want to know what it’s actually like to work with them.
Are they reliable?
Do they communicate well?
Do they meet deadlines?
How do they handle problems?
What kind of results have they achieved?
Are there any quirks or working-style considerations I should know about?
And I wouldn’t limit that thinking to Virtual Assistants.
If I were hiring an accountant, lawyer, designer, consultant, contractor, or another professional to play a role in my business, I’d want to know about their experience and reputation too.
Asking questions isn’t an insult. It’s part of making an informed business decision.
But What If You’re a New VA or Starting Over?
Here’s where I think we need to make an important distinction.
Not every Virtual Assistant will have a long list of current clients or a stack of recent references.
Maybe you’re brand new to the VA industry.
Maybe you’ve been working behind the scenes for years but are only now turning those skills into a business.
Or maybe, like me, you’re returning to your VA business after taking some time away.
In those situations, not having current references doesn’t mean you don’t have valuable experience.
Your previous employment, freelance work, volunteer experience, business experience, and other professional roles may have given you plenty of transferable skills.
You may have years of experience managing schedules, working with customers, creating documents, handling administrative tasks, managing websites, organizing information, communicating with clients, or solving problems.
Those skills don’t suddenly disappear because you’ve taken a break from your business.
If you don’t have current VA clients who are willing to act as references, be honest about it.
You can explain that you’re rebuilding your client base, restarting your business, or entering the VA industry.
Then give potential clients other ways to get to know you and evaluate your work.
You might provide:
- Testimonials from previous clients or employers
- Examples of your work
- A portfolio
- Case studies
- Professional references from previous roles
- A detailed description of your experience and skills
- A discovery call where you can discuss their needs and how you would approach them
You don’t need to pretend you have a decade of current VA clients if you don’t.
Honesty is more valuable than trying to manufacture a track record you don’t have.
And remember that everyone starts somewhere.
A new VA shouldn’t feel like they have to turn away good opportunities simply because they don’t yet have a long list of references.
Instead, focus on demonstrating what you can do.
What About Testimonials?
Testimonials are wonderful, and you should absolutely use them if you have them.
A thoughtful testimonial can tell a potential client a lot about your work and the experience of working with you.
But testimonials are also static.
A testimonial might tell me that you were wonderful to work with, that you saved your client countless hours, or that you went above and beyond.
A conversation with an actual former client can give me a different kind of information.
I can ask questions.
I can learn more about what you were hired to do, how you communicated, how you handled challenges, and what the working relationship was really like.
There’s value in hearing directly from another business owner who has trusted you with their business.
Due Diligence Goes Both Ways
There’s another reason I don’t think we should be surprised when potential clients ask for references.
A lot of people discover Virtual Assistants online.
And while the internet has made it easier than ever to find talented professionals, it has also made it easier for people to lie.
A potential client may have never worked with a VA before. They may be unfamiliar with the industry and unsure of what questions they should even be asking.
Checking references is one way for them to feel more comfortable before giving access to their business, systems, information, or customers.
That’s not unreasonable.
In fact, it’s good business sense.
And let’s turn the tables for a moment.
As VAs, we should be doing our own due diligence too.
We’re not just looking for someone who can pay our invoices. We’re choosing clients and relationships that can have a significant impact on our work life.
We should be asking questions, checking that the relationship feels like a good fit, and making sure the expectations are clear on both sides.
References Don’t Have to Be a Bad Thing
If a potential client asks for references, you have a choice.
You can be offended by the request.
Or you can see it as an opportunity to demonstrate the trust you’ve built with previous clients.
Of course, you should always protect your clients’ privacy and only provide references from people who have agreed to be contacted.
You can also decide that you don’t provide references and instead offer testimonials, case studies, or other examples of your work.
That’s a perfectly reasonable business decision.
And if you’re a new VA or rebuilding your business, you may not have references to provide yet. That’s okay too.
What matters is that you’re transparent about where you are in your business and give potential clients other ways to evaluate your experience, professionalism, and skills.
A reference is simply one piece of the puzzle.
It isn’t the entire picture.
A potential client is considering trusting you with their business. They want to know that you’re capable, dependable, and worth that trust.
And as VAs, we should want our potential clients to feel confident in hiring us.
After all, wouldn’t you want to know the same thing before hiring someone to help with your business?
I know I would.
