A business owner hiring a virtual assistant is handing over access to their calendar, inbox, and sometimes their finances. The stakes are high and the decision is based almost entirely on perceived trustworthiness.

In a market where you can’t meet in person and where LinkedIn is full of people with identical “detail-oriented, proactive, reliable” descriptions — testimonials from real clients are what differentiate you.

Who Is Hiring VAs

• Solopreneurs and coaches overwhelmed by admin and communications
• Small business owners who need inbox and calendar management
• E-commerce sellers who need order fulfillment and customer service support
• Content creators who need research, scheduling, and repurposing help
• Real estate agents managing transaction coordination
• Executives who need travel booking and project management support

When to Ask

At the 30-day mark with a new client:

“We’ve been working together for a month now and I hope things have been running more smoothly. If you’re happy with how it’s going, I’d love a LinkedIn recommendation — it means a great deal for my practice: [link]”

When you solve a significant problem:

“Glad we got that sorted out! If that’s the kind of work you want people to know I do, a recommendation on LinkedIn would be incredibly helpful: [link]”

At contract renewal:

“Really appreciate the renewal — it means a lot. If you’re comfortable sharing your experience, a testimonial on my website or LinkedIn would help me find more clients like you: [link]“

What a Strong VA Testimonial Looks Like

“I hired [name] when my inbox had 3,400 unread emails and I was spending 3 hours a day on administrative tasks that were keeping me from client work. Within two weeks, she had built a system, cleared the backlog, and I was down to 30 minutes of email work per day. Six months in, she anticipates things before I ask. I’ve regained probably 15 hours a month. Hiring her was one of the best business decisions I’ve made.”

Strong elements: quantified starting problem (3,400 emails, 3 hours/day), specific outcome (30 minutes/day), time horizon, proactivity evidence, ROI framing, and endorsement as business decision.

Segment Your Testimonials

Use SocialProof to tag testimonials by:

• Email / inbox management
• Calendar / scheduling
• E-commerce / customer service
• Content scheduling / social media
• Research and data entry
• Financial / bookkeeping support
• Real estate transaction coordination

Where to Collect Testimonials

1. LinkedIn recommendations — The gold standard for B2B/service provider credibility
2. Google Business Profile — If you have one set up
3. Upwork / Fiverr — Platform reviews if you work through these
4. Your website — Portfolio and testimonial by specialty via SocialProof
5. Email / video testimonials — For high-value clients who know you well

A Note on Video Testimonials

For VA work, video testimonials are exceptionally powerful. A 60-second video from a client saying “here’s what my workload looked like before, here’s what it looks like now” is a conversion asset that text can’t match.

Ask for video for your best clients. Offer to make it easy — give them 3 bullet points to address. Use SocialProof to collect and display text testimonials on your website — your clients can submit in 2 minutes with a simple link.

The VA who has 15 specific, outcome-focused testimonials will fill their client roster while competitors with identical skills stay underbooked. Start asking. Start collecting VA testimonials →