When a customer asks for references and you're a new company

[StartupsRFun]

Looking for some advice and figure this could help others too. When you are a new company just starting out, what is some strategies to use when a potential customer asks for references and/or to see your previous work?

 

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[sparechange]

Looking for some advice and figure this could help others too. When you are a new company just starting out, what is some strategies to use when a potential customer asks for references and/or to see your previous work?

Offer some free work maybe.

 

[Johnny boy]

1. Make a fake company website using a template
2. Contact info goes to a email address only
3. Give them your friends name and number and say they are the owner

Or just tell them you're new

 

[sparechange]

1. Make a fake company website using a template
2. Contact info goes to a email address only
3. Give them your friends name and number and say they are the owner

Or just tell them you're new

Genius

 

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[minivanman]

Way back in the day, we gave them my now ex-girlfriend' mothers number and she covered for us. And I think we gave them another person or 2 that covered for us. And then after a few months, we had legit references. References really aren't worth the paper they are written on. Nowadays you could get a free Google number and get someone to leave a voice message so it wouldn't be yours and then get your wife/ husband/ boyfriend/ girlfriend/ sister to get a google number and do the same. Tell the potential customer to text if they can't get an answer and then you can log on and respond.

 

[GatsbyMag]

a low effort way is simply to say that your customers prefer to be anonymous and then proceed to verbally share use cases that would align to what you want to do with the potential customer.

An even more effective way is to understand why your potential customer needs reference stories to make a decision.

Once you've found the why, figure out an alternative way to meet the need. It could be that they need a demonstration of sorts to instill further confidence.

 

[MattR82]

What kind of business is it?

 

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[alexkuzmov]

Looking for some advice and figure this could help others too. When you are a new company just starting out, what is some strategies to use when a potential customer asks for references and/or to see your previous work?

Well dont you have any previous work?
Nothing you can show, no portfolio or anything?
Why not make something that the customer wants and then show it to them?
Something like a prototype.
Showing a product or service in action is worth a 1000 references.

 

[Putt]

The only time I ever asked for references from a business was when I hired a visa consultant. If anyone asks me about prior clients, I always pull the confidentiality card. Even with hundreds of clients on my books, a client that asks for references is a bad sign for me. On the website, we talk about a 'multi-billion dollar investment firm' as one of our clients and 'multiple state governments' but we'd never include the actual name.

 

[becks22]

Don't lie, that starts your relationship off on the wrong foot.

If you don't have any work, then give them a reference of someone who can speak to your character.

 

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[Stam]

Looking for some advice and figure this could help others too. When you are a new company just starting out, what is some strategies to use when a potential customer asks for references and/or to see your previous work?

Ask the first ones if they want to be a reference customer, then use those. Give away free/cheap work for them. Its funny that 2 years ago when I started my current company, everyone asked for references. Now they dont ask at all, so it could be your attitude also. I figured its that for me at least.

 

[StartupsRFun]

What kind of business is it?

Tiny homes, and I suspect the reference thing is just because its a large purchase and people want to feel secure in it.

 

[biophase]

Tiny homes, and I suspect the reference thing is just because its a large purchase and people want to feel secure in it.

They probably want to see the quality of the homes you have built. I would do the same with a builder.

 

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[Ing]

How can you build houses, when you haven’t built any, which you can take a pic of?