Request for recommendations?

[happyartmama]

I'm wondering if any other doulas out there are asked by prospective clients for recommendations from past couples? If so, do you ask your past clients if they can be called? Ask them to write a brief letter or summary of your support? I've never been asked this before, and while my past clients have expressed satisfaction and even offered to help "in any way we can" with my business, I also don't want to bug them or intrude on their time as a new family (although I guess you could approach clients from several months ago?...) Any ideas?

[MidwifeErika]

I was just thinking about this myself today! I think I am going to contact the clients whose babies are a few months old now and ask them if they could write a short letter of recommendation or even just a small blurb to put on my website. I have thought about bringing a form to the postpartum visit that would be a release that if someone asks me specifically to contact a previous client to ask, I could give out a name and email address or a name and phone number, but only if the client is comfortable doing that. Otherwise with writing something out, they could just be bothered 1 time and that could be as annonymous as they choose.

[GrrlyElizabeth]

I think testimonial blurbs on your website (if you have one) is a good way to handle it, though I don't think most of my past clients would mind speaking to someone if a potential client wanted it.

I volunteered to be a referral for our wedding photographer, whom I loved, and was only contacted once. I was happy to talk to the lady, but I think it would have gotten old if I'd been called regularly. If that had happened, I'd have written a brief letter for his site.

[MsBlack]

I am not a doula, but--

I have occasionally emailed former clients to ask for this service. If they are people I have remained more or less in contact with, and things are very friendly, I might call instead. I like email because it gives a little more space and time for their consideration.

I have just said something like: "I have a prospective client who is looking for personal refs. Would you be willing to talk with them? If so, how would you like contact to be made...phone, email, other? Thanks so much, whatever you decide is good with me."

Having people write a general letter of recommendation is good, but I think it holds more weight, and is more believable, if it is NOT anonymous, and if the writers are willing to be contacted. I find that their just saying on such a letter, "feel free to contact me if you want to hear more", is enough for most people seeking refs--they seldom do follow up with contact.

Also, it is good if you have a number of people willing to speak for you, so that no one is inundated with calls. Obviously, when you're just starting it's hard to have more than a few...but as you work w/more fams, knowing whether or not they're willing to someday provide a ref is great.

[BirthFree]

I have had people ask for recommendations - there are a few clients (some VBAC, some homebirth, some hospital, etc.) that have given me the ok to pass along e-mail addresses for people to contact them... so I do that.

Most of the time people don't ask, but a few times they have.

[bryonyvaughn]

No one's mentioned this but my concern would be privacy issues. In a reference conversation the prospective client is the receiver of goods and the previous client is the giver who gets no compensation. Because of this I think it is fairer to give the previous client the prospective client's contact information. The previous client shouldn't give up both time and personal information for no personal benefit. JMO

~BV

[midoulamom]

I wrote up a release for clients allowing me to give their names and phone numbers to prospective clients. So far I haven't had any clients ask for references but if I do I at least have a handful of clients who have already said they would and signed a release saying it was okay to use them as a reference. I figure if I ever do need to give out someone's name as a reference I will give that former client a call just to give them the heads up.

[DoomaYula]

I have asked clients to write blurbs for my site. If they say yes I just use their first name. I have some pics that clients have told me I can use on my site.

[courtenay_e]

At the end of our "decompress" session, I ask the clients if they'd be willing to be a reference for me, were somebody to ask. I've not had a family say no yet. They always say yes rather enthusiastically, actually. I've only had ONE family ask, though. I have had several families actually refer me to friends, and so I suppose I'd be more likely to send the reference calls to them, as they've SHOWN that they'd be happy to refer me!

[happyartmama]

Thanks for all the responses...they give me some ideas of how to go from here. I agree with a pp: even if a client was happy to be a reference, it could obviously get old after awhile, so perhaps a brief letter would be good to have. Thanks everyone!