Feb 16 '09, 11:50 AMA valuable, but little known feature of BiggerPockets.com is the ability to request Professional Trade References or Testimonials from your colleagues.
As you can see from the image below, which comes from my profile (see section below my colleagues), your references are neatly displayed on your profile for all to see:
Why References & Testimonials are Helpful
Having your partners, customers, clients, or colleagues write you a reference allows other members to see that you're someone that they should also be working with. It embeds a level of trust to your profile.
BiggerPockets is a vast network of tens of thousands of real estate investors, professionals, and consumers. If someone has the opportunity to work with someone who has no positive references/testimonials or someone with many, who do you think they'll choose?
The great thing about our references is that they are NOT anonymous! You can always contact someone's references for more information about a member, and in turn, see that they are the real deal!
How Do You Get Started Building Up Your References?
1. You can request a reference from ANY member of BiggerPockets that you are colleagues with. If there is someone that you're interested in getting a reference from who is not yet a member, just invite them to join the site using the INVITE link, which is located above the search box at the top of all pages.
2. The easiest way to add a reference is to go to the profile of your colleague and select the REQUEST REFERENCE link located below their profile image. They'll get the reference request and can, at their leisure, write it for you.
Another way to go is:
3. View the list of your colleagues from the DASHBOARD, by hovering your mouse over the Networking Link in the gray horizontal bar near the top of the page and clicking on MY COLLEAGUES.
4. You can now find those colleagues that you'd like to get a reference from. Simply click the REQUEST REFERENCE link for the people you want one from and they will be notified by email and on their dashboard that they have a PENDING Reference Request.
5. When the reference is submitted, it will appear on your profile and you'll be notified.
Writing an Effective Reference
It is important to write an effective reference if someone requests one from you. Writing a brief sentence stating that someone was good to work with is a waste of everyone's time. A good reference/testimonial will include information such as your relationship with the person you're writing about, how long you've worked together, and under what circumstances. You want to be detailed enough that people who don't know the person you're writing about get the picture.
What Are You Waiting For?
Get out there and start inviting your clients, partners, customers, and colleagues to the site and have them write you outstanding references to help build up your status and sellability!
