Virtual Assistant – THE Blog About Our Industry

About the Virtual Assistant industry for VAs and for clients

Category Archives: Mistakes VAs make

How to get your first client as a Virtual Assistant

One question that is often asked on VA forums is ‘how do I get my first client?’ and the answers are always forthcoming from those who have already been there.  When the new VA gets the answers they nearly always balk at the prospect of having to go out and meet people and network.  I believe most of them think that in working at and from home means they will never have to go out into that big wide world again – wrong!

You might be operating as a Virtual Assistant but that doesn’t you mean you can’t or shouldn’t be out and about mixing and mingling with other business owners locally. After all, they are your potential client base.  The work can still be done virtually – but meeting people? That doesn’t have to be done all online and often people like to work with those they’ve met and trust.

So many say that they are shy, or they are not social people.  But I have to say the reality is, you’re in business. Social or not – you have to get out there and let people know you exist. I know lots of people think that working at home means you don’t have to go out and mix and mingle, but the reality is you do. People won’t know you exist unless you let them know. And on a local level that means going out physically and not just being available online. You’ll find that many local people won’t realise you exist and hadn’t even thought to look for you online.

Networking isn’t really that hard at all but it helps to be prepared. Dress appropriately for business events.  Take business cards with you (and NEVER go without them).  Ask people what they do and how they got started? People like to talk about themselves and it will take the pressure off you. They will almost always ask ‘and what about you?’ and that is the perfect time for you to share what you do, and even how you can help them, if what they said gives you any clues in that regard. Make sure you don’t suffer from verbal diarrohea – they don’t need your life story, so keep it short and sharp.  Swap business cards and make sure you follow up when you’re back home, either by mail, email or phone a couple of days later.  The first contact has been made and who knows where it will lead?

How is your mindset?

Periodically I feel the need to touch on this subject. I see business coaches talking to other business people about this also.  The importance of your mindset when running a business.

As with any industry, it’s not just about how well you do a particular thing, or how much you know about it, it is also about your ability to run a business, deal with people, and not quit when the going gets tough. Because it does get tough from time to time.  I can’t say it’s ever been easy, but I can definitely say it’s been rewarding.

Having the right mindset when operating as a Virtual Assistant is very important. For the most part, you are working on your own, in your home office, and you won’t have someone you can turn around and talk to, ask questions of, or defer to when something goes wrong. The buck stops with you!

For all that, joining Virtual Assistant networks is a great thing to do as it allows you to mix and mingle with your peers, learn from your peers and share information as you gain more knowledge and experience.

One very important thing to remember is that a client, is a client, is a client. They are NOT employers.  They don’t tell you how much you should be paid for the work you do – as you will set the rates for your charges.  They won’t be paying your taxes, insurances, sick leave or other aspects of your business expenses.  You will be paying those.  Personally I feel if they’re not paying those expenses they don’t have the right to say how much you should be paid (note: the word ‘paid’ is another employee type mindset, as opposed to billing or charging a client).

It is equally important for VAs to remember they are not employees and need to shift away from that mindset. Boss-employer/employee to service provider/client.  A very different mindset. And how you conduct yourself and deal with these people will make a big difference. If you’re apologetic, looking for confirmation, and not prepared to give advice when the client needs it, it’s hard to consider what the relationship is.   You need to be confident about what you can do for the client, the type of services you offer and what your charges are.

 

Can you follow instructions?

May I encourage all new and prospective VAs out there, to carefully read web pages before filling out forms and pressing submit.

Just recently I got told by a prospective VA that I was rude and she wouldn’t want to work for my company anyway.  Why did she say this to me (via email)? Because I told her that she’d filled out the wrong form and as a result we could not help her.  She was looking for VA work and had filled out a form for clients seeking support from Virtual Assistants.

The page is clearly titled ‘Client Support’ and explains what information needs to be entered into the form and that the client can expect to hear from 3 or 4 Virtual Assistant team members fairly soon with their quotes and turnaround time.

How can anyone perceive this to mean they fill out the form to get work as a Virtual Assistant?  Especially since there is a tab in the menu that says ‘Join our VAs’.    I tried to tell her as nicely as I could that if she couldn’t read the information there and determine it was the wrong form then I would have serious concerns about her ability to take on work from clients and do what is required.  She took exception to that and was obviously quite angry in her response to me.

I know and understand how it feels when you’re desperately seeking work online and the time involved in going from site to site and making contact with lots of different people. But the reality is if you cannot fill out the right form, or read the information in front of you which clearly indicates you’re on the wrong page, then I have to knock you back. She could have contacted me via the contact form instead asking for advice about becoming a team member. She would  have gotten a very different response.

So for those out there seeking work – it is there, but please take the time to read carefully before filling out forms, and if unsure, either pick up the phone or send a simple enquiry via the right form.  If you can’t follow instructions or determine the correct application for use then I really can’t use you on our team.

Whatever happened to professionalism?

aaarrghh!  I can’t believe how many emails I get these days where people do not sign off, or include contact details. What is wrong with people these days? Is email no longer considered a professional way of contacting others?

What am I talking about?  Signature blocks. I receive emails from Virtual Assistants, from service and product providers, from other organisations where people just sign off with their firstname and nothing else.  No surname, no business name, no website address, no phone number, nothing.

Like yes I have everyone’s details at my fingertips and why shouldn’t I waste my time trying to look up that information if I want to visit their website or give them a ring on the phone?  The amount of time I’ve wasted going through older emails to get someone’s details if I don’t have them on my database, or having to google to find them.  It’s extremely annoying.

I was purchasing wooden photo frames recently for an exhibition I have coming up – the provider just signs off with her first name and nothing else.  I already had to email her and ask for her address. And then she wondered why I didn’t know what hours her shop was open after I complained I’d gone down there for a pick up only to find the shop was closed.  How was I to know she’s not open on Mondays?

An NFP organisation that was fixing a problem on their website for me – not giving the web link after letting me know things have been sorted.  I don’t remember everyone’s web addresses off by heart.

Many VAs do it too. Give your readers and potential audience/clients the chance to know how to find you online and by phone by always making it available to them through your signature block. It’s your online business card!

Ok, vent over, but hopefully you get the point.  Make sure that you have more than just your name at the end of your emails – you stand to lose potential business otherwise.

What are you promoting?

A few weeks ago I had an interesting comment from someone who was looking for VA support. They said to me “I would have asked you but I know how busy you are and didn’t think you had room for me”. oops, is that how people really see me?

It was too late to say I was interested in the role – they’d already engaged another VA. But it did make me realise that others may have this perception too.

How are you promoting yourself? It’s good to let people know you’re busy but are you telling them you’re too busy to help them if they have a need?

As mentioned in other posts I do have a team of VAs so if I hit a very busy period I can call on them to help lighten the load, but generally I would like to make the decision if I’m too busy – and not someone else ;-)

If you’re on the other side of the fence and there is someone you’d like to approach but you think they’re too busy, why not ask them anyway? You might just get a pleasant surprise. Things are not always as they appear.