Want New Clients For Your Virtual Assistant Business?
Avoid this costly MISTAKE …
[True Story] I was recently engaged by a client to find a suitable virtual assistant to provide additional support in her rapidly expanding business. The role was an excellent long-term online position. That meant a long-term contract. Long-term income! The client was especially looking for someone with a positive attitude (“service with a smile” so to speak). In addition to that, the client was a wonderful person to work with, the kind of client you dream of. Great opportunity, you’d agree no doubt! So I set out on my quest to find the right person and set up some meetings to talk with suitable virtual assistants online over skype.
Two of the virtual assistants I spoke to were actively looking for new clients. I was amazed by their strong online presence. They both featured very professionally on twitter and facebook. They were well featured in small business virtual assistant forums and both seemed, at first look, to be perfect for the role I was looking to fill. So who won the contract? Who of the two secured this new long-term client and why? What can YOU learn from this experience?
Who WON the new client contract?
In actual fact, after speaking to both these ladies, neither of them!
Why on this occasion did they fail to win the contract – even though both seemed so “hungry” for the deal?
While both these assistants presented beautifully online, and in the written form they failed to communicate effectively during the live discussion. They didn’t display the right attitude.
Instead of finding out what the client wanted, they spoke more about what they did. When I went into detail about the client expectations I was surprised to find both of the virtual assistants questioning what the client wanted. Doubting the client’s request. In effect doubting the client’s knowledge of their own industry! I was even more surprised in the manner they communicated. Certainly not the attitude of good service my client would expect from a virtual assistant.
If you’re struggling to find new clients for your virtual assistant business, take a moment to think about how you’re communicating at your first introductory meeting. It’s great to show initiative, it’s great to bring up new ideas BUT caution is needed. At the introductory stage, it’s not the time to start correcting your potential new client, telling them how they should be doing things.
Tips so you don’t make the same mistake…
When engaging with a new prospective client for the first time find out what they really want…
- Research you’re new client’s business and industry BEFORE you speak with them.
- Prepare some questions that draw out your client’s thoughts, needs and wants.
- Find out what problems your potential client has, and how you can help solve them.
- Listen to how they answer your questions. What do they ultimately want?
- Pre-empt your client’s objections and showcase your solution.
Your objective is to show your prospect how their business and life will be positively impacted by your solution. You want them to know the impact of not contracting your service. What will they lose by not using your service?
These are some of the things you can do to ensure you secure that new client for your virtual assistant business. Take a lesson from the two assistants I speak of above. Don’t do what they did. Both these virtual assistants indicated that they were looking for more clients. And while they had many of the skills we were looking for, they didn’t have the right attitude. We ended up hiring another virtual assistant based in the UK. She didn’t have the same skills or online presence the others did. In fact this girl had only just started out. She was looking for her very first client! But what she DID have was a brilliant serving attitude. She got her first new client because of the way she communicated and handled herself!
Contributed by
Karletta Dionysiou
Want an online virtual assistant business that brings in the $$$ and has the lifestyle to match? John and Karletta created Virtual Team Intelligence to do just that. Sign up for free tips here: www.virtualteamintelligence.com