The question I hear the most when talking with Virtual Assistants is “Where do you find your clients?”
My answer? “They’re everywhere!”
Think about it. Nearly every solo professional or small business owner needs some help. That’s why to me, the supply of potential clients is endless. And, since the work is virtual, they can be anywhere in the world.
But in order to get hired, you have to be ready and available.?Here’s what you need:
- A business card.?Even though you’re virtual, you will meet people locally and in person. It’s important to be able to give them your contact information so they can get in touch with you or pass your information along to others.
- A clear and short explanation of your services.?Many Virtual Assistants have a wide range of services that they offer. That’s fine, but it’s a mistake when asked about services to just start rattling off a million things. That will only confuse others. Pick two or three of your favorite or most used services and mention just those at first.
- Free 30-Minute Consultations.?This has been my secret weapon to getting new clients. It gives people a way to connect with me easily and anytime and it’s exciting when they “show up” on my calendar. Sometimes they end up hiring me and sometimes they don’t, but they always leave with a much deeper understanding about how I help clients, something which allows them to refer others to me.
- Clear next steps.?Remember that potential clients may have never worked with a Virtual Assistant before; they might feel awkward not knowing how to hire you. That makes it’s important for you take the lead and tell them how you work.
- In my case, I explain that clients buy my time in 5 or 10 hour chunks up front and I tell them the price and how the system works (learn more about this system?here). The amount I charge and the way I get paid might not work for everyone, but there’s no question about the specifics once we’re finished talking.
Think about getting hired from your client’s point of view and make sure you’re doing everything you can to make it easy for them. Do that, and you’ll get hired more often by people ready to get to work.
