Newbie VAs and Clients

As a newbie VA you have to go with the flow and as clients contact you or you contact them you are obliged to do the work they offer, especially so when starting out. As a newbie you can’t afford to turn work down.

1. You need to get experience of the type of work you will do
2. You need to get a feel of how to deal with clients
3. You need to have procedures in place to go through the process of getting work, dealing with the client, and invoicing that client and you need to see if these procedures work, as a newbie this is important.

You have to find a way to make that client come back to you time and again. The aim is for each client not to be a once off client but to become a regular. A way of getting your clients to become regulars is to convince them that you are the VA that can best assist them, let them know you can be an asset to their company, offer them the services/skills they need in a professional manner and convince them you can do the job and you can be trusted. Provide each client with a quality client service so that they will want to stay with you. Treat each client as if they are your only client whether they are or are not; make them feel as if they are. A client needs to feel special and they need to feel that you put their needs first, that is important. If you provide a client with a good service that client will go away and talk to others about that service and that could lead to more clients for you. Word of mouth is a great way for a client who is appreciative of your services to help you spread the word about your business.

Clients look for the following in VAs:
· Your experience and skills, (know your job)
· Your confidence in your job
· Being proactive and assertive (a client will not want a VA that says yes/no)
· Providing a quality service
· Your availability (when are you available to the client and when are you not)

As you start getting a few regular clients then maybe you could turn your marketing towards target marketing. Take a service you enjoy doing and market that particular service towards clients who you know provide this service. Also after working for a few clients you learn which types of clients you would like to work for, use target marketing to find those clients in the services that you want to work with.