Marketing and networking can be challenging when you are a VA.
If it’s not something you specialize in providing as a service to your clients, there can be a steep learning curve.
But how do you get clients if you don’t learn a little bit about marketing, right?
One of the pieces of advice I like to share is about developing a core message that you can talk with people about.
When you go to a networking event, and someone asks you what you do, how do you reply?
Usually this goes one of two ways: either you recite your 30 second elevator pitch, or you just tell them you are a VA.
Neither of these is the right answer to that question, in my opinion.
A 30 second elevator pitch should be reserved for a formal introduction at, say, a round table networking event. It’s not usually conversational enough because you have to hit on a whole bunch of points to cover it all.
And telling people, ‘I am a VA.’ and nothing more doesn’t give enough information, and might even confuse people if they haven’t heard of it before. It also forces them to ask a bunch of questions about you, but that’s not what you should be focusing on!
When you are networking with potential clients, it’s not important for people to learn about you (because you are the service provider and they are the buyer!). It’s important for YOU to learn about them.
So it’s far more important to ask questions about their business than it is to answer questions about yours.
Your core message comes into this by being the thread through the conversation, if you will.
So what is your core message?
It is the key things that you want to convey to any potential client – but not in the form of an elevator pitch.
You want them to know:
– what you can help them with
– how specifically it will make their business (and life) better
– why they need YOU to help them with it
It’s a very simple concept. Don’t overthink it. It’s a high level overview, and it can help you really nail a networking conversation or some marketing initiatives when you keep it as simple as possible.
So when you are having conversations with people, think about those three things and keep them at the forefront of your conversation.
When you talk about their actual issues, and how you can solve them, and why they will be so much happier when they work with you, the conversation flows very easily, and it makes it all easier for everyone.
And when a client feels that a conversation is easy, they know you understand them and their business, and they will be more inclined to work with you.
Your core message is something that carries through all of your marketing initiatives too. So the more you simplify it now, the more confident you will be talking about it in conversations too.
What is yours? I’d love to hear it! Leave me a comment on my blog or LinkedIn!