Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk about finding clients. More specifically, finding a new client in one week.
Today’s Quote: Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. – Robert Collier
Click the play button above to tune in, or choose your favourite podcast player below:
Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
If you can find one client you can find many clients.
It’s a fact.
Once you figure out how to get one client for your VA business, you can get as many as you like.
And yet, the one thing that many Virtual Assistants fail to do is to learn how to get that ONE client.
They fail to focus on what it takes to get a client, relying instead on luck.
You can’t build a business with luck. Well you can, but you can’t do it proactively.
Today we will talk about how to get just one client in a week.
Of course that’s not a promise. I can’t tell you that you will have a client by the end of this week.
But I can tell you what you need to do to have that happen. And yes, it’s very possible.
Being strategic about finding clients is going to be the best thing you can do for your business.
No one wants to struggle.
No one wants to fail.
No one wants YOU to fail or struggle.
Least of all me. I want you to succeed.
I want you to shout from the rooftops how great your VA business is.
I want you to let others know about the great clients you are supporting and how you are building an amazing lifestyle for your family from your VA business.
I want you to be (say it with me) a ridiculously good Virtual Assistant.
Finding a client in a week requires a focused and strategic approach. Here are some steps you can take:
Define Your Target Market
To find a client quickly and easily you need to know who you are looking for.
I talk a lot about your target market and if you have not defined yours yet, there is seriously no time like the present.
What defines your target market? Industry or group, to start with
What do they do in their business?
Where do they conduct business?
Who are their clients?
How do they work with their clients?
What support do they need to run or grow their business?
How can you help them?
With an ideal target you will be able to help them with many things.
For instance if I were to target Podcasters, I would be someone who is detail oriented, good at project management, have skills like writing and researching and audio editing.
Yes you can learn things but the best place to start to find clients quickly is with what you already know.
Learn how to get clients who need your particular skill set first, then you can learn new stuff and change your target to work with them.
When you know who they are, you will know what they need help with.
I don’t work with real estate agents. I don’t know what they need help with.
I work with business coaches. I know they need client care or customer service, basic marketing and social media, email management, CRM management, group program and FB group management.
You get the idea.
Find your target market and connect with them every day.
Polish Up Your Online Presence
You next need to be sure that what you are putting out there online is up to date.
When people are looking for you, what do they see?
If you are targeting podcasters, it should be very clear in your online presence that is who you help.
You should mention them, and your content should be directed at them specifically.
VAs are not cheap. It costs money to work with us.
Make sure your clients know that you understand their business, and that they can trust you to help them.
However you can showcase your skills and expertise is great.
That might be through content, testimonials, and service details. it is up to you what to put out there, and where you put it, but make sure it’s all cohesive.
If I have a conversation with someone the next thing I do is Google them and check them out.
Your clients will too, so make sure it shows them what you want it to show them.
Create and post content consistently where your clients are hanging out.
Get Out Networking
I tell Virtual Assistants to network every day.
I mean I tell people every day to network, not necessarily to network every day themselves.
You get my drift.
Networking is far and away the number one way to get clients.
So it should be a very big part of your marketing strategy.
When you do it well, it becomes very easy because all you are really doing is becoming a part of a business community.
When you are looking to get a client quickly, one of the best ways is to reach out to a group you are networking with or to attend a networking event.
Of course with events you are at the mercy of the calendar, but if you can find regular events that is a great idea.
Local groups often host monthly events and some groups even meet more often than that.
Remember too that you will meet not only clients but others too. The people who will not be your clients.
I call these people strategic partners or referral partners. All that means is that they aren’t your client but that they might know someone who is or could be.
So everyone you talk to in a networking situation is valuable!
With some practice networking will even become fun for you.
But again when we are talking about getting clients quickly, truthfully your number one way to do that is going to be talking to people.
Business conversations. Two every day for a week means 10 to 14 people. If you can talk to 14 people and not get a client, all that means is you aren’t talking to the right people.
Or you are saying the wrong thing,but that’s another issue!
So your networking is so important because you want to be sure you are spending your time in the right place.
Show up every day and really become a part of the community.
Ask For Referrals
Who have you worked with before that might be able to suggest a new client?
When you are networking regularly referrals often come easily, but even if you aren’t doing much, you know people.
How does asking for referrals work quickly?
For one thing you can ask your current clients.
Ask them if they know someone who needs help … or if they need more help than you are already giving them.
It opens a great conversation, one that you can revisit regularly.
It helps if you also give referrals regularly.
I always tell you that the surest way you get a referral is to give one first and that is so true.
When you give a referral to someone, they remember you! And if they haven’t thought of sending anyone your way before, I promise you they will after you refer someone to them. It’s like magic!
Other things you do can include cold outreach, running a special promotion, even heading to the freelance platforms, but those are a lot less likely to get you clients quickly.
And okay so you aren’t going to ask for referrals every day, probably, but you can do work worthy of referrals every day!
The last thing you must try if you haven’t yet is follow up!
Follow Up
If you have been a VA for any time at all, you will have had conversations with people by now.
Look at proposals you have sent out, emails you have sent, messages you have sent or received.
Who can you reach out to, to see if they filled a role, or if they need help?
If you sent a proposal, reach out to see if they filled the role. If they did, ask how it’s going. You an even ask them if anything has changed about their needs. Anyone you have talked to before or connected with before is not a new connection that you can follow up with.
If you met someone at an event, reach out to see if they are attending another one, or ask them questions about how things are going for them since that event.
If you have joined a group, make some conversation with people in it. Follow up in a group is easy and what we call leveraged because there are a lot of people that you can reach out to at once.
You most definitely can and should follow up with people every day, particularly if you are looking for clients.
it’s honestly a numbers game. The more people you connect with, the better off you will be.
Getting a client in a week is easy when you have all the pieces in place.
If you don’t have all the pieces in place, then focus on getting them in place – and the clients WILL come easily.
Remember that with everything you do, consistency is key. Implementing these strategies regularly will increase your chances of finding clients consistently over time. Adjust your approach based on the specific needs of your target audience and the nature of your services.
Let’s circle back to today’s quote:
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. – Robert Collier
Guess what? You can do this!
Create your plan.
Put in the effort.
Reap the rewards.
Do You Need Help?
If you are ready to implement some daily actions into your VA business that will help you get clients whenever you want to, that’s where I can help. I am here for one reason – to help you become a ridiculously good VA.
I have helped hundreds of VAs who are stuck get moving through private coaching, group coaching, and live and self study trainings. If you want to talk about how we can work together, let’s connect on a Cut to the Chase call. You can book yours at YourVAMentor.com/chase
Thanks for tuning in this week! I’ll see you next time!
What You Need to Do Next:
Let’s work together privately to get you to your really big goal. It’s the fastest way to get results and we can start right away. Learn more about private coaching here.
The Virtual Circle (TVC) is a monthly mastermind group for Virtual Assistants just like you. We get together 3 times a month for group Zoom sessions to talk about what you are struggling with, working on, or celebrating. It’s a close knit community of your VA colleagues that provides the best kind of support for your VA business. Learn more about TVC here.
My self study program Getting Started as a VA can help you get your VA business started easily and quickly too. You can sign up right away and be on your way to getting clients by the end of the program, with all the right foundations in place. Check out the program here.
Click here for more tips to help you with your productivity and time management in your Virtual Assistant business.
Reach out to me if you need to talk about where you are stuck and what the right option might be to get you moving. It’s literally all I’m here to do is help you get to where you want to go. Book a complimentary Cut to the Chase call with me here.