Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
If you are a new virtual assistant and you are sitting there wondering, “Okay, but how do I actually get my first client?” this episode is for you. I’m so glad you found me!
Today I want to talk about how to get your first (or next!) VA client, even if you have no idea how.
Today’s Quote: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Here is usually what happens: You decide you want to become a VA. Maybe you take a course. Maybe you took my Getting Started as a VA course!
You start researching services. You set up your business. You create a website. You make a social media account. You spend a huge (probably embarrassing) amount of time choosing fonts and colours.
And then eventually you look at your beautiful new business and think, “Okay… now what?”
How do I actually get somebody to pay me? And that is where a lot of new VAs get stuck.
Not because they are incapable of getting clients. Not because there are no clients out there. And not because they need another six months of training.
They are stuck because nobody has really explained what getting your first client actually looks like.
There is no magical button that says “find me a client.”
There is no secret website where all of the business owners who need a VA are waiting for you to arrive.
And you certainly do not need to have your entire business figured out before you start.
In fact, one of the biggest mistakes I see new VAs make is believing they need to know exactly what they are doing before they can start looking for that first client.
You don’t.
You need to know enough to help someone with something they actually need help with.
That’s a very different thing.
So today I want to walk you through how you can start looking for your first VA client, even if you feel like you have absolutely no idea what you are doing.
Your First Client Is Your Starting Line
And I want to start with some really important advice: Your first client is not the finish line. Yes getting a client is an important goal, but it is not your end goal, so to speak.
Your first client is your starting point. Your starting line.
You don’t have a business before someone pays you, so when someone does, you are at the start!
Before that it’s just an idea and hopefully a plan.
You shouldn’t be trying to build the perfect VA business before you get your first client. You need to get money coming in the door, get your first client so you can start learning what running your VA business actually looks like.
You are going to learn so many things that you had no idea were even important to know. And that’s a great thing.
You will learn what clients ask for.
You will learn what types of work you enjoy.
You will learn what you are good at.
You will discover where you need better systems.
You will get experience communicating with a real client.
You will learn who is a great client for you, and who isn’t.
And you will start building the confidence that comes from actually doing the work.
You don’t get that confidence from sitting at home thinking about becoming a VA. You get it from actually being a VA.
Who Is Your First Client?
So let’s talk about what you actually need to do.
The first thing is to stop worrying about finding the perfect client. At least for the moment.
Your first client does not need to be your dream client. In fact they probably won’t be.
Don’t exhaust yourself looking for business owners you think will perfectly match your niche, have a huge budget, appreciate everything you do, give you wonderful testimonials, and stay with you for five years.
Gosh, wouldn’t that be awesome?
Absolutely. But that is not the goal right now.
Right now, the goal is to find someone who has a problem you can solve.
Maybe they need help managing their inbox, or are overwhelmed by social media, or need someone to format documents, or do their customer service.
Maybe they have a podcast and need help getting episodes published.
Maybe they have a pile of administrative work they keep putting off.
You are looking for a person who needs help with something you know how to do. Right now. That’s it.
You will refine your niche and your ideal client later. Focus first on getting money coming in.
So if that is the goal, then you need to focus on finding people who need what you can do right now. Not anyone, but someone.
The second thing I want you to do is look around you. Really look around you.
Your first client could already be in your network.
Think about your friends, family members, former coworkers, people you have worked with in the past, people you know through your children’s activities, community organizations, networking groups, Facebook groups, professional associations, and other businesses you already interact with.
You don’t need to walk up to everybody you know and announce, “I am now a VA. Do you need to hire me?”
Please don’t do that.
Next Step: Conversations (Not Pitches)
Instead, start having conversations. Tell people what you are doing. Tell them the kinds of things you help clients with.
And then ask questions.
You might say something as simple as, “I’ve recently started offering virtual assistant services, particularly helping small business owners with administration and social media. I’m looking to work with a couple of businesses while I build up my client base. Do you know anyone who might need that kind of help?”
That is networking.
You are not begging for work, you are just letting people know what you do.
And there is a big difference between those two things.
Now, I know some of you are thinking, “But Tracey, I don’t have a network.”
You probably have a bigger network than you think.
You don’t need 500 business contacts.
You need conversations.
One person knows another person. That person knows someone else. And that person might know a business owner who is completely overwhelmed and has been saying for six months, “I really need someone to help me with this.”
You don’t know who those people are until you start talking to folks.
And that actually brings me to another important point.
Next: Reach Out, Don’t Wait To Be Discovered
Stop waiting for people to discover you.
This is often one of the hardest lessons for a new business owner.
You can create the most beautiful Instagram account in the world. You can write amazing blog posts. You can create a gorgeous website. You can make reels. You can post helpful tips.
And none of those things guarantee that somebody will hire you.
We sit and wait and get frustrated. To be in business means to initiate conversations. To talk to people.
Let me say that again. To get clients for your VA business, you are going to need to talk to people and tell them what you do.
If you can’t do that, you should probably go get a job, because it’s a really really important part of being a business owner.
Content can absolutely help you build visibility and trust, but when you are trying to get your first client, you also need to be willing to go looking for conversations.
That might mean reaching out to people. Where? In Facebook groups. Local networking events.
It might mean responding when someone asks for a recommendation.
It might mean connecting with small business owners on LinkedIn.
It might mean contacting businesses you genuinely think you could help.
And yes, that can feel uncomfortable. Especially when you are new.
Because there is this little voice in your head saying, “Who am I to contact them? I’m new. I don’t have any clients. What if they ask me something I don’t know?”
Here’s the thing. You don’t need to pretend you have ten years of experience.
You don’t need to pretend you have worked with 50 clients, you simply need to be honest about what you can do.
And this is where I want you to get comfortable saying:
“I can help you with that.” or
Or ‘That’s what I help my clients with.’
If someone tells you they are spending three hours every week scheduling social media posts and you know how to do that, you can say, “I can help you with that.”
If someone says they are constantly falling behind on their administrative tasks and you know you can help organize and manage those tasks, you can say, “I can help you with that.”
If someone tells you they hate dealing with their inbox and you know how to manage email, you can say, “I can help you with that.”
And yes if they ask how long you have been a VA you can be honest and say, ‘Well I just started my VA business but I’ve been doing xyz for 10 years in the corporate world.’
There’s your experience. it doesn’t have to be as a VA.
And you definitely don’t need to know how to do everything.
You need to know how to solve a particular problem.
And if you genuinely don’t know how to do something a potential client asks you about, you don’t have to panic.
You can say, “That’s not something I’ve worked with yet, but I’m happy to look into it and see if it’s something I can support you with.”
Or you can simply say, “That’s outside of the services I currently offer.”
Both are perfectly professional answers.
I honestly prefer the straight no, but Inhave said and done both so I don’t want to tell you not to. You do what feels right for you.
But be sure you understand that being a VA does not mean saying yes to everything a client asks you to do for them.
You should create a solid scope of work and strive to stick to that!
Now, let’s talk about something else that gets new VAs completely stuck.
They think they need a complicated package before they can sell anything. Do you? Nope!
For your first client, you could have a very simple service.
For example, maybe you offer five hours of administrative support per month.
Maybe you offer social media scheduling, or inbox management, podcast support.
The exact service doesn’t matter as much as being clear about the problem you solve.
You don’t need twelve packages.
You don’t need a 30-page service guide.
You don’t need a complicated pricing calculator.
You need something you can explain in a sentence.
“I help small business owners stay on top of their administration.”
“I help coaches manage their social media.”
“I help podcasters get their episodes published and promoted.”
Simple. Clear. Understandable.
And then when somebody shows interest, you have a conversation.
Ask them what they need.
Ask what is taking up or wasting their time.
Ask what they have been putting off.
Ask what they would love to hand off to someone else.
You are not trying to convince them to buy your package.
You are trying to understand whether you can actually help them.
That mindset shift can make the whole process feel less intimidating.
Because you aren’t walking into a conversation thinking, “I have to sell myself.”
You are walking into it thinking, “Let’s see if I can solve this person’s problem.”
That’s a much easier conversation to have. For them too. You don’t have to say I can do that for you, but you can say these are things VAs like me can do.
Start Small
Now, I also want to give you permission to start small.
Your first client might only need five hours of help. That’s okay.
Your first client might not become a long-term retainer. That’s okay too.
Your first client might pay you less than you eventually plan to charge.
I’m not suggesting that you should undercharge yourself or work for free. I’m saying that your first client is part of the learning process.
You are learning how to onboard someone.
You are learning how to communicate expectations.
You are learning how to track your time or manage your package.
You are learning how to invoice.
You are learning how to deal with questions and feedback.
You are learning how to actually deliver your service.
That experience is incredibly valuable.
And once you have one client, something interesting starts to happen.
You are no longer saying, “I’m trying to become a VA.”
You can say, “I’m a VA, and I currently work with a client helping them with X.”
That changes how you see yourself.
It changes how you talk about your business.
It gives you examples to share, experience, confidence.
And it gives you the beginnings of proof that you can actually do this.
Which brings me to one of my favourite pieces of advice for new VAs.
Don’t make getting your first client more complicated than it needs to be.
You do not need to master every social media platform before you market your business.
You do not need a perfect website.
You do not need 1,000 followers.
You do not need to have every possible VA service on your menu.
You do not need to feel confident.
You need to be willing to take the next step while you’re still figuring things out.
And if you’re listening to this thinking, “Okay, but what should I actually do this week?”
Here’s what I would suggest.
Make a list of 20 people or businesses you already know. Not 200. Twenty.
Think about people you have worked with, people you know personally, local business owners, people you have met through networking, and people you’ve interacted with online.
Then, over the next week, start five genuine conversations.
Don’t send a generic sales pitch.
Start a conversation.
Let people know what you’re doing.
Ask questions.
Listen.
Look for problems you can solve.
Then spend some time each day looking for opportunities where people are already asking for help.
And finally, talk about your business. Not once. Not only when you need a client. Talk about it consistently. Constantly!
Tell people what you do. Share helpful information. Explain the problems you solve. Show people that you understand the challenges small business owners are dealing with. Because eventually, somebody is going to say, “Wait. I actually need help with that.” And that could be your first client.
You might not know exactly how you’re going to get there yet.
That’s okay.
Most business owners don’t.
You figure out the next step, you take it, and then you figure out the step after that.
Your first client isn’t waiting for you to become a perfect VA.
They are waiting for someone who can help them with a problem.
Do You Need Help?
So stop asking yourself, “How do I become ready to get my first client?”
Start asking, “Who can I help, and how can I start a conversation with them?”
That is where things start to change.
And remember, you don’t need to know everything.
You just need to know enough to help the person in front of you. Then you learn. Then you improve. Then you help the next person.
And before you know it, that first client isn’t the scary, impossible milestone you were imagining.
It’s simply the first step in building your VA business.
And that is exactly where I want you to start.
Let’s circle back to today’s quote: You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
Trying to find a client, whether it’s your first or next, is about taking action right now, with what you have and where you are.
You don’t need to become someone else, you don’t need to learn anything new, you just need to start those conversations.
Talk to people about what they need, and let them know if you can help.
If you need help figuring out how to begin those conversations, reach out to me.
You can find me at YourVAMentor.com/links.
That’s all I’ve got for you this week, thank you so much for tuning in. I’ll see you next time!
