Marketing Resources Virtual Assistant
How to Find Your First Ideal Client
This is the question that plagues all virtual assistants regardless of how long they’ve been in business. Clients are our lifeblood. But you don’t want to be so anxious for business that you will take on just anyone as a client. You need to have standards for what you will and won’t put up with in a client.
Virtual assistants have to be proactive about finding and acquiring these ideal new clients. Thanks to the Internet, prospecting for clients has become easier in regards to your ability to reach more people in a shorter amount of time. But the basic business practices that apply in the brick and mortar world still apply.
There are three ways to grow you business, online or offline. And they are:
- Referral Based Networking. One of my very first clients came as a result of a referral from a personal friend and earned me thousands of dollars in revenue. Be sure to share with family members, friends, colleagues and others about your new virtual assistant business, what problems you solve and who would be an ideal client for you.
- Strategic Networking. This is especially good for small businesses. This would include joining organizations such as the Chambers of Commerce, Toastmasters, BNI and other organizations that your potential clients would be attending.
- Socializing. Whether it be on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, BNI or Toastmasters you need to be engaging people in conversation and developing relationships.
And this doesn’t mean that you spend your interactions with them soliciting business. You should NOT be the focus. Bob Burg (author of Endless Referrals) suggests instead of asking for business, why not ask the people you are getting to know, “How would I know when I meet the perfect prospect for your business?” And once you know what they are looking for, be sure to send them referrals. People appreciate that and will begin to market your business for you as well.
It’s necessary to differentiate yourself from the crowd. You can do this by sharing the story of why you started your business in the first place. Tell them why you’re engaged in the business that you are and make it compelling enough to make people interested in what you do. It’s not enough to say, “I was sick of the corporate rat race and so I decided to go off on my own.” If you have children you can tell a story about the turning point in your life when you realized that you needed to be home with your kids and what steps you took to make your goal a reality. Perhaps you became ill and needed a better way to provide for yourself. Whatever your story is letting it be known will make you standout in the crowd.
Through these combined efforts you will begin to attract the type of clientele that you want for your business. And this effect will snowball over time as long as you are consistent and honestly interested in helping others as much as you want them to help you grow your business.
I found this article great, and at a time where I was wondering “where’s the best place to market my business”. It is certainly tough getting a business started, especially if you have to find clients. This has been the toughest part of being in business and after 2 years, I still find this very difficult.
Thanks for your article.
This article was really helpful as I am struggling to know where to begin with expanding my client base and networking is something I need to start doing! Thanks alot.
Thanks for the note Rebecca! Please stop by and let me know about your results after you’ve implemented the strategies I shared. 🙂
I have implemented all of your suggestions and increased my networking because it felt like the best way for my potential clients to get to know me. I truly believe that potential clients will be more acceptable of letting somebody else in to their business if they already know them and trust them.
I decided to set up my busines as a VA because it already become apparent that Micro and small businesses found it prohibitive to employ a VA or good administrator on a full time basis, this way I can use my skills and experience to help many businesses and at the same time help them to minimise their potential overheads.
That’s great to hear Linda! I’m so excited for you. What results are you seeing from implementing the strategies I’ve shared? Do tell so that I can celebrate your success with you! 🙂
Great article with good tips on networking and building relationship.
Hi Sydni – as promised I’m back to let you know how beneficial networking has been for me in my work as a VA in 2010. I am now hosting a monthly networking meeting in my town and have got all my recent clients, both regulars and on offs either from the networking events or through referrals. I now have the networking bug! As you say it is so important to network initially to help others and not to look desperate! Your time will come and it is amazing the return you can get from an honest and positive approach. Happy New Year!
Wow! Thanks so much for this post Rebecca! This made my day. I’m so proud of and happy for you! Congratulations! I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Warm regards,
Sydni