4 Sure Ways to Get More Clients

Virtual Assistant, do you know

-the average small business owner spends up to 40% of their time on routine administrative tasks

What an excellent opportunity to build your virtual assistant business and clientele.   Go and Google ‘small business directory’ and search for small business owners that fit your niche.  I was amazed to find a directory with 196 small businesses listed in the Vaal Triangle on one of the 5+ business directories for our area. 

-potential clients don’t know where to find you

I read a blog post the other day where a guy raved about his virtual assistant.  He surely did a good job  because one of the comments was:  “Sounds like a great idea. How do you go about finding a good one?”  His answer was:  “Look on virtual assistant directories.”  So … is your business listed on virtual assistant directories?  Make sure potential clients find you … list your business here

-there are more than 1.7 million South Africans on Facebook  … and that was a year ago

Do you have a Facebook business/fan page?  With a significant 40% plus of Facebook users over age 35 (CheckFaceBook) the idea that Facebook is just for college kids was put to rest long ago.  Get involved in social media and start to build relationships.  Get yourself on Facebook and start mingling with others because if you don’t have a “facebook footprint” you are losing out.   Oh, and while we are on the subject, become a fan of Be-VA-Wise and receive valuable updates about the virtual assistant industry.

-more and more CEOs will use social media in future

Two recent posts by Mashable highlighted how ‘up to date’ CEOs use social media for business exposure and that “business leaders of tomorrow will be versed in social media”.  Another excellent opportunity often overlooked because we tend to think virtual assistants only do normal admin tasks. If you’re interested in social media and have the necessary experience and knowledge, this might be an excellent niche to consider.  The business leaders of tomorrow might not have enough time at hand to spend on social media and a virtual assistant might be their answer to social media involvement.

The virtual assistant industry is surely gaining momentum in South Africa … ensure you are on the forefront to pick the best of the crop when small business owners are looking for virtual assistants.

Is Your Question on the List?

Do you have daily frustrations in your virtual assistant business that’s becoming the thorn in your flesh?

Or have you had moments where frustration sets in and you caught yourself yelling at the computer?  Pssst … the sad thing about yelling at the computer is that it has no ears and it couldn’t care less.

We are busy with a Q & A series to assist Virtual Assistants in times when they are “running on empty” and frustration clicks in.  While we are working through the results of our survey there is still time for you to tell us what your questions and frustrations are …

so, pop over and complete the survey here http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QFLVCND  to just get if off your chest.

And to show that you’re not alone, I am going to let the monkey out of the bag and mention a few questions already asked.

• I am new to this and am really interested but where do I start?
• What exactly will you do if you are a VA?
• What type of VA training is available?
• How do clients know about me?
• Where and how does one do advertising?
• What ways/channels can I use for overseas payments?
• Is SA business environment ready for VAs?
• How do I keep up with technology?
• Do I need to change my tax status at SARS when I become a VA?
• So many people don’t understand what virtual assistance is, how do I educate my clients?

If your question is not on the list, pop over to our 2 question survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QFLVCND

 and tell us what your biggest frustrations and questions are in running your virtual assistant business.

Oh, and by the way … if you’re not a virtual assistant but is also experiencing frustration in running a business, click the link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QFLVCND and get rid of it by completing our survey.  The best cure for any frustration is to get it off your chest as soon as possible.

Looking forward to your response.

Getting Clients is Easy

“Getting clients is easy if you are willing to build relationships with your prospects” – Marietjie Steyn

Yet, most virtual assistant business owners find ‘getting clients’ one of their biggest headaches and for many years I had the same situation until I’ve discovered that “you have to put relationships before your agenda and value those relationships above the transaction” to change the situation.

That’s right.  People will only do business with you when they trust you and that’s not all.  When they trust you they will refer their friends to you.

Want more clients?  -  Build Relationships … 

Most people think contacting a prospect once, is enough to make them line up in front of your office door begging for your “service”

but

the fact of the matter is that you have to make contact with a prospect at least 18 – 24 times per year to build a sound relationship.

Wow, 24 times a year? 

Yes and if you commit yourself to contact your prospects on a structured, well set out plan and keep track of it for at least 12 to 24 months you will have more clients than you can handle on your own.

A couple of thoughts

1. Build a database of 100 prospects (the average person knows 285 people according a Gallup poll)
2. Send your prospects an item of value each month
3. Call your prospects every second month
4. Send them a handwritten note six times a year
5.  Remember to ask for work or referrals

And remember …

Not all of them will become clients but they might refer friends and colleagues to you.

Let’s talk numbers

If only 10% of your prospects (100) become loyal clients and only 10% of your prospects (100) refer one person to you over a period of two years and of these referrals only 5 become your clients you will have 15 loyal clients in 24 months.

Wow!!

Do you think this is worth a try?   Especially in our industry?

I did exactly that and secured more deals than ever before.  And that’s not all!!  I’m  still getting referrals from my database without even asking!

Do You Have The Nimbleness to Be Successful?

Starting your own virtual assistant business nowadays is actually easy.  Yeah it is!  With the help of the internet and all the free information available, all you have to do is Google “starting a virtual assistant business” and “wallah” you have 526 000 results in 0.26 seconds.

Or is it really that simple?

Well, maybe if you only want to start a business.  But if you want to run a successful VA business you have to dig a little bit deeper into the qualities and characteristics needed to help you put bread and butter on the table.

Now if you thought 526 000 results in 0.26 seconds was good, when you Google “characteristics of an entrepreneur” you’ll get 1 570 000 results in 0.12 seconds. Wow!

Ok, enough of the statistics.  In my eyes there are 5 essential qualities or characteristics that stand out above the rest and I am convinced that if you possess these qualities you have what it takes to make a success of your Virtual Assistant business and career.

1.    Self-motivation

As a Virtual Assistant and independent business owner, you are the boss and should be able to motivate yourself.  You determine your pace, motivate yourself and know that if you don’t work you don’t earn an income, and the “no money no honey” phrase is your motivation to be in the office on time, schedule your work in advance and make sure your mental strength is fed on a daily basis with a positive attitude.

2.    Confidence and the Ability to Organize

 Virtual Assistants normally work with several clients and need to keep their workspace and projects well organised and has to have confidence in what they are doing. Although this seems to go without saying, it does take a lot of effort and planning to stay on top of matters and procrastination, tardiness and delay can be fatal to your success.

3.    Initiative and Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness, initiative and pro-activeness are excellent qualities of top Virtual Assistants.  Various clients mean different tasks and sometimes you will have to put your ‘problem solver’s’ hat on and come up with the answer that is baffling your client.  You should be able to take initiative, dig around, do research and become their vast resource of information. 

4.    Intelligence and Good Communication Skills

 Intelligence does not mean you should be a Harvard Scholar but it means that you should be Virtual Assistant Wise.  You should be a quick thinker, know what you do and how to do it.  If you add to it the ability to communicate with clients in a positive, understanding, clear and to the point manner you will definitely set yourself apart from your competitors. 

5.    Professionalism

Professionalism is perhaps the most important quality of all and can best be described as a mixture of courtesy, integrity, class and excellence.  Professionalism is paramount and will distinct your business from just a ”work from home” job to a successful virtual assistant business.

Do you posses these qualities?  Excellent!! 

Our e-book “Jumpstart Your Virtual Assistant Business” is an excellent source and addresses the above and much, much more.  For more information about this fantastic business guideline, visit http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.com/jumpstart-virtual-assistant-business-ebook.html

Winners of Regional VAimpact Awards

The  AFRIVAN  VAimpact awards are annual outstanding ovation awards in different categories awarded to Virtual Assistants and business partners who have achieved and demonstrated high standards of business excellence, creativity, professional business practice and are constantly promoting the Virtual Assistant Industry in Africa.

We are proud to announce that the founders of Be Virtual Assistant Wise, Francis van Wyk and Marietjie Steyn were nominated for 3 of the 4 categories namely:

Above and Beyond Award: This VAimpact award is for an individual who has worked creatively beyond the expectation of Virtual Assistants in a short period of time in the VA industry.

Achievement Award: This VAimpact award is given to individuals for outstanding contribution over significant period of time in the VA industry.

Regional Award: This VAimpact award is a standing ovation award for an individual or association with strong business understanding and development with incomparable business management.

We were quite humbled to learn that we won the Business Regional VAimpact Award. It is an important achievement, not only for our organisation, but also for every person associated with BeVAWise.

We sincerely want to thank everyone who are part of our community for your involvement and participation and helping us to reach this important milestone.

This award makes each of you a winner as well, since WE cannot exist without YOU!

Winning the regional award as the best VA organisation in South Africa surely motivates and inspires us to grow the industry further to the benefit of all our members.

We also would like to congratulate the winners of the other awards:

Annemarie Robbertse for winning the Above and Beyond Award and

Alison Fourie for winning the Achievement Award.

You can read all about the winners and their profiles here.

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Thanks to African Virtual Assistants Network™ (AFRIVAN) founded by Topsie Egbetokun, for taking the initiative and establishing a business and professional support network specifically for all Virtual Assistants and online professionals in Africa.

Google Alerts – Your Own Research Assistant

“Google Alerts” is one of the most powerful tools on the internet to stay on top of the information you need.

It  is a system that searches the Web, news sources, blogs, video sites and groups for new information related to any search term that you specify. Then, as the name suggests, this free tool “alerts” you via an automated email about new results.

Whether you are..

• just starting out and want more information about the VA industry or
• a savvy VA and want information to keep up to date with your clients or your competition,

Google Alerts can be your own personal research assistant to find the info you need and best of all….,

It’s free and really simple to set up.

Below are also 5 ideas how to use Google Alerts for yourself and your business. Read more »

How to Take Care of your Business

As a solo-preneur in your Virtual Assistant business, you are the boss, the worker, the accountant, the complaints department, the marketing manager, the strategist, the administrative clerk and the chief financial officer all-in-one.

With so many things happening at the same time, how do you take care of your business?

The primary purpose of Virtual Assistants is to help clients run their businesses smoothly. Yet we are sometimes putting so much time into our clients and their businesses that we don’t have time to make things easier for our own business!  Can you identify with this situation?

So, how can you take care of your own business? Read more »