The first challenge to getting new clients is getting them to trust you with their businesses and their money. It’s not an easy challenge to overcome. That’s why the technique I’m going to share with you in this article WORKS and works well. What I’m suggesting is … working for FREE (do I hear a big gasp of horror from the audience?).

Why work for free? Well, it makes sense. Many virtual assistance companies offer a free consultation where the client can ask questions and you can explain your process. You need to stand out from the crowd and win the business.

Here are two reasons why offering a free sample of your services works:

It eliminates the risk factor. Business is risky from all sides of the fence. It’s risky for you and it’s risky for the person doing the hiring. He or she will be trusting you to work for his or her business and get results. They’ll be taking their valuable time and money to invest in your services and they want to choose wisely. You help them not waste their time by proving yourself before they ever pay a penny.

It builds the relationship. Working well together is all about having a good relationship. It’s really hard to do great work for someone who doesn’t like you and vice-versa. If you offer a little sample of your work you can create an instant relationship and they will usually like you already! That’s a great start.

Before I get the fifth degree from some die-hard virtual assistants, I’ll admit that this technique of getting new clients is risky. You just need to be smart about what you’re doing and you’ll eliminate a large part of the risk.

You’ve probably heard the saying “Why buy the milk when you can get the cow for free?” Yes, some unscrupulous marketers may go around getting freebies and never be willing to pay, so that’s why it’s your responsibility to do your research and hand-pick the clients you want to work with.

That’s right. Don’t just take any ol’ Billy-Bob who comes to hire your services. Make sure she is the kind of person you want to work with, will most probably love to work with and who you can create a rewarding relationship with. When I used this technique for my own business I went to online marketers who I already had a relationship with and whose business models I greatly admired. This allowed me to know exactly who I was going to be working for. It also gave me the added bonus of learning what they did in their own businesses to make them great successes!

If you’re thinking giving a sample of your work away for free might be a good idea for you, here’s a bit of a game plan:

 Offer a small sample of your work; one or two hours would be good.
 Offer the work with no-strings attached; they’ll hire you if you’re needed.
 Only offer to people who are interested in hiring and who need the help (research).
 Do an amazing job.
 Ask for referrals and/or testimonials in exchange for your free work.

Finally, this isn’t a technique to do all the time. It’s one you will use for a hand-picked group of highly sought after employers. Try it once and see what happens. You really only need one good high-profile client who loves your work to get great referrals for a long time coming.

I have done this both with great success and the expected wasted effort, you might say.

I love to proofread and edit so did this for several web sites with just the promise to have the caption “Edited by Jan Tallent” with a link to my VA site. So far, of the 5 or 6 I did this for, only one has kept her word but we do live and learn AND I know that I did it.

Plus, to be honest, I turned 2 of them down later for paid jobs because the trust factor was destroyed when they did not keep their end of the bargain and that is the biggest thing with me – my word and yours 

Wishing you all of the best in your client-getting goals.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing and proofreading
assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?

I recently did two press releases for my client Ann Evanston, AKA The Warrior-Preneur. I was very excited to try my hand at doing these as I had, frankly, never done any before!

The first was announcing Ann’s being named one of the TOP six Marketing Consultants by about.com ! The second was the announcement that Social Networking Coaching Club is now offering Certification and Licensing for Coaches! Not only did I get to write these press releases, I also
get to manage Social Networking Coaching Club as one of my duties as Ann’s assistant.

Here are some of the tips I have picked up about copywriting and writing press releases:

Copywriting is a special technique that allows you to promote companies, individuals
or some special events. Copywriting is one of the most significant elements of advertising.
It should be considered the tool that helps your company promote itself.

Your returning clients already know the quality of the products and service that you provide and reliability of your business, however, most people will find or “discover” your site by the terms they put into search engine boxes.

How is copywriting performed? Whatever company you have and products and services
you provide, you should stick to several important rules. Despite the fact that copywriting has changed during the last decade due to the wide use of the internet, some fundamental rules still apply.

Copywriting might look simple but it should comprise several indispensable elements.

First, it must have an intriguing and appealing headline that induces your visitor to explore your text further. It must contain a subheading where main features of the heading are restated. The most important part of the copywriting copy is certainly the body. This reveals the major points of your text. It should be easy-to-read, logically structured and coherent.
It should contain a number of paragraphs that should restate the major idea of the content.

Ideal copywriting content should emphasize the advantages of the company, its uniqueness and clearly state why visitors should purchase at your company. One should remember that there are plenty of other companies and web sites that might sell identical products and services. In order to be successful you should stand out from the crowd.

This applies in offline and online copywriting. If the technique is performed professionally,
it leads to the increase of traffic on your web site. When writing the copy, remember that
one of the most important elements of the copywriting content is persuasion. One should persuade your visitors to take further actions and purchase some products or services at your company.

If the principles of persuasion, action, desire and motivation are applied in your copywriting copy, one can be sure that it will bring the results.

I hope this post has helped to plainly define what copywriting is and how it is applied.
I checked the pricing structures for press releases and other announcement tasks
and found they seemed to be prohibitive for the average business owner so have made my own Press Release Service at what I feel are excellent rates and also guarantee that they will satisfy the client and the job is not considered complete until the client is happy!

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?

This is an article from Donna Toothaker from StepItUpVA who is a coach
for other Virtual Assistants and really knows her stuff.

Set Boundaries to Stay Sane
by Donna Toothaker on FEBRUARY 24, 2011

As a Virtual Assistant, you have the fortunate circumstance of being able to work from home, and work with clients from all over the world via e-mail and phone. At the same time, as an upstart business owner, you also rely on new and longstanding clients for income. Sometimes it can seem like you started your own business only to discover that you have multiple bosses! Here are a few tips to ensure that you always have the ball in your court:

Set expectations early. Be extra clear with potential clients about your services, your work style, what they can expect from you and what you expect from them. Be explicit in defining what you don’t do – as in your services or work style. Things to consider not doing: having an “open door” policy (an invitation to be micromanaged), giving out your mobile number,
or giving the impression that you are in any way “on call”.

Feel free to ID. It may be difficult to let voicemail pick up when you’r e trying to service your clients, but voicemail and caller ID are great time management tools that will allow you to maintain some sanity in your day. Caller ID is also a great barometer for assessing the “neediness” of those clients who tend to micromanage. Outline your voicemail and e-mail-checking routines with clients, and within what period of time they can expect a response, leaving wiggle room for true emergency calls.

It’s nothing personal. Keep your conversations via phone, e-mail, and social media primarily on a professional level. It may be comforting to your clients to know a little bit about you personally, but giving too much information or getting to know your clients too personally opens up a “grey area” from which it is difficult, if not impossible, to return.

So, if you use Facebook for your business, avoid posting personal information, photos, or posts that may be considered off-putting to your clients, even though your friends might respond with an LOL. Use security features to restrict what your clients can see, if necessary.

Say no. When you were just starting out as a VA, you may have said yes to clients, projects and situations that really didn’t serve you in the long run. You may have done it to get experience in a certain area, build up your client roster, to impress a potential client, or in the hopes of getting more business. However, rarely does saying yes to something that doesn’t suit you or pay you a fair price truly help you. Don’t continue to burden yourself by saying yes to clients who demand too much of you and your resources, who constantly haggle or question your fees, or who push you to provide a service outside your scope.
You will find that letting go of them will open a space for a better client to sign on!

Keep the reins of your business firmly in hand by setting boundaries from day one. Doing so will ensure that you will build mutual respect, turn new clients into long-term clients, and truly enjoy working with them.

Donna Toothaker is CEO, founder and coach of Step It Up VA Coaching. These highly sought-after VA coaching programs have been created for established, successful VAs who wish to create the 6-figure business of their dreams. Visit HERE to receive the free report, Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Creating a 6-Figure VA Business.

thanks, Donna, for another great gem I am glad to share with my visitors.

This question goes out to other Virtual Assistants AND our customers:

Where do you draw your lines – what boundaries do you set and expect to have set for you? I would love to hear comments from both sides of the fence.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?