The Ultimate VA Success Guide: 8 Tips On How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant

How to get clients as a Virtual Assistant and how to do marketing are the two most common concerns I see on Social Media. This blog post will help you to connect the dots and feel more confident about finding clients and marketing your Virtual Assistant business.

I get it, if you’re new to the concept of getting clients and marketing it can be overwhelming. Especially when you hear you have to “niche down”. When one of my clients said that to me, I had no idea what that means much less how to do it.

How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant Tip 1: Niche Down

I can tell you that it is very important if you don’t want to struggle to get clients and earn a living. I’m sure you didn’t start your VA business to struggle, right? So let me share a simple way to approach niching down which will help you find the right clients for you.

First, niching down simply means focusing. Focusing on what you want to offer and who you want to help.

• What = Your services
• Who = Your target audience

It’s crucial for you to spend time figuring out the who and what of your business in order to be successful at finding clients and marketing your business.

Marketing Is All About Clarity

Getting clear on the what and who can make a difference between success and struggle. Once you figure out the what and the who then it’s time to find them and start sharing your expertise.

In my blog post, How Do I Find My Ideal Virtual Assistant Clients? Ask Yourself 5 Questions + Solve The Mistery! I share more tips on getting clients including:

• Where you can find them
• What problems they have
• How you can solve them
• Ways to make them know you can help them

How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant Tip 2: Get Noticed For Your Brilliance

Part of getting clients is finding them and then getting noticed. And, I’m not talking about joining FB groups full of Virtual Assistants and waiting for a “help-wanted” post. If you’re looking to stand out and get noticed by your dream clients (remember, marketing is all about awareness) you need to show them how you can help them.

One of the best ways to do that is by sharing content that showcases your brilliance. In my blog post Content Creation Essentials: Attract VA Clients 24/7 Instead Of Chasing After Them I share specific tips on how you can create and share this type of content including:

• Examples of what you can create
• How to get started creating content
• And… where to share it
• Ways to make them know you can help them

How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant Tip 3: Use Social Media Correctly

One of the best places to share your valuable content is on social media platforms where your dream clients hang out. This is all about showing them (your dream clients) how you can solve their problems. First, let’s address the issue with joining groups on Facebook or LinkedIn that are full of Virtual Assistants. It’s a horrible strategy for getting clients.

Why? Well unless your target market is Virtual Assistants then you’re wasting your time. You’ll end up being part of the feeding frenzy and it’s impossible to get noticed. Think about it – you’re in a group with thousands of Virtual Assistants all waiting for the same opportunity.  Once that help-wanted post goes up it’s a feeding frenzy.

It’s the same issue with job boards. Everyone waiting for that help-wanted post and then pouncing on it. These are NOT long-term strategies and you’re putting your success in someone else’s hands.

Learn how to be self-sufficient when it comes to using social media or really any method to get clients. In my post Social Media Marketing For Virtual Assistants: Try These 5 Steps To Find + Get The Right Clients! I share 5 strategies that actually work including:

• Being proactive
• Repurposing content
• And keeping it simple

How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant Tip 4: Network Without Being Forgotten

Networking is many times an overlooked strategy for getting clients. Many people focus primarily online and forget about marketing in their own backyards, but you can find your dream clients locally too.

One thing that I realized after attending several networking events is that business cards don’t work. Especially if your title or business name includes Virtual Assistant. People assume right or wrong that you’re some type of admin or they have no clue what you do.

I know that I’ve come home with a stack of business cards and when I looked at them – if I didn’t take notes – had no idea who they were or how they could help me. I usually just tossed them in a draw and didn’t look at them again. I figured if I’m doing that so is everyone else – which means my business card is collecting dust in someone’s drawer somewhere. That’s not helpful when it comes to getting clients.

So I created the Benefits Flyer. In short, it’s a flyer that tells people exactly how you help them. In my blog post Create Your Virtual Assistant Benefits Flyer + Stand Out In The Crowded VA Space I walk you through the steps of creating your own including:

• Step-by-step creation guide
• And real-life samples

How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant Tip 5: Subbing For Another VA

If finding clients still seems too overwhelming, another option is to sub-contract for another Virtual Assistant. It’s a great way to get paid for your expertise while also learning the business side of things.

I started by working with my own clients and also subbing for another VA and it was a blessing. I got to see behind the curtain and learn how to run a business since I’d never done it before. Plus it helped me gain confidence and experience as a VA.

In my post, Sub-Contracting For Other Virtual Assistants: The 5 Things You Should Know Beforehand I share tips on how it works including:

• Best practices
• How to charge
• Where to find opportunities

How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant Tip 6: Interview Prospects

So, what happens when someone reaches out to you to find out more about your services – what do you do? Do you have an interview process in place that’s automated?

I call these Discovery Sessions and it’s part of your key business systems (systems that make up your business foundation). These are free 15-minute calls where you interview potential clients and they interview you.

You only get one chance to make a first impression and you want to make a great one. Especially if this potential client is interviewing other people. By having your Discovery Session implemented and automated using technology you’ll stand out as a professional.

In the blog post Interviewing Potential VA Clients: Use My 3-Steps Discovery Call System + Close The Sale I walk you through the steps to create and implement your own system including:

• Red flags to watch out for
• Questions to ask
• How to automate the process

If you want to learn all the ins and outs of how to set up your Discovery Call System, how to attract and get clients, and so much more, please have a look at my VA Success System training. It goes beyond marketing and teaches you everything you need to know to set up and run a successful VA business.

How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant Tip 7: Not Everyone Is Your Client

That’s why it’s important to create a dream client profile or avatar that focuses on the types of people you enjoy working with. Remember, it’s your business – your choice which means you choose who you work with. You don’t have to take every client that wants to work with you. That’s one of the freedoms of working for yourself.

When it comes to creating your dream client profile you want to focus on personality traits like a positive attitude or flexibility. Why – because traits are inherent to the individual and you don’t want to work with someone who likes to micro-manage you if you don’t like being micro-managed.

In my blog post, 8 Tips To Help You Spot Your Dream Client + Identify The People You Don’t Want To Work With I share 8 strategies that will help you create your dream client profile including:

• Trusting yourself
• Thinking like a business owner, not an employee
• Making your no and yes list

How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant Tip 8: Be Honest At All Times

Being in the VA Industry means you are part of a relationship-based business. The relationships you have with clients can make or break your business. Your reputation is your business, especially in the online world.

I’ve seen people posting for help in my public Facebook Group saying that they just took on a new client that needs help with x, y, z and they have no idea how to do it. Of course, I don’t know the whole story but I’ve seen this type of thing play out in my Facebook Community.

Here’s what I mean:

Let’s say Jane posts in a Facebook group asking for help with WordPress for instance. She mentions she just sold a website to a new client and didn’t know how to install WordPress.

Well as someone who builds websites, that is fundamental knowledge. Here’s, the kicker – the client was in the same Facebook group and saw her post.

Seems she had been dishonest about her WordPress skills. It’s one thing to know WordPress and never worked with a client – it’s another to NOT know it and sell it.

Honesty and ethics are crucial to a long-term successful business. In my post Business Ethics + Honesty Are The Foundation Of Any Successful Virtual Assistant Business I share why honesty and ethics should be the cornerstone of everything you do in your business including:

• The fake it until you make it strategy
• Your reputation
• And being transparent and honest with clients

Bonus Tip: How To Keep Clients

How to get clients as a Virtual Assistant is one thing, but making them long-term clients that love working with you is just as important. If you’re interested in learning more please have a look at my post, Virtual Assistant Client Management 101: How To Show You’re Worth Every Cent!

So, that’s it for The Ultimate VA Success Guide: 8 Tips On How To Get Clients As A Virtual Assistant. Did it help you to get a better idea of how to get and find clients? Please let me know in the comments below.

Thank You – Susan