Did you get a new Virtual Assistant client this week? If you didn’t say YES, then I’m so glad you are here reading this article.
Most VAs would love to answer YES! to that question, but so many can not.
To find a new client, you need to do two things:
1) Know where your clients are.
2) Reach out to them.
There are plenty of places you can find your next client.
The best thing to do is to build a system into your business where you can find new clients easily in a few different places.
And then you need to network!
Online, offline, start getting out to events and really connecting with people to fill your pipeline.
If you talk to just 2 people a day about your business (and theirs), that is 40 to 60 people in a month. That’s so many leads! Surely you can get ONE client out of that many conversations.
So your job is to get started on these conversations with business people.
If you are just starting out, or if you don’t have a client-getting system in place yet, then here are a few ideas for you to start looking for clients.
1. Ask your current clients.
Your clients already know what you can do. Ask them if they know anyone who they might be able to refer you to. If you are doing a great job for them, they might have a suggestion. Some clients don’t like to give away the babysitter’s number, so to speak, but most will probably come up with a name or two.
2. Reach out to your family and friends.
Be sure your family and friends know what you do (and how to explain it to others). Ask them if they know anyone who might need your help. Believe me, almost everyone can find at least one client this way!
3. Connect with your strategic partners.
Your strategic partners are people who serve the same market as you but they don’t offer the same services. For instance, maybe a bookkeeper or a website designer might support similar small business clients, but you don’t do the same things for them so it’s an easy referral.
4. Connect with people in your social media groups.
You should be posting to a few social media groups regularly, so don’t just pop in if you have been a lurker and say ‘hey does anyone need a VA?’ – that is rarely effective! But you can reach out to specific people you have been in touch with before and ask them if they have a need, or if someone they know might.
5. Ask old clients (if you liked them!)
Often I have parted ways with a client because our businesses went in different directions. An old client that you liked but maybe wasn’t a good fit at the time can be a great new client. Reach out to ones you liked to tell them about your current service offerings. You could get a new client easily!
6. Seek out a local networking group.
Local clients are great, and usually very loyal. Many times there are few, if any, VAs who network in these kinds of groups. You could corner the market, especially if you offer a service like social media management, which is a service that many small business owners need but often don’t understand or care to do for themselves.
7. Do a social media search.
Hashtags and keywords are our friends. You can often find people who are posting that they need help by simply doing a quick search in a group or on a social media platform. These can be the fast way to cash because there is an immediate need.
8. Follow up with people you have met in person.
When you go to events, be sure to gather business cards or contact info so you can follow up. Persistent or consistent follow up is the one thing that is statistically proven to get you clients. So many people attend an event, meet some potential clients and then never follow up with them. Reach out and reintroduce yourself, and see if they are looking for some help.
9. Join social media groups.
If you haven’t already, join some social media groups – entrepreneur groups or industry groups. Introduce yourself. Ask questions. Answer questions. Get involved in conversations.VA groups don’t count – your clients are not there! Find groups that have people in them who would use VAs – you can find groups for everything including services that those clients might be using that you can use too. Think outside the box!
10. Ask your current clients if they need any additional work.
Current clients can often be a great way to get extra work – or new work. If you are not asking your clients every day what else they need, you could be leaving money on the table. When you take new training you can even increase your billables with the people you are already working with.
How many of these places have you looked for clients before?
How many can you try right now?
How many new clients will you get next week?
Now you know where to start!
If you are having difficulty finding clients, be sure to join me for the FREE 5 Day Get Clients Challenge for Virtual Assistants. For 5 days I will lead you through exercises (and homework!) that will help you prepare to get great clients. We start July 6th! Register here now: www.YourVAMentor.com/getclients