Today we are going to talk about what you should be sharing with your VA clients and what you don’t have to share.
Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today’s Quote: It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do. – Steve Jobs
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Today we are going to talk about what you should be sharing with your VA clients and what you don’t have to share. Now I don’t mean personal stuff or what you talk to them about – I’m talking about how you actually do the work you do for them. You’ll see what I mean.
Quote: It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do. Steve Jobs
This quote is for our clients again. Hire smart people. That’s us, the VAs. Then let us do what you hired us to do. Micromanagers need not listen to this episode (or maybe they should!) Let’s go!
This will be a short episode today because it’s pretty much to the point!
I want to talk about what you be sharing with your clients versus what you shouldn’t be sharing, or what you don’t need to share with them.
Because we work virtually, there are certain things that our clients need access to.
But sometimes the lines get blurred, especially when the client requests something from us, and we aren’t quite sure what the right thing to do is.
So let’s start with what you need to share with them.
Their files. Any of their own files you should be sharing with them. They need access, and you do too, but anything that is theirs should be theirs.
Set up a Google folder or a Dropbox folder or whatever you use, and create a simple filing system so they can find what they need when they need it.
If you do use Google, make sure to make the client the owner of the folders and files even if you create them. It makes it easier at the end of your relationship if you do that as you go along.
Their CRM. The information that comes in through a client’s CRM is theirs, and you should have their own account set up for it. Same with e-commerce stuff. You should never be setting up CRM, email or bookkeeping systems and then adding your client and their info to yours.
Anything they require to run their business should be paid for by them and updated in their own systems. Then you get access, preferably with your own login and password.
There are liability issues if you don’t, of course, but it is also simpler when you stop working with them to extract yourself from their stuff rather than move it all somewhere else for them.
Their passwords. This is important as well. Anything you use to help them should have a password for each of you if possible. But they definitely need password access for whatever you do for them. Using a password manager like Roboform or LastPass can help you keep all of that stuff safe and secure.
Pretty standard stuff. There are probably other things that you need to share with them, but you get the point I think.
So let’s move to the other list!
What do we not have to share with them?
Step by step instructions on how to do everything.
This is the big one, and the basis of this episode.
Your clients are paying you for your expertise. You do not have to teach them how to do what you do.
Some will ask. You can say no.
In fact you may find yourself replaced with someone cheaper if a client has step by step instructions to do the things you do.
Now … if they have provided you with those instructions then it’s fine to update them when necessary. But if you have created them, you don’t have to ever give them access.
If you do have a client who insists on you creating videos or writing down all the steps, you can decline. politely if you like.
To me that client is a micro manager and I would let them go.
They don’t need to know how you do it, or be able invite anyone off the street to do it. They are paying you to make sure it gets done.
And they might also be able to tell you what steps not to miss(ie SEO in a blog post) but if they want to do your tasks they can learn how to on their own.
And if they want to hire someone else they need to find someone qualified.
What I have done for clients in the past is to give an overview of the task (ie create newsletter, update subject line, update content, images are found or created here, links are found here, send a test email to check all, schedule to send) etc.
This is not a process that someone off the street could complete (like click file, click open, click on subject line, update it, etc)
The person taking over had to know what they are doing. I think those processes are okay to share.
But not writing down everything you know for them.
So that is step by step stuff.
You also don’t have to share your processes with them. Like how you do things or create them or research them.
Again, they are paying you for the deliverable – to get something done. So that’s what they get.
Collaboration is essential so you need to define everyone’s roles. What do they have to do, and when, and how does that fit in with or affect timelines, deadlines, and other people’s work progress and pace?
Processes are important from a team standpoint, but not for the work you do on your own.
Content creation does not have to be shared. They may have their own Canva account, and that’s fine, but it is not necessarily something they need layered access to.
That might surprise you but again they are paying for a deliverable, the completed image presumably, so draft stuff doesn’t matter..You can do their work in your Canva account (though I still prefer for them to pay for their own).
Use their brand colors and fonts and create templates to make it easy to create their stuff, but still only deliver the final images unless they pay you for some templates.
And finally strategy.
This is a touchy subject for some VAs because they feel like they should be charging more for giving a client advice or strategy around the work they do.
You don’t have to share anything with them unless you want to.
And it should be billable (I won’t talk about you having just one billable rate today but you should only have one).
Just because you work with clients who do podcasts, doesn’t mean you should be giving your client advice about where to market theirs. Doesn’t mean you can’t, just saying podcast support does not have to include strategy. It’s one of the ‘you don’t have to do this just because a client asks’ tasks.
There you have it.
What do you need to share with a client? Their stuff.
What don’t you have to share? Your stuff. Your intellectual property, your processes, your training and expertise, your advice or strategy.
Clients will ask. You can refuse. Remind them that they are paying you for the deliverable … to get the stuff done … and that’s what you will deliver for them.
Our clients need to remember what Steve Jobs says! Hire smart people (VAs) so they can tell you what to do. They don’t need to learn what we know. They don’t need to teach others what we know.
They need to stay in their lane and work in their brilliance.
Anything less, to me, screams cheap. They are looking to stop spending the money they knownthey need to spend to have you help them.
So if you think a conversation about NO will be uncomfortable, think about giving it all away and then losing that client anyway.
I choose NO every time!
Need Some Help?
This is exactly what I help VAs do. As a VA coach and trainer, I help you set yourself up for success, helping you fix the specific things that are going wrong in your business. When we work together either privately or in a group we talk specifically about your business and you – there is no one stop solution for everyone when it comes to service businesses like VA businesses.
I’ll help you get clarity around your issues, and cheer you on as you walk through the steps to fix them.
I’ve helped hundreds of VAs through their challenges and got them on their way to growing their business and the lifestyle that they dream of.
I’d love to do the same for you.
You can work with me privately, or you can join The Virtual Circle, my mastermind group for Virtual Assistants. Check it out at www.YourVAMentor.com/TVC (the virtual circle) – I bet it’s exactly what you need to start running the VA business you dreamed of.
Reach out to me if you are interested.
That’s all I’ve got for you this week, see you next time!