Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk about knowing where your VA business is going.
Today’s Quote: If you make a sale, you can make a living. If you make an investment of time and good service in a customer, you can make a fortune. – Jim Rohn
Click the play button above to tune in, or choose your favourite podcast player below:
Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
The number one thing that VAs come to me for help with – and the ones that don’t come to me also want to know this … where to find clients?
We have this sense that when we build it they will come and that is so not the case when we start our VA business.
We struggle trying to perfect our website, our social media like our IG grid, our branding – and then when we finally deem all of that to be perfect and ready, we have no idea how to get clients.
To have a VA business, you need to have clients. Without it, you have a hobby – or a job that pays like crap.
So you have to prioritize learning how to find clients in order for your VA business to be successful.
And that starts with where to look, which is often the most important part.
In a nutshell, you have to find the places where your people are hanging out, and then go hang out with them there.
That’s it, that’s the advice. You know I tell you exactly this when we talk – when you ask for advice, that’s what I tell you to do.
To find the place, or places, you need to know who your people are – and then where they go.
Today I want to give you 8 places to look for clients.
Online Communities and Forums
The easiest place to look for clients is in Facebook groups. – the ones that are dedicated to entrepreneurs.
I see all of you in the VA groups but that is not where you want to be. Networking with VAs is not going to grow your VA business.
Do you need to be in VA groups? Yes for sure! We have an amazingly collaborative and supportive industry and you need that connection.
But you can’t rely on VA groups to find clients. Some VA groups do allow clients in, but often they are just there to post a job opportunity – not to network with you and get to know you.
They post a job and it’s often first past the post to answer, and that can be so competitive and exhausting.
So join entrepreneur groups – where people are genuinely looking for connection and support – and you’ll find your clients!
Other places include Reddit, Threads, and other social media platforms where people are having actual conversations. These communities can be a great way to find your people and connect with them quickly.
Social Media Platforms
While groups can be a great way to connect with people, you have to start somewhere and searching hashtags and keywords can go a long way to helping you find the best communities.
Sometimes people are not necessarily looking for a group, but they are talking about getting support. Looking for people who are looking for help is a good way to find clients – even though it can also be somewhat competitive.
Searching on Instagram and LinkedIn can be very helpful in finding specific people that you want to connect with.
Networking is all about getting to know people and you don’t always have to do that in a group.
If you find your target market clients on IG or LI for instance, you can connect with them and have direct conversations.
Be careful not to cold message selling your services though – instead, like, follow and share their content and have conversations in their comment section – it gets noticed and then when you do make the jump to DMs you aren’t a complete stranger to them.
Networking Events and Meetups
I can never stress the importance of networking enough in business. All businesses, including your VA business.
Getting face to face with people (in person on online) is an important piece of growing your business.
You will have real conversations with real people who are also running businesses.
Joining meetup and events that are being hosted in the business community is a great way to keep your conversation ability strong.
One of the things I did to get our from behind my computer was to join a regular business breakfast group.
At first it made me painfully aware that I didn’t have real conversations with people very often – I stumbled over my words, I pitched my services (and no one around the table needed the services I pitched!).
It didn’t take me long to change my approach – the words I used, the way I experienced conversations, and bashed the absolute need to sell something to someone that didn’t need it.
That experience alone was key to me growing my VA business – recognizing that the people in front of you need something, and if you can help them with it, you have a client. It was SOOOO easy.
Go to events. Meet people. Get clients.
Workshops and Webinars
Attending workshops and webinars that your target clients are also attending is a great way to get to know them also.
I used to be a vendor at local business events when I was just being a VA.
It would cost about $100 to have a table at a local event, and it was well worth it in return.
There would be 100 entrepreneurs in the room, all looking to grow their business. They were learning from a coach or consultant on the stage, and then they needed to implement what they learned.
Enter Tracey. I was right there for them to talk to.
It was like shooting fish in a barrel LOL. Not quite – they were not all my ideal clients, but I left almost every event I ever went to with at least one client, when I made the right decision about where to go.
Coworking Spaces
The coworking space industry is still booming. There used to be just a couple in my city. Now there are all kinds.
What makes them great? Well for one thing they offer space, community, tech, and events. But they don’t offer support. At least not most of them.
Their product is the space and how they can draw people in and create a community for them in that space. Most people are solopreneurs and so they are there for the community, the ability to host meetings in a business space, and a host of other reasons.
So if you are working out a coworking space you can target that group as a target market.
Find out what they need and provide that service. Talk to people about it.
If you aren’t working out of the space, you can always attend the events that they host. Networking is a really important part of the coworking space.
Events too – it’s how they get people into their space and sign them up.
Local Business Associations and Chambers of Commerce
Your local business community can be an excellent source of finding clients.
Sometimes that means targeting a group that does not do the same thing – it might be hard if you target lawyers for instance, to find 10 lawyers to work with.
But if you provide services that a few industries are in need of, then you can target a local group and then make your service offering your niche.
Local business associations are also often a great source of clients because everyone is really supportive of local business – because everyone in the group is local.
So hiring a local VA is a no brainer. Many business owners don’t need full time support so they do everything themselves – if they are able to bring you in for a few hours a month, that is very cost effective – and you’re local too, so the trust factor can build quickly as you get to know them.
As well, these associations and chambers usually provide resources and networking events for their members, which means you can get visibility.
Educational Institutions and Professionals
What happens when someone learns something? They have to the implement it in their business.
Remember when I told you about being a vendor at business events? That’s what that is all about.
Partnering with people who teach others to do things is another excellent way to get clients.
Strategic partnership can bulk up your business by creating a source of referrals from trusted people.
You can make a point of creating these partnerships, or you can let them occur organically in your normal networking.
Be careful when you are looking for these opportunities though, not to pitch with nothing in return for someone.
That doesn’t mean you need to pay a commission or trade them anything, but you want to establish the relationship and go from the angle that you will be helping their clients (not just getting them to pay you).
It’s true – but it’s also easy to not do that.
When I help someone, I always want to know that they will be able to continue the work we did on their own, and if I know who can help them do that, then I definitely want to connect them!
Women-Focused Entrepreneurial Groups
There are also national groups that you can join as a member, that can be very fruitful for acquiring clients.
Join organizations like the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) or Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) to become a member of their community.
These associations often have higher level business owners in them – the ones who are really looking to grow their business. –
Paying to be a part of one of these associations often costs, and you want to make sure that it’s the right choice for you – but for sure you know that everyone who is a member has some skin in the game and that can make the connections much more lucrative from a business standpoint.
They also have members nationally, which means that you don’t have to work with local folks if you don’t want to. One of the struggles I had early on was trying to explain to people that I didn’t need to go for coffee or stop by their office to work for them.
I live outside the city 30 minutes, so if I go for coffee with someone, I lose 2 hours of my day, or more.
By connecting with a national group, you can work with anyone anywhere. And the odds of many of your target clients being a part of a big association like that is obviously much larger too.
The membership fee is a consideration, but feel free to connect with people who are members to ask them how they like their membership – what they do for community, events, resources, etc.
And if it is right for you, join with the intention of taking part and showing up – you’ll get the best results that way. If you are still shy of networking, a paid national membership may not be right for you yet.
And finally….
Podcasts
Getting visibility for your VA business can be a challenge if you don’t have a large audience or number of followers.
How do you get the word out so you can increase your audience and your mailing list?
Use other people’s audiences.
If you are a guest on a podcast, you are the expert at providing admin support (or whatever your services are).
Like anything you want to make sure that the host’s audience is your target entrepreneurs – but being hosted as a guest can really make a difference to your client list.
Reach out to people who host podcasts and ask them if they are looking for guests – it’s really that simple.
Then prepare yourself to showcase your services and your personality on their podcast or blog.
Be yourself, and create a lead magnet for people to download at the end of the episode so you can bring them into your own community.
It’s a great way to get people on your mailing list, get visibility for your VA business, and also get really comfortable talking about how you help your VA clients.
And above all else, promote your episode when it goes live. It helps the podcaster but it also looks great on you, to be featured on someone else’s show.
Always be looking for opportunities to find clients.
Figure out what works for you, and work it! You can’t sit back and hope that clients will call you.
You have to get yourself out there so that they can see you and notice you.
I’ve give you 8 ways today. You don’t have to do all of them – pick 2 or 3. Which ones will you implement today?
And of course, let’s have another look at our quote from this week: If you make a sale, you can make a living. If you make an investment of time and good service in a customer, you can make a fortune.
I love Jim Rohn’s quotes, he always says exactly what I believe.
Learn to make sales. Learn to get clients. Learn to network. And enjoy doing all of it.
Business can be hard if you don’t. Once again, it’s not about getting somewhere quickly. It’s about having the right plan, with the right steps – and moving towards it every day.
Find your people, find your places, and get clients.
I’d love to help you get there.
It’s time. I’m here to help. It’s the only reason I’m here at all, is to help you become a ridiculously good VA. But it’s you who has to take that first step.
Do You Need Help?
If you are looking to build the kind of business I’m talking about – a 50K and beyond VA business, that’s where I can help. I am here to help you become a ridiculously good VA.
I have helped hundreds of VAs who are stuck get moving through private coaching, my monthly mastermind group The Virtual Circle, my group coaching program 50K Bootcamp, and my self study trainings like my Getting Started program, my monthly email membership The Virtual Toolkit, and more. If you are ready to get my help, let’s connect on a Cut to the Chase call. You can book yours at YourVAMentor.com/chase
Thank you again for trusting me to teach you and to guide you. I truly love to be here for you every week.
If I could ask you a favour – to subscribe to the podcast or leave me a review if you haven’t already. That’s something I should say every week and I never really do. But it matters and it will make sure that I know you are finding value in what I create just for you every week.
What You Need to Do Next:
PRIVATE COACHING: Let’s work together privately to get you to your really big goal. It’s the fastest way to get results and we can start right away. Learn more about private coaching here.
GROUP COACHING MASTERMIND: The Virtual Circle is a group coaching mastermind option that costs less than private coaching, and can help you achieve the goals you set for yourself. . Check it out here: The Virtual Circle Group Coaching Mastermind for Virtual Assistants . We’d love to have you join us!
50K VA GROUP COACHING PROGRAM: If you have been struggling to build your VA business, get in on this live coaching program where we will help you create the framework for a business that can earn you 50K a year and beyond. LAUNCHING FALL 2024, stay tuned!
MONTHLY EMAIL MEMBERSHIP: I also have a brand new low-cost monthly membership program that will help you build your VA business – and it doesn’t require you to be on social media! It’s an email membership that I call The Virtual Toolkit! Every Monday morning you’ll receive a lesson and a downloadable resource in your inbox, that you can use to take a step further in your VA business. Get more details and sign up here now!
SELF STUDY PROGRAM: My self study program Getting Started as a VA can help you get your VA business started easily and quickly too. You can sign up right away and be on your way to getting clients by the end of the program, with all the right foundations in place. Check out the program here.
COMPLIMENTARY CONSULT: Reach out to me if you need to talk about where you are stuck and what the right option might be to get you moving. It’s literally all I’m here to do is help you get to where you want to go. Book a complimentary Cut to the Chase call with me here.