“Hey, where are you finding your clients?”
“What kind of marketing works for you? I need to find something, any single thing that works.”
“I listened to a seminar and the speaker said the best way to get clients was….”
“What are the must-have softwares I need to use?”
“Which social media sites should I have a presence on?
“What rate should I charge for this package, service or [__fill in the blank__]?”
You’ve probably heard these same statements or read them on a forum at some point in time. It’s great to ask and brainstorm solutions but when someone tries to copy what another is doing when the two companies have different target markets and offer different services, well, you get the picture. The results and effectiveness of the efforts will also vary.
If you ask 100 virtual assistants how they got their first client or even their 25th client you will most likely get 100 answers. Why? Even with all of our common similarities, each virtual assistant operates by their own respective business model. Our backgrounds, skill sets, and the experiences we bring to our projects vary. It’s hard to compare apples to apples when so much is different behind each online storefront.
One VA may be seeking out working with real estate agents so having a presence on LinkedIn is essential while another in the conversation works best with attorneys who shy away from any social media accounts and interact primarily on trade group forums. And the bookkeeping VA in the conversation credits her best clients to those local in her community who have little interest in online anything.
How to Figure It Out
What can you take away from one of those forum conversations? Ideas. Ideas that you can test against your own target market research to see if this would appeal to your audience. Market research is part of doing business.
Try it.
Track it.
Analyze it.
And lastly modify it to enhance your results.
Even if these three VAs – the real estate VA, the bookkeeping VA and the attorney’s assistant – were to compare the software and programs that each use daily and are their must-haves the answers will vary. The best answers, related to your type of service, will come from those who are your direct competition. These same business owners may or may not be comfortable in sharing or answering such direct inquiries because you both are targeting the same types of customers.
Bottom line, when you ask open questions to learn, keep in mind the specialty areas of those who help to brainstorm ideas before automatically implementing something in your business or signing up for this service or switching to that software or changing to a new system.
Only apply what makes sense to your business model and types of customers you serve. Remember to ask these filter questions to help you decide, “Will this make my business operate more efficiently?” “Will this directly earn me more income?” “Does this provide a solution to a problem in my business?”
If something passes the filter, then keep it.