Become a VA: Step 4 – Create a Clear Message

A lot of VAs launch into their business, having looked around to see how others are describing themselves and then just follow suit.

But, what if you knew there was a more powerful way to get your message across that did NOT sound the same as everyone else?

Once you have identified your ideal clients or, taking it a step further, your niche, then you have to start thinking about how you are going to explain what you do when someone makes an enquiry, what to write on your website and what to say when you go to networking meetings.

Think about this – What is it about your VA business that will make your ideal client want to do business with you?  That is the clear message you should convey.

Benefits Definition Magnifier Showing Bonus Perks Or RewardsMany VAs will jump in and tell people what they believe to be the benefits of using a VA, such as saving you time and money, no overheads, only paying for the time you do the work etc etc!  However, I can tell you now that will not make you, as an individual, stand out from the crowd.  You want to get noticed for something different and it is that which will get you the business.

Your message needs to convey the benefits and be able to demonstrate clearly how you will support them and detail the results of that support over a long term period. You will also need to put across what that means to them and their business, the positive consequences of working with you.

Think about this – What is it about your VA business that will make your ideal client want to do business with you? Much of it is based on the fact that people like to do business with people they know, like and trust. So why should someone know, like and trust you?

hand shows target customers diagram on dirt backgroundFind an opportunity to grab potential clients attention first and
 the opportunity to keep them interested long enough to build that trust and demonstrate the value of using your services. Start with your marketing message. This is what people will be reading about you or hearing from you. Be clear in both your written and your verbal communications. Be consistent across the full spectrum of communications – don’t say one thing on one site and something else on another.

People want to know what you do, how you will work together, and what’s in it for them based on their profile as your ideal client.

Most people have an intention for their business or a desire for their lifestyle so you want to appeal to your prospective clients by word association. Therefore, to answer the question ‘what’s in it for me?’, use words associated with what you believe your niche intends or desires.

Have a unique selling point.

If you are to stand out as a sought after VA, then you need to be very clear about what you can do for your niche, how you help them with areas where they are struggling so that you can identify the benefits you can bring to the working partnership. What will be your unique selling point? Be Clear – Stand Out!

Put yourself into your ideal client’s shoes and think about what concerns and challenges they were experiencing.

Based on what answers you have gained through that exercise, turn the answers into questions or a statement, so that if this is something which they read on your website, or something you have written a blog about, they can easily identify with
you and you start to stand out.

So tell me in the Comments section below how you create your clear message or define your unique selling point.

Join me next week, where we will be talking about Charging your worth. 

VACT-Logo-Green_png-250pxAmanda Johnson of Your Executive Secretary Limited is a licensed Trainer of the VACT.  If you would like to book yourself on the next Taster Session in your area then please click here or if you would like to book a free 30 minute breakthrough call then click here

Become a VA: Step 3 – Selling isn’t a dirty word

Many VAs when they launch their business, initially think that the sales will come because they have a website, they are on social media, they are advertising in the local paper etc. Then they have an “Aha” moment and realize that they need to “sell” themselves – and all of a sudden they are terrified. Often scared that they are not good at it.

Panic Or Calm Signpost Showing Chaos Relaxation And RestThe mistake here is thinking that you have to “sell” yourself all of the time, that every networking meeting, chance meeting at the school gate is a “must sell” opportunity.

Yes there is a sales element to your business and it is important you get that bit refined.  However, DO remember that you have to first get people to know, like and trust you first and that you’re creating awareness of what you do and for whom.  Remember to be confident too, as this helps people to connect with you and trust you.

When you’re selling you must first aim to understand the problem that needs resolving, so step into the mind of the prospect and imagine what they’re thinking. They may have some resistance or hesitation on their part, in fact this may not be the first contact you are having with them.

Online Marketing Pyramid Showing Blogs Websites Social Media And Email ListsGenerally it takes between 7 and 14 touches before someone buys from you. A touch could be a discussion, an email, a business card, a flyer, a newsletter, a tweet or Facebook post etc. Remember in the previous steps I mentioned the importance of building relationships with people. You may be feeling frustrated that this isn’t the first conversation with them, however, one of the areas many VAs fail, or indeed other industries too, is in the fact they forget to remember that the prospect may not be ready right now to buy or they may have objectives, concerns or an unclear understanding of how you can help solve their problems.

Therefore, think about the following…

  1. What objections could a potential client have. Remember that objections don’t necessarily mean No – they just need to understand the value. How you respond could determine the outcome. You could say things such as “I can see why you might think that.”, or “I understand why you would believe that.”, or “That’s a great question…”.
  2. They may have a number of problems that they need solving in their business and they want to understand how you can solve those problems or what solutions you may have to their challenges.
  3. They may be conscious about money and think you might be an expense they don’t need. Your aim is to help them understand the benefits to working with you and therefore the value you can add to their business, instead of being a drain on their financial resources.
  4. They want to know that working with you from the start will be easy. You will probably have a system for conducting your new client consultation, where you will implement a process to get started with them. They may be thinking that there is so much to get done and to teach you about their business and even feel overwhelmed by this, especially as they’re busy.

If you can prepare how you will handle these scenarios then your sales process will be much more effective.

Your prospective client wants to know that you can deliver amazing value, an excellent service with great support, that you have (in some cases) relevant experience or at least understand what their challenges in business are, that you’re forward thinking, proactive instead of reactive and at the end of the day, above all else, what will really sell it to them, is that you can help them to become more productive too, so that they can focus on achieving those very important goals. Those important goals will determine for them their business success and the impact on their personal life too.

Next week, we will start to look at how you market yourself and your VA business.

VACT-Logo-Green_png-250pxAmanda Johnson of Your Executive Secretary Limited is a licensed Trainer of the VACT.  If you would like to book yourself on the next Taster Session in your area then please click here or if you would like to book a free 30 minute breakthrough call then click here

Become a VA: Step 2 – Identifying your Niche

Finding the right clients for your business, means that you will need to market yourself and your VA business. The businesses you ultimately work with need to know, like and trust you – in the same way, it is important for you as the VA to know, like and trust your clients.

Identifying your Ideal Client and Niche

Marketing your VA business is basically relationship building – getting businesses to get to know, like and trust you. As part of your brand awareness you are allowing businesses to witness what you are all about, what you can do, what you help businesses to achieve and where you add value. Marketing is also about ATTRACTING the IDEAL client who has a NEED and WANTS your services.

Who Needs And Wants Your Services?

Well, you may believe, as many do, that all businesses need a VA!!!!  However, it’s important to close the net and start to focus on specific businesses so that you have more of an opportunity to stand out from other VAs. This is where having a niche comes in.

Have a Clear Message

It is better to communicate a very clear message direct to certain businesses which connects with what their particular needs or concerns are, so that you can actually provide the solutions for those particular needs and concerns.  In addition, it can cost you a lot of money trying to market yourself to every business, however, by having a niche, it means your marketing efforts can be much more cost effective, more targeted and consistent and achieve better results.

Your Niche

IMG_1056The majority of VAs launch after working with a particular industry and so choose this to be their niche, as they already have a working knowledge of the issues that clients in these areas face – BUT – I know this isn’t always relevant or right for you. Take me…. My background was over 22 years in the military, the military doesn’t use external admin support (apart from government contracts) and so I needed to think about the skills I had and niche that way.

You don’t have to niche on day one – it can help, but sometimes working with lots of people initially can help you determine the niches or the areas you want to work with (or not as the case may be).

Once you have a clearer idea, step into the shoes of your potential clients and think like them. What support would you find useful? What would you want your VA to know about you? What challenges and concerns do you have that a VA could create solutions and results to?

Research You could also do some research and find out from them what they actually want and need, because once you have identified these points you will then create the service that fits as well as a marketing campaign that creates awareness that you are the solution to those needs.

Don’t worry, identifying your niche can be a pretty hard thing to do, personally it took me nearly 12 months. So don’t let it stop you launching your VA business!

Next week – we talk about Mastering the Art of Sales.

VACT-Logo-Green_png-250pxAmanda Johnson of Your Executive Secretary Limited is a licensed Trainer of the VACT.  If you would like to book yourself on the next Taster Session in your area then please click here or if you would like to book a free 30 minute breakthrough call then click here

 

Become a VA – 7 Steps to become a VA

Are you looking for an alternative to life in the corporate world? With many PAs looking for an alternative to working as a PA, to enable them more of a work-life balance and stress-free existence, or facing redundancy what is the answer?

Naturally, like many PAs who have made the transition to Virtual Assistant (VA), you, of course, will want to ensure you have your questions answered and do it all right.

Training VAOver the next 7 weeks I am going to be sharing with you the 7 steps to launching and boosting your VA business so that you can confidently hit the ground running and start seeing results.

In some cases, its not so much a step but a mistake to avoid that will allow you to successfully launch and grow your VA business.  The thing is you must stand out from the crowd, if you do what everyone else is doing, you will just blend in.

This is about working on you first and then helping your prospective clients to notice you – so that you can command the fees you are worth and create a business which earns you the income you want and work the hours you choose.

YES this CAN be achieved.

Step 1. Vision – start with the end in mind

If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there? You’ve probably heard this many times but have you applied this wisdom to your business lately?

With the need to bring in business, keep clients happy, chase invoices and keep the wheels of business turning, it’s really easy to forget why you’re doing it and what you’re aiming for. The simplest way to re-energise your business is to work out what you’re aiming to achieve and GO FOR IT with laser focus!!

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • How do you want your business to look in a year, two years, five years?
  • What are you aiming for?
  • How many hours do you want to work? Who would you like to be working with?
  • How will your business fit into your life, going forward?
  • What’s your exit strategy for your business?
  • Will you sell it, shut it down, get someone else to run it, franchise it? Have you even thought about it?

And once you get clear on how you want your business and life to look, you can make decisions based on it. You can decide what is ‘good business’ (ie takes you closer to your vision) or ‘bad business’ (takes you further away from your vision). But if you don’t know how you want your business to look, how can you make decisions? How will you know if something is just a distraction?

Get really clear on how you want you life to look – how much you want to earn, how many hours you want to work, how many holidays/ vacations you’d like, when you’d like to give up work – in as much detail as you can. Then see how your business can help you achieve that.

Next week – we will clarify who are your ideal clients and whether you need to have a niche market.

VACT-Logo-Green_png-250pxAmanda Johnson of Your Executive Secretary Limited is a licensed Trainer of the VACT.  If you would like to book yourself on the next Taster Session in your area then please click here or if you would like to book a free 30 minute breakthrough call then click here

Runner Up – VA of the Year (Southern Region) – Sep 14

I am absolutely delighted to share with you that I was awarded Runner-Up in the VA of the Year Southern Region as part of the VA Conference and BeMyVA VA Awards.

The awards took place at Sandy Park, Exeter (more commonly known as Exeter Chiefs Rugby Ground) on 23 September 2014,

Award and Fizz!

2014 saw a new format for the VA industry awards with it being the first time there were Regional Awards for Virtual Assistants. The Regional Awards provided recognition for a VA’s work in their area – and the awards themselves are the first step towards the Grand Finals of the UK Awards that will be presented at the Annual VA Conference.

The VA of the Year Category – 
The ultimate recognition of excellence within the industry.  The judges were looking to find the champions of good practice for Virtual Assistants and they were particularly keen to assess the candidate’s passion for their business and their awareness of vision, purpose and values – and how that is applied to their successful business model.

 

To be part of this category VA’s needed to have been in business over 12 months on 31 January 2014 – I had been in business 13 months!

Being presented Runner Up of the Year AwardI am thrilled to have been recognised for my achievements in building a unique, innovative and effective Virtual Assistant Business supporting clients across many geographical areas and ultimately helping them to achieve their goals and dreams.

In the last couple of months, my business has grown – I now have a small team of Associates supporting clients and I also now a licensed trainer for the VA Coaching and Training Company – helping develop either those interested in joining the industry or new VAs grow their business. The next 12 months are going to be very exciting. Ensure you sign up to the newsletter (over on the right hand side of the screen) to keep up to date with what is going on.

 

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