Just recently, on a couple of different VA forums, I've come across Virtual Assistants who have worked without charging the client. They had good intentions, wanting the client to become familiar with their work abilities and with the promise of ongoing work, but for different reasons (or perhaps it was really the same reason), the work was not ongoing and the VAs were down hours and no pay. This is my advice to all of you. NEVER work for free. The industry belongs to all of us and you'll … [Read more...]
No. 9 Mistake VAs Make
Recently I became aware of a challenge a VA was having and it is something I've come across before but had forgotten about it. It's an ideal post for this category. Be clear about your quotes/rates when discussing a job with a client. This VA had quoted a rate which the client accepted but there was a problem. You see the client thought the quote was the total price for the job, whereas the VA was giving a quote... per hour! She had forgotten to add those very words 'per hour' and the end … [Read more...]
English and the VA world
We periodically have wonderful discussions on the forums relating to the spelling and use of English wording. In fact it often provides a constant source of mirth when we discover that a word can mean something completely different in another English speaking country. How does that happen? Whilst most of the conversations are full of laughter and fun there are times when misunderstandings can occur and some get hurt simply because of the use of a single word. If that can happen on a forum … [Read more...]
No. 8 Mistake VAs Make
Continuing on in our recent series... Using free accounts such as hotmail, yahoo, etc for their email address. Domains are very cheap to purchase and even if you don't yet have your own website, there is no reason why you can't have your own domain (to reflect your name or your business name) for your email. This assists with branding and people are more likely to remember your business or business name if you use a domain address to reflect that when corresponding with them. Show people you … [Read more...]
Number 7 Mistake VAs Make
Not keeping the client in the picture. Some clients will get very anxious if they don't hear from you within an expected time frame and will either go off and find someone else to help them or get very annoyed when they do connect with you. Always a good idea to ask what the time frame is and make sure you report back regularly if a large or long project or regular ongoing work. And particularly for new clients - they won't know what to expect and for many, using a VA for the first time can … [Read more...]
Mistakes VAs Make
I hope you like the series I've been doing on the mistakes VAs make in operating their businesses. I've been getting great feedback - both here at the blog and via email from various people and the list has been growing as I've been thinking about it when away from my office and doing other things. So, where did I get the idea to do this? Twitter. What Twitter? Yes. I saw someone post some weeks ago the number one mistake in their industry - it was just a single post and didn't continue on, … [Read more...]
Number 6 Mistake VAs Make
Staying in our comfort zone. We need to be flexible and stretch and bend if we want our businesses to grow. Technology - where would this industry be without it? And yet we all get comfortable and set in out ways and get to a point where we feel we don't want to learn anything new. It's all happening too fast and we're comfortable where we are... for a time. I remember I felt like that before learning about blogging. I only investigated it because a client asked me too but I really did … [Read more...]
Number 2 Mistake Some New VAs Make
Ok, I know many of you have been waiting for this. I believe it to be setting rates that are too low. This also includes allowing clients to tell you what you should be charging. Many VAs, particularly in the first year or two of their businesses, mistakenly think they should charge low to get the clients. What happens is a number of things: They find quickly that they're not making much money and have difficulty covering all their overheads and have some left over for themselves. They … [Read more...]
Getting past the no.1 mistake VAs make
Further to my previous 2 posts, I have more to add and Tracey's comment included some of what I wanted to say. When a client contacts you for a quote you need to project confidence and telling someone nervously that you are new and you're not sure what to charge, or umm and ahh over charges, will help give them a lack of confidence in your abilities and knowing what you are doing. What is there to be nervous about? If you know well the services you plan to offer then you know you are going to … [Read more...]