Being a Virtual Assistant is a great way to live the life you choose. You can work from home, or anywhere else you please, you can choose your customers and your hours. It gives moms the opportunity to have the best of both worlds and it gives everyone the freedom they desire. However to make the most of this amazing career, it helps to have clients knocking down your door. Here are the steps to become a sought after VA.
#1 Market yourself with a website and learn search engine optimization. Because many of your clients will be internet marketers, you’ll want to demonstrate your technology skills and knowledge, particularly if you offer SEO or website building tasks. Additionally, being that you’re a virtual assistant, many people are going to search for you in the virtual world, meaning online. Having a good page ranking with the search engines is a sure way to make it to the top of their list of services to check out.
#2 Broadcast yourself. Forums, article marketing and social networking are all a great way to share your knowledge, meet potential clients and interact. Share your skills, knowledge and personality online. It is said that the single biggest asset a small business owner has is their personality. Use yours to shine and stand out above your competition. Quite often, people will like you and look for a reason to work with you.
#3 Be ultra professional. You’re being hired to represent your client so that’s important, but perhaps more important is your ability to communicate effectively, follow up and meet deadlines.
#4 Specialize. While it may feel like the right thing to do is to be a “girl Friday†the better approach, the approach that enables you to raise your rates. Options for specialization include:
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* Affiliate management
* Customer service
* Bookkeeping
* Formatting, posting, forum administration and so on.
You don’t have to specialize in one single task however, if you specialize in a type of task, affiliate management for example, then customers can trust that you know what you’re doing and are worth every penny you charge. You can also specialize in an industry.
#5 Price your services competitively. People will pay for exceptional service. Provide it and you can set your rates at the high end of your industry. First, of course, you’ll have to determine what that is. The good news is that while there is a tremendous amount of competition online, rates aren’t determined by geographic region as salaries are. Research what other virtual assistants charge for specific services, learn what you need to know to be an expert in your chosen niche, and earn those high rates.
#6 Help people hire you. Your job is to make their lives easier, right? So do it right from the beginning. Offer packages, memberships, have rates posted right on your site. Make invoicing and payments as easy as clicking a button and consider charging clients by the task rather than by the hour. Lawyers charge by the hour and people always suspect them of padding their time. You don’t want customers to suspect the same of you.
#7 Reward referrals and don’t be afraid to ask for them. Also, ask for testimonials and use them. Word of mouth marketing is one of the best forms of marketing and it’s free – you can’t beat that ROI! One satisfied customer who tells three friends who tells three more friends each and suddenly your schedule is full!
Becoming a sought after VA requires a strategy and a little time and patience. Follow these seven steps and you’ll have as much work as you desire