Hey there!
Anytime I meet a new VA or even a seasoned VA, after we get to know each other a bit, maybe talk about the weather, the question that I am asked the most is, “How do you find new clients?”
It’s a huge question because, as a virtual assistant, if you don’t have clients, you don’t have an income!
My very first client was a friend that reached out to me. She had started her own business and needed some part time help doing some administrative tasks. She already knew my skill set from our previous full time gig so we knew that we would mesh well together.
I worked for her for several months. The hours were great, super flexible, the pay was good and I enjoyed what I was doing. I realized after a few months that being a virtual assistant was something I wanted to do full time. I found that I really enjoyed working on different projects for her and her team and I wanted to do the same thing for other businesses like hers.
My problem was, where was I going to find more clients like her? Where would I find more clients at all? I didn’t even find her; she found me!
When I researched finding new clients, a lot of people recommended starting with Facebook and LinkedIn. They were putting themselves out there and I was like, “Nope! Don’t want to do that.” But, I did it. I resisted for a while but I did it. I spruced up my Facebook page and updated my LinkedIn profile. I even created a business page for both platforms. And then I put it out there.
Now, I will admit, I did not get a TON of new clients, all clamoring to work with me. But what I found were good clients that then turned around and, through word of mouth, sold my services to other businesses for me.
I didn’t have that many Facebook followers and I definitely didn’t have that many LinkedIn connections but I had friends that knew what I was doing and so they told their friends and their friends told their friends. Because of that, I would get, maybe three or four times a month, a solid lead about a client or project.
The biggest thing I learned from that experience was about putting myself out there. It was uncomfortable and I didn’t want to do it but I did it anyway. That’s what promoting your business is all about; putting yourself out there.
Another place that I found clients was through networking events. Look, I have built my business so that I can wear yoga pants and work from my sofa if I want to. But, when you’re going to networking events, you are required to put on pants and tops without holes in them. Maybe you have to throw on some lip gloss and spruce up your ponytail a little bit and go out into the world and meet people face to face. You need to have your elevator pitch and business cards ready. You have to be prepared to tell people what you do and what you can do for them.
I went to several networking events and I kept thinking, “Man, this is not panning out! I’m not really meeting any potential clients!” But, for two months, I went religiously. I went to at least one event every week. I passed out cards and gave my pitch. When I was tired of going and did an evaluation of my time spent on networking events, I realized two things.
One, I had met two really good business owners that I now meet for coffee every couple of weeks. We meet, talk about our businesses, discuss pain points, we reaffirm our goals as well as help each other out where we can. We are accountability partners that continue to be helpful to our growing businesses.
Two, I got nibbles and bites from those networking meetings. I’d get calls or emails from folks reminding me that we had met at a networking event and while they weren’t ready for a virtual assistant then, things had changed and now they are. Or, they met another business owner that was ready and they thought of me and passed my card along. So, people may not be ready today but if you give your best speech and you leave your business cards for them, they will remember you in the future.
The last place that I find clients, and this is going to be a little different for some folks, is that I ask my current clients. I might say, “Hey, I have two tier one slots open. Do you know someone that might need an assistant?”
I always forward my blog posts to current clients and folks that I know and say, “Hey, just putting this out there. Maybe you know a business that could benefit from this week’s post.” Sometimes that triggers the conversation.
Those are my three favorite ways to find clients. No, it’s not always easy. Sometimes it’s downright frustrating but it’s so worth it. Just remember why you started your business and that will help push you and keep you going.