How I Found My First Client
I’ve decided from time to time I’m going to post about my journey as a new Virtual Assistant / Social Media Manager / Pinterest Manager (boy that’s a lot). Every day on Facebook groups I’m a member of, I see welcome after welcome for people starting a business as a Virtual Assistant or Social Media Manager. Since I’m a newbie as well I thought I’d start blogging about the things I’ve learned to do, not to do, everything that has worked, and everything that hasn’t worked. Hopefully, these posts will inspire, teach, or motivate other newbie Virtual Assistants on their journey.
Tales of A Newbie Virtual Assistant
So. I got my first client last week.
Squee!!!
He wasn’t a retainer client, but, I provided a one-off service, and he paid! I feel awesome about that. I’m hoping that in the future when he needs something else similar to what I did for him, he’ll come back again. That’s what we want, even if it’s a one-time service, right? We want our clients to come back. Even if it’s every once in a while or one time, he is a client I helped and a client I can get a reference/testimonial from to put on my website. It shows I have experience now. That someone actually believed in my service, thought I was capable of helping them, and I did.
How Did I Find My First Virtual Assistant Client
A Facebook Group.
That’s right.
When people suggest that you join Facebook groups related to the market you’re going to target and participate and add value to the posts you see - do it!!! It works. Plus - in some of these groups, people post job opps looking for help. That’s how I found my one-off client. And I almost didn’t get him. After I replied to his post on the FB group I sent him a PM. When he replied back to me, the service I told him I could provide wasn't really what he needed. In that reply, he told me what he did need. I gasped because it was right up my alley.
Research.
I’m a born researcher. It’s my DAY JOB. I’m a high school library media specialist. I live for research which made me perfect for this job so I pitched myself AGAIN...and it worked!
I got my first client.
From the day I started my business (December 10th) it took me a little over six weeks to get my first client so don’t despair if you’re a newbie just starting out. Some people luck up and get clients really quick - some of us - not so much.
6 Tips For A Newbie Virtual Assistant
Don’t doubt yourself.
Don’t quit on yourself.
There’s a reason why you CHOSE to do this.
Go back and look at your goals.
Go back and look at your business plan.
Go back and look at your “why” and keep moving forward.
You’ve got this.
In the meantime keep checking things off your to-do list. If you don’t have one of those - I do. Click on the pic below and get a copy of the ‘Step-by-Step Action Plan I created to get myself ready for my new VA business. And I’ll tell you a little secret - I’m still checking things off this list and adding things to it.
So I will get it done and so will you.
Update: How I Consistently Find Clients For My Virtual Assistant Business
I show up.
I consistently show up on social media: Instagram and in Facebook groups, and I interact and provide value, tips, advice about what I do and who I help. I also have systems in place using Dubsado. In Dubsado I manage my calendar, proposals, contracts, and invoicing. Dubsado allows me to create a seamless client experience from start to finish without missing a beat. I also have a strategic discovery call process that gets from client to contract as well. So make sure you set up your processes and have a plan in place for every step of your Virtual Assistant business.
Xoxo,
Raquell