Episode 222: Struggling to Land High-Paying Clients as a Virtual Assistant? 3 Tips to Help You Step Into that Expert Role

Full Episode Transcription:

[00:00:00] Are you a current virtual assistant, but you’re really struggling to make enough money in your business and you’re starting to stress about having to go back to your nine to five? I totally get that feeling. I was where you are now back about two years ago in my business. I just didn’t understand how to continue to scale my services and my prices so I could charge more and land those clients that actually saw me as the expert. Part of the issue with that was that I was not actually stepping in to that expert role, and I have a feeling that you might be struggling with this as well. You have to remember that when you’re stepping into the expert role, you are not an employee. You are a business owner who has the specialized skills to help another business grow their income. So they’re not gonna be telling you what you need to do when you’re the expert. You are gonna come in and help them scale their business in the area that you specialize in. So I have three tips for you to help you start to transition into that expert role.

[00:01:09] So number one is when you’re on a discovery call with a potential client, you should be the one leading that call. It’s not your typical interview where you come in and the interviewer is asking you all these questions and you just answer. In a discovery call, this is as much you interviewing your potential client as it is them interviewing you, and you should be the leader and facilitator of that call so that you can really figure out what they need and start to piece together how you can help them. So typically with a discovery call, I recommend starting out by just asking them about their business. Then ask them what are their three biggest goals with whatever service you offer. Walk them through your process and then open the floor for them to ask any questions from you. And then at the end you can chat about what packages might be the best fit for them based on their needs. Okay, so you are the leader of the call. You’re not letting them take the lead. You need to be that leader.

[00:02:13] The second way you can start to step into that expert role and showcase that is to get your onboarding process tied up with a bow on it from the first time your potential client comes across you to the time that you are completely done working with them. This should be a beautiful, seamless process that makes it super easy for both you and them. So think about how are they booking a discovery call: do they have to email you and then you guys go back and forth on figuring out a time, or do you have a system in place where they just go in, pick a time that works for them from your calendar, fill out a form, and then you just get that email notification? What’s your system for sending proposals after the call? How do you get the information from them? Once they do sign on? How do you, how do you have them take care of their contract and and their invoice? Is that like a ton of different steps that’s gonna be really confusing for them? Or is it a streamlined process when you’re actually doing the work? How are you communicating with them? How are you getting anything you need from them as far as revisions or feedback? How can you simplify that process even further for your client? Okay, so that was the client onboarding process.

[00:03:29] And then the third thing you need to do to start stepping into that expert virtual assistant role is to have systems in your business. When you set up these systems, it will allow you to work your business in a lot less time. That way you can do the work for your clients. Do like, the few key things you have to do in your business just to keep it running. But then when you have that streamlined, you’ll find yourself with the time to actually do things that will grow your business, like build a website, like make some sort of free resource for your potential clients or some sort of passive income that could get them in the door with you, and then they’ll be more willing to pay you the full payment to hire you completely. Once you have systems in place, it just gives you that ability to focus on other things and have that project time rather than just feeling like you’re always in the weeds of your business and you’re always drowning and can’t stay above water.

[00:04:27] Okay, so let me recap these three tips for you. The first one is to lead the discovery call. You are the leader of that call. The second one is to rework and refine your client onboarding process. And the third one is to set up systems in your business that keeps you out of the weeds and allows you to grow your virtual assistant business as far as you want it to.

[00:04:50] Now, if you need help with any of this, I invite you to join the Scaling Virtual Assistant Mastermind. In this Mastermind, you’re gonna get biweekly trainings from me teaching you how to scale your virtual assistant business. You’re gonna get help with setting up your systems, your client onboarding process, setting up a website, all the different things, generating passive income, even. On top of the biweekly training calls the other weeks, you’re going to have biweekly coaching calls where all of us hop on the call together and you get time with me, with my hands in your business, helping you with whatever you need help with. This program will give you the full accountability you need to take your virtual assistant business to the next level so you can go find out all of the details about the Mastermind at ariannavernier.com/mastermind. I only have five spots in this Mastermind. I keep it really tight knit so I can really give you my full attention.

[00:05:52] All applications are due by next Wednesday, August 9th. So go ahead, check out that link again, that’s ariannavernier.com/mastermind, or you can find the link in the show notes, submit your application. I cannot wait to team up with all of you ladies to help you just take your virtual assistant business to the next level. I love you so much, and we will see you next time.