Now What? Where are the Clients?
Ok so you are over the overwhelming feeling of starting out in your Business, but where are the clients?
It will take some time to build up a relationship with customers and clients, but start small and work your way up.
When I first started in my Business, I asked Family and Friends. Yes I said start small. You never know who they may know and knowing a friend of a friend could work in your favour.
I suggest writing a template that introduces you and your services remembering to put in WHY people should use a Virtual Assistant, but more importantly, why they should use YOU. This can be something you keep for new clients or even when replying to adverts of jobs that may be advertised.
You will need to Market yourself. This may be hard, as I still find it hard to write about myself, but it is something you will have to overcome if you want to be successful in your Business.
Press Release
A press release is a great way and huge opportunity to get your Business out there. You can have a go yourself, but as I mentioned before, I am not great writing about me, so when I first started out, I went to a PR Specialist and had a Press Release written for me. If you want to view an example of mine, please let me know and I can email that through to you.
Once you have your press release, release it. Send it on to all your local newspapers and printed sources relating to your field of Business. When I did this, I was featured in WA Business News, had numerous calls and jobs booked in. I gained a long term client out of this who I am still working with to this day, so it does work. You can also pay a professional service to distribute your Press Release.
Networking
Networking- is the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people and potential clients and/or customers. I would have to say that Networking is the BIGGEST way to get you and your business out there. It is so successful that around 80% of my clientele comes from networking. This can be online or in person.
The purpose of networking is to basically increase your Business. I have found that people like to get to know who they are working with before they use me as their Virtual Assistant. This is fine by me as I love to know my clients and what they do for their Business, before assisting them with it.
Here is a list of some great networking websites:
http://www.facebook.com/
www.linkedin.com/
www.twitter.com/
Forums
http://www.hiremymum.com.au/
http://www.wahmnetwork.com.au/forum/
http://www.homebasedbusiness.sbdc.com.au/forum/default.asp/
http://connect2mums.com.au/
http://www.virtualassistantforums.com/
http://businesswomenunite.net/forums/
http://www.youngbusinessnetwork.sbdc.com.au/
http://ygenclub.com/
Of course not all of these websites may be of interest or relevance to you, but these are the websites that I use and have been beneficial to my Business. It is easy enough to find websites to network on that are for you and your business; it is just about taking the time to look for the ones that work for you.
You can also join Business groups in your area and attend get togethers, courses and events with these groups. Most allow you to attend without being a member, so try before you buy and experiment with the groups. Here are a couple that could interest you.
http://www.womensnetwork.com.au/
http://www.businesswomenconnect.com.au/
Remember with Business you also need to find time for YOU. So a great site and club to be a part of is www.thepinkbookclub.com.au/ . This is networking on a different level. This is a group dedicated to woman finding time for themselves and although it is not business related, always remember where ever you are; you are always representing your Business. You will always have your ‘Business cap’ on, even when you do not realise it. Never miss an opportunity to let people know what you do, of course within reason. You just never know where people you meet can lead you.
Newsletters
Newsletters are also a great way to tell people what you do and what you can do for them and more importantly, why they should use or buy your product. I have to admit; I did stop doing a Newsletter for a few months and recently started this back up again and I am so glad that I did. I list New Services that I have recently added to my website, news and information about the Industry and I also feature non related information to keep the newsletter interesting. Here are some websites that I would recommend for Newsletters
www.mailchimp.com.au/
www.constantcontact.com.au/
Something NEW and Different
Another great way of marketing yourself is in Video. Why not use video when talking about your business or what you can do? A business friend of mine recently launched her new Business, Zigma Web Design. One of her Services that I think will take the Industry by storm is Video Business Cards. It is still very new , but will soon catch on and when something like this does come up and presents itself as a great way to promote you, jump on and take the ride. You can view examples of what Mary-Lou can do on her website http://www.zigma-web-design.com/
Advertising
Advertising your business is yet another way to get your Business out there. Instead of placing an advert for a job, place an advert for potential clients. Julie from Arrowood Agency advertises on Gumtree, an online advertising Directory and says “I get quite a few responses allowing me to choose from a couple of different projects , fortunately I haven’t had to advertise for awhile now as I was able to get a couple of good contracts to keep me going”.
If you take the time to add your Business to online directory’s and advertising websites, it will pay off.
You can also team up with Businesses in your industry and do link exchanges on websites and even Newsletter swaps.
My Opinion
My opinion is that at the moment, online Networking is so huge, that if you are not doing it, then you are crazy and seriously missing out on many potential leads.
Facebook is at the top of online marketing tools. Business Pages are so popular, that many Businesses are finding that this is where many of their new clients are coming from. I recently read an article on WAHM Biz Success called ‘Facebook? You’re Mad If You Don’t’ and everything in here is so true, you are mad if you don’t. Facebook is a powerful marketing tool, and many people are still unaware of this. So if you have a Business, jump onboard and begin by making a Facebook Business Page.
There are many other ways of gaining clients and I think the one thing that you must remember is, you are your Business, and no other person is better at representing it that the person that knows the most about it, You.
Remember, by 2015 people will be asking not ‘What is a Virtual Assistant’ but ‘Who is your Virtual Assistant.
Erin Dawson
Dawson Documents- Virtual Assistant
www.dawsondocuments.com.au
erin@dawsondocuments.com
www.facebook.com/dawsondocumentsva
Erin Dawson runs Dawson Documents- Virtual Assistant as a home based Business. She has 2 children that take priority over her work (and a husband to look after as well), though her Clients are always not far behind. She assists Businesses with their Administration needs and works until the Client's tasks are fulfilled. To have a look at what Erin offers her clients, feel free to check out the links below.
