I am a firm believer in staying on top of trends and learning new skills for my virtual assistance business. I know that a lot of virtual assistants are struggling right now to keep (and get new) clients. My practice is actually thriving right now. There are people calling me that I would never have ever thought would be connecting with me. They see the value in paying more to get more and part of my value is that I have a vast knowledge of online marketing. I am really seen as an expert in that area. I keep up my expert status by working with some fabulous clients that are pushing the envelope and staying on top of trends in their chosen market as well. The VAs that are having trouble keeping their practices filled are possibly not keeping up on their skills (just guessing). If you continue to offer the same services all the time to the same clients—they aren’t growing and you aren’t growing. Growth is essential to a thriving business (your business and your client’s business). So during this downtime, think about taking a class or mentoring with another VA that offers a service that you would like to learn. Take advantage of this extra time on your hands and learn a new skill. There are plenty of classes out there (AssistU has some great grad classes and that is a good place to start). Some of these classes are even free and you get to know some great instructors.
Last week Stacy blogged on Virtual Moxie about “low associative borders” and I was blown away. I truly believe that is one of the other reasons why my practice is thriving (even though I charge a lot more and people gladly pay it). It is because I have very “low associative borders.” I can see what they are trying to do and see the big picture, see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together and then the technology to do what they want. So in addition to having some great technical skills, I also have great big picture skills. Now all clients may not need that type of assistance. Some might just want admin tasks taken care of, and a lower priced VA is perfect for that. But if you want to truly partner with your clients (and charge more), you really need to stay current with education and really look at Stacy’s post on “low associative borders.” I forwarded Stacy’s post to several of my clients because I really think it illustrates the different between a regular VA and an AssistU VA. We really partner with and think about the big picture for our clients.
Again, education is the key to really growing your VA business. And if you don’t have “low associative borders” right now, just the awareness that some people do have that can be empowering for you. Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole. Do what you are best at and thrive!
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