How Can I Help You?
Discussions I’ve had recently with both clients and VAs of our Multiple Streams Team got me thinking about how Virtual Assistants are positioning themselves when it comes to building or eventually ending a relationship with a client.
Believe it or not, the question “How Can I Help You?”, is NOT one a client wants to hear from their Virtual Assistant. It may sound strange, but it’s the truth.
This is a true story. A client and VA met every week by phone. During their meeting they discussed upcoming priorities, tasks and deadlines. The client found it difficult to delegate (she didn’t how and what to pass on) and the VA would wait for work to be delegated to her.
The VA told me that at the end of every meeting, she would ask her client “How else can I help you?” The client would respond with “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you.”
The client rarely followed up with the VA to provide her with addtional tasks.
A high percentage of clients who work with Virtual Assistants do not want to be asked “How Can I Help You?”. They want (and need in most cases) for the VA to TELL them how they can help.
So by discussing the upcoming priorities, tasks and deadlines, what the client really wants is for the VA to tell them what they can look after, research, arrange, or manage.
The disappointing piece is that a very small percentage of VAs are providing this information to their clients. Instead they’re waiting for their clients to tell them what they want them to do.
A Virtual Assistant who can think ahead and tell their client how they can support them with their goals and priorities will build their VA business. A VA who waits to be delegated to will take much longer to build their business.
Which are you?
