Virtual Assistant and VP of Sales – Inside Sales Techniques
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As Virtual Assistants and business owners we often wear many hats. Here we are doing the administrative and marketing work for busy professionals to free up their time, but we have so many other concerns of our own. Not only do we often create and maintain our own websites, blogs, social media profiles and posts but we usually do our own book-keeping, calendar management and marketing. But do we think about the sales function. What a dirty word; sales. But no successful organization I know of can operate without a sales function. Here are a few tips from sales organizations I have been involved with. Remember, once your marketing activities grab their attention, the sales pitch needs to close the deal. This post will address inside sales (the easy one). Assuming you already have the client, here are some ways to make the most of this relationship.
Today I was thinking about the good old days, when it was my job to convert high school students into high performing restaurant employees who were capable of contributing to the organization’s goal of achieving double-digit sales increases. The complaint I heard most often from my protégés when I was teaching my up-selling techniques was, “I don’t want to sound like I am trying to sell them something”. This is easy to understand coming from a group of people who think it is more important to be liked than anything else in the world. The truth is,the most financially successful wait staff are the ones who suggest add ons that compliment what the patron has already ordered. Oftentimes the customer either does not even know these options exist, has inadvertently left them off when ordering or may enjoy trying new things. As a customer, I expect to be up-sold, sometimes I take the suggestion and sometimes I say, no thank you. But I digress…
The reason I bring this up is that some Virtual Assistants and other like entrepreneurs feel uncomfortable up-selling their services. They don’t want to sound like they are trying to sell something. Which brings me to my first objection:
“Suggestive Selling” is just that, a suggestion. The good news is we already have the customer, now we need to maximize the relationship. Not just for our bottom line, but there’s also. If you put yourself in your customer’s shoes for a moment, picture this, your new or existing customer knows that they are not your only customer as much as you treat them like they are. So, they could be under the assumption that you only have time to perform the projects/tasks that were originally agreed upon. As much as they have other needs, they may be afraid to ask you for help. Or, they think that you only perform administrative tasks, like maintaining their calendar and managing their contact lists. They have no idea that you would also love to take on their social media marketing campaign. This is where up-selling can come in handy. Perhaps it could start out like this…”I noticed that you have a Twitter account but I couldn’t find a Facebook page for your business, do you have one?” VOILA, you now have a place to start talking about what you can do for their business. Does it sound a little like you are trying to sell something? Yes, but why not, you are, aren’t you?
That customer could easily shoot you down and say, “Yeah, well I don’t think social media is really that important to me now.” Here’s where you can benefit from the use of sales scripts.
Sales scripts, they sound so mechanical and unnatural. I used to be the marketing manager in a small Real Estate agency. The owner had bought into a highly successful marketing program and it was my job to step it down to a mature team of Real Estate Salespeople who were set in their ways. In order to gain a better understanding of the process I was to teach, I started using the simple scripts when talking to my leads. (I was also a licensed RE Salesperson) It was amazing how often I would get an appointment with a client if I used the short script instead of talking naturally and ultimately missing the important points like asking for the appointment. By the way, once you have practiced a script it sounds very natural. The key points were this:
Ask for what you want
Give two choices for each question
So back to the example of the client who thinks they are not interested in social media marketing you might say, “I understand your position, what I normally do is email some information about what I offer in this area, that way you can look at it at your leisure?” Usually the client will agree to this. At first it sounds pushy, but you are actually directing the client to go in a direction they wanted to go, but were unsure of. Sometimes having a professional take control of this type of situation is very reassuring. And again, the client can always say no. Then the beauty of email is, you can ask for the follow-up phone conversation in your message. This is where the two choice comes in, “I would like to go over your questions regarding this information, would it be better to speak Friday or next Monday?”
Referrals, the best way to obtain new clients. It always has been and probably always will be. Clients who come in as referrals are much more relaxed and open to suggestions. Someone they know or do business with already said you are awesome, so what is there to question? How do you get them? Well you could wait for it to happen over time, or you can ask for it. An easy way to approach the subject is to let your clients know that you have started a new referral program. You can offer discounts on your future invoices or cash up front, say a $25.00 gift card to a restaurant or online book store, etc.
Stay tuned for my next post, I will address outside sales techniques…
I LOVE the day after Labor Day
Finally the race to do as many fun things as possible has come to an end. It is now time to focus on the things that make me feel organized and fulfilled. I have gone to enough cook-outs, plenty of days at the lake and swimming pools and more than my fair share of trips to the ice cream stand! I can’t speak for any other part of the country, but here in the Northeast we have so few hot days a year that everyone feels like they have to go like crazy every free moment they have to “fit it all in”. I am sure that is why we are all so stressed out here up North. How would you like to feel like any nice day you spend inside is a sinful waste of precious time?
Last night, which was Labor Day Night, I started reaching out to potential clients, posting to VA Forums for help with my latest brainstorm and reaching out to my VA friends to reconnect. I couldn’t wait for this day. I logged on to Facebook and Twitter through the new Socialite tool I installed on my Mac. I even posted a Facebook status. I needed today, it was like I told myself subconsciously that this was it, no more excuses – GET SERIOUS! Then a switch flicked in my head and here I am.
The resolutions I make the day after Labor Day are far more important than the ones made on New Year’s Day. For instance, on New Year’s Day I say I will go to the gym. So I go to the gym for a few weeks and the place is packed, I can’t get on a machine and in turn give up going to the gym because it is a waste of my time. The day after Labor Day I say things like, I am going to buckle down and organize my desk so I can work on the important things, time to put away the boogie board that is packed under my desk (because you never know when you find might yourself at the shore during your lunch break and of course you must be prepared to make the most of that precious time! ) I tend to get a real foothold in my professional life during this transition week. It sets me off and running for a while in the general direction of success.
This is a great time for Virtual Assistants too. Many small business owners who have spent the summer maintaining their client base will oftentimes want to consider expanding their marketing efforts now. Marketing towards these folks now is essential. If you can convince them that your services will propel them in the direction they are heading, it can be a win win situation.
But I don’t like virtually anything!
As a Virtual Assistant I have worked for a few different types of clients who’s needs have been very different. I have one client who lives halfway across the country and who is so busy traveling that he sends me my work once a week via Fed Ex and we never speak unless we have to and then it’s via a quick email. I think we spoke on the phone once this year so far. That relationship is great for both of us and has worked for a couple of years. One of my clients lives a few states away and we have never met. We communicate using instant messaging for quick questions and small talk, phone for complicated discussions and email for conversing with the entire team at once or sending documents. But we use online file sharing and online project management software to keep our virtual team from across the country organized and in the loop. This would be the ultimate set up for most virtual assistants and has worked out great for me. Obviously the level of technical skills with these two clients is quite high and up to date making them great candidates for my services. Since these were my first two clients I assumed this is how it would always be.
But that all changed when I recently did work for a new client who, at first, could not get the hang of the virtual thing. We initially spoke on the phone, he found me through a virtual colleague of mine (I have never met her face to face, but we have talked on the phone and sent emails back and forth) who referred me to him. He found her through an online search for virtual assistants in his neck of the woods. I was not quite as local as she, but I am only 45 minutes away. His project was to him complicated, to me simple. Rather than send emails or speak on the phone, he wanted to meet with me in person, over lunch to discuss the project and what he expected. I obliged, hey why not, it’s free lunch! Another funny thing is, his was the second lunch meeting I had that week. Another one of my semi-local clients also wanted to meet with me in person to discuss a project. Luckily, I had the time to meet with them and they felt much more comfortable being able to see me.
After meeting with the first client I was able to complete the project virtually. But it was important for me to take into consideration the technical differences between this client and my other clients who are very computer savvy. The things I thought were the best solutions sometimes were not. For instance, the client wanted some documents in Word format. Since they were financial documents, I thought that excel would work better. Wrong. The client didn’t like using Excel and found Word tables much more comfortable to work with.
I did not think that I might be working with people who know enough about the internet to find me, but not enough to have an account on Twitter. As Virtual Assistants we must be understanding of the client who doesn’t type very well, therefore does not want to relay their copy changes via email, a half hour phone call suits them just fine. Now I wish I learned shorthand…
The Virtual Assistant can help bring some people into the 21st century, but not all. We can coach some of our clients into using online solutions for collaboration purposes, but the others will still want to use the postal service. I love the challenges that each client brings to my daily work day, they cause me to look outside the box and see the world differently. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Virtual Assistant / Client Relationship – The VA’s Role
In my last post I suggested that when someone hires their first Virtual Assistant, they may need to change some of the ways they operate. The business owner/manager is now working with a business owner who is not a company employee, therefore they should expect a high level of service. A good virtual assistant will essentially partner with their clients, realizing that the more successful they become, the more work they will have for their VA. Please do not misinterpret my intended meaning, a VA is not superior in skill level to an in-house administrative assistant, the former operates in a world where the competition can swoop in at any time and acquire their client if they do not go above and beyond.
Most of us were once employees of other companies before becoming Virtual Assistants and for that reason we need to take a look at how we interact with clients and potential customers. It may seem polite to listen to our client tell us what they need and then proceed to fulfill those needs to the letter. That is what is expected in the corporate world of an administrative assistant. Sadly, many managers and proprietors short change themselves by not taking the advice of someone who could have the solution to many of their daily dilemmas. Business people who have worked with Virtual Assistants already tend to be more open minded to suggestions and trust the advice of these professionals.
Once a rapport is established with a client, this could take anywhere from a week to a month in some cases where communication is limited, a VA should provide their input into how the relationship is going so far, and how it can be improved. They might also discuss observations regarding each other’s business practices as they relate to each other. For example, the client might suggest to the VA that he/she get a Skype account so that they can communicate via internet chat. The VA might notice some holes in the client’s social media marketing efforts and have a plan to address the situation. Though it might seem like the VA is just trying to find a way to create more hours for his or herself, actually this is only going to help the client in the long run. If the client does not place an importance on their social media presence then they certainly don’t have to take the advice. However, it is the job of the VA to try to optimize the client’s operation in the areas of their expertise. Which is a good reason for a client to look for a Virtual Assistant who has skills in areas that they do not.
Because Virtual Assistants work for more than one client at a time, they have the opportunity to perform a variety of work. The skills they acquire working on a project with one account can sometimes transfer well to another. It is important for Virtual Assistants to belong to VA networking organizations, these groups can help answer questions as well as keep them up to date on current software and technology. A successful Virtual Assistant is one who positions themselves in an authoritative role. Their skills and knowledge are a sought after commodity in the business world and should not be undersold.
Continuing with this series, I will share my views on how a client, who is new to working with a Virtual Assistant, needs to adopt a new mindset in order to extract the most from this relationship. On the other hand, the VA who is used to working for a boss vs a client will need to change their mindset as well. Sometimes they feel it is better to stick to the projects or tasks that have been requested instead of offering to help with other areas they have expertise in.
The Mindset – For the client who has overseen the efforts of administrative assistants in their office for some time, working with a VA who they can’t talk to face to face will have it’s challenges. First of all, you are not working with an employee or subordinate, a Virtual Assistant is a business owner and has their own systems. You have chosen this relationship because you want to save yourself or your company time and money. A VA can do both since you should not have to spend very much of your time training and supervising them and you only pay for the time they actually spend on your projects or workload. Virtual Assistants generally charge by the quarter hour and sometimes offer discounts to clients who contract for a set number of hours per month.
Selecting the correct VA for your needs is important. Just like the sales industry, the VA industry has it’s niches. You probably wouldn’t hire a shoe salesman to sell your internet advertising. Every VA brings with them industry experience. One should look for an assistant who has worked in similar industries to their own. It might be better to contract with someone who has experience working with Real Estate if you need them to write blog posts about the subject. You might think that since you only need someone to type your business card contacts into an excel spreadsheet, that you don’t have to search for someone in your industry. This can certainly be true, just about any VA worth their salt can do that. But, as your company grows you may find more and more projects that need to be completed by a VA. Making the right choice in the beginning, can pay off in the long run. You can hire another VA to do the new, more advanced tasks but expect to spend more time training and explaining yourself. Wouldn’t it be easier to just pass them off to the VA who already knows your business? Some VAs charge different rates for different levels of service (i.e. data entry vs. website development).
Since a Virtual Assistant is a business owner, they are going to act differently than an employee. The more services you buy from them, the more money they make. If you are not satisfied with their services you can terminate the contract unlike with an employee, who you must give several chances to before you can let them go. As a business owner they want to see you succeed, ultimately they will benefit as well. If they are running a strong business of their own, you can trust their judgement when it comes to their areas of expertise. They know their professional future is at stake.
Next I will discuss the VA Mindset and some tips on how new Virtual Assistants should interact with their customers.
The Virtual Assistant / Client Relationship – Working Styles
Since the Virtual Assistant (VA) or Administrative Freelancer industry has exploded over the past couple of years, more and more professionals are in the learning phase of harnessing the power of this valuable partnership. First of all, patience is a valuable commodity at the beginning of any working relationship, but when you are working with someone that you haven’t met face to face, some extra steps may need to be taken to set expectations at a proper level. I will discuss some steps that both the VA and the client should consider taking at the beginning of their collaboration.
The VA should take the leadership role in the initial contact with a new client. Generally, once the stage is set, the client will give the directives moving forward. Every VA has their own set of sharply honed skills along with a style of working. It is important that they select clients who can use their areas of expertise to their full potential. It doesn’t take long to figure out if personalities and communication styles are compatible. If a client does not keep an open mind in the first few days of the relationship and feels they know exactly what tasks the VA will be assigned, they can drastically limit the potential benefits that can be gained for their company. At the same time, if the VA does not read into what the client really needs, they are doing both of them a disservice.
Working Styles – There are still some people who prefer to pick up the phone instead of sending an e-mail. Many Virtual Assistants work better with em ail and instant chat. The reason for this is that they share their time between accounts. They could be writing blog posts about website optimization one minute and developing an e-marketing plan for a local plumber the next. It takes time and attention away from one client’s project to answer the phone for another. It is easier for the VA to check their em ail after they click the "publish" button on the blog post. The exception to this, of course, is when urgent attention to an issue is needed.
Some VAs work from home so they can spend more time with their growing families. It is easier to communicate via em ail or chat for them, so they can plan their time. There are many VAs who have a very private home office and keep typical business hours. They may invite phone calls from clients on a regular basis. Some freelancers work flexible hours, for example, early mornings before most people are awake so they have their afternoons free. I met a VA who prefers to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to get behind the scenes work done. I myself, like working after my kids go to bed. But I have to be careful not to work too late, they get up early. The point here is, it is important for a client to understand the Virtual Assistant’s modus operandi and decide if they can adjust their way of working to accommodate this new wave of administrative professionals who can save them a lot of money and aggravation. My next post will address preparing to enter into a VA/client relationship.
Virtual Assistants – A United Front
I have been spending all my free time working on the promotion of my virtual assistance business. I have found many helpful websites with lots of great advice to help me. I started with the International Virtual Assistant Association where I am a member. I was able to find some great business forms that gave me a starting point for my own forms. I have subscribed to their newsletter for some time and have found the interviews with other VAs as well as articles regarding VA business practices very useful. As a matter of fact, I have never seen a newsletter packed with such relevant content anywhere else. Well I guess that’s because it is written by VAs who were once administrative or executive assistants and we know how capable this group is. I shouldn’t have expected anything less.
I am happy to see that most of the Virtual Assistant websites, directories and networking groups are using the same message. I think it is important for our clients and future clients to hear the same things no matter where they surf. It helps build credibility for our growing business sector. This can only be helpful for all of us in the long run.
What I am sensing while reading all these different websites is a genuine desire to see each other succeed. The great thing about our industry is that there will always be enough work for everyone. There will always be too much work, there always has been in the past when we were working for our employers. The great thing about our structures is that we can hire subcontractors (other VAs) to do our extra work. This helps the new VA get started while growing the business of the veteran VA. I have seen some veteran VA websites that advertise training for a fee to new VAs. I can see how this would be very helpful to someone just starting out. Knowing how most assistants think, this must have been a hard step to take in the beginning for these business owners. Why shouldn’t they be paid for their training expertise? I think this is a wonderful way to supplement their income.
I have read a few articles about our industry in business publications, but most are in small local newspapers or online outlets such as blogs. I hope we can step up our public relations and flood the media with more information about what we do. It is clear that this is still a budding industry with lots of potential. The more we inform the business world about our capabilities and affordability the less work we will need to do on our own.
