What Do You Do?
OfficePRO magazine, January/February 2004

Helping family members understand the concept of virtual assistance

By Stacy Brice

Question: My husband doesn’t understand what I do as a virtual assistant (VA). He understood when I was an executive assistant, and I’m not sure how to best explain what I’m doing now.

Answer: Most often, it’s not that a partner or significant other doesn’t understand what a VA does. It’s that it comes in a different “wrapper,” and is therefore more difficult to identify with. For instance, he can understand that you provide administrative and personal support to clients, but in his mind, that work is done as an employee of a company, in the company’s offices. It was easy for him to picture you at your desk in those offices, working, but it’s not so easy for him to picture you at your desk at home, working. He probably doesn’t understand how things happen now that you own the company, and that may be unsettling to him.

The best approach is to include him in what you’re doing. Talk about what you’re working on. Make a point of telling him what you did that day and what you’re going to work on tomorrow. Share your excitement about what you’re doing. Invite him to look at something you’ve created for a client. Ask him to drop your mail off in the corner mailbox as he goes to work the next morning. Ask him to celebrate with you when you start a relationship with a new client. Whatever his talents, ask him to contribute to your success by using them for your benefit (think computer repair, refinishing office furniture, painting walls, brainstorming, networking, etc.). The more involved you allow him to be, the more easily he’ll come to understand and appreciate what you’re doing.

Your Ideal Client

Question: My friends love to refer clients to me but they refer lousy clients who pay late and never seem to appreciate what I do. One even called me one night at 9 p.m. I need to build my business, but not this way. What’s the best way to figure out who would be a good client for me?

Answer: Working with clients who aren’t ideal is a huge energy drain and simply not worth it. Having your own business, while a joy, is a lot of hard work. You don’t need clients making it harder. I’m fond of saying that if you want to work somewhere getting paid less than you’re worth, working for inconsiderate people, and generally not have a good time, you can get a job slinging burgers. Chances are you started your VA practice to get away from those kinds of things, and so it makes sense to work only with great clients.

You start to figure that out by creating an Ideal Client Profile. The profile is a list of the qualities and characteristics you want to see in the clients you work with. Start by thinking about the people you’ve worked with in the past. Think of the colleagues and bosses you’ve had who were great to work with—what was it about them that made them terrific? And on the flip side, who did you work with that you really didn’t enjoy, and what was it about them that made working with them awful?

Once you have that list, ask yourself what else you’d like to see in an ideal client. Some things to consider are the ability to pay your fee easily and on time; a clear understanding that you work with, and not for, him or her; and a general respectfulness of all people. Your Ideal Client Profile helps you create a standard about who you will and will not work with.

Use the list when you’re talking with or interviewing prospective clients. Someone who is ideal will have at least 85 percent of the qualities you’ve included in your profile. Those who aren’t ideal will be more easily identifiable, allowing you to prevent yourself from creating a relationship you’ll just have to sever later. The better you get at knowing who’s ideal, the better you’ll be able to convey that to your friends who will then be better equipped to send the great clients your way.

You Deserve a Break

Question: My young daughter was sick for a day, and I needed to focus on her, but didn’t know how to take the day off. My clients are busy and need my help. Can you tell me how to handle this in the future?

Answer: You deserve to be able to rest when you’re sick, take time off to care for your family, or deal with anything urgent that life presents you without having to worry about the relationships with your clients. Nothing is so critical that your clients’ worlds will fall apart if you’re not around for a day or so.

Create a strong standard about this, such as: When I’m sick, or need a personal day, I take the day off and expect my clients to be able to take care of themselves. Communicate this to your clients.

Then, when something comes up, it becomes a simple matter of sending one e-mail (remember to BCC them, rather than CCing them to protect their privacy) saying that something’s come up, you’ll be out of the office that day, and you’ll let them know as soon as you can whether you’ll be working the next day. You’ll spend five minutes, tops, and you’re back to focusing on what really matters right then, your life.

Stacy Brice is a naturally recognized expert on “virtual assistance” and president of AssistU, an organization that trains and coaches virtual assistants. Reach her at stacy@assistu.com.