Why Work Slow-Down Can Be the Virtual Assistant's Best Friend
Quiet times in business happen to all of us. They happen to established Virtual Assistants, as well as to those just starting out. The phone stops ringing, your email inbox is so empty you wonder if your internet service is down and you can't think of a make-work project to save your life. The good news is that once you've experienced a few quiet times and learned that they always end, they'll lose their ability to frighten you. But I understand that until you have that experience there can be scary, hairy monsters waiting in the quiet hours when your work has dried up.
Therefore, I want to offer you ten proven ways to banish those monsters, and even turn those quiet hours to your advantage. Using some of the items and ideas from the list below will help not only keep you occupied while business is slow, but they will add to the strong business foundation you are already building. What I am trying to do with this list is maximize the potential in your business so that you do not unnecessarily fall victim to work slow-down when you don't want to.
1. Follow up on old leads. It sounds simple but this number one tip can be a lifesaver and a business-builder. Dig through your contact files (you do keep a list of business leads, right?) and refresh the memory of those you haven't talked to in a while. Send them a 'thinking of you and your business' email, mail them a card with your business card enclosed, send them an e-card that announces a new service you are offering. Ensure ALL your leads, old and new, are keeping you top-of-mind when they realize they need virtual support.
2. Clean up something you've been tolerating. 'Tolerating' is a coaching word - it means those undone tasks and buried ideas that we carry around with us, sometimes unconsciously, that can drain our energy. What comes to mind when you think of something you carry around with you mentally all the time? Do you need to complete a business relationship with someone you've been dreading to call? Do you have a pile of paper that needs filing? Is there a page or two of your web site that are not complete? Is there some task you've been putting off for months or even years? In order to move forward, we need the energy, both mental and physical, to do so. These things that we are tolerating drain our energy and therefore prevent us from achieving all we wish to. Stop tolerating, even one thing, and you'll make room for more success.
3. Call your mother (or your best friend, or your coach or mentor) and ask for what you need. Being a self-employed professional can be a tough row to hoe. Get the emotional support you need to keep going. The person you call (or even better, speak to in person) should be someone you trust with your feelings and someone who can applaud and congratulate you when it's needed. Share some of your fears and doubts with this person and then ask them for what you need. Maybe you need them to tell you they are proud of you. Maybe you need them to call you once a week and check in to see how you are. Whatever it is, ask for it. You'll be surprised how much our loved ones want to know what we want from them. With this kind of support in your life, you are much more likely to succeed.
4. Ensure you are ready for new business. One of the best ways to ensure we attract new business is to make sure (that's 100% sure) we are fully prepared for when that business arrives. Do you have a welcome package completely ready to give to a client? If a new client called five minutes from now could you send it to them right away? Are you organized enough to bring on new business? Do you feel on top of your current to dos and your business calendar? Do you have a process in place to bring a new client on board (i.e. a 'first meeting' agenda or a list of questions to ask new clients about what they need from you)? To ensure that you are not unconsciously pushing new business away because you are not ready, make sure that you are able to answer "yes" to all the above questions.
5. Do one thing you're afraid of. I'm not asking you to learn to skydive naked, but there is value in making sure that there are not business-building activities that we are avoiding because we are afraid of them. Choose one thing, even a small one at first, that you are afraid of doing and do it. Are you afraid of joining a networking group? Are you afraid of calling your old boss and asking her out to lunch to discuss Virtual Assistance? Are you avoiding giving a presentation to a group that has asked you? These are just examples to get you thinking; by now your little voice is
telling you what your own personal monster-in-the-dark is. By standing up and staring that monster down, walking right into his mouth and dancing around, you will emerge stronger, more confident and more proud of yourself. Take a chance and build yourself up by doing something you're afraid of.
6. Create some space. Recently I went through my office bookshelf and cleaned out some books that I was not using and donated them to charity. I made a small bit of room on one shelf, but it made a huge difference to the amount of available space in my head. Are you feeling cluttered and buried under paper? Do your files need to be cleaned out and re-organized? How about those piles of things on the floor you step over every day? Clean physical space can go a long way to helping us flow more clearly with our business lives. Look at your physical space and see if there is 'room' for improvement.
7. Put one new customer service in place. Adding an 'added value' item to your list of services can really help to build your clients' perception of you as a valued member of their team. This new customer service item can either be something you announce to clients (e-zine support, bookkeeping, virtual dog walking) or something you do 'above and beyond the call of duty' (client birthday cards, a regular check-in with a busy client to see what more you can do, 15 minutes of your time that you don't bill for). We are in a customer service business and our clients are our most important resource. What new feature can you add to your services that regularly bring home to your clients how much you value them?
8. Stay in front of your 'circle of influence'. Building on item 7, we can always benefit from ensuring that those people in our lives whom we regard as our 'circle of influence' are aware of what we are doing and that we are looking for new business. The members of your circle of influence are those people in your life who have the ability to drive business toward you. They are your mentors, your colleagues, your past business associates. One easy business-building technique is to have a list of specifically who these people are in your life and then contact them periodically to let them know you are still in business. You can make announcements about new services to them and ensure that they keep you top-of-mind when they are recommending Virtual Assistance to people they meet.
9. Listen to your muse. Business isn't "all business", even though some might want you to believe that. The creative vein that runs through each and every one of us can be a great asset when we are marketing and building our businesses. Have you ever had a really 'crazy' idea about how to educate potential clients about what you do? Have you ever seen someone else's marketing or advertising materials and been thrilled by the 'out of the box' thinking that obviously went into them? (And then realized you had that idea six months ago and didn't follow up on it. Bummer.) Let your creative juices flow. Don't be afraid to do something that's a little bit ingenious to market your business and attract new clients. I have one former client who is a coach who has gotten together with several other entrepreneurial women (massage therapists, estheticians, arts teachers) and is throwing a pajama party for women next month. It is a completely crazy idea and it looks like so much fun! What could you do that would get people thinking, "Wow!" and put a smile on their faces.
10. Talk to a mentor. Our last item comes from the "no need to reinvent the wheel" department. Do you know someone who is a well established VA or entrepreneur? If so, why not call that person up, ask them if you could buy them a cup of tea and pick their brain a bit. What did they do that helped them succeed? What rough spots did they hit that you could avoid? You could even ask them, "If you were in my position right now, what is one thing you would do to grow my business?" People love talking about their successes and I bet you'll be surprised at all the valuable information that comes forth when you simply ask.
There you have it. Ten things you can do RIGHT NOW to keep your business-building momentum going even when you are experiencing a temporary work slow-down.
About the Author
Alexandra Amor, Writer and Virtual Assistant, is the author of "How to Be the Virtual Assistant Everyone Wants to Hire" and "Working for Coaches: A Guide for Virtual Assistants". Do you want to build your Virtual Assistant business FAST? Sign up to receive her FREE 20 Essential VA Success Habits at www.virtual-success.com
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