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.