Whether you are taking every single project and every single client that comes along, drastically reducing your rates to try to win contracts or doing work for free, sacrificing your business and personal standards is a vicious cycle that can be very difficult to get out of. Here are some of the biggest things virtual assistants and other small business owners should avoid to ensure longevity of their business.
Taking every project offered
A red flag should go up when you consistently take on clients that are not your ideal client. You may find yourself bogged down doing work you don't enjoy for clients you have difficulty working with. Yes, you have made a little money, but now you feel stuck because you are dreading work every day and questioning why you decided to become a business owner at all. Be able to recognize when a client or project doesn't fit with your business goals. There will always be another opportunity.
Drastically reducing rates to get work
Small businesses go through phases, and many hit a point when work is hard to come by. It's scary to be so desperate for work that you are willing to charge almost nothing just to make a little money. You think that if you offer to do the work for less than your competition, the client will have to choose you. This is not true. Most successful business owners recognize that you get what you pay for, and usually don't make their decision to work with a VA based on the rate alone. It's a combination of factors -- experience, availability, location, rapport, and rate -- that win VAs business.
Working for free
If a prospective client is considering hiring you for a long-term retainer or a large project and they request a "sample," you should suggest a trial retainer in which they hire you short-term, for one month or for a specified number of hours. This way they can see first-hand how you work and the quality of work that you do. It also benefits you because it allows you to see how they work and decide if they are a good client for you before getting into a long-term arrangement. Your work and your time are valuable!
This post is expanded from Chapter 2: The Biggest Mistakes VAs Make in the book, VA Secrets Revealed! An Insider's Guide to Being a Successful Virtual Assistant. Grab a copy and follow along as I blog chapter-by-chapter!
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