Tag: clients

How To Get Awesome Testimonials

Posted on by Sue L Canfield
How to Get Awesome Testimonials
How to Get Awesome Testimonials

Testimonials from satisfied clients help build trust and gain new clients. Don’t hold back from asking for a testimonial from your clients. Since clients will sometimes say they want to provide a testimonial but then get busy and forget, here are some tips to get awesome testimonials.

  1. Create a simple web form at your website for clients to submit their testimonial online.
  2. Ask for a short video testimonial.
  3. Ask your client if you can use a complimentary email they’ve sent you as a testimonial.
  4. Create a sample testimonial that your client can tweak and make their own.
  5. Ask your client to be specific, testifying to specific benefits they have received using your services.

The best time to ask for a testimonial is just after  your client has told you what a great job you’ve done!

Read what some of our clients have to say about using our services.

What other ideas have you used to get awesome testimonials?

Going the Extra Mile for Your Client

Posted on by Sue L Canfield

going the extra mile for your clientHaving trouble with client retention? Go the extra mile!

Too often I find virtual assistants with the mindset of doing tasks assigned for an hourly rate. A Chief Virtual Officer has the mindset of a business owner and understands the importance of client retention. It means going the extra mile for clients – exceeding their expectations.

When you and your client first start, you both sign a contract stating expectations on both sides. That’s very important. But periodically, do something unexpected for your client – exceed their expectations. You’ll find you have happier clients, more client referrals, and a higher client retention rate.

Here are a few ideas for going the extra mile:

  • Create quotes from their blog, newsletter, or other marketing materials and add to images to post on Pinterest and Facebook.
  • Do you see something they could improve? Don’t be afraid to speak up. Share your thoughts with your client.
  • Periodically email or call your client to schedule a 15-minute phone conversation to brainstorm other ideas you could help them with.
  • Create a new Pinterest board and add content. Perhaps a “Tips” board based on some of their favorite tips they provide to their clients.
  • Look for a blog post relevant to their industry and send them a link encouraging them to comment on it.

What ideas do you have for going the extra mile? Please share them with everyone here!

6 Questions to Ask to Get Good Testimonials from Clients

Posted on by Sue L Canfield

6 testimonials to ask to get good testimonials

Getting good testimonials from clients allows you to use those to promote your services to prospects. Here are 6 questions to ask to get good testimonials from your happy clients.

  1. What was the obstacle that would have prevented you from using our services?
  2. What did you find as a result of using our services?
  3. What specifically did you like most about our services?
  4. What would be 3 other benefits of using our services?
  5. Would you recommend our services? If so, why?
  6. Is there anything you’d like to add?

Here are some testimonials we’ve received. We’d love to read some of yours!

Create a Procedures Manual

Posted on by Sue L Canfield

create a procedures manual for your virtual assistant businessOne of the best goals you can have for your virtual assistant business this year is to create a procedures manual. The procedures manual will come in handy if you need to take some time off and hand your tasks off to someone else for a bit.

Have you ever needed to take a day off to tend for a sick child? Did you wish you could call in sick and have someone cover for you? If you’ve created a procedures manual and have a good collaborative relationship with another virtual assistant, you might just be able to do this.

What if an emergency comes up and you need to take a week off? But client work still needs to get done. The tasks are repetitive and could be easily handled by another virtual assistant if only you had some written procedures for them to follow.

I write procedures for many of the easier, repetitive tasks I handle for clients. I have a team member who can handle these tasks by following the procedures. I strongly encourage you to do the same.

Create your procedures manual and then ask another virtual assistant to review them. If they can easily follow the procedures, you’re all set. If they have any questions or suggestions, this will allow you to fine tune the procedures before handing them off to someone else.

Do you have a procedures manual yet? If not, set that as a goal for your business this year.

 

Using Pinterest for Your Business and Clients

Posted on by Sue L Canfield

pinterestAre you using Pinterest for your business yet? If not one of your goals for this year in your virtual assistant business should be to start using Pinterest.

To make the best use of Pinterest, start with adding an image to every single one of your blog posts. One of your Pinterest boards can be “Blog Posts from [Name of your blog here]”. Then pin every one of your blog posts on that board. Make sure to use keyword-rich descriptions so people can find your pins when searching for those keywords.

If you are already using Pinterest,  create a new board with tips for your clients. You might name it “Social Media Tips for Clients of [Your Business Name]” or something similar. One of my boards is named “Articles for Virtual Assistants”. This board has articles and blog posts I’ve written  for virtual assistants – particularly on the subject of business marketing.

Do you use Pinterest for your clients? If they don’t yet have a Pinterest board, you might offer to create one as an added-value feature. Many of my clients are authors and so I create a board for blog posts, one for their book, another for events, etc.

Please share your ideas for using Pinterest for your business and your clients.