4 Steps You Can Take to Increase Your Business

4 steps you can take to increase your businessAs we approach a new year it’s time to think about how you can increase your business and increase our clientele. In order to choose the best strategies for you and your business, you first need to define your specific goals. It’s not enough to say “I want more clients” or “I want my business go bring in more money this year.” How many new clients do you want to add to your business this year – 1, 6, 12? How much more income do you want this year – $1,000 more per month, $10,000 more this year? Write your specific goals down. Now you need to decide on the strategies to meet those goals. I’ve used many strategies but t there are four specific strategies I’ve found most successful.

1. Network in person.
Networking in person has always been a very successful way to grow my virtual business – particularly when I was new to the business. Many times virtual workers find this strategy challenging. They chose to work from home because they didn’t want to go out to an office or wanted to stay home with their children. So going out to networking events and having to find someone to watch the children when you do so may not be something you really want to do. However, until you establish your business, and if you want to continue to grow your business, meeting people in person will be immensely valuable.

People want to work with others that they know, like, and trust. Or at least others that have been referred to them by someone they know, like, and trust. The best way for someone to get to know, like, and trust you is to meet you i person. We can tell a lot about a person when we can see them face-to-face and watch their facial expressions, eyes, and mannerisms.

Even if the people we meet in person don’t need our services, they may know someone else that does. When I first started actively networking in person I only had a couple of clients. In less than six months I added another six client and within a year over a dozen. Those were all people I’d either met in person at networking events or people who had been referred to me by those I met at networking events. One of those people I’ve been working with for over six years now. I’ve also had four generation referrals (the initial person referred me to someone, who then referred me to someone, and that person then referred me to someone, and so on).

To find networking events, check with your local Chamber of Commerce for networking mixers. Online you can check meetup.com for local groups that meet regularly. If you can’t find anything, you can start your own group.

2. Network online.
Online networking can also be very successful. I’ve had some great clients I met online and never have met in person. It’s important to do this right if you want the best results. When you set up your online profiles, be sure to be as detailed as possible in your bio, description, education, and work. LinkedIn is a very good place to create a detailed online presence. There are groups you can join related to your specific skills. When you join these groups, share in the discussions and add value to the group. Don’t just promote your services. That’s going to turn people off if they don’t yet know you well.

When you do reach out to connect with other people in the groups to add them to your network, make the invitation personal. Don’t just use LinkedIn’s automated invitation. In the message let the other person know why you want to connect. You may say something like, “Hi Donna. We both belong to the Social Media Networks group here on LinkedIn. I saw in your profile that you specialize in Twitter management. I’d like to learn more about that. Let’s connect. Sue”. This message lets them know how you know them and that you’re interested in them – it’s not just all about you!

Other online networking can be done by joining appropriate Facebook groups and Google+ communities. Always reach out by sharing something of value – a tip, a short report, your current blog post, etc.

3. Ask for referrals.
Most of my clients are word-of-mouth referrals. Don’t underestimate the value of referrals. You may be hesitant to ask for referrals. But if you’ve done a great job for your clients, you’ll find they want to refer you. Let your clients know that your business is based on referrals and ask if they would mind referring you to someone they know. I don’t pay for referrals but I have offered a discount on a client’s fee for a referral. Plan to ask your clients every six months if they know of anyone they can refer.

4. Work ON Your Business
This may be the most important strategy you can implement to increase your business. Too often we get so wrapped up in doing client work that we forget to work ON our business. This is essential for business growth. I take time at the end of every year to work on my own business. Clients are informed that I’ll be taking time off and I put into place a backup plan if they need something urgently. During this time I review what worked best the previous year and what didn’t work well. Then I create a plan for the new year. Write a one to two-page business plan with your specific goals and the strategies you are going to use to reach those goals in the new year. Now is the time to find those in-person networking events and scheduling to attend one or more monthly. Update all of your online profiles. Reach out to new connections. Ask for those referrals.

These are just four strategies that have worked for me and that you can use to increase your business. There are many more. Take some time now before the new year begins to decide what your successful strategies will be and then put a plan in place to succeed!

Going the Extra Mile for Your Client

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!

Getting New Clients through Word of Mouth Referrals

The first thing many newer virtual assistants wonder is how to get new clients. We’ve talked about this before in other blog posts and in our group coaching calls. I wanted to share with you what happened to me this week. Perhaps my story will help you understand how you can get new clients through word of mouth referrals.

I’ve connected with many great virtual assistants at FindVirtual. I’ve chatted via email or on the forums with many. One of the great VAs I’ve connected with is Vickie Turley. In fact, she’s even quoted in our book, The Commonsense Virtual Assistant – Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee.

Vickie recently released her book, What’s Love Got To Do With It?, How To Have The Perfect VA-Client Relationship. I contacted Vickie to ask her if she’d like to contribute copies of her book for the Client Communication Clinic for Virtual Workers in Vancouver. After several emails and a couple of phone conversations, we realized how well matched we were and that even though we are ‘competitors’, we could refer work to one another.

During the course of our conversations it came to light that Vickie needed a backup plan when she was unavailable to clients. All VAs should consider putting in place some sort of backup for when they need to go on vacation or are unexpectedly unable to handle their client work. After more conversation, Vickie and I came to an agreement and she hired me to be her backup as needed. In fact, she needed someone immediately since her client needed work done and Vickie was going to be leaving on vacation. So I now have a new client, as a backup for another VA, from connecting with Vickie.

Now her word of mouth referral has resulted in yet another client. Vickie told me about another VA who needed some assistance. Deb Howard Greenleaf needed some assistance with a variety of tasks so she could continue focusing on her tax and accounting business. Since Vickie and I had talked and hit it off, Vickie referred me to Deb. Deb and i had signed contracts for more than one project within a day.

So develop relationships and start referring people. You’ll find that you start getting new clients also from word-of-mouth referrals.

Referrals Increase Client Satisfaction

Refer your client to someone else and increase their satisfaction. What?! Give the project to someone else? What am I talking about?

Has a client ever asked you to take on a new task and you know you aren’t the best person to do it? You may struggle through it and end up doing an okay job. But what if you know another colleague that can do that task and do a GREAT job at it because it’s their specialty? Your client will be more satisfied if you refer them to your colleague. You won’t lose them as a client. Your client will continue to have you do the tasks you’re great at. They’ll be so happy you referred them to the right person that they’ll tell other people about you. I have a real life example of how this worked for me.

One of my clients has me do a variety of tasks including creating and sending out a monthly newsletter. Recently she asked me to create a really eye-catching Facebook page for her business. I did create a basic page for her but then explained that if she wanted something really special, that was not my expertise. However, I could refer her to someone who specialized in creating spectacular Facebook pages for businesses.

So she contacted the person I referred her to and was very happy with their results. She continues to use my services for the tasks I’ve been doing all along. And she’s happier than ever saying, “Thank you for your suggestion of someone to really take it to the top!”

Don’t be afraid to refer your client to someone else when you know you aren’t the best person for that particular project. Your client will appreciate your honest and that you did help them find the right person to get the job done.

Yes! Referrals do increase client satisfaction!

Comment and Be Entered to Win a Free Coaching Call

Our monthly group coaching calls have been great! Here are the topics we’ve covered so far:

  • Marketing Your Services
  • Defining Your Ideal Client
  • Networking Creates Word of Mouth Referrals

The next call will be on June 1, 2010 and the topic is Converting Prospects to Clients.

Today I’m announcing a special promotion. Anyone who provides a meaningful comment on any one of our blog posts here at Chief Virtual Officer between now and May 30, 2010 will be entered into a random drawing to win the next coaching call on June 1, 2010 free!

Learn more here about the call on June 1 on Converting Prospects to Clients.