The quest for awesome clients is an ongoing endeavour for Virtual Assistants. While it only takes a handful of clients to meet and surpass your income goals, it can feel like an impossible feat when you find yourself struggling in this important area of your business. 

Before you throw in the towel and say, “being a Virtual Assistant just doesn’t work for me,” let’s stop and take a deeper look. There could be a lot going on beneath the surface, and almost all of the time it’s not that it doesn’t work, it’s the way you’re doing things that doesn’t work. 

Today, I’m sharing ten possible blocks that you may have put up that can be keeping you from your dream clients.

1) You don’t actually want clients:

That sounds completely counterintuitive, but hear me out. Be it a lack of enthusiasm for the work or impostor syndrome, something is holding you back from going all in. If you’re scared of landing clients, scared of what happens next, or messing up, you’ll ultimately be afraid of success (yes, that’s a real thing.) So no matter how often you say you have availability, subconsciously, that fear (which is totally palpable) is pushing away your potential clients.

2) You’ve complicated things:

Have you ever given up mid-purchase because the checkout process was too complex, too confusing, or asked for way more than what’s necessary? Clients will do the same when hiring a VA. Make it easy for clients to pay you. Likewise, use tools like Calendly to make it easy for them to see your availability and book a discovery call. If you’ve got convoluted forms and obscure payment methods, they’re going to go elsewhere, because these phases foreshadow what it will be like to work with you. Keep things simple.

3) You’re working hard but hardly working:

You’re grinding, and you’re hustling, but you’ve got nothing to show for it despite hours upon hours of effort. Maybe you’re creating cool content to showcase your skills and expertise but failing to announce your availability. Maybe you’re simply doing all the right things but marketing yourself in all the wrong places and to the wrong people. Whatever it is, if you’re putting in the work and you’re seeing no results, it’s an indication that you’ve got the drive, but it’s misdirected in some way. Time to refine. 

4) You’re trying to talk to everyone:

It’s tempting to try and wear all the hats, but it’s also ineffective. When you market yourself by saying, “I can do all VA services for all types of people,” you’re essentially talking to no one because nobody feels seen or heard. Niche down to define your ideal client. You can niche by values if you really struggle to come up with a dedicated industry, by saying; I want to work with people who care about the environment and animals, or I want to work with people who value and empower the LGBTQ community. Make sure your target audience feels spoken to regardless. It’s a key 

5) You’re not embracing YOU:

One of the best things about working in the VA space is that you don’t have to water yourself down (a stark contrast to the corporate world.) You can be yourself, embracing your strengths, passions, and all of your wonderful weirdness. The client isn’t working with a web designer, they’re working with a person. People work with people, so be sure to bring yourself to the table with authenticity. Put up your personality right alongside your expertise.

6) You’re treating your business like a side hustle:

Even if your VA work currently is a side hustle, it’s important to give your business the same dedication and seriousness as any other job. If you always treat it as a side hustle, you’ll subconsciously set a limitation on your business, and again, you could subconsciously be pushing away your own prospects. Treat it as something you intend to grow, something with high-earning potential that will allow you to build a lifestyle you love.

7) Your offer is off-target:

You’ve defined your niche and ideal client but targeted advertising won’t help if the offer doesn’t makes sense. When a client is hiring a VA they’re ultimately seeking solutions. When planning a package, think about the best way to demonstrate the value you provide. Think about how your solution makes them feel. Validate your offerings by taking the time to do your research. Communicate to people within your niche to ensure that you understand your client’s problems and can deliver what they actually need… not just what you think they need.

8) Your Client Experience needs some TLC:

Client experience begins from the moment a potential client interacts with you, making sure that it’s a high-quality experience is essential to landing clients and earning higher rates. Think about how you can make the process of working with you as seamless, pleasant, and relaxing as possible. They’re hiring a VA to relieve themselves of stress, so whether it’s navigating the systems you build, or their communication and interactions with you, how you make your client feel should be at the forefront of your mind. Find opportunities to dazzle and delight your clients so that they feel they are getting the VIP treatment when working with you. 

9) You’re posting and ghosting:

This means you are posting about your services, and you’re active for a while, and then you fall silent for weeks, months, or even years. Behind the scenes, are there messages, emails, or comments that you haven’t follow-up on? Consistency is crucial, as is nurturing your network. This does mean spending hours upon hours on social media – ew, but once a month, try scheduling up a batch of content to ensure that your message is distributed consistently and that people know you’re available for work. If you post and ghost, it gives the impression that you’re unreliable, and that you’ll drop the ball when working in their business. 

10) You’re an energetic mismatch:

If you want a client who looks on the bright side of life, but in your personal life, you’re a complainer who sees the worst in everyone, this would be an energetic mismatch. If your energy isn’t in alignment with your ideal clients, it creates a disconnect and prevents clients from viewing you as a valuable and compatible part of their team. Think about the traits and values you seek in a client, and see if you project that same type of energy. It doesn’t have to be a 100% match, but sometimes a shift in energy (or even just self-awareness) can go a long way.

Now that we’ve covered the potential blockages, I want to give you a friendly reminder that your Virtual Assistant business is in a constant state of growth and change. Consistency, repetition and revision will be key elements of your success. If you’re putting in the work and not seeing results in 90 days, switch it up and try a new strategy. It can take time to get the right pieces in the right places, but when you do, it will be smooth sailing.

If you want solid strategies to land dreamyt clients on the regular, check out our program “Get Clients Now” and if you want the most comprehensive, in-depth course on how to be a Virtual Assistant, complete with tool training, contract and correspondence templates and much more, sign up for the Virtual Excellence Academy mailing list for enrollment notifications.