Tess : C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW!

Tess : A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches

Tess : C.J. has generously blocked out an hour of her time for us this evening to address the question:

Tess : What's Stopping You From Getting Clients... and What To Do About It

Tess : Tonight, she'll specifically touch on:

Tess : What are the barriers that prevent talented VA's from building a thriving business? You can overcome these challenges and attract more clients with less effort by making a few simple changes.

Tess : Learn how you may be sabotaging your own marketing,

Tess : the three most reliable ways to build your business quickly,

Tess : when Internet marketing is a useful tool and when it won't help you, and how to build a system to make marketing simple and effortless.

Tess : Without futher delay - let's welcome C.J. to Virtual Assistant Forums!

Tess : Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us C.J. - we've been looking forward to your visit!

C.J. Hayden : Thanks, Tess, I’m happy to be here. Welcome everyone!

C.J. Hayden : My topic today is “What’s Stopping You from Getting Clients… and What to Do About It"

C.J. Hayden : We’re going to be talking about the three biggest obstacles that prevent virtual assistants from building a thriving business. I’m going to share those barriers with you and give you some suggestions for how you can overcome them.

C.J. Hayden : Your questions are welcome, and I’ll stop a few times as we go along to see if anyone has something they’d like to ask, so you don’t need to hold all your questions for the end.

C.J. Hayden : Here are the three obstacles we’re going to be talking about:

C.J. Hayden : 1. Relying on attraction instead of taking action.

C.J. Hayden : 2. Telling prospective clients how virtual assistants work instead of telling them how a VA can help them.

C.J. Hayden : 3. Hiding out behind websites, ads, and email instead of connecting with people personally.

C.J. Hayden : In each of these categories, we’ll look at what stops you from getting clients, and what you might want to do differently to overcome that barrier.

C.J. Hayden : First, I’d like to share with you the metaview about how to get clients.

C.J. Hayden : The three most reliable ways to build a virtual assistant business quickly are:

C.J. Hayden : 1. Talk to people you already know.

C.J. Hayden : The people already in your personal network are usually your first and best source of business.

C.J. Hayden : Make sure everyone you already know is aware of what you do as a VA, and keep in touch with them as your business grows.

C.J. Hayden : Don’t wait until you’re successful to let your friends, family, former co-workers, etc. know about your business.

C.J. Hayden : The way you GET successful is to start word of mouth spreading about your business instead of waiting for it.

C.J. Hayden : 2. Build referral partnerships.

C.J. Hayden : The easiest clients to get are those who come to you by way of referral.

C.J. Hayden : Referred prospects are less likely to question your rates, ask for references, or talk to your competitors.

C.J. Hayden : So focus on building your referral base by deliberately making the acquaintance of people in a position to refer to you.

C.J. Hayden : For example, good referral sources for a VA (depending on your client niche) might be business coaches, accountants and bookkeepers, web designers, or marketing consultants.

C.J. Hayden : Think about what sort of people are naturally in touch with your ideal clients all the time, and then make the acquaintance of those people.

C.J. Hayden : 3. Speak to audiences of prospective clients.

C.J. Hayden : Public speaking is one of the fastest ways to build a list of interested prospects quickly.

C.J. Hayden : People who hear you speak about your areas of expertise will often be eager to work with you, because you have already proven to them you are an expert.

C.J. Hayden : The great thing about doing business as a VA is that your clients can be anywhere, and your speaking can, too.

C.J. Hayden : Look for virtual speaking opportunities – teleseminars, webinars, and online chats like this one.

C.J. Hayden : There are hundreds of these going on every day, hosted by associations, vendors, membership websites, etc.

C.J. Hayden : I usually speak twice a month to virtual groups of independent professionals myself, so I can tell you there are no shortage of them.

C.J. Hayden : So those are the three most reliable ways to build your business quickly Any questions about anything I’ve said so far?

C.J. Hayden : If you're interested in finding out more about the referral partner strategy I mentioned...

Tess : C.J. I have a quick question - regarding finding speaking opportunities -

C.J. Hayden : I have an article on my website called Wanted: 100 Referral Partners at http://www.getclientsnow.com/dec2004.htm

Tess : do you approach the audiences generally, or are they approaching you? For VAs who are not as well known as you - how you would you suggest they secure those engagements?

C.J. Hayden : Yes, Tess, about speaking opps?

CortniM : Tess I was thinking the same question

C.J. Hayden : The best thing to do in order to seek out speaking gigs is get really specific about your target market...

C.J. Hayden : ... then seek out groups that are made up of that market and approach them with your topic.

Administrative Partners : C.J. would you suggest speaking on a topic rather than, a virtual assistant sales approach..I recently did a workshop on increasing productivity and got lots of prospects from it

C.J. Hayden : It's actually pretty easy to get booked if you have a relevant topic, because most people who organize gigs are always pressed for time to find good speakers.

Robin : In my niche field, most speakers are paid? Is this normal when starting out? I would think speaking for free would get your name out there.

C.J. Hayden : Absolutely, I would suggest speaking on a topic that shows off your expertise, rather than speaking about being a VA.

Tess : Great info and very encouraging re: speaking - thank you

C.J. Hayden : When we're talking about speaking to build your biz, we're almost always doing it for free.

C.J. Hayden : Sometimes there is an honorarium, but usually not.

Robin : Thank you, I would think so.

C.J. Hayden : I’m going to talk next about the three obstacles I mentioned at the beginning...

C.J. Hayden : ...and some solutions to them. As I do, keep the three strategies I mentioned in mind.

C.J. Hayden : What you want your marketing to look like is a lot of talking to people – those you know, those you meet, and those you can reach as an audience.

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katchal07 : Hi CJ, my name's Michelle and I am wondering if you use direct mail marketing at all and if so, do you garner much success from the direct mailing?

C.J. Hayden : Now for the three obstacles:

C.J. Hayden : Michelle, I'll come back to your question

katchal07 : great, thanks

C.J. Hayden : Obstacle 1. Relying on attraction instead of taking action.

C.J. Hayden : The best use of attraction principles are for setting your intention, creating a vision, and defining big goals.

C.J. Hayden : Holding yourself as “attractive” and maintaining a positive, optimistic outlook will help you in all your interactions with people.

virtual writing : Robin/Tess -same happened to me

C.J. Hayden : It’s the perfect way to “be” when attending a networking event or making a sales call.

C.J. Hayden : But the principles of attraction aren’t a replacement for making concrete plans and acting on them.

C.J. Hayden : You can have the strongest intention and most powerful beliefs in the world, but if you don’t allow that mindset to develop into productive action, clients won’t result from it.

CoraLyn : Intention with action - important!

C.J. Hayden : What you need to do is build a consistent system for marketing and commit to doing what it takes to execute your plans.

C.J. Hayden : That’s how you can take advantage of the power of attraction to guide your choices about what to do and when.

virtual writing : Yay C.J.!

C.J. Hayden : You will sometimes hear people talk about how they just visualized getting a client and the client showed up.

C.J. Hayden : But 99 times out of 100, I would be willing to bet money that what really happened was that a specific action they took at some point in the past ultimately paid off for them in that moment.

C.J. Hayden : In Get Clients Now!, I refer to this as the Persistence Effect. You’ll read about it in Chapter 5.

C.J. Hayden : Any questions about this first point – using attraction principles appropriately?

C.J. Hayden : ?

virtual writing : The hard truth

CoraLyn : No... you are right on the money!

C.J. Hayden : OK, we'll go on to the next obstacle

C.J. Hayden : 2. Telling prospective clients how virtual assistants work instead of telling them how a VA can help them.

C.J. Hayden : What you don’t want to do is start a conversation with a prospect by telling them what your retainer arrangement is and what software packages you know.

C.J. Hayden : Those are just the details of how you work. What a prospect wants to know is what results you can produce for them.

C.J. Hayden : Can you provide them with more free time, happier customers, a more efficient back office, higher sales volume, a better quality of life?

C.J. Hayden : Those are the kind of results people will pay you for.

C.J. Hayden : All the details of how you work should come later in the conversation when they are already convinced that they want to work with you.

C.J. Hayden : Think about it this way, if your auto mechanic told you the solution to your car problem was opening the hood, looking inside, getting some tools, removing some parts, shining a light around, etc., you’d be looking for another mechanic.

C.J. Hayden : No, what you want to hear is that the mechanic will FIX YOUR CAR..

C.J. Hayden : The way to sell virtual assistance services is talking about the results they produce.

C.J. Hayden : When someone asks, “What do you do?” Instead of first saying, “I’m a virtual assistant,” try saying, “I help busy entrepreneurs have more time to serve clients and increase their income.” Then tell them you’re a VA.

C.J. Hayden : If someone asks, “How do virtual assistants work?” Instead of saying, “You pay me a monthly retainer, give me your administrative work, and I do it in my office instead of yours” try saying “I work in partnership with you, helping you to do only the work you most enjoy, and freeing you up to earn more while working less.”

virtual writing : Great analogy!

C.J. Hayden : There’s an old saying in marketing: “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.”

C.J. Hayden : Talking about benefits and results – those are the magic words that will make clients eager to hire you.

C.J. Hayden : Any questions about this second point – talking about results and benefits instead of describing how you work?

C.J. Hayden : Just checking...

C.J. Hayden : People sometimes ask me...

Progressive Synergy : how do you handle it if you have 2 main parts of your VA & they're kind of separate?

virtual writing : It's an ongoing process, figuring out your clients' perspective

C.J. Hayden : "how do I know what results/benefits to promise?"

Progressive Synergy : I do purchasing (looking for items at lower costs) and also regular VA assistance

C.J. Hayden : Yes, Virtual Writing, it is

C.J. Hayden : Sometimes you don't know what the client needs and you're trying to guess

C.J. Hayden : So, Progressive Synergy, that's one of the challenges of having more than one niche.

Progressive Synergy : especailly on an intro

Progressive Synergy : so i have a hard time telling what I do, hitting both markets in a short intro

C.J. Hayden : The more targeted your marketing, the more likely you are to be able to tell clients what they need before they tell YOU.

Progressive Synergy : exactly

C.J. Hayden : But when you do have 2 niches, you have a couple of choices...

C.J. Hayden : You can use a "2 hats" intro -- "I'm Jane Doe, and I wear 2 hats...

C.J. Hayden : My first hat is X; my 2nd hat is Y."

C.J. Hayden : It actually helps people if you separate it out like that...

C.J. Hayden : ...but the key is that you have to get specific about benefits/results in each case.

Progressive Synergy : i like that idea!

Kbennitt : I've found at networking events that it's nice having two hats because you can choose which one best fits the situation.

C.J. Hayden : So to answer the question of how do you know what to promise...

C.J. Hayden : ...ask your clients, and if you don't have any clients yet, ask your colleagues in this forum.

C.J. Hayden : Do a bit of market research to find out which results/benefits your target market finds most attractive.

C.J. Hayden : And yes, Kbennitt, that's the other option -- you can just choose a "hat" at random.

virtual writing : ...like a survey, multiple choice?

C.J. Hayden : After all, you have a 50/50 chance of guessing right!

C.J. Hayden : Virtual Writing, surveys aren't usually as good as anecdotal conversations...

C.J. Hayden : ...because when you create a survey, you're predefining the questions.

Kbennitt : It's more knowing the group and understanding what they need most. If there's already a bookkeeper than you stand out as the VA and vice versa.

C.J. Hayden : You'll get much better info from 1-to-1 conversations.

C.J. Hayden : Let's talk about obstacle #3 now...

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virtual writing : So outright ask people, what benefits do I provide you?

C.J. Hayden : ...and Michelle, this is why I asked you to hold your question.

C.J. Hayden : Yes, Virtual Writing, ask your clients, "What are the most important results or benefits you get from working with me?"

FPPFlorida : Hi everyone! This is my first year as a virtual assistant. I would really love some ideas for attracting clients with repeat needs. I have a lot of customers (over 25) with only a few who have recurring needs. How do I find people who will need me more often than just once in a blue moon?

C.J. Hayden : You may be really surprised to hear things they tell you that you never would have thought of.

C.J. Hayden : OK, obstacle #3. Hiding out behind websites, ads, and email instead of connecting with people personally.

C.J. Hayden : FPPFlorida, hold that thought for a bit.

brandyellen : This is so informative I am loving reading along!

C.J. Hayden : The Internet is a useful tool for attracting clients when you put in the effort to make your site a destination, or publish online articles, or network online.

C.J. Hayden : But the Internet can be a terrible marketing tool when all you do with it is post marketing copy on the web, pay for ads to drive people to your site, and send purely promotional emails.

C.J. Hayden : The reality is that the Internet produces leads, but you still have to close the sale. Or in other words, if you want to get clients, you’ll have to talk to them!

C.J. Hayden : I often see VA’s running AdWords campaigns to draw people to their site, or sending out anonymous emails soliciting business. Those are both really poor uses of the Internet.

C.J. Hayden : These are pure advertising strategies, and rarely effective, because they don’t build credibility or trust.

C.J. Hayden : I call this sort of marketing “hiding out” because it can become an excuse for not doing the type of marketing which is much more effective, but also much more confronting.

C.J. Hayden : That is, TALKING to people in person, whether that is a phone conversation with a prospect, networking meeting with a referral partner, or speaking engagement for your target market.

C.J. Hayden : But the reality is that these sometimes more scary activities work infinitely better than passively paying for ads or sending out emails.

katchal07 : That makes sense, and I figured there has to be follow up after a mailing, I was just curious of the success of doing something like that

C.J. Hayden : So don’t fool yourself that you are working hard on your marketing because you’re broadcasting a lot of promotional material. That’s really the easy way out.

brandyellen : Completely makes sense! One thing I get caught up in is "hiding"

C.J. Hayden : What’s hard is making personal connections – through one-on-one conversations, building relationships with online and offline networking, or giving talks and workshops.

C.J. Hayden : But that’s what really works.

C.J. Hayden : So, Michelle, direct mail is one of those advertising strategies that doesn't build trust or credibility...

C.J. Hayden : ...and yes, it can work better when you place follow-up calls...

Kbennitt : I agree...It's one of the reasons I have taken to going to offline meetups.

C.J. Hayden : ...but then when you think about it, it's really the call that's doing the work and not the mailing.

brandyellen : I have not found too many offline meetings here in NH for me.

katchal07 : Thanks CJ, that does make sense and I had thought to use it after obtaining clients to keep my name/face in front of them

C.J. Hayden : So why not START with the call -- and have it not be a cold one?

Crystal Clear Business Sol : Are you saying that e-mail marketing doesn't work?

Kbennitt : Brandy have you checked with Biznik or other social networking sites?

C.J. Hayden : Email marketing to STRANGERS is one of the least effective things you can do.

ShanteM : I believe that offline marketing for a new VA is extremely important, because that will help build our reputation.

C.J. Hayden : Email marketing to a warm list of people who already know you can be effective...

C.J. Hayden : ...as long as you aren't just blasting out promotional messages all the time.

Kbennitt : Consider the number of emails you delete in a day? Do you really want to be one of them?

katchal07 : I guess I have always thought of the first call as the cold call and thus would like to send out info to PC's and then do the follow up, thinking that they might recognize the name if I had sent them something already.

C.J. Hayden : If you're sending people useful info with some promotional copy attached, that can work.

virtual writing : I find that commenting online is a good way to connect

C.J. Hayden : Any questions about this third and final point – making personal connections with people instead of hiding out behind promotional strategies?

C.J. Hayden : Michelle, what you are using is a cold approach, though.

C.J. Hayden : It's just the hardest kind of sell to make.

C.J. Hayden : Yes, commenting online and other forms of online networking can be effective, because you are building relationships.

katchal07 : I was thinking about some of the ads for assistants I have seen on Craigs List or online 'job' sites, introducing myself and my business

Administrative Partners : CJ, just curious..what are your thoughts on the effectiveness of social media

Administrative Partners : i'm having a hard time believing my target market is on twitter all day

Administrative Partners : *I'm sure I'm in the minority here*

C.J. Hayden : The real idea behind most of what I'm pointing to is that we live in a world where most of us are drowning in communications...

C.J. Hayden : ...and your ideal client is probably drowning more than anyone!

C.J. Hayden : Twitter is just one of many options.

Kbennitt : Social media is a great place to maintain and build connections, but I find too often people using it for marketing.

katchal07 : So less is more right?

C.J. Hayden : I agree than social networking can be effective, but ONLY if you are truly networking...

virtual writing : blog commenting and forums seem to me the most effective

joywilder : adminstrative partner: no you aren't in the minority...

Administrative Partners : I don't think my client has the time to maintain that type of communication

C.J. Hayden : ...if all you are doing is using Twitter or Facebook to broadcast marketing messages, you're not networking, you're advertising.

brandyellen : I love social media - have found many friendships and clients that way.

Administrative Partners : or they wouldn't need me :-)

brandyellen : I network ... not advertise on Twitter.

Kbennitt : administrative partner: I tweet no more...too time consuming

C.J. Hayden : Admin Partners, I have actually seen many people get business from being active on Facebook or LinkedIn, because they are using those platforms to build connections.

bluegreenoffice : hellooo...

C.J. Hayden : But the SN platforms are all just tools; all depends on how you use them.

virtual writing : Bravo!

frsvirtual : i'm building relationships via Twitter/FB - but i don't advertise really so that makes me more approachable i think. maybe.

C.J. Hayden : I’d like to make one more point, which is that you need to have a system to make marketing simple and effortless, using the three key strategies I described at the beginning.

CMColeman : Easy to hide behind them (SN platforms) as well

Administrative Partners : of course.. I guess they are bit time consuming for me..I don't believe in HARD sells..I believe in sharing my knowledge and thoughts and have been successful that way

C.J. Hayden : I know many of you have already bought the Get Clients Now! book and some of you are participating in a GCN reading group here at VA Forums.

C.J. Hayden : So you smart people are ahead of the curve, and already know that the secret to successful marketing is choosing a set of simple, effective things to do and doing them consistently.

C.J. Hayden : This is the core of the Get Clients Now! system, and it’s essential to building a thriving business

Administrative Partners : Great Book by the way..

C.J. Hayden : It’s how you can fill your business with clients more quickly by doing LESS.

C.J. Hayden : Imagine trying to fill a water barrel with a drinking glass. You have to go back to the faucet over and over.

Kbennitt : My biggest problem isn't in marketing or advertising...it's being an introvert. I have found that if you truly want to succeed you have to be willing to project yourself with confidence.

joywilder : i'll definitely check into that book, CJ!

C.J. Hayden : That’s like doing a little networking, some haphazard follow-up, a bit of PR, giving a talk, then writing an article...

C.J. Hayden : You’re only doing a little bit of each of a whole lot of different things. Instead, why not use a bucket instead of a drinking glass? You can carry more water and make fewer trips.

C.J. Hayden : The bucket approach looks like, for example, a lot of networking and follow-up, some talks and more follow-up, and that’s it — only three strategies.

C.J. Hayden : The water barrel fills up faster, and you’re less tired.

Progressive Synergy : ditto kbennitt

C.J. Hayden : That’s exactly how Get Clients Now! works. You choose a small set of simple, effective things to do about marketing and do those things consistently.

C.J. Hayden : So thanks for all the great things you VA's have been saying about Get Clients Now!

C.J. Hayden : Any questions about Get Clients Now! or anything else I’ve talked about today?

C.J. Hayden : About that introvert issue...

C.J. Hayden : ...one of the things I really paid attention to when I wrote GCN is that not everyone is an extrovert.

C.J. Hayden : So it's really important to choose mktg strategies that are within yr comfort zone.

C.J. Hayden : If you don't... you won't do them anyway, so what good are they?

Mars Virtual Assistant : Just want to say that we are in week 3 of our GCN group & it is fantastic. CJ - I'm thankful that you put it all in writing (GCN).

C.J. Hayden : Some people love networking mixers; other people like quiet 1-to-1 conversations.

Kbennitt : C.J...GCN is definitely going to be on the must read list for years! I'm looking forward to my copy arriving.

C.J. Hayden : Both of those work; but you need to choose what fits you.

Tess : We reviewed Get Clients Now! on the forums last year and it landed on the boards to rave reviews from other members who had also read the title. You can read that review and add your own thoughts here: http://www.virtualassistantforums.co...-j-hayden-5479

C.J. Hayden : Thanks, Mars!

C.J. Hayden : Tess, thanks so much for that. People can also stop by www.getclientsnow.com and take advantage of some of the free resources I have available.

C.J. Hayden : Thanks, Tess, for the invitation to join y'all here.

C.J. Hayden : I really appreciate all the great questions.

C.J. Hayden : You're welcome, everyone. Keep up the great work with Get Clients Now!

Tess : Thank you so much for your time and expertise tonight C.J.

Tess : Thanks to everyone for joining us tonight - there were 60+ members in the chat tonight

Tess : C.J. you broke our record!

Tess : Be sure to visit C.J.s site to learn more about her book Get Clients NOW! www.getclientsnow.com

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Thanks Tess,
I was so bumed that I miss the chat! But it's like you read my mind! Thank you

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~Mandy~http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6859/1244872469.png

Thanks for posting this - seems like there was lots of good advice so it's good to have an archive for those of us who missed it.

Thanks so much for posting this - really informative. It's greatly appreciated.

Be Blessed.

Tess, thanks for posting this, it is so much better than my "copy & paste" of the chat.
I can use this for my first group conference call
Jo-Carole

Thanks so much for posting - I can't wait to "study" it!

Thanks for posting this. I just joined so missed the original. I find this very helpful.

Lisa

Thanks Tess for the post. I wish I was present during the chat. This is great and was very infomative!

Great information. I recently did a presentation and a workshop for the first time. I was invited to do the workshop as a result of doing the presentation. I was invited to do the presentation as a result of email marketing (e-newsletter). However, the recipient of the e-newsletter is a "warm" contact. I'm glad to know I'm on the right track.

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Rita Cartwright, Founder
RJ's Internet Marketing Services

Thanks Tess for re-posting this. CJ thank you for the chat the information was valuable. I especially enjoyed the information on the way to sell virtual assistance services and how to say...What do you do? and How do virtual assistants work? Very encouraging!Thanks

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Have a Blessed Day
~Trish Reisen~

Tess,

I couldn't be home to tune in to this Chat, so I truly appreciate your sharing it. You are great at anticipating our needs and accommodating them. Thanks!

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Marian ~
VirtualAdminOptions

Yeah! Thanks for posting! Great info!

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Devon Zimny
Vintage VA Services

Thanks so much for posting, I was starting to lose hope on my business. I'm getting the book