Thank you everyone for this timely reminder as I am building my business. I am reading a book right now and it really emphasizes a nonadvertising approach to find loyal clients for any business...Laura

Originally Posted by Greenwell VA Services

Hi. I recently read that all virtual professionals should invest time and effort in offline face-to-face marketing and that it is the number one way to get clients and fill your practice quickly. Does anyone have direct experience of this? It would be interesting to find out other views as it is something I will be doing in coming months by attending conferences, trade fairs, local networking events, Chamber of Commerce meetings etc, etc even though the thought of it scares me quite a bit! Wish me luck!

I don't have a lot of experience doing face-to-face marketing, however, I try to visit my local farmers markets and other local events, like food and wine festivals, etc. I wear a shirt that has my logo on it (so does my husband) and make sure to bring plenty of business cards. I do get quite a log of inquiries, but no potential clients just yet. However, I do feel that getting out in my local community not only lets me know who my potential clients could be, I also end up with great connections!

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All the best,
Jennifer Gallaher, Virtual Assistance by Jen - Owner

Ishaka, face-to-face networking scares me, too, which is why I've never done it (although I do think it's important). The networking groups I've checked into require you to provide a certain number of referrals at each meeting, something I am not able to do. (I just don't meet that many new people!) My personality leans to the behind-the-scenes stuff...online marketing, YP advertising (which gets me most of my business), and word-of-mouth. Starting the beginning of next year, my goal is to have found a networking group that doesn't REQUIRE referrals and to overcome my fear of it enough to go!

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Pam Deyerle - Transcriptionist in the Richmond, Virginia area
The Perfect Word Transcription Services

That is good news, especially for you. Your post reminds that you never know where an opportunity may come form. Congratulations!

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Elvia Abdussamadi
PROVA Administrative Services

Hi Everyone

Wow! Your responses are amazing and so encouraging. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, tips and advice. It's a real confidence booster and makes me realize more than ever that this is definitely worthwhile doing.

I am now a member of my local Chamber of Commerce and will certainly be looking into informal local networking groups for entrepreneurs and other SME owners where there's absolutely NO pressure to sell (or be sold to) and which should reduce the stress factor of doing it quite considerably.

Am certainly going to have to brush up on my German although thankfully many people here - especially in the business community - speak good English. There are also many expatriate business owners here from other English speaking countries so that's also an added boon. Still, that's no excuse for me not to continue learning German however, because that will open my potential customer base even more.

Thanks again everyone and best of luck to you all in return.

Ishaka

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Ishaka Greenwell
Greenwell Virtual Assistant Services

Hi all

Pam, although there are several networking groups out there that have referrals and/or specific requirements, there are just as many that do not.

There are groups that host events such as MeetUps or Tweet Crawls filled with business owners that have met online via social media and have started a group to meet face-to-face. I find that everyone is very open to learning more regarding the VA industry and are great with providing referrals.

In addition, most communities have a Small Business Development Center or Women's Business Centers that host workshops which give you the opportunity to learn more regarding a specific topic you may have some interest in but also the opportunity to meet other businesses in the area. And if you build a relationship with that SBDC, you can also approach them regarding doing a workshop to educate local businesses regarding the services you provide

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Maryann Cruz, Founder & Virtual Assistant
THINK Virtual Solutions, LLC :daisy:

I had heard of this before, but today it popped up again somewhere: BNI. There are a couple chapters about 1 hr away, so I probably won't be following up on that.

But while I was at their website, I found Entrepreneur.Com. There are some great articles on networking, etc. Check it out!

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Carrie Hawk

Thank you very much for this great information.

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Alyssa
CEO, Co-Owner of Assist My Business

In the last month I've attended 5 different networking events for 5 different groups. A great VA I met at a Wisconsin VA Network event invited me to 2, and a potential client I met at a working moms group invited me to another. That's a lot of networking for a WAHM!
My conclusion is that I am not comfortable with the referral-heavy groups like Team Women and Phenomenal Women. I had a great time at a speed networking event hosted by NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) and I plan to check out one of their coffee mornings. I like the idea of helping other business women without being forced into anything. I'll also be sticking with the working moms group (free and no pressure!) and of course the WVAN.
All that networking has been worth it. I've made some good contacts and even found an accountant to do my taxes!

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Bernat Virtual Assistance, I Make My Clients Shine!