This a very helpful thread. Can anyone share a sample?
I still don't have the required number of posts so I can't view the one in here. And I don't really want to spam posts just for that.

I totally agree with you @executive_assist. I absolutely prefer communicating through email. Nevertheless, you are talking to someone whose mother emails her during work hours. However, it has been my experience that personal is always better. Typically with mass emails, things kind of get lost and shuffle. Just think as a consumer when you receive mass emails and how you typically handle those. I think as business owners sometimes we forget our advantage is that we are also consumers. Then again, I’m not saying this is absolute, just my thoughts.

I actually send a 'client self assessment' form as part of my introductory packet when a potential client contacts me for information. That way they've had a chance to assess their needs before we have a phone consultation. I added it because I found myself in your situation more often than not in the early days.
Depending upon the client, we may not even need a phone consultation if the combination of information about my services and the self assessment gives them a clear picture of how my services can be utilized best.

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~T.Marie Hilton- Clerical Advantage
author of the No Bull$#*% Guide to Virtual Assistants for Businesses

Thank you for posting this...it's a very good question and some very helpful answers/ideas for someone just starting out.

Try making your contact tab a more detailed form with the right questions, that way you already have a better idea of what the client needs and wants.

Hi All
This is great I had issues too but I can see clearly now thanks
Hazel

I recently has a consultation with a potential client who really didnt say much during the process. I was asking open ended questions to try to get them to talk yet it was a very tedious process.

This post has been very beneficial to me as I decide on my consultation method. I think I will use a combination of both.

If a client contacts me via email or Facebook post with this question:

"Call me. What services do you offer and what is the cost?"...a red flag goes up.

I wrote a blog about this. Client Consultation Call Red Flag Warnings

To me, this means they do not know what they want done and they are concerned about cost. They have not done their own research on working with a virtual assistant either.

So before we even have the consultation, I ask them to send me via email a list of services they would like a virtual assistant to do. If I send a questionnaire, I feel that this may be 'too much work' for them upfront even before we have had a chance to correspond. So I just ask for a quick list of 5 items they would like to 'get off their plate'.

My reply email back to them contains a customized and personal email, my Welcome Packet with fees, business policies and my expectations, etc. Included in this packet is a link to a survey of 10 questions which asks them in more detail about their services, contact info, have they ever worked with a VA, business goals, etc.

I figure if we have gotten to this point, then they are serious enough to engage in my services. If they won't take the time to list their service requirements then I don't have the time to spend on a consultation. I figure I spend at least 2-plus hours doing 'pre-consultation work'...customizing a letter, answering questions, making the call, researching their sites, etc. So if I am going to sock in that kind of non-billable time, the least that the potential client can do is be prepared themselves.

I have found this method to be less time consuming for me because in the past, I have had calls with potential clients that have ended in problems. The calls are a waste of time because the client doesn't know what they want to relinquish. And if they don't take the time to understand their business goals ahead of time, then they are not the kind of client I want to work with.

So I changed my procedures to not do a call up-front because in the past when I have spent time consulting with them, they took my suggestions and did the work themselves. Or my rates were too high, they didn't want to leave a deposit or they didn't want to sign a contract; all of which is a requirement for me.

So I give them all the information they need up-front.

I do give them the benefit of the doubt when I get a 'cold' contact. I receive minimal amount of information to get me started to inquire about the client's background from that first email. I check their sites, their social media contacts, I Google their name, etc.

Then after they read my policies and understand where I am coming from, then I have the consultation with a planned conversation where I am explaining to them what I can do for their businesses. I try to keep these calls to half an hour.

It has been trial and error but those who stay the course end up being my ideal client because from the start they recognize the value of working with a VA because I have prepared them ahead of time to do so. If they don't take the time to know what they want to accomplish with their business then I am not the right VA for them.

Janine

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This is a great thread and even though I have a few questions I ask...I've gathered more ideas and suggestions.

Thanks to all of you!