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Grow Slow and Steady to Win the Race in Becoming a Virtual Assistant.
One of my favorite childhood stories is Aesops fable "The Tortoise and the Hare". It just applies to life in so many ways. When comparing this tale to my virtual assistant business I think about how slow things were for me at first. I remember thinking that maybe I was doing something wrong. Looking back I wish I had some slow time again, juggling a family and a career can be tough. This is why I think it is important to remind ourselves that if we just stay the course we'll be alright. Success does not come overnight, especially when it is just you driving the whole thing. Patience and quality work always pays off. This is always most difficult to keep in mind when times are slow because all you can probably think about is how you are going to pay the bills. Sometimes, the financial stress we are under can force us to try and become the hare. We are tempted to take shortcuts to get to the finish line. Be it by not giving your work 100% because you just want to get it done and get onto the next client or by cutting a corner somewhere else.But in my humble opinion (imho) there is not a worse approach to take.
We are in a service business and to provide quality service sometimes you just need to slow down. Take more care and put those personal touches on the jobs you have now - during the slow times. This is when you will have the time to do your best work so enjoy it. Furthermore, by providing quality service you start to brand yourself as a tortoise. The tortoise is slow but he is steady and somewhat predictable and people like to be able to predict what the outcome will be from working with you before they even hire you. By showing a steady hand your prospective clients will get the feeling that you are trustworthy, not transactional.
This is even more important to achieve sustainable growth. Most of your best clients will come from referrals or word of mouth advertising. So give them something to talk about!
So back to my virtual assistant practice. It was very slow for me out of the gate. I had a few clients but was not really making any significant revenue off the relationships we had. In fact, I was probably undercharging most of them. I'll admit too, I thought about taking a few shortcuts to just get the jobs done and move on. But I was reminded again of my favorite childhood story. I would then calm down and get my act together and just keep plugging away. Eventually, the quality of my work became well known and business started picking up from there. Today I get 90% of my business through networking and referrals.
All because I was patient, like our friend the tortoise.
Comment
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Comment by Carol Walton on November 8, 2008 at 1:54pm -
Kelly, great reading for those just starting out. It is the encouragement needed when things are not moving as quickly as we would want them to. The slow time is a great opportunity for reading and exploring everything that will help a business grow and enhance or acquire additional skills for the services offered.
Thanks for sharing!
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Comment by Kathleen Sullivan on November 7, 2008 at 9:57pm -
Thanks for adding that Sue. So glad to hear you are doing well now.
Kathleen
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Comment by Sue L Canfield on November 7, 2008 at 8:05pm -
Last June when I went 'official' it felt like forever before things got moving. I remember it was the last week of December before I had a client willing to pay me what I thought I was worth and prepay enough hours to make it worth it. I look back now and laugh because that client moved on (I did their bookkeeping and don't do that anymore) and the rate they were paying was about half what I now charge.
On the other hand, my husband has been trying to grow his small business consultancy for a little over a year and it's taking forever!!!!! Then I remember how things worked for me and I think, just another 6 months!
Hang in there everyone! It's going to explode soon.
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Comment by Kathleen Sullivan on November 7, 2008 at 7:35pm
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Hi Kelly
That was such a good post. It is hard to "sit around" and wait for clients when the bills are piling up, and it is very discouraging too. I always tell myself, "Just put one foot in front of the other and you will get there."
Additionally, I read that all successful people have one thing in common--they persevered when others gave up.
Kathleen
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Comment by Deb Lamb on November 7, 2008 at 4:50pm -
Great post Kelly! Certainly something to consider and ponder on. I totally agree it will be those extra touches that you add to those clients in the beginning when things are slow. It could be something as simple as your personality, remembering a birthday, do something a little extra just for that particular client or sending a card to thank them for their business. It is the little things that do make a BIG difference! So, thanks for the post, always enjoy reading what you talk about! Thanks Kelly and enjoy the rest of your day!
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