If someone asks you, “What do you do?” are you prepared to answer them? More importantly, are you prepared to network or market yourself into the business lives of those you meet once they tell you what they do? Sometimes building business goes beyond seeing just the big picture. You need to look at the whole gallery of possibilities.
I’m an extrovert by nature, and I tend to talk about business wherever I go. I’m genuinely interested in the businesses of others and often times the conversation tends to naturally drift into others sharing how overwhelmed they are. Most of the time, people tend to share their various doubts or uncertainties about outsourcing, the relief they’d feel if they could just alleviate some of their responsibility, etc. I believe it’s a good opportunity for me to be their sounding board, a trusted source and give clear guidance on how they can successfully outsource tasks in their business.
It’s the perfect segue for me to share about my business. I help entrepreneurs see where and how a Priority VA can not only contribute to but transform their lives and business. Sometimes the conversation stops with them mentioning they’ll look into it. While some take offense to that, I 1000% encourage business owners to do their homework. Find the support that is best suited for them. Oftentimes, however, I end up personally helping them to find the Priority VA to suit their business needs.
Clients are everywhere. Some of them may not even realize they’re a candidate for hiring a virtual assistant. The key to finding new business isn’t to cold-call, but to simply listen to the needs and struggles of others. Once I can help someone identify their business quirks, I am opening the door for them to become a client as well.
The same is true with recruiting top-notch VAs. Sometimes all I have to do is listen. If someone has the character and determination to work well, and if I can see they have the self-discipline to work from home as well as the skillset and capacity to learn even more skills, I’ve just met one of my potential new VAs.
When I started Priority VA, I soon realized I couldn’t do it all on my own. I brought on one person to help me with the overflow of work I had, managing multiple clients. Eventually, I began to build a team of VAs. It became evident this was an essential part of keeping my business headed in the right direction.
Had I taken a step back, in the beginning, to see what Priority VA would one day look like, I could have better planned the path we took. I was caught up in servicing the clients we had at the time and managing them the best way possible. Rapid growth wasn’t on my radar at that point because my “big picture” at the time was actually pretty tunnel-visioned.
It soon became clear I could help other VAs earn money while working from home – pursuing their families, passions, and productivity goals. In order to help VAs pursue their dreams, I would need to also help clients realize their need for personalized assistance. The picture kept getting bigger and bigger.
Even in finally seeing the big picture: helping clients and VAs establish long-term working relationships, I needed to cater to the peripheral vision.
My business plan truly rests on one principle: helping people. This is why simply listening to others share about their business goals or ventures is the single-most important strategy I can use to grow my business. I’ve learned how to assess the needs of potential clients on the fly. No matter their niche or expertise, I can shed light into their world on how a VA can help transform their responsibility loads and burdens.
When I hear someone talking about their experience in managing social media, writing copy, or setting up a sales funnel, my ears perk up and I begin to listen for ways they can join my team and join forces with their ideal client.
Even being an extrovert, I don’t have to dominate the conversation in order to talk the details of business. I simply need to be at-the-ready with the right listening techniques, and strategic answers.
Seeing beyond the big picture doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometimes you just need to realize there’s more out there for you than what rests within the frame you’re seeing the world through today.
