The majority of clients will search for VAs who stand out based on their experience, their expertise, and their ability to enhance the clients project. Budgets can be expanded and profits can be higher when skills are emphasized properly.
There are three main kinds of skill emphasis needed:
1. Knowledge Based Skills
2. Transferable Skills
3. Personal Traits
Knowledge-Based Skills
Experience and education are examples of knowledge based skills. They will include your educational attainment, your additional VA training, any seminars you have attended, VA workshops, and any other practices that you have used to enhance your VA knowledge. Your knowledge based skills can include but are not limited to:
Computer skills
Communication skills
Marketing skills
Managerial skills
Accounting skills
Organizational skills
Other knowledge based skills
Transferable Skills
These are the skills that you bring to the client that are beneficial to them in more than one way. What are you offering the client that they don't already have or that they can't find with another VA? These skills will also be emphasized by the particular project or job. Transferable skills are very important and should be highlighted during your interview with the potential client. Some examples of transferable skills would include:
Problem solving
Team leader potential
Writing skills
Client service oriented skills
Time management skills
Budgeting skills
Etc.
Personal Traits
This emphasis is to help the client determine who you are. Tell them something of yourself. This doesn't have to be a bragging session. You will need to sell yourself in a modest way. Your communication to the client about who you are will set the tone for the rest of the client interview. Some ideas to emphasize this skill would be:
Good judgement
Well organized
Analytical
Goal oriented
Flexible
Creative
Etc.
Practice the following before conducting an interview with a possible new client:
1. Self Assessment- Don't emphasize traits or abilities that you don't possess. Be honest about your past performance and focus on the abilities that you do possess. Write them down for the interview.
2. The Interview- Get in front of the mirror. Have a list of questions that a new client might ask and practice answering those questions in a professional manner. Take notes beforehand to help you in communicating exactly what you want the client to realize about you and your determination to have them as a client.
3. Technical Skills- Practice highlighting your technical skills AND your problem solving skills. The client is there because they have a "problem" or project that they cannot manage on their own. This is where you become extremely valuable to them and their project.
You should be able to land many new clients by just following the simple above advice!
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