Question 1

I have a call with a new client. What should I expect?

Accepted Answer

At Virtalent, we don't believe in assigning new clients to you without you having a say in the matter. Instead, new clients pass through our unique matching process. Before we recommend you to a client, you get to see their brief. This gives you the opportunity to see who the client is, what their business is and the kinds of tasks they may require of you.

You can find a full e-book about this process here.

Before Your Call

A key part of this process is for you to 'meet' the client, giving you both the opportunity to ask each other questions and make sure you 'click'. Calls are always scheduled via Zoom, unless the client prefers another approach.

Remember, it's important to take some time to review the 'brief' we have already created following our initial call with the client, so you understand exactly what their expectations are. This also helps to ensure you have time to cover off any important questions with either our Client Engagement team before the call, or with the client directly.

Please don't think about the call as an 'interview'. You are not a 'candidate' or someone to be 'assessed' by the client; you are an experienced, professional Virtual Assistant looking to provide the client with the support they require. This call is for the client to put a voice to a name and to see if you 'click' together, so they can make their final decision.

Before you make the call, make sure to jot down a few bullet points about the client from the brief and some relevant questions that you could ask to create a fantastic first impression.

Be well-prepared. Take a look at pages 16 in the ebook for a list of example questions you might want to ask they client, or they might well ask you. Be prepared for these kinds of questions before you take the call.

Take 5 minutes to research the client. Take the time to visit the client's website, social media platforms or search for recent news and events to help you understand the business and what they do. It might also be useful to research non-essential software platforms the client uses by finding a video demo for familiarity and confidence before the call, if there is something mentioned in the brief that you don't happen to have direct experience using yet. A few minutes spent doing this ahead of the call could help secure you a client you go on to work with for many years to come. First impressions count!

Pre-call checklist? Take a look at page 19 of the ebook for a handy checklist to tick off before your call.

Check your background surroundings. Take the time, ahead of the call, to put yourself in the shoes of the client by considering what they'll be able to see in the background when speaking with you. The ideal background would be a plain wall, in a clean and tidy office environment that is quiet, clear from clutter and free from any distractions.

Think about how you are dressed too - naturally, a hoodie and jogging bottoms won't convey the right impression. Remember, this is your opportunity to shine and make a great first impression to your potential client and demonstrate that you are a professional who can add value to them and their business.

During The Call

Start with you. Introduce yourself and remind them about the reason for the call.

Be confident! The client may be nervous, as you may well be. Guide the conversation and reassure them that you are the best individual they could hire to support them. Convey your confidence - you've got this!

Take Notes. Whilst you are on the call, make notes so you can ask any questions if needed towards the end of the call. These notes will also be useful as a starting point later when the client has opened an account with us and is ready to start working with you - we don't want to ask the client to repeat everything again.

Ask about them. Get a feel for them and their business and don't be afraid to ask questions or to clarify anything they say that isn't clear. See page 10 and 11 of the ebook for a handy list of useful questions and talking points.

Keep in mind what not to say. Remember, you are not their business coach, nor should you have to answer any Virtalent-specific questions such as anything to do with billing or our terms and conditions. Always refer them back to the person who had they had the consultation with, usually our Client Engagement Manager. Also avoid going into too much personal detail too - stay focused on the client's specific needs and task list, rather than over-explaining your plans for the weekend!

Don't share your contact details yet. Before a client sets up an account with us, you shouldn't be sharing your contact details with them on these calls. Instead ask the client to send anything they need to through to the perosn who set up the call (Client Engagement Manager).

You should not do any work before they sign up. Clients need to set up an account with us before you do any work for them.

After The Call

Let us know how it went. We can then follow up with the client, if you are happy to work with them.

Your time is covered. 1 hour is plenty of time for you and a client to see if you 'click'. This is therefore the maximum time we will reimburse your for - it is up to you if you would prefer to continue speaking beyond this, but we must have a reasonable cap in place. Simply add the time you spent speaking together (up to 1 hour) to your next invoice, indicating the exact length of the call and the name of the client you spoke to.

Question 2

How will I hear about new client opportunities?

Accepted Answer

For more detailed guidance, take a look at the e-book - Securing Your First Client.

Opportunities Channel

As a growing, it can be quite difficult to keep on top of everyone’s individual (and naturally ever-changing) availability - both the hours you would like to work at Virtalent each month and those already taken up by clients. It can also be tricky to know exactly who is the very best person in the team to support each new client, with each of their very specific needs - this could be anything from an interest in yoga, to advanced skills in Excel, to years of experience doing something very specific in WordPress. There are endless possibilities!

Therefore, we have created a Slack channel - #opportunities - where we post briefs for any new clients looking to be matched with a Virtalent VA.

This brief will detail any key information you need to know, so you can decide whether the opportunity is for you or not.

Submitting Your Interest

To put yourself forward for consideration, you’ll need to fill in a short form. It takes just a few minutes. You’ll be asked to:

Provide your name and Virtalent email address (this is used by our internal system).
The “Opportunity ID number” which will appear in the brief.
Most importantly, give us the headlines on why you feel YOU are the very best choice for that client, based on who and what they are looking for. This doesn’t need to be more than a list of bullet points - just point us in the right direction!

We’ll leave the opportunity open until we feel a healthy number of people in the team have applied (we expect this to be 2-4 people). We expect to be able to leave it open until the next working day, but this will depend on how much interest is in each individual brief.

This is not “first come, first serve”. We would ask that you please submit your interest in a reasonable time frame so we can, in turn, make our recommendation to the client in a timely manner. But no priority is given to whoever happens to apply first.

As you know, this is not how we do things at Virtalent.

Our Client Engagement Manager will then make a decision on who - for that particular opportunity - is going to be put forward. We’ll let you know if you have been put forward, or if we would prefer to keep you available for another client. Once a decision has been made, we’ll close the opportunity and so delete it from the Slack channel.

We will consider everything from your skills and experience, your other clients at Virtalent, your availability, your personal interests, your personality, and so much more. If you are not selected, this is purely because someone else simply happens to be a better “match” for that particular client and the particular role they are looking for you to fill. Please do not take this personally - there will be many, many other opportunities, and, ultimately, this process will serve both you and any new clients better going forward.

If you are looking to work with a new client but aren’t already in the channel, please join it.

Simply click the (+) icon next to Channels -> Browse channels -> #opportunities.

If you ever decide you are ‘at capacity’, please leave the channel so you don’t feel pestered by the notifications. You can rejoin again any time!

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