How to Find Clients As a Virtual Assistant and Keep Them Happy

Introduction to Becoming a Virtual Assistant

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a professional who remotely provides various services to entrepreneurs and businesses. They typically work from home, or anywhere they prefer with an internet connection. The role of a virtual assistant varies depending on the client's needs and preferences. However, VAs usually provide administrative, technical, and creative support such as social media management, email organization, scheduling, content creation, and other tasks. Virtual assistants have many skills, including excellent communication, time management, and technical proficiency in various software and tools.

The demand for virtual assistants has skyrocketed with the growing trend of remote work and the need for businesses to streamline their operations while decreasing costs. Companies are increasingly outsourcing tasks to VAs so they can focus on the core aspects of their business and increase productivity. This has created numerous opportunities for anyone looking to enter the virtual assistance industry. One of the primary advantages of being a virtual assistant is the flexibility. VAs can work from home or while traveling, providing a better work-life balance. They can tailor their work schedule to suit their personal preferences.

In addition, virtual assistants can choose to specialize in areas that align with their passions, such as social media, digital marketing, and bookkeeping. The potential for good income is another enticing aspect of the virtual assistance industry. As VAs increase their experience and establish their client base, they can command higher rates and enjoy financial stability. However, finding and retaining clients is crucial to a virtual assistant's success. Building strong, lasting relationships with clients through reliability, excellent communication, and excellent service is the key to long-term success in the field.

Where to Find Clients: Virtual Assistant Agencies

As a beginner virtual assistant looking to find clients, working with an agency can be a fantastic starting point. These agencies connect VAs with clients, offering support and resources to help you succeed. Below is a list of ten reputable virtual assistant agencies and a brief overview. The links take you to the application page.

Time Etc: I am proud to be a member of this amazing team! Known for its strong reputation, Time Etc connects VAs with entrepreneurs and small business owners. The application process includes an interview and test tasks. They look for candidates with at least three years of experience and specific administrative, writing, and marketing skills.

Fancy Hands: This is the agency I contracted with when I began my journey over 12 years ago. They cater to clients looking to have quick, simple tasks taken care of, such as writing a blog post, scheduling, and research. This is a great option for VAs with flexibility and strong organizational skills.

BELAY: BELAY provides administrative and clerical support to businesses and non-profits. They require their VAs to have at least five years of experience in related fields. The application process is thorough, including multiple interviews and background checks. BELAY provides ongoing training and support to its VAs.

24/7 Virtual Assistant: This agency matches VAs with clients needing various services, from administrative support to digital marketing. The application process includes a skills assessment and interview. They prefer candidates with relevant experience and strong communication skills.

Virtual Staff Finder: Specializing in the Filipino VA market, Virtual Staff Finder connects VAs with international clients. The application process includes a comprehensive skills assessment and interview. The company focuses on administrative, SEO, and content creation tasks and requires proficiency in these areas.

Zirtual: Zirtual provides a premium service that connects highly qualified VAs with executives and entrepreneurs. They require at least two years of experience and a college degree. The application process includes several interviews and proficiency tests. Zirtual provides extensive training and resources for its VAs.

Task Bullet: TaskBullet provides project-based work, which makes it ideal for VAs with niche skills. The application process includes a skills assessment and an interview. They cater to clients who need specialized tasks, such as graphic design and web development.

Uassist.Me: This agency specializes in bilingual support, catering to clients needing English and Spanish-speaking VAs. The application process involves language proficiency tests and an interview. They prefer candidates with strong administrative and communication skills.

MyOutDesk: MyOutDesk focuses on providing real-estate-related tasks like lead generation and transaction coordination. They require VAs to have relevant industry experience and strong communication skills. The application process includes a background check and skills assessment.

Worldwide101: This agency offers premium services, matching experienced VAs with high-profile clients. They require a minimum of seven years of experience in executive assistance, project management, or marketing. The application process is rigorous, including multiple interviews and detailed skills assessments. Worldwide101 offers extensive support and resources to their VAs.

These agencies provide valuable opportunities for new VAs by offering a structured starting point in the industry, matching them with clients, and providing ongoing support and resources to help them succeed. Working with a virtual assistant agency can be a strategic option to establish a successful career in the virtual assistant field.

Where to Find Clients: Freelance Platforms

As a virtual assistant, one of the most effective ways to find clients is by leveraging various freelance platforms. These platforms connect freelancers with clients seeking specific skills and services. Below are ten reputable freelance platforms where virtual assistants can create profiles and find clients.

Upwork: Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces, offering various projects across different industries. Virtual Assistants can create a profile, showcasing their skills and portfolio. It's vital to include detailed descriptions of services offered and past work. Upwork charges a service fee ranging from 5% to 20%, depending on the earnings of each client.

Fiverr: Fiverr allows freelancers to create "gigs" or service listings for a fixed price. It's ideal for VAs offering specific services like email management or social media scheduling. Building a profile that stands out on Fiverr involves creating eye-catching gig images and writing compelling descriptions. Fiverr takes a 20% commission on each transaction.

Freelancer: Freelancer.com enables virtual assistants to bid on various projects posted by clients. It's crucial to craft personalized proposals that highlight relevant skills and experience. Freelancer charges a fee of 10% or $5, whichever is greater, per project.

PeoplePerHour: This platform allows freelancers to offer services in "hourlies" or fixed-price projects. Virtual Assistants can benefit from creating detailed profiles and obtaining positive reviews to build credibility. PeoplePerHour takes a service fee of 20% for the first $500 billed to a client, which decreases as you earn more.

Guru: Guru provides a workspace for virtual assistants to collaborate with clients on various tasks. Creating a detailed profile and showcasing completed projects can help attract clients. Guru charges a 9% fee for each paid invoice, with options for premium memberships that offer reduced fees.

Toptal: Toptal is known for its rigorous screening process, which ensures a high-quality pool of freelancers. Virtual Assistants must pass several stages of interviews and tests. Once accepted, Toptal connects freelancers with top-tier clients. The platform charges a premium fee that varies by project.

FreeUp: FreeUp vets freelancers before allowing them to join the platform. Virtual assistants can find clients looking for long-term relationships. Maintaining strong communication and delivering high-quality work to retain clients is crucial. FreeUp charges a 15% fee on the freelancer's hourly rate or project fee.

Remote.co: Remote.co focuses on remote and virtual jobs, making it ideal for virtual assistants. Creating a standout profile involves highlighting relevant remote work experience and skills. The platform itself does not charge fees but may list jobs from other sites that do.

FlexJobs: FlexJobs specializes in remote and flexible job opportunities. Virtual assistants can find both part-time and full-time positions. FlexJobs requires a subscription fee to access job listings, ensuring a curated and scam-free experience.

SimplyHired: SimplyHired aggregates job listings across the web, including freelance and remote opportunities. Virtual assistants can use the platform to find potential clients and apply directly through the site. SimplyHired is free to use, but it's essential to independently verify the legitimacy of job postings.

When creating profiles on these platforms, you must showcase your skills effectively, gain positive reviews, and build a strong portfolio. These elements will greatly enhance your chances of securing clients and building a successful career as a virtual assistant.

Tips for Keeping Clients Happy

As a virtual assistant, your success depends on building and maintaining strong, long-term client relationships. You can achieve this by communicating effectively, managing your time, meeting deadlines, setting realistic expectations, staying on track with project scope changes, and delivering high-quality work. This is where project management tools like Monday.com, Trello, and Asana come into play. Communication is the backbone of a strong, long-term relationship with your clients and is crucial to your success as a virtual assistant.

Proactively anticipating your client's needs is another great way to build and maintain strong, long-term relationships. Often, clients are too busy to remember every detail of their business growth and success, so if you can anticipate what they may need beforehand and communicate that effectively to them, you'll not only build a great relationship, but it can also lead to more income by being able to handle more tasks for your clients. For example, let's say you have a client who comes to you needing to have their social media managed on Facebook.

While working on that task, you see that they could benefit from adding Instagram into the mix. You would communicate this to your client, and if they agree, you now have an additional platform to add to your social media management services, which you could either charge an additional fee for or increase the rate of your existing social media management services for that client. This leads to more reach for the client's brand and an increase in your income.

Another factor in building and maintaining long-term, strong relationships with your clients is ensuring you meet deadlines and keeping them updated on your progress as you go along. If you see that a project or task will take longer than expected, you must communicate that to your client so they know what is happening. This is important because it keeps the client updated on the task's progression and lets them know the deadline needs to be changed. This is crucial in the case of time-sensitive tasks such as expense reports that the client is sending to their account. Once again, this is where project management tools like Monday.com, Trello, and Asana come in handy. The client can see a real-time update on the task and adjust things as necessary in their business, such as deadlines for project completion.

Delivering high-quality work is another key to successful long-term relationships with your clients. You want to ensure you always provide your clients with high-quality work because they trust you to handle the task they give you correctly and efficiently. If they have to fix the work themselves or continue to have you redo it, it leads to disruption in the client's business and unhappiness, which then results in your client no longer being with you and loss of your income. Nobody expects you to be perfect. Clients, as well as agencies, know there are going to be times when mistakes are made; however, if you continuously deliver work that is low quality and doesn't meet the client's expectations, you will lose that client, be let go as an assistant from the agency, hurt your reputation and brand, and your chances of success as a virtual assistant.

Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Being a virtual assistant is a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for a flexible, interesting, satisfying, and potentially lucrative career path or business venture. Once you get into the swing of things, you will be engrossed in a world of opportunities, learn new skills and information, and be introduced to various industries worldwide. You can engage with people from all walks of life and network with others who share your career, goals, aspirations, passions, etc.

I love being a virtual assistant because it allows me to have complete control over the work I take on and flexibility in my schedule. It also enables me to explore various options that align with my preferences, goals, lifestyle, interests, passions, and long-term goals for my career and business ventures. I get to meet people from all walks of life and learn about various business industries. It also allows me to continuously learn new skills and gain more experience as an assistant to apply to my career and business adventures.

I encourage you to get out there and start your journey as a virtual assistant because it can lead to a satisfying, fulfilling, flexible, and potentially lucrative career or business, which increases your overall quality of life and happiness. Good luck out there!