Argh, you’re at capacity, you’ve got ill, you’re having a baby, the client is a dick, you want to grow your Virtual Assistant business and earn some passive income… and so you want to take on Associate Virtual Assistants.
But, how do you tell your existing clients, that an Associate Virtual Assistant will be doing their work?
Okay, so I cover ALL of this, including how to successfully find the right associates so you don’t lose your mind or reputation and can actually make passive income in my How to Grow your Business with on Associates online step-by-step guide, but as a snippet here’s the process for telling clients that their work will be done by an associate and not you.
Think about how you’d feel if you’d been working with someone for so many months / years and they made your life so much better then, all of a sudden, they say they’re going to give you someone else to work with.
- Fearful
- Hurt
- Worried
- Annoyed
Happy wouldn’t appear in there, unless you’re a PITA. Haaaa
So, we need to take all those negative possibilities and ensure they don’t manage to come to the surface otherwise that will make the client think about retreating.
In other words, we make it all positive.
Think about taking a toddler to the supermarket. I used to sing ‘Let’s go TESCO CRAZY’ and she’d think we were off on some fun adventure. Dickhead.
Anyway, that was just an analogy, we’re not going to write a song.
You can let your client know anyway you wish. Email / Zoom call.
And this is how I’d do it:
- Find an associate first
- Tell the client that you’re scaling your own workload back because xyz (if it’s because they’re the PITA then think of something else)
- Dig out your list of superlatives and saying something like; ‘But it’s okay, I have a wonderful associate who I have carefully sourced. She will take over from DD/MM and is fully insured, contracted by me and registered with the ICO. I will do a full handover so there’s absolutely no stress for you other than remembering her name. Shall I make an email introduction now or would you like to meet her by Zoom?’
The only thought they’re left with is:
- a smile that you’ve added humour
- whether to meet her via email or video call
There is zero space for negative thoughts as you’ve covered everything.
Now, this is just a quick run down on how to deal with it if you have existing clients.
There are many other things to consider when you’re dealing with potential clients, looking for your associates, taking them on and introducing them to your clients, which, as I mentioned is all covered in my online course; How to Grow your Business with Associates