Last week I wrote about how the most valuable VA is a one-stop shop for her clients, either doing whatever needs to be done, or getting it handled.
Covering your service gaps (the gaps between what you can do and what the clients need) is a key element to strengthening your practice, and making yourself indispensible to clients.
But how do you cover your service gaps? What are the best ways to handle that?
In my view, the best way(s) limits, or eliminates your liability in case of a problem. As such, anything you accept responsibility for, but cannot control makes it, in my view, far too great a risk. That’s why I think subcontracting and working in loosely defined multi-VA teams are lousy ideas (I’ll write more about that next week).
What I suggest is having a Rolodex full of great professional vendors. Any service gap of yours requires at least one vendor to cover it—and it’s probably smart to have more than one (in case the one is busy, can’t handle the scope of work, etc.). Then, when a client has a need that falls into one of your gaps, you say something like, “Mark, I don’t do _____, but I have access to a few professionals who do. Let me talk with them and see who’s available to help us, and when I know, I’ll set up times for you and me to talk with them. You can decide who you want, and I’ll help manage the project.”
Mark’s a smart man. He knows you can’t do it all. And he’s super glad you know who to go to get it handled. So you set up some calls, both go to the calls, and when Mark makes the decision (you really want him to make the decision), you get the vendor to bill Mark directly for his services.
Then you can watch over/manage the project to completion. Mark’s happy. The vendor is happy. You’re happy. And you weren’t inappropriately in the middle of the deal.
So how do you find great vendors? You ask people for referrals. You’re not an island, and you must belong to networks of other business owners (these referrals don’t have to come from other VAs!). So ask them who they recommend, then do due diligence, and investigate the vendors, interview the vendors. And only when you’re satisfied that a vendor is someone you’d feel good about referring to, and the vendor clearly has a proven track record of success, add that person to your Rolodex in the appropriate category.
Bit O’Moxie: Here’s the best part—the icing on the otherwise already yummy cake. When you contact a vendor, tell him what you’re doing and why. Tell him about what you do, and if/when you decide to add a vendor to your referral list, be sure to let the vendor know of your decision. That vendor will remember you, and there’s a good possibility that he’ll refer to you, too, if given the chance. In this way, your building your Rolodex also becomes a marketing method. Ahhhh… I love efficiency!
In case it hasn't crossed your mind, here's why efficiency in marketing matters. Every second you spend marketing is time you can't be doing billable work, or better, enjoying your life. So efficient, effective marketing ideas are always good to find!
Comments