How to get it all done in a solo Virtual Assistance practice

Last week, I said I was going to write about what you might want to consider before working in a multi-VA firm. In thinking about it, and in light of all the great comments that were posted as a result of that post, I don’t know that I need to. Those, my post from last week, and the post I linked to should probably give you more than enough food for thought as you consider whether you want to work in one of those practices/firms. I will say, as I said similarly to the people considering creating businesses with that model; be smart about whatever you choose to do, and make sure you lay a solid foundation for your business.

Today I want to talk about one facet that came up in the comments to last week’s post—that of creating a multi-VA firm with the stated intention of better serving clients.

A good thing, that. I suggest that every VA develop a practice of serving clients better—and beyond the scope of what she can do herself. This isn’t news—I’ve been teaching this for 13 years. And in case you're thinking that you can't do it alone, let me promise you that it’s absolutely doable in a solo practice!

First, some things I’ve been saying since the beginning of time (ok--really from the beginning of the Virtual Assistance profession):

1. If you learned 500 new things every day for the rest of your life, you would never know how to do it all. So, sooner or later, a client is going to need something you know little or nothing about. That’s a-ok.

2. Even if you could know how to do it all, it’s unlikely that you would want to. So, sooner or later, a client is going to need something you won’t want to do. That’s a-ok, too.

3. The not being able to do, or not wanting to do, creates what’s known as “service gaps” in your practice. This isn't a problem--every single VA has them.

4. The best VAs I know (and can conceive of) have addressed their service gaps and are able to be one-stop shops for their clients. I absolutely believe that clients should be able to go to their VAs for anything (quite literally). And the VAs should be able to do what’s needed, or get it handled.

I do recognize that this flies in the face of outsourcers who tell people to choose individuals for tasks based on skill, and people in our own industry and others who create urgency for you, saying that there's this "must have" skill you need to serve clients well, be valuable to clients, and earn more money.

Another thing I've been saying forever? That's all bunk. There is no single hard skill you need to know to serve clients well, be valuable to them, or earn more money. What that does though is create urgency within you, keeps you chasing the work (as opposed to letting you ever settle into an especially comfortable place with your practice, your offerings, or the value you create for clients), and gets you to put yourself on a gerbil wheel of your own design (although fueled by others).

None of it's necessary. You can absolutely do everything your clients need or get it handled for them. That's the truth of things.

The thing to focus on is HOW to get stuff handled, and HOW to deal with the service gaps you currently have (and those that will make themselves apparent throughout your practice).

The first step is seeing the gaps clearly. So spend some time doing that. Make several lists--writing down every single thing you can think of as it relates to what you know clients want or may want. Lists would include "Stuff I love to do and do well," "Stuff I do easily, well, and  don't at all mind doing," "Stuff I hate doing and want to never do again," and "Stuff I absolutely know I have no interest in learning/doing.

A service gap will be anything other than what you can do well and love to do, or do easily and don't mind doing.

Once you know where your service gaps are, you can take steps to close them.

For my money, the smartest way to do that is any way that doesn’t involve added liability to your business, and minimizes headaches for you.

I've already discussed the increased liability you would have if you use subcontractors.

There’s also increased liability in making referrals of vendors to clients, when you end up selecting the vendor used.

The good news is that there's a third option (and maybe many more than that!). What I suggest is a way in which you can help the client with everything, continue to run a solo practice, reduce headaches, and mitigate your liability.

That’s building ready resources.

Take your list of service gaps. Find at least three professionals who are great at doing the things you can’t/don’t. Find one who’s extremely high end, another whose work is great—but not especially pricey, and one more who can do good, basic work at a lower price point. You can have more than three if you like—the more the merrier, actually, but you want to be clear about each one’s strengths, and you want to feel great about how they work (meaning that you know something about the way their businesses are set up, what their standards are, what you can really expect from them, how they handle problems that may arise--stuff like that).

Call them. Talk with them. Look at their work. See for yourself who you would feel good suggesting to your client who has a need. Never ever put someone on your list that you've not personally talked with and whose work you don't personally know, or have a great sense of. If someone comes highly recommended, that's great--but don't step over doing your own due diligence just because you "believe" the person who recommended the vendor to you.

Put them somewhere where you can easily/quickly find their info when needed. Maybe that’s Outlook. Maybe it’s a spreadsheet. Do whatever works best for you.The VA police are not going to knock on your door to tell you you need to change where you keep your list. I promise. :)

Now, when a client needs something you can’t/don’t do, and you’ve gathered sufficient and appropriate information so that you understand the specific need, say something like, “I don’t do that, but I know people who do—how about if I see which of them may be available to do a phone conversation with us, so you can choose someone to do this project?”

Then go off and do those things. Once you know who’s available, set up calls with you, the client, and each vendor (one at a time, please!).

Important things to do to minimize liability:

1. Make sure the client chooses the vendor to use. This makes it impossible for a client to say that YOU chose a bad person for the job, should there be a problem with the vendor’s work.Well, the client can say it all he wants, but if he chose the vendor, he'll have to ultimately remember that as he's pointing that finger at you. You won't be, after all, holding a gun at the head of a client to help him choose, right? ;)

2. Make sure the client pays the vendor directly. This makes your client the client of the vendor, and the contractual relationship is between them—you’re not involved, and there's no liability for you.

And how do you make money in this scenario (this is for you, SuAnne, and the question you asked me yesterday)?

Let me first ask—do you need to? What’s the desire you have--to help the client, or to make more money? Maybe it’s both?

If it’s only to help the client, then don’t worry about it. Maybe everything wasn’t meant to be monetized; maybe doing it is enough, and the client’s undying gratitude its own reward for your spectacular brilliance.

If it’s to make more money, then there are several ways you might do it without being smarmy. I'd avoid smarmy if I were you.

One would be to offer to manage the projects being outsourced to the vendors so that things happen more easily for your client. This way is just a natural extension of the work you already do, and if you’re good at project management and love doing it, what more of a win/win could this be for you and your client?

Another would be to join affiliate programs for the vendors you want to share with your clients.

Another would be to make the connection, and request/require a referral fee from the vendor/get an affiliate commission. You could even decide only add to the resource list vendors who indicate a willingness to pay you in this way. For me, this would be smarmy—I can’t reconcile the want to have the best resources for my clients, only if they’re willing to pay me. But I get that not everyone is like me, and it’s definitely another viable option.

Note: If you're going to, or are likely to get any money from a vendor as the result of connecting your client to that vendor, be sure to disclose that possibility to the client in advance. Language like, "Hey, John...I know you want to talk with Helen, and I just want you to know that should you work together, she'll pay me a good-will referral fee--but I would have absolutely told you about her even if she weren't doing that," will help you.

And a third would be a combo of the two above—so you’d get a fee from the vendor, and paid to manage the project for your client.

What this model gives you (besides a lack of possible risk, and liability) is the ability to serve your clients spectacularly well and still operate a solo practice--in control of what you can control, and not making your responsible for things you can't.

Oh, and when a client needs something you never could have seen coming and didn’t know you had a service gap around (like one AU VA dealt with when her client asked her to broker a yacht from Hong Kong to the US!)? Tell the truth, then go off and find vendors the client can talk with who can handle it. Then add those people to your list of ready resources for the next time you get that request! I realize it may never happen, but you can never have too many resources at the ready.

A further benefit to this model is that the creation of a vendor list to fill your service gaps also becomes a marketing method for your business. As you call and speak with the various vendors, telling them why you’re calling and what you’re doing, you expose yourself and your business to people who would never have had any reason to know you otherwise. In my mind—it’s the icing on an otherwise yummy cake.

So when you think about how to get more done for clients than you can do alone, I hope you’ll remember that there is a third option to not meeting the needs, or forming a multi-va firm. You really CAN rely on yourself to do it all or get it all done—and so can your clients!

Comments

[Terry MacRae]

Amen! This should be required reading for all Virtual Assistants and solopreneurs who think they need to do it all themselves.

[Dawn Goldberg]

I agree with Terry - required reading so that people have language (and the common sense idea) of how to fill their service gaps.

[Monique Cunningham]

Great info! One question. Could the vendor be another VA? For example, I'm not up on all things social media. Could I refer my client to a VA who was and she pay the VA directly? The more I build my practice the more I feel like I must be able to do it all. This was a great reminder that I don't.