One of the biggest problems most Virtual Assistants are having these days is that they’re being ‘punished’ for being efficient.
How can that BE, you ask?
Well, if you’re a Virtual Assistant and you’re charging by the hour, you may not realize it, but it’s hurting you.
AND it’s hurting your business.
It’s frustrating because you KNOW you are good at what you do, your clients LOVE you, but you can’t seem to get ahead, making the money you deserve to make.
You should be REWARDED for being expeditious–for getting your clients work done fast and without compromise to quality, RIGHT?
Can you relate to this scenario…?
On the first of the month you billed Client “A” for 10 hours.
Then you got straight to work on their MASSIVE task list.
It’s month-end–and as you and Client “A” have come to expect–
you’ve ROCKED it! Executed flawlessly.
You got it all handled–without even breaking a sweat and you pat yourself on the back.
And equally as impressive…
You got it all done in just SIX HOURS! (If you’re anything like me, you THRIVE on efficiency.)
Every update you’ve sent to Client “A” met with their sincerest appreciation.
“You are the BEST!”
“What would I EVER do WITHOUT you?”
(No doubt, they’re grateful for your swift action, your attention to detail,
your awesomeness).
BUT in their next breath, they follow up their praise with…
“So, how much TIME do I have left?”
UGH.
You DREAD that question, don’t you? Because you know what’s coming and it’s usually one of two things.
One…they want to give you MORE WORK. (After all, they’re entitled to your productivity for EVERY SINGLE SECOND they’ve purchased, right?)
OR…
Two…they want to ‘rollover’ the time they DIDN’T use into your next month of services.
Either way for you, it’s a ‘losing’ scenario.
Because Client “A” is so grateful that their four unused hours haven’t been ‘lost’ and will be ‘simply’ added to their regular ten, providing them FOURTEEN hours to use for the next month.
Well, Goodie for THEM!
But AWFUL for you.
Devastating, in fact.
You can’t help but shrug your shoulders and feel defeated.
It’s detrimental—on many levels—to the long-term success of your Virtual Assistant business.
But sure, you’re smart. You’ve got this ‘covered’…
Knowing your best defense to stop the potential for ‘bleeding’ you let Client “A” know that you’ll be happy to roll over their unused hours (good customer service) —but only for one month.
Phew! (for you…)?
I mean you certainly want to ensure Client “A’s” 10-hour package doesn’t turn into a 30-hour package–for the same price, right?
Well, you KNOW you will now have to dedicate yourself to spending four extra hours you had not planned on next month—JUST for this client.
This ‘extra’ time means time away from your other clients,
from your marketing and prospecting efforts,
from your family,
from your personal quality time,
and yes, even from your sleep!
As was the case for me, you may not feel the FULL effects of all this until a few weeks or months down the road–
So now… let’s raise the stakes a bit…
Client “A”—the one who keeps rolling over ‘unused’ hours—informs you they’re going on vacation for a month.
Before they leave, they request for you to ‘freeze’ their hours.
So now you can’t bill Client “A.”
When they return, they let you know they’d prefer to first use up their ‘banked’ hours before committing to another ‘paid’ package.
So, now you have to provide them services for all their ‘banked’ hours and that adds yet another month of not being able to bill them!
So this issue is now compounded…
And you’re now SUFFERING the consequences!
And all because you wanted to demonstrate to your client(s) how SUPER EFFICIENT you are!
Let’s face it…
Your EFFICIENCY has now become a DE-FICIENCY!
Now, imagine this scenario replaying itself with every client you have.
UGH.
That was me…
In my first year as a Virtual Assistant, I found myself in constant NEED of FINDING and ENROLLING new clients because of these types of scenarios.
I couldn’t bill Clients A, B, C, and D because each one had at LEAST four hours of rollover time they wanted to use up before they would agree to purchase more.
That’s 16+ hours of time I had to spend on JUST these clients for the next month.
Before I knew it, I was in a catch-22 (literally!).
And it was bad. REALLY bad.
I became a ‘VICTIM’ of my EFFICIENCY.
I found myself becoming resentful of my clients (even my favorite, most appreciate clients).
In fact, I started to feel as though they were taking advantage of ME.
But it wasn’t THEIR fault.
The praise they ‘heaped’ on me was always gratifying, but the bottom line was that I had to pay my bills to keep my Virtual Assistant business moving forward.
It was BEYOND frustrating…
And worse, I saw no way out.
I cried many nights thinking, ‘this Virtual Assistant ‘thing’ SUCKS!’
And I wondered how other Virtual Assistants were dealing with this PROBLEM.
Surely others had this same scenario in their Virtual Assistant Business.
I truly thought I would never get ahead and I wished I had the money to invest in a Virtual Assistant Coach to help me to DIAGNOSE the problem.
Because until that point, I still hadn’t realized the ‘gaping hole’ that was my business model.
I needed to figure out a SOLUTION. I wanted so desperately to get on the ‘path’ to financial freedom.
I wanted so much to be able to have more time to dedicate to my OWN business and I wanted so much just to get a good night’s sleep!
But I didn’t have the money to invest in working with a Virtual Assistant Coach.
So I ‘stumbled’ and ‘fumbled’ around–quite miserably–for another year.
I would spend whatever (limited) time I had reading posts in Virtual Assistant Facebook Groups—still trying to uncover THE DEFINITIVE solution.
The problem—I came to realize—was ME.
I was ‘STUCK’ in a mindset.
I believed clients SHOULD get—and were entitled to—every MOMENT of TIME they’ve purchased.
Certainly, my CLIENTS feel that way—why wouldn’t they?
I really couldn’t fault them. Indeed, we all want what we feel we’re ‘entitled’ to.
But…then it hit me!
What if our clients could feel entitled to the SOLUTIONS we provide to them and NOT merely our TIME!?
And BINGO! There it was!
I finally had a ‘shift’ in my mindset.
Now I just had to figure out how to make a significant ‘shift’ toward being compensated for RESULTS, rather than being paid for TIME.
Wanna know what I did?
I figured out how to help my current clients ‘shift’ THEIR mindset,
and how to present this to my potential clients during their consultation.
I thought long and hard about it, mapped it all out, and then I implemented it.
It was genius and it worked—BIG TIME!
What did I do differently?
Well, it took a lot of trial and error, but I effectively ‘dialed in’ how to communicate the value of package pricing vs. time pricing while at the same time
not ‘short-changing’ myself.
Today I have a Virtual Assistant Business which earns over six figures year after year and clients who are very SATISFIED in ALL areas of our work together.
My clients value what I do for them and what I bring to the table. They now measure and quantify their ROI (Return on Investment) by the SOLUTIONS I provide, rather than measuring the TIME it takes to provide them results.
In fact, I provide my clients with specific reports which help them to SEE their ROI. My clients NEVER ask me how much time I’ve spent OR how much time they have left, and they never ask me to roll over time—not even a minute!
EVERYTHING has shifted.
My income has soared.
I’m attracting more clients who ‘get it.’
My mindset is aligned toward achieving my goals.
And best of all–my Virtual Assistant business continues to thrive and year after year!
If YOU finally got out of the ‘trap’ of trading dollars for hours, what would it be like for you, your Virtual Assistant business, your family, your future?
Perhaps you could stop worrying so much about money and about having to provide all those ‘rollover’ hours.
Maybe you can focus on getting more clients (if that’s what you want).
It’s super simple and VERY powerful to change this ‘catch-22’ scenario moving forward (even for your current clients)!
As Virtual Assistants, we offer our clients COUNTLESS solutions—far too many to list.
Isn’t’ it ‘time’ to be REWARDED for being EFFICIENT?
Let me help you shorten your path to VA business success and happiness.
During your one-to-one 60-minute private coaching call, I’m going to show you:
- How to ‘bundle’ your services by offering value-added packages (instead of hourly rates). (BUT, I assure you, it’s not bundling a group of services either– THIS doesn’t work). Best of all, you will no longer have to deal with the dreaded question, “Will you roll over ‘unused’ time?”;
- How to specifically outline within your Client Agreement the parameters for each of your packages, so you and your clients know you are being taken care of;
- The BEST Reporting Tool that will confirm for your client how valuable you REALLY ARE!
- The #1 Resource I use in my business that will ‘Show You the Money,’ month after month. You can watch your income soar to new heights! I didn’t think it was possible to reach six figures being a VA, but I’ve done it! Whatever your income goals, you can achieve them.
- I will also provide you all the templates you will need to get everything into place, including your client agreement, ‘show me the money’ spreadsheet, and client productivity report.(Yes, you can finally ‘ditch’ the time reports!)
Are your ready to break the ‘Feast or Famine’ cycle in your VA Business?
YES. I AM READY TO BE REWARDED FOR WORKING EFFICIENTLY!
How much is it costing you to stay where you are; NOT making the income you deserve, NOT helping the people who need your help, and NOT building the Virtual Assistant business you KNOW you can have?
Don’t wait! A year from now you’ll wish you would have jumped on this amazing opportunity!