Let’s be honest, if you are in a business that doesn’t understand or embrace a customer-centric approach, chances are that you’re not going to be particularly successful. So it makes sense to understand and develop a business that has really well developed strategies which honour the client’s needs and wants as being critical to your business growth.
As a home-based Virtual Business Operator, or VA, the buck generally stops with you, and if your clients aren’t happy with the service you are providing (and you don’t figure it out quickly enough and do something about it), they will most likely take their business elsewhere.
That’s not something you want to have happen if you’re trying to build a sustainable and profitable business that will grow into the future.
So, what exactly DOES a Virtual Assistant or Virtual Business Operator do that determines whether they are client-centric or not? Mostly it’s common sense practices, and I would suspect that many business owners do this without even realising it, but it’s also great to review and be aware of what you perhaps could do slightly better to keep those clients coming back for more (and after all, that’s what you want isn’t it?)
So, to get you thinking, here are a few strategies that THE BEST VA businesses live and breathe by:
Take the time to really understand their client / client’s business so that they can customise their service to be of maximum benefit
Able to see and think from the client's perspective and point of view
Are renowned for their ability to develop and maintain trustworthy relationships
Are solution-focused when faced with challenges
Understand and implement sound communication strategies which, in turn, build longevity and trust in their business relationships
Understand the importance of being consistently responsive and reliable when dealing with their client's needs
Understand the benefits and need to be able to be flexible in their approach and availability (i.e. can scale up or scale down)
As their clients move into new or unfamiliar territory, the best VAs have the ability, maturity and experience to work with the clients to identify and implement solutions to their problems
Competently liaise with their client base to establish their client's expectations and demands, and to ensure that they can meet the criteria without over promising
Understand the need to develop a "strategic alliance", so the client can rely on them to provide advice on complex issues
Work with their clients as business consultants focusing on increasing revenue, profit, whilst demonstrating the advantages of reducing costs in the client’s bottom line
How do you rate?
Are there areas that you could develop in your own business?
If you want to find out more about setting up a successful online or Virtual Assistant (VA) business, get in touch with the VA Institute today.
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