Recently, I’ve had several people ask me what skills you should have to be a successful virtual assistant. If you’re anything like me, I didn’t come into the field with an administrative background. I had been a copyeditor and had done some social media marketing for the nonprofit I worked for…but I had never worked in a lot of the systems that I’m now in on a daily basis. I doubted that I could be successful because I didn’t have the “right” training.
One of my favorite things about being a virtual assistant is that you can bring in your skillset and really tailor the services you provide (and who you work with) based on what you already know. BUT there are basic skills and systems you really need to know before you take your first client. Overlook the basics and you’ll cost yourself clients, especially in what is becoming a crowded marketplace.
Here’s how to be an effective virtual assistant from day one:
Perfect your systems.
The best way to practice setting up systems for your clients is to set them up in your own business. Learn about branding or website design by creating a logo or simple website for your business. Take some time to set up a customer relationship management (CRM) system like Dubsado in your business. Set up a social media marketing strategy by building your own pages, profiles, and content.
In my opinion, when you’re beginning you’ll work most in graphic design programs such as Canva, social media scheduling tools like Buffer, and email marketing systems such as MailChimp or ConvertKit. Clients will expect you to have a working knowledge of these systems so don’t neglect this step.
Know what a sales funnel is.
When you’re learning how to be an effective virtual assistant, you need to understand how the client is getting leads or sales. In the simplest terms, a sales funnel is the path you want a potential client to go through during the sales process. For most businesses, this begins with a simple lead magnet that helps them collect email addresses. These can be used to sell services or products during a launch period.
It’s really easy to go down the rabbit hole by reading the thousands of blog posts or taking the courses on sales funnels. I wouldn’t worry about going too deep into this when you’re starting out…but I would caution you to be sure anything you’re consuming has been published in the last year. There have been many changes in how we’re structuring funnels and leveraging relationships to get sales so be sure trainings or blog posts are current.
Understand basic social media marketing.
There is a reason I suggest that most people choose social media marketing as one of the first offerings they have as a virtual assistant. Quite simply, basic marketing principles help you get to the heart of what makes a business successful. If you don’t take the time to learn how to write an effective call to action or create a graphic that gets someone’s attention, you’ll struggle to help your clients grow their following. Since this is what pays the bills and keeps your client in business, growing your marketing skills keeps everyone in business.
My advice is to find one or two marketing gurus with proven track records to help you learn the ropes. For me, I think Amy Porterfield and Melyssa Griffin really have their finger on the pulse of what’s working (and what’s not) in online marketing. Their podcasts, blog posts, and online courses have helped me stay current on trends and build my skill set in new ways. I think you should find a few voices that align with your background and learning style because everyone has their own spin on how to approach social media marketing. As you’re learning how to be an effective virtual assistant, finding thought leaders who explain things in a way that make sense for you, you can shut out the noise and get down to work.
Find your go-to systems.
In many circumstances, your clients will not have systems set up in their business. They’ll be looking to you for recommendations on what social media scheduling tool works the best or how to set up their email marketing system. Find the systems you like to work in…and then steer your clients in that direction.
When you’re just beginning, you need to go deep (not wide) when learning systems. For example, ConvertKit is a well known email marketing platform. Many entrepreneurs use this system because they make it easy to set up automations and segment your email list based on each person’s behavior. When you spend the time learning how to use all of the features of the program, it is really easy to transfer those skills to setting up a different program.
Walk the talk in your business.
In my business, I use Dubsado as my CRM program. I love that I can manage discovery call questionnaires, contracts, billing, and client to-do lists in one place. I have the system set up to match my agency’s branding and have it automated to run seamlessly (without much work on my end). Because of this, I constantly have new clients saying, “I want you to set up my systems to look like yours because that was so easy”.
You have to implement what you expect your clients to do in their businesses to gain their trust quickly. If you are a social media manager, your potential client should see that you’re posting consistently to your social media platforms. They will choose someone else if they see distracting graphics or typos in your posts. If you want to build someone’s website, you must have a beautiful website yourself. Too many people overlook this step and it can cost them clients. Every day, more and more virtual assistants enter the marketplace so paying attention to these little details can land you the job.