As virtual assistants, one of the most uncomfortable positions we can put ourselves in is the first meeting with a potential client.
It’s procrastination time. I wrote about this in last weeks blog; Your First Time Needs To Set You Up For The Win. It’s this thought process that spins us out of control. We begin to overthink everything, we try to remember what we want to say word for word and we certainly don’t end up feeling comfortable or looking confident.

If only we had a crystal ball. Well, you do, sort of, by knowing how to answer the 10 Questions, you will have a better shot at landing your potential client.

What you want is for the meeting to go so smoothly and that at the end of it, you take on a new client.  As a seasoned online business manager, I have done my fair share of initial meetings, Skype calls, or phone calls and they didn’t all go according to plan. Over the year’s though, I figured out there is a very common theme with all prospective clients: often they don’t know how to act or react, let alone how to work with a virtual assistant, so their questions tend to be a bit double-edged.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone, where you sit and nod your head, listening intently then you think to yourself, “What the heck do they mean, I could answer that two different ways?” All of the 10 questions can be answered in two ways; it’s knowing which questions will be a deal breaker if you answer them wrong.

What Can You Bring To The Table That Will Enhance My Business?

This is a deal breaker question (don’t be shocked but there are more); if you don’t get it right. It’s almost a little insulting, but it’s designed to put you off your game.

Before reading how I would respond to this question, have a think about how you would respond. Remember, it can be a deal breaker, so the obvious is not the obvious!

This is one of those interview questions, designed to make you feel lower than the person asking it. Remember, a potential client meeting is just that, it’s a meeting. You’re not being interviewed! You should never go in with that mindset; it immediately places you lower down the food chain. This is a meeting. You are both equal.

Possible response scenario

Please tell me you’ve done your research on your prospective client? Because it is only this research which can stop it from being a deal breaker.

Let’s assume your potential client is a Coach / Mentor; they love to do things the old fashioned way, cold calling, free workshops. People love free, so they get bums on seats, but at the end of the day, they are not converting them to clients.

My response could be something like this:

“I’d bring ideas on lead generation so you cast a smaller net attracting more of your target market, not a wide one hoping to catch a couple, leveraging social media to provide social credibility and I will keep you accountable so you can reach your goals.” You can keep trying to put bums on seats and you might succeed given enough time, but do you have it? What happens if you finally have enough people that you can’t physically take on anymore because there are not enough hours in the day or days in the week. I can help you to save time and make more money.”

The VA Project is moving to JMJ – EA for a Day, and if you want to keep up with the changes, you can get on the list and be among the first to know when the new program is launching, and in coming weeks, you can find out about our top secret project.

So sign up and grab a copy of 10 questions at the same time, it’s a freebie.

If someone asked you “What can you bring to the table?” what would you say? Please leave a comment in the comment section below.