This might come as a surprise to you, but now that you’re a business owner, you’re also a sales person. In fact, sales is perhaps the most important role in your business; it’s how you win clients, and without sales, you’re not in control of your future work.
The good news is, sales isn’t really that difficult. I’ve heard people say ‘I hate sales’, but it needn’t be that way; a little focus and upskilling goes a long way, and there’s absolutely no need to sell in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable. But that doesn't mean it doesn’t require thought and planning, and I’m here to help you with some tips below to get you to a (very lovely, non-sleazy) salesperson’s mindset - keep reading for a useful download to help get you out there to your target audience.
I’m Emma Portor, and after a long and mainly uneventful career in commercial insurance, I made it out alive and set up my VA business, Tilba Marketing, 2 years ago. My niche is sales, and along with a small team of associates, we help businesses of all shapes and sizes to consistently bring in sales to their business through strategy, training, and implementation. More recently (very recently actually), I’ve opened my community on Facebook - Her Next Client - to support service-providers who want to get better at sales and bring more clients into their world. And I love to talk about sales because to me, it’s absolutely bloody crucial to a successful business.
Why do I need to sell as a VA?
There are times when you’ll have someone referred to you who knows all about what you do, has received a personal recommendation to come to you, and is completely confident you can do the job they want doing, before even speaking to you.
Great. But those are few and far between. For the majority of the time, you’re going to have to get visible, market your services, and convert prospects to clients during a discovery call. That’s all that selling is - I told you it wasn’t difficult!
(By the way, Kayleigh has recently opened her Visibility Club specifically for VAs, and I know it’s going to be epic. Getting visible is the first step to getting prospects into your pipeline - they’re your future clients).
If you know that you can consistently market your business and convert clients, you will never be out of work. Losing a big client, or any client for that matter, becomes an unfortunate small event in your business, because you have the mindset, skills, and knowledge to replace them with ease, or grow your business beyond solo VA to VA business with a team of associates or employees.
And if you’re thinking that you don’t need to sell because you’re just doing Associate work, think again! You still have to sell yourself and your services to your lead VA.
So, let’s get you some sales.
Make time for sales in your VA business
Are you chock-a-block with client work? Procrastinating instead of posting to socials? Or just not making the time for sales in your business?
Making time for sales is crucial and something that I was guilty of not doing when I first started my VA business. Yes, even me, sales expert to service businesses everywhere, didn’t make time for sales as my diary became so jam-packed, I couldn’t take a discovery call. Don’t do this. The money is great with a full diary but you’re one lost client away from a big gap and no one to fill it if sales hasn’t been your focus. Fortunately, I had a pipeline built up and was getting consistent enquiries, but that’s not the case if you’ve been out of the sales loop completely.
Top tip: Block out time in your diary for marketing activities, and make sure you’ve always got room for a discovery call. Even when you’re full, keep marketing your business.
Ditch the thought that sales is icky
Because it isn’t.
If you get used car or double-glazing salesmen vibes when someone mentions sales, you’re thinking of the wrong kind of sales. There’s no need to be pushy or use outdated tactics to win business.
Instead, think of sales as being visible, and understanding if you can help your potential client. That’s all it is - simple!
Level up your sales skills
If you’re still feeling like sales isn’t your bag, there’s plenty you can do to level up your skills.
Read: My top book recommendation is ‘Never Split the Difference’ by Chris Voss, an ex-FBI Negotiator who explains how to get people to open up to you and not let them feel like they’re being sold-to. It’s best on Audible, as so much of sales relies on tone of voice, rather than what you’re saying.
Download: My guide on 27 Ways to Find Your Next Client, which is packed full of useful ideas to market your business and get you a foot in the door with the people you want to talk to.
Learn: Consciously take note of your interactions when you’re in sales conversations; how did the salesperson make you feel comfortable? What made your final decision to buy a product or service? What questions did they ask? How did they close the sale? Observation is fab for learning!
Finally, I want to reiterate that sales is a skill, and one that you can learn. Just like you learned to do all the tasks you do for your clients: operating CRMs, responding to emails in a professional way, or setting up a new piece of software for them.
There’s no need to get the ick at the mere mention of sales and in fact, sales needs to be at the forefront of your mind to ensure a happy, thriving, and growing VA business. With a little upskilling and a lot of practise, sales can become a natural part of your business that you actually look forward to!
This blog was prepared or accomplished by Emma Portor in their personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this blog are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Kayleigh Johnstone or COZ PR.