Do you believe that the customer is always right? Anyone who has ever worked within the service industry may well disagree! The truth is, no two customers are the same. Since becoming Girl Friday, I have had the pleasure of working with some lovely people and every one of them is different. When I first set up my business four years ago, I have to admit that I truly believed that my customers were going to be cash-rich, time-poor business and home owners who would happily employ the services of a local lady to take some of their unwanted tasks away from them. Boy, was I wrong!
In reality, my clients fit into two distinct categories; small business owners who don’t have huge corporate budgets and domestic clients within completely ordinary households. And the common denominator is undoubtedly…time! The people who enlist my help, do so because they value their time and that’s something that I can guarantee giving them back! And these clients include: performance improvement consultancies, ex-military intelligence specialists, trade and retail businesses, an institute, a barrister, business consultants, teachers, a stock controller, psychologists, an investment banker, a patisserie owner, business journalists, authors, a university researcher, a TV producer, an interior designer, a fashion designer, a makeup artist, a tailor, a fitness expert and a nanny.
It turns out that people/businesses with larger bank balances, are far less likely to spend their money on a little extra help as they don’t understand the value that someone like myself can provide. Not one client I have worked with over the last four years, whether business or domestic, has been of higher than average wealth.My clients employ me to undertake a multitude of services and they all have very different personalities, however, there are some quite specific similarities in their reasons for requesting my assistance. Looking back at every one of the clients I have worked with, they all fit into at least one of the categories below.
Top five traits of my business clients:
Businesses who don’t need/can’t afford to take on an employee
Professional people who need assistance with their private affairs
Companies who need specialist services on an ad hoc basis
Businesses who need cover when staff are away
Companies who only need an extra pair of hands occasionally
Top five traits of my domestic clients:
People who are overwhelmed by the task in hand
Full time workers who value their spare time
Individuals who have no idea where to start with a project
Professional people who work 60+ hours a week
People who have a one-off project requiring assistance
Although I’m not always able to take on every project I am contacted about due to the restriction of hours in a day, I also have the flexibility of being able to choose the people that I work with. If I don’t believe that I’m the best person for the job, then I’m more than happy to get in touch with other PAs or VAs within my network or suggest alternative solutions which would be a better fit for them.
So what are the things that I am looking for in a client? Here’s my wish list:
Someone who needs my help and who settles their invoice on time.
Simple but true!
So if you require some help from a Virtual Assistant and you fit the bill for my client wish list, do feel free to get in touch with Girl Friday . I’ll do everything I can to help you.