By Cheryl Callighan, MVA, Mentor/Coach
The title of this blog post came to mind after reading several posts on the virtual assistant list serves. It appeared to me that many of the newer virtual assistants were having problems in two areas: 1) taking responsibility for their virtual assistant business and 2) setting boundaries with clients.
Those of you that know me know I’m an ardent fan of Jack Canfield and his book The Success Principles. I’ve taught The Success Principles and have had numerous people tell me “This changed my life!”
Well, Success Principle No. 1 is “Be Responsible.” This one principle alone has changed my life and my business. I no longer look for excuses, blame anyone or anything else for the outcomes of my choices nor do I complain. I try to make smart choices in my business and in my life. If the outcome is not what I was hoping for I examine my choice and my reaction to the event. I strive to learn from my mistakes.
Being responsible as it applies to my business and how I interact with my clients means no excuses, no blaming anyone or anything and no complaining. Simply find a solution, make the right choices and provide excellent services and work products.
I take complete responsibility for telling my clients about fees, terms, communication style, etc. I take responsibility for getting all the details of a project, getting an actual, not arbitrary deadline, and I get it in writing. My clients are aware that any changes or deviations from the original project scope means additional time and fees.
Most importantly, all clients sign a contract and we review the terms in person over the phone. No contract, no work. Plain and simple.
My team members all have contracts as well. Their contracts spell out their services, fees and payment terms. Both contracts have a clause that allows either party to terminate the contract with 30 days written notice.
As for boundaries especially with clients, most of these are laid out in my contract but I specifically review my hours and communication style with each client. Clients are aware of my regular business hours and how I prefer to communicate even before they sign a contract. Urgent or complex issues deserve a phone call, day-to-day tasks or updates work well with email and I don’t use IM with my clients, it’s too disruptive for my work flow.
I do not work evenings, weekends or holidays period. I have my boundaries for family time as well and I stick to them. While my youngest son is going to be 20 this month (no kids at home!) I now have grandchildren that I spend time with regularly.
The bottom line is to take responsibility for all aspects of your business from setting your fees, setting your hours, getting detailed information on each project and establishing boundaries for your business operation. These few things will go along way in avoiding conflicts with your clients, your family and help to smooth out your daily business operation through less stress for you.
Take time to identify just how you want your business to run, what you expect from your clients and what they can expect from you. No one will be disappointed and your clients will respect your business just as much as you do.
© 2007 Cheryl K. Callighan, MVA, owner of eOffice-Virtual Assistants LLC providing administrative and secretarial services to small businesses and entrepreneurs and the University of Virtual Assistants where she assists new virtual assistants through online training. She has over 30+ years of administrative experience and 18 years as a virtual assistant. Contact: Cheryl@eOffice-VirtualAssist.com * Cheryl@UofVAs.com. Websites: www.eOffice-VirtualAssist.com * www.UofVAs.com.
