Decisions, Dreams and Daring Successes
As a Virtual Assistant, I make the call on who I work with. And this week, I fired a client. You what? In this economy you turned down work? Yes I did. If this decision leaves you puzzled keep reading because I can get to the why pretty quickly. I wasn’t sleeping.
What happens when a client is juggling millions of details, they don’t remember what they told you or haven’t told you. Chaos and blame. They get off easy. For me the physical effects were waking up at night re-hashing an aggressive conversation, dreading talking to him and overall sense of being trampled. I love to learn from clients, but all I was learning was what NOT to do. In the true sense of, if you can’t be a good example be a terrible warning. The red flags were showing up in my physical body. Heart palpitations from being scolded daily and losing sleep take a toll on a girl. If you wake up feeling this way, this is not the right client for you.
When it’s the right fit, it looks and feels different. Clients send me projects, we talk on the phone, and collaborate together. It is a beautiful thing. It feels beautiful and engaging.
After I made the decision, drop the client. The shift was immediate in my life. What happened next surprised even me! I reconnected with an old friend and we talked about our dreams for our life and made summer plans. The conversation was so light and friendly, it felt good in my soul. The other surprising shift, I onboarded a more organized client who I adore and believe in and slept 8 hours for the first time in weeks. We talked about her shifting her priorities from admin to creative. And as we were wrapping up that call, she laughed and had this joy in her voice. It took me off guard and in a good way.
The Takeaway Tips:
Start a conversation and ask before you agree to work with a client. Ask questions like, what is your delegation style? Get to know their work style and personality even if it means flowing into another conversation at another time.
Are they asking for things you can’t deliver? Being glued to your computer or phone 24/7.
Calendar/Email Management alone is not profitable for a Virtual Assistant. Having a client pair other projects with it, does work.
Saying no will bring you closer to your dreams if it’s not a good fit.
What a good client fit looks like:
You come up with similar ideas for a project.
You are friends.
Respect is present in every conversation.
Both of you take accountability.
You both feel heard and understood.
Differences of opinions happen, but you both feel valued after.
There is a lot of smiling going on.
You are encouraged to think creatively.
They say thank you.
You say thank you.
Honor and courage are present.
Professionals treating other professionals like professionals.
