Working With Clients Who Have Had Negative Experiences Prior to You
June 19, 2008
Have you ever been doing a potential client call and the client says something along the lines of, “This will be my fifth VA! My previous VA experiences weren’t so good and I’m just hoping that you’ll be better…”? If so, you aren’t alone. It happens… Clients who have had negative experiences with a virtual assistant show up at your door already peeved with their past experience and if they do, I suggest you run for the hills.
Here’s why…
Imagine that you just purchased a new pair of shoes (I’m using shoes here because I l-o-v-e shoes) and you get them home, put them on, go out dancing and the heels break - your support system trashed. Not just one but two heels break leaving you walking super awkwardly down the street to go home… Early.
Attempt two. You purchase the same pair of shoes in an attempt to give the brand the opportunity to redeem themselves. You go out, this time to your best friend’s wedding - something super important - and a half hour into the reception, the toe of the shoe falls off. (Editor’s note: not sure how that would happen but needed a variation from the heels… haha) You realize that the shoe style just can’t be passed off as a peep-toe shoe so you leave your friend’s wedding out of embarassment and sheer frustration.
So, now you’ve decided to give it ONE LAST SHOT… You’re angry, frustrated and at your wit’s end. You’ve given this brand TWO CHANCES and they failed miserably both times. Even though this new pair of shoes is completely new, it doesn’t matter. You’ve lost faith, you’ve lost hope and you certainly aren’t about to give the brand a fair shot. No way. They’ve wronged you and now they’ve got something to prove.
Stop there… Does that sound familiar?
If you’ve experienced this from the VA end, you know that regardless of what happens and what YOU do to change that person’s perspective, it won’t matter. You’ll enter a client relationship where you’re walking on egg shells and they are sitting back just waiting (and I’m sure a part of their brain is hoping) that you’ll screw up so that they can say, “Ah ha! I was right!”
If you are the client who has done this, I encourage you to re-evaluate your thoughts a bit. The thing is, every single service provider (and this goes for any industry) is different. Not all are the same and if one VA doesn’t fit, another will. It really boils down to you, your ability to overcome experiences and your ability to leave your baggage behind.
So, to my fellow virtual assistants, if you’ve heard people talk about looking for “red flags” in a potential client call, that is one. A BIG one.
Technorati Tags: Virtual assistant, virtual assistance, potential clients, red flags, Erin Blaskie, The VA Coach, www.thevacoach.com, VA
Comments
2 Responses to “Working With Clients Who Have Had Negative Experiences Prior to You”
Got something to say?
I agree that the person will be assuming their new VA will screw up and they will just be sadly expecting it.
But I believe with the correct personal skills you can change the person’s perspective.
Understand the person’s current point of view and that they are expecting a screw up. From there make sure you nail your first couple assignments and formulate a relationship with the person so they can begin to trust you.
Empathy and understanding their point of view will go a long way in a situation such as this.
Hope this is helpful!
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