How To Structure And Plan A Virtual Assistant Discovery Call

 

How To Structure And Plan A Virtual Assistant Discovery Call

 

A virtual assistant discovery call is a first call or video call conversation you’ll have with a potential client to discover more about themselves and their business.

During this call, you need to make the prospective client feel at ease so that they are honest and transparent with you.

Discovery calls can be stressful for potential clients, so try to make your questions as straightforward as possible.

The client discovery call is an essential first step to building a solid relationship with potential new clients, which will help your virtual assistant business succeed.

In this article, we give you tips on how to best approach that very first call.

Why Is The Discovery Call So Important?

Your first discovery call to a prospective new client is vital for making great first impressions. Therefore, asking the right questions is imperative; doing so will help you both feel confident and relaxed.

Always take notes during the call so that you can refer back if needed and specifically note any follow-up questions.

Discovery calls can lead to securing your dream clients, but not every call will lead to sales. And the person may be able to pass on your details to other businesses interested in working with your company.

Sample Questions For A Discovery Call

1 – How Did You Start Your Business?

This question allows your potential client to tell you about their business’s mission openly. It helps to get the conversation going by enabling them to talk openly while giving you a better sense of how their business runs and who their target audience is.

Asking an open-ended question will help with the client onboarding process and what type of support they need from you. This is always easier to gauge when you know what products they sell or the services they provide. Making notes that you can refer back to is always helpful.

2 – Have You Hired A Virtual Assistant Before?

This question is crucial because it helps you discover how serious the person is about hiring a virtual assistant.

For example, if the person has used many virtual assistants, you may want to think carefully before going into a business agreement with them. Working with many VAs may mean they expect a lot or are hard to work alongside.

However, working with a few different VAs isn’t always bad; the VA may have moved on for new employment reasons.

If they haven’t worked with a virtual assistant, be prepared to do more client onboarding.

3 – What Is Your Ideal Customer Profile?

It is helpful to determine a client’s ideal customer profile before entering into a business arrangement.

Finding out which customers the client is targeting will help you determine how best to identify the essential skills you need to do the job.

Good knowledge and a clear understanding of your client’s customer base will help you to perform your job to a high standard.

The discovery calls are an excellent opportunity to learn more about the clients’ approach to business and how they deal with their customers.

4 – What Is The Most Important Work You Need Help With?

During the call, you must find the key areas where the client needs your help. After you have discussed where they need help, you may find you are a good fit, or you may need to find a solution to a proposal they have so that you can take steps to start working together.

There will be times when you are not a good fit for each other, and you can’t meet the person’s expectations; this is why the discovery call is beneficial, as it saves you time on a process that isn’t working.

5 – How Did You Come To The Conclusion You Need A Virtual Assistant?

Discovery calls should help you understand clearly what the client expects from you if you enter a business agreement.

The client may have several new projects on the go, and they feel they need to hire a VA to help them reach their business goals. The business owner should be able to clearly state what they hope to gain from hiring a VA so that you can gauge if those expectations are realistic.

 

6 – How Many Hours Of Support Do You Need Right Now?

Establishing how many hours they require may sound basic, but sometimes a company is just starting its VA journey and needs help with onboarding.

As a business owner, you may have several clients, so the discovery call will help determine if you can fit this new client into your calendar schedule.

The potential new client may expect a lot of tasks to be done for the number of hours they are paying for; in this case, you need to work out how much time each task will take you and calculate accordingly.

7 – Do You Think You Need To Expand The Hours Of Support?

The discovery call is a chance for you to negotiate and ask if they envisage expanding the hours they need your services.

It is perfectly acceptable to ask clients what their monthly budget for VA work is and if they have a separate budget for VA work working on stand-alone special projects.

Clients will not be shocked when you ask about their budget; it helps you to cut to the chase and establish if an agreement is feasible.

If you can’t come to a compromised agreement on hours and budget, be honest and don’t take it to heart. You may find that they turn out to be your ideal client at a future date.

8 – What Specific Skills Do You Require Right Now?

Often the client won’t know what they require from a VA; in this case, it is up to you to tell them what skills you have and how you can help their business.

Businesses can be overwhelmed by the number of tasks they need each day, and it is your job during the call to explain how you can help ease the workload.

Having a clearly defined task list that shows the client you can help with admin tasks, answering calls, and arranging appointments will help ease the burden they feel.

During the call, take notes of each task you could help them with, and be honest and clear about the areas you can help.

Contact Us Today

As you can see from the above, the discovery call is an excellent way to understand what prospective clients need before you sign an agreement with them.

However, this process can be hard to understand, especially if you lack experience in this area.

We have vast experience in providing VAs for businesses, and we deal with finding a suitable VA, interviewing, hiring, training, and managing. The process helps you save time, effort, and money.

Contact us today and find out how quickly we can get you moving forward.

 

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