Loading ...Dear Gritty VA: I’m just starting out and I’ve heard more than once from a prospective client "I can’t afford your rate." I hate to turn anyone away. What’s your advice? LS
I know that can a be tough one, especially when you’re first starting out. You really, really want that new client… But here’s my thinking on the issue:
One of my favorite quotes is "I can’t afford to work with those who can’t afford me."
And this truth has always been borne out by experience.
The problem with clients who can’t afford you is that once you start stepping over your boundaries and standards for your business, it becomes a slippery slope. You start doing that with everything with that client, and it will even carry over into your relationships with other clients.
In addition, the client’s first experience with you becomes the idea that everything is now negotiable. From there, you will then have to constantly "battle" with that client because they will want to nickel and dime you to death, they’ll always be wanting something for nothing or try to finagle "deals" with you that end up only being to their benefit. In the process, they in essence are asking you to devalue your services and the very thing that earns your livelihood.
Now there are perfectly wonderful people out there who will be the first to tell you that your services are worth every penny–they just can’t afford you right now. And that’s all well and good, and you can have good feelings about them and wish them well, but you can’t let their business problems (e.g., the lack of their own proper business planning and cashflow) be your problem.
Going into business is something we do for ourselves first, especially as Virtual Assistants. So we have to think about the needs of our businesses and ourselves first before we can help anyone else. If we want to continue to stay in business, be happy and profitable, and serve clients well, we have to make smart decisions about the clients and work we take on.
If you take on problem clients now, they will take up the time and resources you could be spending on much more profitable relationships later.
Put another way, for every un-ideal client you take on (and that includes their ability to pay your fees), you create an obstacle for yourself, one that will take up double or triple times more of your time, energy and business resources than would an ideal situation.
That’s neither profitable nor smart business. And it’s not taking good care of yourself either.
Right now, focus on further defining your ideal client profile (financial means and business stability are going to be important characteristics on your list) so that you can start attracting the clients who will honor the value and results your services provide to them and who can afford to pay you fair and square.
Let me...
