The Gritty Virtual Assistant Blog

More than a month ago (geez, it might even be two months by now), I had what can only be described as a very sad and bewildering experience with a service provider, one that serves as an example of how new business owners can be their own worst obstacles.

Right from the beginning, I knew this experience was going to be the topic of a blog post because there were so many lessons to share that others could learn from (and maybe see themselves in), but my intention was never to embarrass this person so I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I also would still very much like to work with this service provider–if they can ever get their act together.

I came across this service provider and realized this person’s talent was exactly what I’d been searching for to complete a special project. Following are some of the snafus I encountered along the way that has made it very difficult to work with this provider.

Most people would simply walk away and find someone else, but because of my nature, I was facinated with probably one of the worst cases of self-sabotage I had ever encountered and wanted to explore the situation more.

Snafu #1:  The provider’s website had a phone number, so I called and left a voicemail. Over a week went by without hearing anything back from them. It wasn’t until I’d sent an email and then another voicemail that I finally got a call back one evening.

I learned that the provider had a day job and was informed that they had a very difficult time following up and building their business because of it.

(This is the first lesson… whether you have a day job or not, you are still running a business. If you want to get anywhere close to creating something that allows you to establish a reputation of professionalism and credibility, and ultimiately quit your day job, you can not make excuses. You simply must follow-up on inquiries in a more timely, responsive manner. Responding to inquiries within 24 to 48 hours is perfectly acceptable. A whole week or more later–along with bemoaning your business issues–is a deal killer. Figure out a system for returning inquiries, set a policy and a standard for follow-through, and then work it without fail. Clients do not need to hear, nor are they interested in, your tales of difficulty and woe.)

The service provider was definitely interested in my project and we scheduled a time to talk later that evening (as they were still at work). When we got on the call, I explained what I was looking for and that I was very happy to have come across the provider as their talent seemed like the perfect fit.

I had read the provider’s entire website. They had done a very nice, attractive job of it and provided lots of useful and interesting information. Their website, in fact, was so well-done, I thought I had found a leader in their industry, someone who was so well-established and professional, I envisioned that our initial contact and subsequent work together would be flawless and supremely polished.

Unfortunately, the experience I had was the polar opposite of what I was expecting and I’m still scratching my head about what on earth this dear person is thinking.

Now, let me back up to say that this provider is one very talented, accomplished professional (which, unfortunately, doesn’t necessarily translate to someone who also knows how to run a business well). They had a show on public television that ran for several years. Their talent is one that is very obvious, and their website and samples demonstrated their talent, experience and expert knowledge of all the ins and outs of their trade.

So it was bewildering to me when this provider then inexplicably offered to do the work for free! They had heard of the VACOC and wanted to volunteer the work in exchange for referrals and future work.

Now, if I was one of those slimy, unethical sorts, I could have totally taken advantage. And I’m sure… in fact, I know… this person has given away thousands and thousands of dollars of time and talent in exactly this manner to people who had absolutely no intention of ever paying for another thing again.

But I could no more do that than I could kick a poor, defenseless animal.

So we got to talking and the provider shared more about their situation. They were desperately trying to build their business (hence, the day job) because with two kids preparing to go to college, they had to find a way to pay for it, and the money and business just were not coming in (no wonder!).

They explained that they felt giving away work would get them a foot in the door and once clients saw how good they were, there would be more (paying) work to follow.

I asked them if that was working. They said "not yet."

Yet, this person kept trying to get different results doing the same thing over and over and over, grasping for that dangling carrot only to have it yanked away time and again. Their rationale was that it was "such little things," that it wasn’t worth charging for. (WHAT??!!)

Of course, they weren’t getting anywhere. They were giving away all their time and talent for free!

I asked if they wouldn’t mind if I offered some feedback. I explained that their time and talent had value and was definitely worth paying for. I asked them to imagine how much money they would have now if they had instead charged for all those "little" jobs they thought were so inconsequential. That’s real money that could have gone into their business and the kids’ college funds!

As you can see, there are all kinds of business lessons to be gleaned from that conversation. Don’t fall prey to the dangling-carrot syndrome… all that does is deprive you and your business of rightful earnings. When business is in front of you, the time is NOW to be paid for the value of your talent and service, not later and definitely not on the basis of "hope" for future work!

This kind of thinking also does something even more insidious… it puts a whammy on your professional self-esteem and worth. All that will result in is gaining you a reputation of someone who can easily be devalued and taken advantage of. If you don’t hold what you do in high regard, others most definitely won’t either.

Your work has value! Charge for it! You aren’t running a charity. What might seem small and insignificant to you–because you are presumably good at what you do–has all kinds of meaning and value to the client who needs what you have.

I practically had to twist this person’s arm to charge me. As I explained it to them, look, I’m a hot prospect… I already LOVE your talent, your website cemented my wanting to work with you and I’m practically begging to give you my business. Why on earth do you not want to charge me? We have no relationship or special connection. You aren’t a member of my organization. If you do the kind of job I think you will do for me with your talent, I’m gonna spread the word, you can bank on that! Why would me paying you for the work have any bearing on whether or not I refer others and give you more work in the future?

Which leads us to Snafu #2… this provider did not have any idea what to charge me. I literally had to pull it out of them. So that’s another lesson–you set your price, not the client. One way or the other, you have to figure it out. If you charge by the hour, give an estimate. If you charge by the project, set some standard starting fees. Don’t make your clients do what is your job. If you don’t have the answers right then, tell them you’ll email a quote or estimate later. Just don’t make your clients do all the work or work too hard to give you their business because I got news for ya–you won’t get it.

Snafu #3: At any rate, I was finally able to get them to charge me something, and I was supposed to hear back from them later as to how we would proceed. After a few sporadic emails, I abruptly stopped hearing from them. I already had some idea that the day job was going to inhibit any normal, professional kind of business interaction, and since I wasn’t in any rush, I just figured I’d wait and see.

Well, if I remember correctly, it was about two weeks and I still hadn’t heard anything so I emailed and asked them what the status was. They informed me that a large, very extensive project had come in since our last communication and it had them scrambling with every spare moment they had.

Snafu #4:  Um, okay, but why does my project, one that I’m also paying for and which you committed to first, become relegated to second-rate status? That’s not the professional way to run a business. It’s not fair to existing clients and will definitely not put your business in any favorable light. Clients who honorably give you their business deserve to be treated well.

But it’s entirely understandable because a) this provider is trying to run a business while their attention and time is diverted by a day job; their commitment level is, therefore, going to be seriously compromised, b) they don’t have very good business sense, and c) they don’t have any solid business foundations, systems, standards and policies in place (which, by the way, is one of the biggest complaints I hear from clients who have dissappointing and unsatisfactory experiences working with Virtual Assistants). So when something comes to upset whatever precarious balance they have managed to tape together, everything comes apart at the seams.

I tell ya, folks, this was a first… one of the most perplexing, bewildering encounters with a new business owner I have ever had. I want to save them from themselves, LOL. Because they really are so talented and can really do well–if they can get out of their own way.