Dear Gritty VA:
What strategy would you recommend using for targeting churches with the Virtual Assistant business? I know a lot of churches depend on volunteers for help, but they might not have the right skills. And while some may have administrators, most do not. I think there is a huge market. –BP
What does your intended market say?
Whether it is churches or any other business, industry or profession, what you really have to do to answer this question is a bit of market research. Job #1 for every business owner is to get out from behind the computer and get on the phone and actually talk to those in the market you’d like to work with. Is there interest? Is there need? Can they afford professional fees? Does the research support your belief that there is a huge market? Because nothing else matters unless the intended target market has a need for what you are in business to offer and the willingness and ability to pay for it.
There are all kinds of ways you can collect information for this market research. Call around to churches and conduct telephone market research interviews with the people who would be in the position of making those decisions. Invite a few out to lunch (one at a time) to pick their brain. Set up an online survey and invite church leaders/administrators to give their feedback. Can you find out enough about their administrative work that you can create more attractive, compelling messages and packages that might influence their interest? What are their objections and how might you resolve those? You may find that there are certain denominations of churches that have more need and interest than others. You may find certain churches are in a better position to pay–what are their characteristics and is there a large enough group of these churches that you’d easily be able to fill your practice with them as clients? This is the kind of data that can emerge with research, which you can then use to narrow your focus, refine your questions and determine the best methods for reaching the right people.
Good luck!
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, the virtual assistant term is really completely idiotic to...
One Comment
I’m a Church Business Administrator and believe there is a huge market for VA’s with churches as well. Having 20+ years of corporate administration and management experience was essential when I transitioned into the church.
As of 5/28/10, I will be laid off and jobless like thousand of other people. However, the difference is, I intend to use my talent and skills from the corporate sector and my current experience has a church business administrator to become a Virtual Assistant. I will be pounding the pavement by going door-to-door to churches in order to introduce them to the world of VA’s. And, hopefully I too, can tap into this market.
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