What Virtual Assistants Love and Hate About Clients? (Part 1)

Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

One day, I sat in the hairdresser’s chair in a laid-back, half-dozing state. I enjoyed a peaceful 30-minute idyll and a break from my hectic virtual assistant schedule. I caught a glimpse of a framed inscription to the mirror’s right: “Treat your clients the way you’d like to treat them.” My first thought was that I should get such a motivational booster. I would place it beside the one I received when I landed my Virtual Assistant job in outsourcing. It read, ‘Don’t make a sale, make a customer’

One got me far; two will get me farther. My thoughts drifted, and I began wondering if it works. Treat your virtual assistant as you wish to be treated. Probably it does. But a hitch remains: some clients want me to treat them well, while others demand even better.

People who want others to treat them well.

For every virtual assistant, working with such a client is like holding a winning lottery ticket in the hand. Before you claim your prize, you feel excited about the prospects. You stay alert to avoid losing it, grateful, and skeptical. Perfect clients in outsourcing or any industry are as elusive as Bigfoot. These are personalities virtual assistants vie for. And I believe this is why. They approach their work in a distinct way. They treat Virtual Assistants and allocate Virtual Assistant responsibilities accordingly. This satisfies basic human needs identified by Tony Robbins and shared by Zoe Chance on TED.

Significance

This is one of the key drivers for human behavior. Virtual assistants work hard to meet deadlines, complete challenges that come with certain tasks, and strive to meet customer expectations. These are virtual assistant responsibilities. Perfect customers are perfect for a reason. They have long since made it their own responsibility which is creating perfect working atmosphere to make their virtual assistants feel appreciated and significant. Build a man’s ego, and you’ll get his favor. That is a win-win situation unless, of course, a virtual assistant’s ego is as big as all hell and half of Texas. We should praise work that meets the mark and offer constructive criticism that avoids bullying.

Certainty

I receive well-scheduled regular tasks, and that gives me a feeling of security. There are hardly ever last-minute tasks or vague instructions, which can become a big turn-off. This is the thing with the potential enough to break my motivation into tiny pieces if that happens regularly. Oftentimes, a virtual assistant is a client’s first person to call in case of emergency. Trade surplus it is, but with dream clients it rarely happens because they are perfect time planners and task managers, give clear instructions, necessary guidelines, and answer all your questions promptly.

Variety

Well, don’t get me wrong. By variety, I don’t mean that a virtual assistant works for bottom-line results and delivers a finished project that meets the specs when all of a sudden a client decides to change tack and direction entirely. That is awful with a big “A”. Extending a Virtual Assistant’s responsibilities and scope of work satisfies the human need for variety. This won’t let a virtual helper feel stuck in the rut, building up the feeling of dissatisfaction with a routine, repetitive job.

Connection

Your dream client masters the skill of establishing rapport with a virtual assistant. I find it essential to feel trusted, respected, and that my interests matter as well. I remember when I just started working with one of my clients for the long haul; before he set a list of tasks for outsourcing, he inquired about my preferences, whether I leaned towards data entry tasks or more creative tasks like writing moderator comments or managing social media networks. An open-minded client is willing to cooperate and receive the best return for his investment.

Growth

In a VA job or almost any other job, a person needs to make this upward progression. Basically, this is a trigger for virtual assistant engagement. If the complexity of tasks on and off rises even a tiny notch, a person is experiencing growth and feeling enthusiasm for the job.

Contribution

Once most of your basic needs are gratified, you willingly bend over backwards to be as helpful as possible. Your productivity goes up in a flash, and quality doesn’t lag. Isn’t that a great worker?

However, many ideal clients who prioritize their right-handed assistants and others’ basic needs are high-fliers with a loyal team. Please be patient; in Part 2 of this post, we will highlight another group—those who expect even better treatment.