Treat others the way you’d like to be treated
One day sitting in the hairdresser’s chair in that laidback half-dozing, half-waking state enjoying every peaceful minute of my 30-minute idyll and breakaway from hectic virtual assistant schedule while my hair stylist was performing her magic act with her dexterous hands, I caught a glimpse of a glaring framed inscription hanging to the right from the mirror “Treat your clients the way you’d like to be treated”. First thought on my mind was maybe I should get myself such motivation booster and place it next to the one I got when I landed my VA job in outsourcing industry “don’t make a sale, make a customer”.
One got me far, with two I’ll get even further)) My thoughts trended away and I started wondering whether it works both ways “treat your virtual assistant the way you wish to be treated”. Probably it does. But it comes with a hitch – some of my clients wish to be treated well while other – even better ))
Those who wish to be treated well
For every virtual assistant working with such client is like holding a winning lottery ticket in the hand. Before you go and claim your prize you feel excited at the prospects, alert not to lose it, grateful and at the same time you find it hard to believe because usually perfect clients in outsourcing or any other industry as well as winning lottery tickets are as elusive as bigfoot. These are personalities virtual assistants vie for. And I believe here is why. The way they approach their work, the way they treat virtual assistants, the way they allocate virtual assistant responsibilities satisfies basic human needs singled out by Tony Robbins during his empirically validated research of human addiction and made public by Zoe Chance on the TED stage.
Significance
This is one of key drivers for human behavior. Virtual assistants work hard to meet deadlines, complete challenges that come with certain tasks, strive to meet customer expectations. These are virtual assistant responsibilities. Perfect customers are perfect for a reason. They have long as made out 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 favour. That is a win-win situation unless, of course, a virtual assistant’s ego is as big as all hell and half of Texas. It is important to get a word of praise when your work is done up to the mark and equally as essential to hear constructive criticism that doesn’t boil down to bullying or throwing caustic remarks.
Certainty
I receive well-scheduled regular tasks and that gives me a feeling of security. There are hardly ever last notice tasks as well as vague instructions which can become a big turn-off. This is the thing 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 in timely manner.
Variety
Well, don’t get me wrong. By variety I don’t mean that a virtual assistant works for bottom-line results, delivers finished project that meets the specs when all off a sudden a client decides to change the tack and direction entirely. That is awful with big “A”. The human need for variety is satisfied when a client extends virtual assistant’s responsibilities and scope of work. This won’t let a virual helper feel stuck in the rut, building up the feeling of disatisfaction with routine repetitive job.
Connection
Establishing rapport with a virtual assistant is your dream client’s mastered team management skill. It is essential to feel that I’m trusted, respected and 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 leant 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 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 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 behind. Isn’t that a great worker?
I guess all perfect clients who care about indulging their right-handed assistants and other employees’ basic human needs are high-flyers with perfect team to watch their backs. Bear with me and in Part 2 of this post we’ll put in the spotlight another group, another force to be reckoned with –
