I turn frazzled women into kick-ass Virtual Assistants so they can have flexible working lives that fit around their families (and shoe shopping).
🤡 Only joking...
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Well, last week's newsletter certainly hit a nerve. In it, I discussed how important it is to adapt to changes in your life, and how you may start out wanting one thing and end up wanting something completely different. One VA revealed in the Handbookers Facebook group that she went from offering admin and social media to "becoming a Paralegal and McKenzie Friend, doing a law degree… at 41!!" simply because some clients needed help with statements for family law proceedings. She said, "I still don’t think I cope well with change, yet change seems to happen either way, so I try to roll with the punches!" And this VA posted on LinkedIn that she has begun reorganising her entire week after trying out the business adjustment prompt I shared. Right, after bigging up last week's newsletter, let's get into this one! The other day, I walked into Waitrose and asked to see the manager. I said, “I'd like to buy that £30 bottle of Beaujolais, but I think it's too expensive. How about I give you £20 instead? At least you'd get some business.” I'm joking, of course. There's no Waitrose within 90 miles of where I live. But it reminded me of the time I emailed Elon Musk to ask if he would lower his prices so I could afford one of his weird-looking cars. This obviously didn't happen. I'd never buy a Tesla in a million years. But it was definitely like the time I called my accountant and asked if he'd lower his rate if I promised him more work. I mean, he should be lucky to have my business, right? Clearly, this is another joke. My accountant prefers me to email him. Jokes aside, you get my point. Over the years, I've noticed that women, in particular, hold a lot of insecurity around money. I've even seen them jump in with the offer of a discount before the client has said a word, and ask how they should "justify" their rates to prospects. You don't need to do either of these things.
Here's everything I've ever written about pricing. 🤎 Espresso Shot When someone pushes back on your rates, here's a prompt to help you identify whether it’s a real objection or just a cheeky cheapskate trying their luck. THE PROMPT "Here’s what the prospect said: [paste email]. Analyse the objection. Is it (a) a budget mismatch, (b) an unclear value, (c) a trust issue, or (d) a red-flag cheapskate? Give me one clarifying question to ask, and one polite exit line if it’s (d).” Modern but busy AF VA? Then sign up for my monthly Espresso AI newsletter for more handy VA-centric prompts like this. 🪄 Other useful VA resources
That's it from me. See you next week! |
The VA Handbook
I turn frazzled women into kick-ass Virtual Assistants so they can have flexible working lives that fit around their families (and shoe shopping).
Good morning! Last week, I celebrated the tenth anniversary of my VA Handbookers Facebook group. A whole decade! As I was replying to all the lovely congratulatory comments, I realised how many of the VAs have been in the group since the early days, and how I've watched their careers and lives change over the years. I've seen them grow teams, open agencies, have children, move countries, and even change the direction of their business to become OBMs or social media managers. I've also had the...
Good morning! It seems that spring has finally sprung. The daffodils are out, the days are getting longer, and the weather is getting slightly warmer. However, I'm still being cautious because: I live in Scotland. I've been fooled before. I have another couple of recommendations for you this week. Wispr Flow I'm writing this week's newsletter using Wispr, which is a free voice-to-text app that came recommended by a friend. As someone who doesn't touch type and is trying to mitigate RSI, it's...
Greetings from bonnie Scotland! This week's edition is a little different from usual. I've come across two things recently that changed how I plan my personal and professional lives, and I wanted to share them with you. The first is a phenomenally insightful YouTube video by Daniel Pink. At first, I was like "Urgh, New Year shizz, same old, same old", but I hit play and discovered the content was different from any other planning advice I've come across. It's 26 minutes of absolute gold dust....