Sell the Problem You Solve Frist, After That Selling Yourself is Easy
We are at an interesting crossroads with small business here in the U.S. and with virtual talent from the Philippines.
As the U.S. is seemingly starting to get a handle on COVID and is getting close to being back to normal, the Philippines is still stuck in lockdown with very limited access to vaccines.
The American economy is also on the cusp of a huge boom in spending from the government coupled with pent up demand for small business growth. Projections are we may very well be back to near full employment soon. Both facts mean one thing if you are a Filipino virtual assistant, the biggest opportunity ever for home based work from the Philippines is on the very near horizon.
This has led me to rethink my business model as a virtual staffing company. We need more flexibility and need to scale quicker then possible with the traditional model of hiring employees. A more nimble, progressive approach is to connect American Small Business clients with Freelance Filipino VAs is needed.
Something not as chancy as Fiverr but not as corporate as Upwork. We need something with a trusted broker in between. So that is the next big pivot for me… diving deeper into be that talent broker, an agent for rapid, high quality and impactful growth.
So, my first step is to build up a pool of talent, ones not looking for a traditional job, but ones who have fully embraced the “gig” economy work/lifestyle. As I fill that talent pool, I also need to prepare them for my client base; entrepreneurs, coaches, speakers, trainers, authors and small business owners.
With that in mind, the 3 Things a Freelance Filipino VA needs to have before the start seeking work from American Small Business clients are:
1. A one-page PDF marketing yourself as a problem solver. Resumes might work for corporate work, don’t fly with this audience.
2. A Facebook Business Page setting yourself up as an expert in your niche. Most of the clients you will be in front of are primarily on FB.
3. A one-minute, My Story Video that demonstrates your likeability, trustworthiness and that you are someone the client would want to work with.
Armed with this, I can put them in front of hundreds and hundreds of potential clients. Clients who are mostly kind of stuck in their business, too busy to effectively scale it without help.
The most common things these clients need:
· Consistent social media posting
· Engaging graphic designs with clear calls to action
· Videos that are YouTube ready and full of binge worthy content
Beyond that, there are no two clients who need the same thing. Some combination of email management, web design, internet research, appointment setting, customer service, etc.
So this is my plan and in following my own advice, its all about solving the problem first… time.
Get out of busy ville before you end up in broke ville.
You need to focus on what you do best, so let your VA take care of all the rest.
And a final lesson to any Freelancer Filipino VAs reading this… focus on what the client needs before you talk about what you can do. You are THE answer to their pain. Take away the pain and you will both prosper.
Daniel Meyer heads both Sonic Analytics and Sonic Virtual Staffing, sister companies that deliver both data analytics solutions and virtual staffing to businesses in the United States and the Philippines. With over 20 years in Big Data and Virtual Staffing, Dan is one of the most sought-after public speakers in Asia and offers big data coaching and analytics training seminars on both sides of the Pacific.
Sonic Analytics(www.sonicanalytics.com) brings big data analytics solutions like business intelligence, business dashboards and data storytelling to small and medium sized organizations looking to enhance their data-driven decision-making capabilities.
Sonic Virtual Staffing (www.sonicva.com) brings virtual staffing solutions like graphic design, social media management, video editing and specialized virtual assistants for authors and professional speakers to small and medium sized organizations looking to scale on a budget and looking for dynamic staffing options.
When not training current and future analysts, you can find Dan championing the use of analytics to empower data-driven citizenship by volunteering his expertise with schools and non-profits dedicated to evidence-based social progress.
