Essential VA Systems and Tools for New Virtual Assistants

As a new Virtual Assistant you might feel overwhelmed at how much you have to learn. You’re not alone and it’s totally natural. 

The good news is that you don’t have to overthink the systems and tools you need to get your business up and running. With a few simple systems and free tools and software, you focus on the most important part of starting your virtual assistant business: landing your first clients.

Virtual Assistant Systems Versus Tools

When I’m talking about systems, I’m talking about processes and procedures that keep your business running smoothly. These systems require tools, which are software solutions that you use to carry out the tasks inside your systems of processes and procedures. The systems you’ll need as a new VA don’t necessarily require expensive software. Most of the systems I’ll mention here can be done with free tools. Perfect for when you’re just starting out.

The systems and processes I’ll be talking about here are pretty much the same systems any business needs to put in place when they first start, but they are very important. And before we start, don’t worry about getting all these systems completely figured out before getting out there and landing your first client. You can build these processes as you go along. Just keep them in mind as you grow your virtual assistant business.

System 1: Find and Capture Your Prospects

This is mostly about getting your name out there and making connections so that people know what you do and that you’re open for business. Network in real life, ask for referrals, and join Facebook groups filled with your ideal clients.

Once you start making connections, figure out how you can nurture those connections. A website, even if it’s just one page, is ideal because it allows people to learn more about you and sign up for your email list. Whether you keep connections on social media or indulge in a CRM solution, the idea is to gather your audience in one spot so you can nurture them into customers.

Recommended tools:

• A domain name and business email address. A domain name is typically around $3 for the first year, and a business email with Google Workspace is $6 per month. If you’re going to pay for anything in the beginning, this is what I recommend paying for. The credibility of seeing [email protected] is worth the $6 per month.

• An email service provider. ConvertKit and Mailchimp offer free accounts for fewer than 1000 subscribers. Look for an email service provider that includes landing pages with their free accounts. Send new leads to the landing page. Pro tip: if you do buy a domain name for your business email, you can set up your domain to automatically point to your landing page.

System 2: Convert Leads Into Clients

You’ve started making connections through networking and being helpful on social media. You’ve been emailing your list weekly and now someone wants to work with you. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for!

Create a process that makes becoming a client easy for both you and your prospect. 

I recommend having a discovery call to make sure it’s going to be a good working fit. Include a simple, easy intake form so you can do a little research to make sure they’re a match for your offer. Then create an outline or process for determining if the client is someone you’d want to work with. 

For example, you can ask what their goals are for the business, how they like to work, what their expectations are, and what type of help they need. Get my best tips for mutually beneficial discovery calls inside my free course, The Epic VA’s Guide To Finding and Signing Dream Clients.

Recommended tools:

• Zoom is a video conferencing software that allows you to meet for 40 minutes without a subscription, which should be enough time to determine if you want to work with the potential client
  
• Acuity Scheduling is a scheduling software with free and paid options. Customize your intake form to ask for the potential client’s name, website, and the help they need.
  
  • If your scheduling software doesn’t include intake forms, try Google forms, or Jotform.

System 3: Proposals and contracts

Your discovery call went well. Your new client is excited to work with you and you’re excited to work with them.

Get clear on the scope of work, deliverables, and investment with a proposal. Make the agreement solid with a contract. 

For both of these documents, I recommend creating and using a template. That way, you can simply fill in the blanks for each new client and send the document for signing. The important part here is to have a documented process for completing and sending proposals and contracts that makes it easy for your client to say yes.

Recommended tools:

• Create a proposal template in Google Slides and export it as a pdf.
  
• HelloSign, Sign Now, and Adobe Sign are free tools for electronically signing contracts
  
• Paid all-in-one tools like Dubsado, Honeybook, or 17hats can store proposal templates, send contracts for signature, and collect payment.
  
• If you expect to send a lot of proposals per month, proposals.io is a powerful, paid tool that can handle that

Swipe my 5-figure proposal and contract templates inside my free mini-course, The Epic VA’s Guide to Finding and Signing Dream Clients.

System 4: Invoices and Payments

You’ve landed your next (or first!) client. Congratulations! All of your hard work is finally (quite literally) about to pay off. 

Make it easy for your client to pay you with a process for invoicing and collecting payment. If you’re working in a single currency, this will be pretty straightforward. However, if you’re helping clients in different countries with different currencies, your invoicing and/or payment systems might need something more flexible currency-wise. If that’s you, shoot me an email for some recommendations.

NOTE: Your invoicing system might also require a payment processor like Stripe or Paypal.

Recommended tools:

• Stripe, Paypal, and Square are payment processors with invoicing capabilities. They may not be pretty but they’re easy to get started with (and actually, Stripe is pretty slick looking)
  
• Melio Payments allows clients to pay fee-free with a checking account or debit card. I haven’t used it but I hear it works well for one-off payments
  
• Paid all-in-one systems like Dubsado can automatically send invoices, take payments, and set up recurring payments.
  
• Paid bookkeeping software like Quickbooks, Xero, or Wave Accounting let you do invoicing and keep track of all your expenses too. And every business needs to keep track of their books so if you don’t have a bookkeeper doing that for you this could be a good option.  

System 5: Check-in With Your Clients

Set yourself up for success with a new client by checking in every day for the first three weeks. This gives them a chance to clarify any confusion and give your feedback early in the relationship. 

I recommend sending them a video recording or voice note so you don’t have to worry about finding times to connect every day, which can feel like more work. Keep your check-in’s short, summarizing what you accomplished for the day, your progress on the task, what you plan on working on the next day, any questions or concerns you may have, and when they can expect a full report.

Depending on your specialty, full reports may be appropriate weekly or monthly. 

If you’re on a monthly retainer, sending weekly reports will help manage expectations and your workload. A good weekly report is simple: include a weekly summary of work completed and left to do, questions you have, suggestions for improvement, how many hours you worked, and how many hours you’re expecting to bill for the month (these last two are assuming you’re billing by the hour).

Eventually, you’ll want processes for providing reports, getting feedback, soliciting testimonials, and asking for referrals. All of that will be easier when you get into the habit of communicating with your clients regularly. It also helps to set that expectation in your discovery call, proposal, and contract.

Recommended tools:

• Loom is a screen recording software that allows you to record videos up to 5 minutes long on the free version.
  
• Voxer is a free walkie talkie app that lets you send voice notes without having to share your personal phone number

System 6: Keep Track of Your Work

Keep your clients and your own business organized with a project management tool. Project management tools can be as flexible as your imagination. 

If you have more than one client, try adding each client as a project inside your PM tool. You can also add your own metrics, KPI’s, and idea parking lot as separate projects. You can even use your PM tool as a CRM to track leads and discovery calls.

Recommended tools:

• Teamwork Projects is my favourite project management tool. It has excellent privacy features if you choose to bring in clients. You can also track your time, whether you use that data to bill your time or not. 

Try Teamwork Projects with 2 projects for free. If you use my affiliate link, I may receive a monetary gift if you choose to upgrade to a paid plan.

• Asana and Trello are simple, easy to use, and free project management tools.
  
• ClickUp, Airtable, and Notion can be very powerful business tools. If you choose to use them, consider becoming an expert and offering PM tool setup and management as a service.

Swipe My VA Systems with an Epic Virtual Assistant Mentorship 

If you want a personalized fast track to growing your virtual assistant business, let’s talk. Your mentorship is 100% customized and designed to help you scale your new Virtual Assistant business to $50/hr and beyond.⁠

We’ll cover things like:

→ Essential foundations so scaling your business is smooth and sustainable⁠

→ Filling your calendar with dream clients⁠

→ Setting boundaries to avoid burnout⁠

→ Crafting offers that provide overwhelming relief⁠

→ Creating a stellar customer service experience – because that’s what being an #EpicVA is all about!⁠

→ Getting past imposter syndrome to genuinely and joyfully market your business⁠

→ Growing your profitability with a network, metrics, and more⁠

Get in touch to book a chat to see if an Epic VA mentorship is right for your Virtual Assistant business!