A Tale of Two Virtual Assistants

As a Virtual Assistance Coach I’ve learned there are some people who are not coachable. They simply don’t understand the concept, or don’t have enough business acumen to understand how they might benefit from such a relationship.

Two clients recently signed up for my 12-week one-on-one program; we’ll call them Debbie and Claire. Each had been in business for three years and had established niches.

By week three, Debbie was getting very good at making excuses for why she didn’t complete the homework assigned the previous week. She began to change her focus and niche, using these revelations as part of her excuse for not finishing the previous weeks’ tasks.

Claire stayed focused on her niche, completed the homework each week, and even did a few things outside her comfort zone, all with very positive results.

By week four, I could sense the frustration in Debbie’s voice. She was beginning to have problems with current clients, so our time was spent problem solving….and still no homework.

Debbie only made it to week ten of the program. By this time the excuses had turned to anger and she felt I was applying too much pressure in asking her to commit to her business and do what we’d discussed.

Claire made it through the 12-week program with flying colors. She increased her business by 36%, is much more profitable, and focused, relieving a lot of stress and allowing her the work/life balance she wanted.

Debbie is still waiting for her VA practice to grow. She thinks that because she has good skills and a website, the business will come. She’s not at all coachable.

Are you a Debbie or a Claire? Are you willing to evaluate yourself, and your business, and do what’s necessary to make your business a success?

Even if you’re not considering coaching, take some time to look at your business from all angles and find ways to differentiate yourself from other VAs vying for the same business – don’t be a Debbie, take control of your business and do whatever it takes, even if it’s outside your comfort zone, and enjoy true success.

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 5th, 2010 at 6:08 pm and is filed under Business Coach, Business Coaching, business growth, Business Start up, Business Tips, Entrepreneur, Goals, growing a business, Growing your business, VA, VA Classes, VA Coach, VA Coaching, VA Training, Virtual Assistance, Virtual Assistant, Virtual Assistant Classes, Virtual Assistant Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “A Tale of Two Virtual Assistants”

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Heather Villa Says:
July 6th, 2010 at 5:33 am
A perfect example of “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”

I’ve run across this in my own coaching business. Some people are open and willing to take advice and direction and others just really want a quick, easy fix and have no real intention of doing something themselves.
Jeannine Clontz Says:
July 6th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Hi, Heather – Totally agree. Makes me scratch my head because she came to me thinking they wanted the coaching. Certainly, she had to realize by the 3rd or 4th session that this wasn’t for her, but she continued through the program. It will be interesting to see if she is still around several years from now – being in her third year, this is really the make-it-or-break-it time for any business. I hope that she tries to adjust her mindset so that she can do those things necessary to keep the business going.

Thanks again for your comment.