Find Clients by Beta Testing Your Virtual Assistant Services
Hi there! Welcome to episode 5 of the Desire to Done Podcast! I’m your host Billie Gardner.
In today’s episode, I’m going to cover something that I don’t see a lot of people talking about. Yet, it is an excellent strategy for finding your first clients.
I’ve mentioned this topic in a couple of past episodes, and I’m sure I’ll mention it a bunch more in the future because I think it’s something all VAs should know about.
What is this magical marketing strategy you ask? It’s something called beta testing.
I’m a big fan of beta testing because once I did it for my VA business when I was first starting out, I had referrals pouring in.
It was one of the most important steps I took when I started my VA business.
Before I go into the benefits of beta testing and how to do it correctly, let’s talk a little more about what it is.
Beta testing is when you offer your services for free or at a steep discount to a select number of people.
Wait, what? Aren’t we in the business of making money? How do we do that if we are giving stuff away for free or at a big discount?
Yes! Yes, we are definitely in the business of making money! BUT when you’re a new VA or if you’d like to practice a new service before launching it out into the world, you’ll want to consider beta testing.
There are tons of benefits to it so let’s cover them!
Beta testing
- Gives you a chance to try out your services and work out the kinks before charging for them. When you create a new service, there is likely going to be something that doesn’t go as planned. Practicing can really calm your nerves if you’re feeling nervous and help boost your confidence.
- It gives you a chance to get feedback from your practice clients so that you can tweak or improve your services before offering them to everyone.
- It can help you decide whether you actually enjoy doing the service & whether you want to continue offering it. If not, you can nix it and offer something else.
- You’ll get testimonials from your beta clients that you can put on your website or on social media to attract MORE clients. Testimonials are one of the best marketing strategies out there.
- Your beta client might turn into a paying client! That’s right! They might enjoy working with you so much that they can’t wait to continue working with you at your FULL price.
- It can lead to referrals. Now that you’ve worked with a couple of beta clients and they’re familiar with your exceptional service, they’ll be excited to refer you to other people.
- It will help you write the copy for your website and sales page. You know that feedback that you got from your beta client? You can use their words to communicate the benefits of your service. Use their language to attract more clients like them!
Are you ready to do some beta testing? Great!
Before you run off and give it a try, you’ll want to have a plan. There are a few things you’ll need to do prior to testing.
BEFORE ASKING ANYONE TO TAKE YOUR SERVICES FOR A SPIN, YOU’LL NEED TO:
- Figure out the type of services you want to offer
- Decide on who your ideal client is
- Plan out your client processes and set up your systems
- Determine how many beta testers you want to take on. I recommend 3 max.
- Decide how long the beta test will be. (Keep in mind, this is a trial, so put a limit on how long this practice service will be. For instance, 3 hours of admin work or 5 Instagram posts if you’re a social media VA.)
- Find beta testers you want to pitch to and explain all the details. Also, give them a deadline for when they need to respond. That way you can reach out to someone else if they don’t.
- If possible try to find beta testers who are experts in their industry or have a big following because they could lead to lots of referrals. But don’t stress about this. Someone with a small following can still be a great source of referrals and no matter what, you’ll be getting hands-on experience with anyone you work with.
TO CHARGE OR NOT TO CHARGE
Whether you charge for your beta service or not is up to you and your goals. It will be easier to find testers if it’s free, but some services you might not want to offer for free.
For instance, web design is one of those services you might not want to give away for free. If you’re looking to build your portfolio, gain experience, and get testimonials by offering a 5 page website, you may want to charge a small fee.
A website is a big project and offering it at a low price is a good way to gain experience and put some money in your pocket for your time.
However, if you’re wanting to offer a small number of hours for 1 week of work you may want to offer it for free.
For example, even though I wanted to work with clients on a retainer rate for 20 hours a month, when I did my beta testing, I only offered an 8 hour trial and I only offered it to 3 people. That was enough to get my name out there and have a full client list in no time.
Also, take into consideration if you are new at a skill. If so, you’ll probably want to offer your services for free to get people to say “YES!” so you gain can experience and confidence.
If you have a lot of experience at a certain skill (and you’re able to share examples of your work), you might want to consider charging a small fee for testing. You’ll want this fee to be low enough that the tester has an easy time saying yes, however. For example, when I pivoted to Pinterest Management, I offered a beta test of my service at a discounted rate for a limited time.
IT’S NOW TIME TO GO GET YOUR BETA TESTERS!
If you beta test the right service with the right people, you’ll be booked out in no time. Just keep your eye on the prize and remember that testing has many benefits and will pay off in the end. It may feel weird offering your services for free when you need the money, but if done the right way you’ll have so many clients knocking on your door you’ll have to turn them away!
Need help finding clients? Check out my membership the Introvert VA Club! It includes more marketing tips, a Get Clients Fast Challenge, and job opportunities from people looking to hire! Go to introvertvaclub.com to learn more. And yes, even extroverts are invited!
Thanks for listening! I hope you give beta testing a try and that you have great success!
I’ll talk to you next week!