Contracts are a non-negotiable element of any Virtual Assistant business. Not only do they look professional, but they also help protect you and your clients. They enable you to set expectations for your working relationship with every client you work with. When you send contracts to your clients, you’re helping prevent confusion and clearly state how you will be working together. You and your client both know what’s going on, what’s included and how that will look.
But if you’re new to business, you may be wondering, how do you create and send contracts to your clients? Luckily, there are several options available to you and to suit your budget.
Send contracts to your clients via email
The most basic way of getting started is to create a standard contract that you email to your client. If you’re looking for a contract template, check out KoffeeKlatch. Their contracts are designed for Virtual Assistants who work with clients and Associates within the UK and are an affordable, essential solution for your business. If you are a member of the VA Help Desk Facebook community there is a discount code for these contracts within the Facebook community.
Once you have your templated contract, you simply need to attach it to an email and send it to your client. Then you can ask them to email back, confirming their acceptance of your terms. Alternatively, ask them to sign and date the contract before scanning it and emailing a signed copy back to you for your records.
On the subject of contracts: as part of the VA Mastery Course – we work with both KoffeeKlatch and Suzanne Dibble for legal templates. These are the two resources I recommend for Virtual Assistant contracts.
Look into using a document signing service
If you’re looking for a solution that allows for digital signatures, check out one of the following services – AdobeSign, HelloSign, Pandadoc. It enables you to email over the contract to your client automatically, so they can digitally sign and date it. You’re then notified it’s been completed and have a digital copy for your records.
You can add text and checkboxes, dropdown boxes and radio groups to your documents and opt for more than one signature if needed. A lot of these tools have a limited free plan that enables you to send 3 document signatures a month, as well as a free trial option.
Automate the onboarding process
The other way you can send contracts to your clients is via a business management tool, such as Dubsado. You can then automate the entire onboarding process, from quote through to contract and beyond. This helps streamline your onboarding sequence, collect the signed contract, automatically invoice the client and then send them to your booking calendar.
Contracts are a non-negotiable element of any Virtual Assistant business. You want the process of onboarding a client and getting your contract signed to be easy for both of you. So pick a solution that works for you. Because if you’re happy to create and send contracts to your clients, you’ll feel more confident and comfortable with getting new clients – and the more new clients you have, the more your business will grow!
Tools such as Dubsado are great but please do not think you need to go out there and invest in it on day one of your VA business. There are other things you need first and I would encourage you to set up by bootstrapping this phase and take up their software when the time is right and you have the income coming in to pay their fees.
We cover this subject in much greater detail as part of the VA Mastery Course and as part of the VA Membership.
The VA Membership is the only UK VA business accelerator that’s designed specifically to help you build and grow your VA business, to help you create recurring revenue and consistent growth through regular and consistent action that helps you continue your professional development. With over 100+ hours of courses, weekly co-working sessions, weekly group coaching calls, a private support group and the ability to pay as you go – when you’re ready to grow or scale your business online. We have a whole section dedicated to business basics and building your brand. We have webinars specifically on boosting your confidence, procrastination, authenticity and claiming your credibility. The VA Membership is a hugely collaborative and supportive community. Check out this blog which is a behind the scenes of the VA Membership post.
The VA Membership has the option to upgrade to more one to one coaching and mentoring support as part of the Luminary VA coaching and mentoring options. The VA Membership has the opportunity to join for just one month or you can save money by joining on an annual plan.