As a Virtual Assistant you add value by providing a great service to your clients. They pay you an hourly rate to provide a service and/or solution. So it’s understandable that, when it comes to thinking of ways to add more value to your clients, you’d immediately think you need to offer a discount or provide another service.

However, if you think adding value to your clients must always be something that’s financially based, you’d be wrong. There are lots of ways you can add value to your clients, without it affecting your prices and your bottom line. If you do this right, adding value can improve your relationship with your clients, increase your business standards and give your business a financial boost.

Here’s 7 easy ways to add value to your clients, whilst creating better business standards and giving your clients a great customer service experience.

Expand your services to add value to your clients

Yes, this first one is about providing more services! However, it’s also about your own continued development. As a VA, you want to stay abreast of new developments and be at the forefront of the VA industry – and this means expanding your offerings as you grow your experience and knowledge. VACT also has several ways it can help you with your professional development, so make sure you check out those options!

Grow your outsourcing team

Offering additional services doesn’t necessarily mean more work for you. In fact, it could mean a lot less – if you work with Associates! You could benefit from hiring a ghost-writer as part of your team, or simply have a VA Associate who specialises in those services your clients could benefit from, but that you don’t currently provide (such as bookkeeping and accounting or creating Standard Operating Procedures etc). This is one of the reasons the VA membership is so popular, it enables you to network with other VAs and helps you see the potential for outsourcing to other Associates.

Hold regular reviews

Clients feel valued when they feel listened to. By holding regular reviews you’re taking time out to check in on your clients and see how they’re getting on. This is a great opportunity to be listening for ways you can further improve on what you’re already offering to them. Check out The Importance of a Client Review, to help you get clear on how to use this tool effectively.

Under promise and over deliver

If you want your clients to feel happy about the services you provide, look to always under promise and over deliver. This will help leave a little room for you to create ‘wow’ moments for your clients and prevent you struggling to reach impossible deadlines.

Be proactive to add value

If you want to add value to your clients, be more proactive. A proactive VA takes an active role in their clients business. They care about that business as if it were their own. If you want to be proactive, you need to keep your eyes open for ways to offer help, feedback and general solutions for your clients. Need help becoming more proactive? Check out How to be proactive instead of reactive as a VA.

Focus on quality

If you want your business to be a success, you need to stop focusing on you. By switching your focus to your clients, you can focus on providing the right solutions and the quality they deserve. It doesn’t matter what level of service you’re providing your clients or how many hours they’re hiring you for – always deliver the best quality you’re able to provide. Every. Single. Time.

Stay in touch

Finally, an easy way to add value is to stay in touch. Earlier we mentioned regular reviews, but you also need to help your clients feel special and valued. So think about sending Christmas cards to your clients or connecting them to someone who can offer them a solution to a problem they’re having. Email a message of support, when you know they’ve been up against it or sent a congratulations card when they’ve launched a new product.

If you want to add value to your clients, it isn’t always about focusing on financially based solutions. Sometimes, being the voice of support on the other end of a phone, or just doing what you say you’re going to do, is enough. So why not think about the different ways you can add more value to your clients – and create an action plan to implement those ideas.

If you’re looking to expand your Associates or want to get input from other VAs on how you could add value to your clients, why not join the VA Membership? This monthly membership gives you access to affordable, practical support and expert help to grow and expand your business. Check out the details, here.