For all intents and purposes, virtual assistants do not actually exist. In fact, being invisible is one of the most compelling factors to hire you.
So if you do not ‘physically exist’, why should you care about building a personal brand? After all no one’s going to see you right?
Wrong.
Not being “seen” could cost you your livelihood, especially as the outsourcing industry continues to grow and evolve at such a rapid pace.
A personal brand reinforces what makes you unique and makes you stand out from your competition, instantly communicating why someone should choose you.
Developed authentically, a personal brand also creates a sense of physical existence and increases your trust currency.
Selling Invisible Services
And that’s the real rub when it comes to selling your invisible services, how does a prospective client know you will deliver on what you promise? This is where the value of a strong personal brand really kicks in.
It’s more than just ratings and testimonials, it’s about packaging your expertise so a prospect feels they know, like and trust you, even before they start working with you. Making it an easy decision to employ your services.
The human brain has a fear centre, called the Amygdala, or Lizard brain, because it’s thought to be the oldest part of the brain, the part the cavemen used for fight or flight. It uses memory and emotion to help make good decisions, keeping you safe and avoiding pain.One of the reasons your ideal prospect might hesitate to purchase your services is because of the very non-tactile aspect of what you deliver. Because the Amygdala doesn’t like what it doesn’t know. It’s very difficult for your brain to trust something new, especially if it can’t be seen or hasn’t been experienced before.
Chances are, when your perfect prospect is considering outsourcing, their brain is screaming a million warnings; “exactly who am I dealing with?, what if they disappear on me?, will they speak my language? where in the World are they?, can I trust them to deliver?…”
Don’t Try to Be Everything To Everyone
One of the number one things I see VA’s doing wrong is trying to be everything to everyone, adding as many services to your resume as possible. If you suffer from FOMO, the Fear Of Missing Out, and are guilty of having huge list of your capabilities, contrary to what you hope to achieve, you are devaluing the level of trust in those abilities by looking like a generalist.
Interestingly, the word virtual also means almost or nearly. How many times have you heard horror stories from businesses who outsources work only to be completely let down because the VA didn’t fulfil the entire task? It’s the biggest excuse used to not outsource!
Having a personal brand that conveys specific experience and reliability in a particular key area is all about focus, remembering that expertise is the thing you do with ease that others find difficult, that’s why it’s called expert-ease.
You see, one of the biggest fears your prospects has is time-suck. They fear that they will have to re-do the work all over again, because you haven’t delivered to their level of expectation.
Focus, Focus, Focus
They want you to help them be more productive, more efficient and save time and money, because they have a specialist helping them. Making sure you are seen as the expert is far more important for the prospects brain to make the decision to choose you, and that’s where your personal brand needs to be highly centred and clear.
Of course, your entrepreneurial brain is now worried that you are “going too niche” and you are going to miss out if you don’t list every single thing that you can help with. But, don’t give in to FOMO. The best form of advertising for you is Word of Mouth, and being able to explain what you do, makes it really easy for others to recommend your services.
So, ask yourself what’s the one area of expertise you want to become well known, well paid & wanted for? There’s your brand.
Learn more about Lauren's company here.
- Personal Branding Tips For The Invisible - September 3, 2020
- If You Want To Be Successful, You Can’t Help Everyone - December 19, 2019
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.