There are many reasons why a client stays with a Virtual Assistant for a long time, from having a natural personality match to the Virtual Assistant providing high quality work consistently. 


Here are some things that have worked well for me:

Showing my interest in what they do 


I've found that there is huge value in finding out what my client does, what their business does, what they're passionate about and how their typical week goes.  If I put effort into really developing an interest in my client, I find it's easier to work with them and I give better results. 

I also use the information I learn to my advantage by being proactive.   I suggest tasks that I know they dislike doing (emails, phone calls, booking flight/hotels etc.).


Learning what they like and sticking to it 


Once I know how my client likes to work I stick to it.  This includes the following:


  • Communication
    • If my client states that they would prefer to communication via text, email, phone call or the portal then I stick to that form of communication. I listen to what they prefer, apply it and stick to it until asked otherwise. 
  • Presenting of Work
    • I learn how my clients prefer things to be formatted and stick to it - whether it's a table, list, paragraphs or graph. 
  • Updates
    • I learn whether my clients like regular updates, few updates or just want to leave me to do the task. If they prefer to be updated regularly, for example, then I update them through their preferred means of contact or the time portal throughout working on the task. 



I've found it does take a bit of effort to get these preferences from my clients - they don't always tell me how they want to work and sometimes I really have to grill them to find out!


Penni Pike, formerly assistant to Sir Richard Branson