I see you.

You’re a Virtual Assistant who is working with clients but you’re wondering why your client is changing things you’ve already done. Maybe you’re wondering why you’ve lost a few clients lately. Or maybe you’re wondering why word of mouth across your circles isn’t turning into new client opportunities.

You’re working it… but it doesn’t seem to be working FOR you.

You’re probably wondering ‘what is going on!?’

While we can’t guarantee this is the answer, it’s a great place to start…

Have you asked for feedback from your clients lately?

Asking for client feedback is one of the biggest keys to growth and client retention. I’m talking big like the honorary key to the city kind of BIG. When you ask your client for feedback, you’re giving them the opportunity to share their experience, which can give you great insights on how to improve how you communicate, the processes you have in place and especially the work you do for your client.

Let’s dive into our top 3 reasons why it’s important to ask your clients for feedback.

1 – YOU are NOT the client.

You probably set up all of your processes from inquiry to getting a client set up to work with you, to how you handle their requests, timeline expectations and even their payment options. When you set all of this up, you most likely had yourself in mind. You thought of what you’ll need to make things on your end run smoothly. Try putting yourself into your clients’ shoes for a minute– what is the process like for them? Is it easy to understand or are you throwing new programs, ideas and ways of working together that they’ve never heard of before with little instruction? Remembering that you are not the client can help you understand the importance of asking for feedback. Especially if you’re a new VA just getting things set up, ask your clients how the onboarding process was– was it easy to understand? What could have been better?

2 – Your client KNOWS themselves better than you.

Your client knows themselves better than you do. Simple. When you first start working with a new client, it can be easy for you to feel the need to ‘prove yourself’ and start taking over with your tasks. Take time to get to know your client– their brand, their needs, their voice, their ‘why’, their everything. Set up questionnaires that are really specific so you can best understand them. As you are working on the first few projects, let the client know you’ll be checking in more often to be sure you’re on the right track and ask for feedback so you can be sure to nail the work you are doing. I always tell the client ‘please let me know any comments, concerns or changes you’d like made! These first few things we are really getting to know each other so I want to be sure I am capturing your brand and messaging. Don’t hesitate to let me know any and all of your thoughts!’ In this manner, you’re letting the client know you’re trying your best based on the information you have and that you want to hear from them so you can execute with excellence.

3 – You can’t grow if you don’t know!

Brownie points to us because it rhymes… and it’s also true. You can’t grow if you don’t know how to! As someone who is presenting themselves as a VA, which is a career known to be someone who is adaptable, a quick learner and who prioritizes the client, you should also be aiming to be growing consistently to best serve your clients. Sending a quick ‘hey, wanted to check in and grab some feedback from you on how I can improve’ email lets your clients know you care about your performance and improving so you can be the best VA they’ve ever had. This will turn into client loyalty and they will end up recommending you to others. Asking for feedback, also makes you a better assistant! It is hard to improve if you don’t know the they aren’t necessarily working.

Asking for feedback can be a little scary. No one wants to hear something bad. Here are our top 3 questions to ask your clients for honest, constructive feedback you can do something with.

1 – What did you think of __(insert most recent project here)__? I just want to be sure I’m reaching your expectations and, if I’m not, how I can better perform!

2 – I want to be sure we are establishing a great relationship! How has your experience been working with me so far?

3 – I’ve really been enjoying working with you and getting familiar with your business. Is there any feedback you can share to keep us moving forward?

Even if you’ve been working with a client for a while, it’s good to check-in and see where you’re at. A simple “hey, just wanted to check-in. I want to be sure this is all still working. Is there any feedback you can give me?” is simple and straight forward and your client will appreciate it. The only way to grow and become better at what you do is to ask for feedback. If a client says ‘actually, yea. I wanted to talk to you about _____’ is a great time to realize you are there to SERVE your client and that means adapting to each client’s needs and desires.

It’s scary to ask for feedback when you’re new, but when you remind yourself feedback will only help you grow and serve your clients better, you’ll accept and implement feedback in ways that will make your clients be proud to have you as their VA.

How do you get feedback from your clients?