In the case of Virtual Assistants, and plenty of other professions as well, we are often tucked away in our little offices and don’t get a chance to get out and actually meet our clients.  Often the communication method of choice is email, delicately spiced with the occasional phone call.

And particularly if you’re a VA, you might live hours, if not days, away from your clients!  But, if you ever find yourself in the neighbourhood of a client, no matter whether it’s a personal or business trip, try to find the time to get together and meet with your client.

There’s nothing like making that person-to-person connection!  It gives you both a chance to get to know one another, for real and no longer based on perceptions alone.  You may think that you know each other if you’ve been working together for a while, but you just never know what you don’t know!

Here’s a simple example from my own personal experience – I was traveling to the big city so I made a couple of dates to meet up with a couple of clients.  This particular one I had been working with for over two years and I had a picture in my head of what she would look like based on the only information I had – her website photos and promotional media.  But, when I finally met her I almost didn’t recognize her – she now had long hair!  Once we got to talking then of course her voice and her personality came through just like I had imagined it, but there was that initial “who the heck is that?” in the beginning!  So now we know a bit more about each other and our lives outside of business, and I’d like to think that our relationship is the better for it.

So, try your best to take the time, or just make the time, to go and meet your clients in person at least once – your relationship will be strengthened and you’ll probably have some fun while you’re at it!

I’d love to hear any funny stories about first-time client meetings…