Managing Multiple Clients
OfficePRO magazine, April 2004

Plus choosing an e-mail program, planning your workload, and more

By Stacy Brice

Question: I recently was lucky enough to add three new clients to my practice at the same time. I’m thrilled, but feel completely overwhelmed now. Shouldn’t I be able to handle having multiple clients better?

Answer: Imagine, for the moment, that you started dating three people at the same time. And imagine that each of those people wanted to spend at least a couple of hours with you each week. And imagine that you needed to learn about all of them, and quickly. For most people that would be overwhelming. And it’s because in any new relationship, there’s a learning curve.

It’s the rare person who can manage the ramp-up/learning curve associated with bringing a new client onboard while also managing that same process with other people. In the future, consider only bringing a new client into your practice after you feel adequately in sync with those you already have. And bring new clients in one at a time.

For now, you can choose to ride this discomfort out—doing the best you can and realizing this overwhelming period likely won’t last forever. Or, you could step back, talk with your clients, confide that you thought you could handle it all well, but that you find you’re not able to, and find a solution that works for you all. There are possible challenges with either solution, but I’d suggest you consider the second one. It’s more honest, it’s collaborative, and you may find yourself with a solution you didn’t even consider.

E-mail Solutions

Question: In the last company I worked for, we used Outlook/Exchange for e-mail. Now that I am a virtual assistant with my own business, I’m hearing that Outlook may be too buggy and have too many security issues to make smart for me to use, especially since don’t have an IT department available to bail me out if something goes wrong. What’s your opinion on the best e-mail program for me to use in my business?

Answer: I use and endorse Eudora (www.eudora.com). It’s a standalone e-mail program that wasn’t written the same way Outlook was and it’s been tougher to penetrate with viruses and worms. Combined with a great anti-virus program, it’s the best e-mail option for a small office/home office, in my opinion.

Keeping Busy

Question: I plan to work 30-35 hours per week. Will I be able to stay that busy?

Answer: Because you’ll have both billable and unbillable tasks to do in your business, you’ll be able to stay busy. Whenever you don’t have billable work to do, you can focus on growth or maintenance work for your own business. Even with a full practice, marketing efforts need to continue. There’s always something to organize, or bills to be paid, reconciled, or recorded. There’s always someone to talk with, or resources to build so you can be more effective about what you can offer clients.

Remember that if you want to work 30-35 hours per week, you’ll want to only commit 20-25 to billable work. You’ll need the extra time for the unbillables. If your goal is to bill 30-35 hours/week, be sure to understand that you’re more likely going to be doing 40-45 (or more) total hours of work each week.

Take the Virtual Leap

Question: My friends in other companies have been laid off. I feel pretty secure in my job, but I think I’d like to be a virtual assistant. It’s hard to leave something stable and secure for some-thing unknown. What advice would you give me about this?

Answer: As you’ve seen through your friends’ experiences, the days of the “company man” are long gone. Now, the only possible job stability and security is that which we create for ourselves. Every single self-employed person I’ve met tells a tale of being afraid to make the leap. Intricately tied to that tale, however, is the one they tell about the day, having made the leap and having started their own businesses, when they finally realize they’re completely self-sufficient. They speak about it as if there’s a light switch that gets flipped, and from that moment, they know they’ll never again worry about being successful and earning the money they need and want. They also say that that’s the moment they realize they’ll never again work for someone else.

If you want actual safety and security, cast off those lines, and sail your ship in the direction that most thrills you. Just make sure you do it sensibly—as the adage goes, “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Stacy Brice is a naturally recognized expert on “virtual assistance” and president of AssistU, an organization that trains and coaches virtual assistants. Reach her at stacy@assistu.com.

Got a Question for Virtual Office? Send your questions to stacy@assistu.com. Answers guaranteed only for questions chosen for publication.