1. Fielding inbound interest from clients

Flipping the script: Sometimes, your ideal clients might find you before you even realize they're your perfect match.

Here's a personal anecdote to illustrate this point: When I was meeting and networking with potential clients, I seemed to be attracting a lot of potential clients who weren't a good fit for me. However, I was able to match them with the right virtual assistant. I remember thinking, "Why am I attracting everyone else's potential client? At an event where my ideal client was present, I thought, “How am I meeting other people's clients?" It turns out I was meeting my clients. I was attracting people because I was naturally doing the things I loved — assessing their needs, educating them, and then assisting them. It just didn't look like it did when I worked in an office.

Your secret language: Is actually a common language shared between you and your ideal client. How you speak is answering the question in your client's head. When I finally discovered how often I solved the problem and answered the questions, I suddenly realized my potential clients were everywhere. A light bulb went off in my head, and I thought, "Would someone pay me to match them with the right virtual assistant?" I had been matching people for more than a year, and it never occurred to me that someone would pay me for this service! If you find this is happening to you, it's a sign and you should take notes:

Who are you attracting? Write down the fields of those whom you "just happen" to keep running into.

• For example, executives from corporations were constantly attracted to me. I don't like working with corporate executives as their assistant. To put it bluntly, I'm not qualified. I understood their needs intimately which is why I knew I didn't want to work with them. Turns out they are my best matchmaking clients!

What work are you continuously turning down because you don't have the skill set? You might not have it now, but you could easily learn it. Or, like me, you might not have the skills, but you can incorporate one of your current services and now get paid for it.

• In my case, I don't have the skills of an executive virtual assistant. However, I know how to find the person who does. I turned this ability into a paid service.

What are you providing that is drawing people to you? There is a reason. While you are simply being you, it's exactly the quality that in fact sets you apart from your competitors. You can monetize the quality if you know what it is.

• For me, I really enjoy educating clients on virtual assistants. I have since the beginning. It's what kept me going back to networking events back in the day when I would have to explain to every person I met what a VA was and what we do. Educating is my jam.
• You have a "jam" that draws people to you. On the surface, it might seem obvious. Dig deeper to the root. In the beginning, I wouldn't have called what I did educating. I was simply sharing information freely. I didn't realize this was not a common practice. When I realized it was educating, it made sense. I worked in education and higher education as an assistant my entire career!

Take all of these things into consideration: Begin looking for the connections — the unasked questions and the already presumed answers. What is the quality the world sees in you that you have taken for granted? Look for themes.