The Fundamental Elements of a Virtual Assistant Client Proposal
A proposal for virtual assistant positions should always include five key elements:
- An Introduction
- Benefits of Working with You
- Your Services
- A Plan
- An Expiration Date
Why is it important to include these items in your virtual assistant proposal?
When you work as a virtual assistant, there’s a chance you may never meet your employer in person. Instead, your virtual assistant proposal letter could be your biggest opportunity to make a lasting impression. Therefore, it’s critical that you learn to write a killer proposal based on those five fundamental elements.
Note: Ready to jump right in? If so, you can sign up today to edit and download our virtual assistant proposal template.
Introduction
The introduction to your virtual proposal should accomplish two things. First, it should introduce you and/or your company. You should use this opportunity to briefly describe what you do. You don’t need to go into too much detail here. You’ll get to expand on your services in a later section.
Your introduction should also describe the proposal itself. It’s crucial that you specify why you are submitting a proposal and what you plan to include in it. You can also lead into the next section by briefly describing why you would be a good fit for the job.
Benefits
In this part of your virtual assistant proposal template, you will get to expand on what you bring to the table. This is your time to show off your strengths and how they set you apart from other virtual assistants.
Not sure where to start? Then ask yourself:
- Do you have any unique abilities that help you to accomplish your tasks better than others?
- Do you have any experiences that make you more qualified for the job?
- Do you have any knowledge relevant to your client’s business or industry?
While it’s great to showcase yourself and your skills, don’t forget to keep the focus on your client. Your strengths should always tie into their needs. If your client mentioned any pain points to you during your discovery call, now would be the time to address how you can help with those.
Services
This is your opportunity to lay out exactly what you offer. You don’t need to describe how you will do it. That comes next. Instead, you should clearly define the virtual assistant services you are offering for this particular job. Your list should be concise, but it should also give your client a clear idea of what they will agree to.
Plan
In this section of your virtual assistant proposal template, you will detail how you will provide your services. It includes your rate and whether you charge hourly or fixed-rate basis.
Since most virtual assistants work on an hourly basis, you will want to let your client know your availability. You should let them know if there are times you aren’t available, but you should also tell them how many hours you can work per week.
If you are working on a specific task, you will want to create a timeline. This lets your client keep up with your progress, and it also lets them know when they can expect completion.
When writing this section, we suggest that you make a note of anything your client will need to provide so that you can complete the job.
Expiration Date
You should conclude your proposal by providing an expiration date. Doing so lets clients know that your proposal isn’t indefinite, and it indicates a deadline for their decision.
In addition, this paragraph lets clients know how they can accept the terms. We recommend requiring some form of payment along with digital signatures to start your contract. If they fail to meet the deadline, the current terms will no longer be valid, and a new proposal will have to be made in the future.
How to Write a Virtual Assistant Proposal
Now, you know more about what to include, but how do you write it? Whether you are customizing a virtual assistant proposal template or writing one from scratch, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Make a Bold Entrance in Your Virtual Assistant Proposal Template
With the number of virtual assistants growing every day, your proposal is likely to get lost in the shuffle. To avoid that, you need to make yours stand out with a bold statement.
That doesn’t mean that you need to be shocking or use bright colors. Instead, you should focus on selling your abilities from the first sentence to the last.
Whether you know it or not, your experiences and skills are unique. Each of us brings something different to the table, so it’s your number one job to figure out what that is and emphasize it. You need to make it easy for your client to see what sets you apart from the other virtual assistants in their inbox.
We know it’s easier said than done. However, we have a few recommendations to get your creative wheels turning:
- Write an introduction that shows your understanding of the project or business
- Highlight something you recently helped another client achieve
- Use numbers to stand behind claims you make about your skills or accomplishments
Tailor Your Proposal Templates to Show Strengths for Each Job
As we mentioned before, you should always tailor your virtual assistant proposal template for each client. It’s hard to set yourself apart from other freelancers when you reuse the same general proposal. Instead, a customized template shows prospective clients that you put in the time and truly care about the job.
It’s also a dead giveaway when you reuse a template and forget to change the client's name or other details. One of these mistakes can quickly send your proposal to the trash bin.
While it’s obvious that those details require personalization, it’s more important to focus on your strengths. That doesn’t mean you need to pick different strengths for every proposal though. You certainly shouldn’t lie about your abilities either.
In order to tailor your strengths for each client, you should prioritize relevant strengths, such as:
- Organization
- Self-Discipline
- Written and Verbal Communication
- Time Management
- Creativity
- Resourcefulness
- Reliability
You might have other skills, such as coding, but that’s not relevant to the job. That strength and others should be left out.
If you don’t know what strengths you should emphasize, read the job description. Are there any specific tasks or requirements for this job? If so, you would want to show how your skills help you meet that criterion.
Talk Openly About Your Rates for Your Virtual Assistant Business
Are you worried that mentioning your freelancing rates will scare off potential clients? While that might seem like the worst-case scenario, it could actually be the best thing for your business.
When you openly communicate your pricing structure in your virtual assistant proposal template, you can eliminate the clients who aren’t interested. In fact, it would be a waste of both parties’ time to continue discussing the job further if a potential client can’t afford your prices.
In addition, including your payment terms creates transparency, which is a great foundation for a new working relationship. Clients tend to be unhappy with freelancers who add hidden costs after they’ve been hired. By openly stating your pricing and any discounts, you can avoid that scenario.
Focus on Quality over Quantity When Including Samples
It’s one thing to say that you can do something, and it’s another thing to show it. Work samples are a great way to demonstrate your skill set to a potential client. Again, you should always personalize your virtual assistant proposal template by including relevant samples.
More importantly, you should also prioritize your samples in order of quality. Instead of listing every client and job you’ve ever had, we recommend highlighting your best work.
In this case, quality far outweighs quantity, especially when a busy business owner is sifting through proposals. A brief summary of your previous job description works best!
Use a Virtual Assistant Proposal Template with a Visually Appealing Structure
When you search for virtual assistant proposal templates, you're sure to find thousands of options. Not all of them are winners though. Some have better designs than others. It’s important that you choose one with a visually appealing structure.
That doesn’t mean you should look for the most outrageous design though. Instead, you should find a well-organized virtual assistant proposal sample. It’s more important that your letter be easy for a client to understand.
We strongly encourage you to avoid any ambiguity and to refrain from showing off your big vocabulary. A potential client is far more concerned with what you can do as a virtual assistant than they are with all the frills.
Creating a Virtual Assistant Proposal Letter is Simple with Bonsai
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of this information, you don’t have to worry about creating a proposal from scratch. Bonsai offers a free virtual assistant proposal template to make your life easier. In fact, countless freelancers continue to use our templates, and here’s why.
Save Time Writing a Proposal for Virtual Assistant Positions
A Bonsai virtual assistant proposal sample is fast and easy to generate. With a click of a button, you can remove irrelevant sections, calculate fees, and personalize details. All of this automation allows you to send out proposals faster without compromising on quality.
Include Transparent Estimates with Every Letter
When you use a Bonsai template, you get a built-in estimator. You don’t have to calculate the fees for all of your different virtual assistant services. Our proposal templates add everything up and display them in one easy-to-understand estimate.
Obtain Read Receipt Notifications and Send Reminders
You no longer have to wonder whether a client received your proposal. Our read receipts send you notifications as soon as your client sees it. Bonsai also gives you the option to send out reminders for proposal expirations, late payments, and any other messages.
Personalize Branding for Professional Appearance
Branding allows you to avoid sending out a generic virtual assistant project proposal sample. For that reason, Bonsai allows you to personalize your proposal template with your logo. You can also add other branding elements to give your letter a more professional look.
Start Projects Faster with Convenient E-Signing
E-signing has long since eliminated the need for mailing an employment contract to sign it. Though e-signatures aren’t new, they haven’t always been easy to integrate into a proposal template. Fortunately, Bonsai makes it quick and easy for clients to sign your agreement so that you can move forward in your project.
Virtual Assistant Proposal FAQs
We know that this is a lot of information to take in, and you probably have many questions about creating business proposals. We recommend that you do more web research to discover the most effective strategies for writing a template. However, you can also refer to some of our FAQs to learn more.
What Do Clients Look for in a Virtual Assistant?
Clients often look for a professional person who demonstrates the ability to stay organized and communicate clearly. You should also be able to manage multiple projects at once.
What Attractive Abilities Should I Highlight in My Proposal?
The answer depends on the position you are applying for. While you might think that all virtual assistants have the same job, that’s not the case. One virtual assistant position may need data entry and writing. Another might focus on social media marketing or help with the sales process. You should always highlight talents that fit that specific job description.
How Do You Land Your First Client as a Virtual Assistant?
When you are first getting started, you might be struggling to land a client. While it’s easy to blame this problem on your lack of experience, it could come down to your proposal.
Many new freelancers don’t know how to create a winning proposal. Fortunately, a virtual assistant proposal template can help you to up your game.
It’s also important that you know where to look for clients. There are countless online job boards, freelancing platforms, and social media groups where you can find clients. However, you can also cold pitch your virtual assistant services to businesses you think you can help.
Is a Proposal Different Than a Cover Letter?
In short, the answer is yes. However, the words cover letter and proposal are sometimes used interchangeably in the world of independent contractors.
Your cover letter is typically included in the overall proposal, and it is the first and most important part to personalize. The proposal usually refers to the entire document, including the cover letter.
Get a Free Sample Virtual Assistant Proposal Template
Looking for more information on how to create a killer proposal? Bonsai has hundreds of templates fit for a variety of businesses and scenarios.
You can download our free virtual assistant proposal template now if you sign up free today. With just a few minor adjustments, you’ll be ready to start sending out proposals to all of your dream clients.
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