Virtual Assistant and Business Development

What you will own

Discovery and qualification

Respond quickly to new inquiries by telephone, email, SMS and approved digital channels during business hours.

Conduct confident, conversational discovery calls that uncover the prospect's business, current situation, urgency, decision criteria, concerns and desired outcome.

Qualify opportunities against the firm's current service scope, client-fit standards, timing, decision authority and minimum engagement requirements.

Explain the firm's services and process in clear everyday language while recognizing when a technical question must be escalated to a CPA.

Create accurate discovery summaries so the CPA or delivery team can understand the opportunity without repeating the entire conversation.

Sales follow up and closing

Move qualified prospects from discovery to proposal, decision and signed engagement using the firm's approved sales process.

Follow up consistently and professionally by telephone, email and SMS; no viable opportunity should be forgotten, left without a next action or allowed to stall silently.

Handle common objections involving price, timing, trust, scope and comparison with other firms through thoughtful questions and value-based responses.

Coordinate and issue approved proposals, engagement documents, scheduling links and information requests accurately and on time.

Close suitable engagements within approved pricing and discount authority, and escalate exceptions rather than improvising terms.

Re-engage inactive prospects and respectfully close lost opportunities while recording the actual reason for the decision.

Use ethical, consultative selling at all times. Never pressure vulnerable clients, misrepresent services or promise tax savings, refunds, deadlines or outcomes.

CRM and administrative ownership

Keep the CRM accurate and current, including contact information, source, service interest, qualification notes, pipeline stage, expected value, next action and follow-up date.

Maintain calendars, confirm appointments, reduce no-shows and ensure discovery calls begin with the required information available.

Draft polished client communications, call recaps, follow-up messages and internal handoff notes with excellent grammar and judgment.

Track outstanding documents, proposal status, unanswered questions and internal commitments until each item is resolved.

Support light executive and operational administration, including meeting preparation, task coordination, reporting and process documentation.

Protect confidential personal, financial and tax information and follow all approved privacy, consent and communication procedures.

Handoff and client experience

Once an engagement is signed, coordinate a clean handoff into onboarding so the client never feels dropped between sales and service delivery.

Confirm what was sold, what information is required, who owns each next step and when the client should expect the next communication.

Identify urgent deadlines, complaints, legal or privacy concerns and high-value opportunities, and escalate them immediately through the approved channel.

Look for recurring questions, friction and lost-sale patterns, then recommend practical improvements to scripts, templates, workflows and the client journey.
What success looks like

Measure

Successful performance

Speed

New leads receive prompt, professional attention during business hours and urgent matters are escalated without delay.

Conversion

Qualified prospects advance through discovery, proposal and closing at agreed targets without aggressive or misleading selling.

Follow through

Every open opportunity has a documented owner, next action and date; no lead disappears because of weak administration.

Accuracy

CRM records, proposal details, call notes and client commitments are complete, current and dependable.

Client experience

Prospects feel welcomed, understood and clear about the next step, whether they sign, defer or decline.

Handoff

Signed clients enter onboarding with the agreed scope, documents, deadlines and internal responsibilities clearly documented.

Required qualifications

At least three years of success in consultative sales, client success, account coordination, professional services or another client-facing closing role.

A demonstrated ability to conduct discovery, build trust quickly, follow up persistently, respond to objections and ask confidently for the business.

Exceptional spoken and written English, including a polished telephone and video-call presence with North American clients.

A genuinely upbeat, warm and energetic personality. You make people comfortable quickly while remaining professional, thoughtful and respectful.

Outstanding administrative discipline, attention to detail and ability to manage numerous leads, deadlines and conversations without losing control of the pipeline.

Practical experience using a CRM, calendar, email, video meetings and cloud-based document or proposal tools.

Sound judgment with confidential information and the maturity to stay within approved authority.

Reliable high-speed internet, a professional remote workspace and availability throughout Calgary business hours in Mountain Time.

Strong advantages

An accounting or business degree, bookkeeping qualification, accounting-firm experience, or hands-on work as an accountant or bookkeeper.

Working knowledge of bookkeeping, financial statements, corporate tax, GST or HST, payroll and the common problems faced by small-business owners.

Experience with QuickBooks Online, GoHighLevel or another CRM, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Calendly and electronic proposal or signature platforms.

Experience selling accounting, tax, bookkeeping, advisory or other trust-based professional services.

Experience improving scripts, follow-up sequences, CRM workflows, SOPs or sales reporting.

This role will suit you if

You enjoy speaking with people and can bring positive energy even after hearing several no's.

You are comfortable asking direct questions about a prospect's situation, priorities, budget and decision process.

You can be persistent without becoming pushy and persuasive without becoming misleading.

You want your performance measured through response time, follow-up completion, pipeline accuracy, qualified conversion and signed engagements.

You are equally proud of a successful close and a perfectly maintained CRM record.

You learn quickly, accept coaching and continually improve your calls, messages and systems.

This role will not suit you if

You prefer to wait for instructions, avoid telephone conversations or become discouraged by follow-up and rejection.

You view CRM updates, detailed notes and administrative work as secondary to sales.

You rely on pressure tactics, unauthorized discounts or promises that the delivery team may not be able to keep.

You are looking for an asynchronous side role rather than a full-time position aligned with Mountain Time business hours.