Meeting Goals for Your Virtual Assistant Business in 2010

It's the time of year when everyone seems to be setting their goals for the new year. That's a great idea, but when you're setting new goals, remember you also need a plan that will help you reach those goals. Here are some tips from Sophia McIntyre to get you on your way:

4 Pointers To Reach Short-Term Work Goals by S McIntyre

Setting short-term work goals is important to each of us whether you're an adult or a child. Without setting attainable goals it's hard to be motivated each and every day. It's natural for people to want to feel a sense of accomplishment. It makes us feel good and it makes us feel like we've contributed.

How we reach those short-term goals rely on these four key tips.

Accountability
The first thing to decide on is what is your goal? Be realistic when you set it, but make sure it's not too easy that your goal is not challenging enough. Let's say your goal is to write X amount of articles by the end of the year. It's easy to say to yourself you're going to write this many articles, but really who's going to push you and motivate you when you're stuck?

If you belong to a networking group, a writing group or you're a member of a work at home forum then publicly announce your short-term goals. Don't just announce it to anyone, but someone you know and who will hold you accountable. They will also be the ones checking on your progress, keeping you on track, offering you support and encouragement.

Focus
There are so many things that can distract us daily. From kids to surfing the Internet we're surrounded by distractions. Some distractions are beyond our control so there's nothing we can do about those, but go with the flow. The other distractions we have control over and we need to put those in their proper places.

Get your emails and phone calls out of the way before you start writing. People with young kids are a bit disadvantaged that they have to work around their child's schedule, but parents have learned long ago how to multitask and make the best of their time. If you can only write in 15 minutes increments that is better than not writing at all.

Putting your full focus on your goal writing task around the same time each day and knowing what topics you're going to write about makes a huge difference. If you're losing focus, remember the reason you set your goal in the first place.

If you're stuck in your writing and you're doing some other task, it means it's time for a break. Taking 10 minutes and focusing on a no-brainer task will re-energize your mind.

Execution
Many people set goals, but often set them aside and save them for tomorrow, but there's no tomorrow. When you've prepared, defined and organized your goals, the next step is taking action. Just do it!

Reward
It's the sweetest deal on what you've set out to do. We've learned from a young age that positive reinforcement encourages us to challenge ourselves and set higher goals. Whatever your reward is it's well-deserved.

These four key tips can help you reach your short-term goals. Remember focus and execution are two of the most important things to do in achieving your goals.



S McIntyre is the founder of WorkAtHomeSpace.com, a free work at home resource focusing on work at home companies, daily telecommute job leads, articles, business resources and other work at home related topics. If you need help in setting short-term goals or need work at home support, register for free on Sophia's forum.

Sophia co-owns WorkAtHomeBusinessOptions.com, a comprehensive work at home business resource focusing on helping others who are looking for opportunities and ideas to work from home. You will also find tips and articles on how to balance work, family and play in your daily life.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Is This the Year You're Going to Be a Successful Virtual Assistant?

Have you been dreaming of becoming a successful Virtual Assistant for a long time now, but still haven't figured out how to make it happen? The old saying really is true:

If you want your life to be different, you have to do something different.

Here are some things you can do to take positive action and make this the year you really do start becoming the successful Virtual Assistant you know you can be.

1. Make the tough choices. What services are you going to offer? Who are you going to provide them to?

A lot of people get stuck on this very first step. I think they're overwhelmed by all their choices, and afraid of making the wrong one. The worst choice you can make is not to choose anything! If you choose to serve a certain niche, and later on decide it wasn't the right one for you, that's not a mistake. It's a learning experience, and an important part of becoming a successful and profitable Virtual Assistant.

2. Start saving your pennies. Very few Virtual Assistants make a profit immediately. Start saving now so you can afford to invest the time you need to get your work at home business up and running. You may even want to take a part time job so you can afford your startup expenses. Some additional yet wise investments would be programs like the Virtual Business Startup System or a paid membership at VAnetworking.com

3. Build relationships with successful Virtual Assistants. They may be in your local business community or online. You can connect with them on Twitter, Facebook, or in a Virtual Assistant forum. Ask them what they're days are really like, and for any advice they have for you. Knowing how others make it work may give you the kick-start you need.

4. Seek out quality information about being a successful Virtual Assistant. Make sure your information comes from reliable sources, and has actually worked for the people who are giving it to you. When I started out, I spent hours reading the posts at VAnetworking, and I know I really benefited from the wisdom I found there.

5. What has been keeping you back from being successful in the past? Do you have a fear you need to address? Are you lacking confidence? Or do you need to develop a skill? Evaluate what has held you back from making this move, and come up with a strategy to overcome it.

Let's make this the year you become a successful Virtual Assistant too!

10 Ways Showing Gratitude Now Can Increase Your Future Income

by Alicia Forest

As we head into the season of giving, now is a great time to show appreciation to your clients and customers. Taking the time to give thanks to your clients will set you apart, increase loyalty, improve retention, inspire more sales, and deepen relationships that last long after the initial sale.

Here are 10 easy ways you can say thank you to your clients:

1. Greeting Cards

My husband often teases me that I should own stock in Hallmark for the amount of money I spend a year on cards. I love to send cards, for a specific reason or for no reason at all.

For business, you've probably heard of SendOutCards (and no, I'm not an affiliate or a distributor). I get a lot of cards this way, from colleagues, and it definitely deepens the relationship for me. And it is a super-easy way for you to do that with your customers too.

2. Personal Notes

I love to send personal notes too. I have specially designed notecards that I send when I just want to connect with someone after a particularly powerful coaching call, when someone makes an investment in Platinum, when I've made a special connection with someone in person, or when a client just needs a little cheer.

3. Invitations

One of the things you can do for your top clients is to invite them to a special event just for them. It can be a lunch or dinner at an event you'll all be at, or carve out a portion of your own live event to spend time just with them.

You can also invite them to special teleseminar or webinar where you offer them free content just for being your top clients.

4. Small Gifts

Flowers, books, a mug, or something more specific are all thoughtful gifts for clients. They can be sent for certain occasions or just because (that's actually my favorite way to send a gift).

5. Gift Cards

These days you can get gift cards for almost any product or service. Some companies, like Starbucks, offer having your logo or business name imprinted on them. Other ideas besides coffee include restaurants, movies, bookstores, office supplies and online vendors like Amazon.

6. Referral and Affiliate Rewards

Even if your referral or affiliate programs offer a commission on each referral, sending a personalized note along with it will go further in encouraging your network to continue to promote your offers into the future.

7. Reverse Referrals

Whenever appropriate, refer your clients and customers to others whom they will benefit from. Making this a part of the way you run your business will come back to you ten-fold as it shows the Universe your belief in abundance.

8. Customer Appreciation Days

Pick one day a year to designate as a Customer Appreciation Day to celebrate your clients. Make a special offer only to them and make a lasting impression.

9. Host Events

Host a gathering at the next event where your clients and customers are likely to gather. A Tweetup is a popular way to connect with both current and prospective clients and they are super-simple to set up and cost you nothing but a bit of time. You can also hold a virtual event anytime you want to bring your clients and customers together.

10. Life Events

Weddings, baby showers, major moves, book contracts, big speaking gigs, TV spots, or any other major event warrants an acknowledgment. A nice card or personal note, or even a quick phone call, will make you memorable for sure.



Alicia M Forest, MBA, 6-Figure Business Breakthrough Mentor, teaches self-employed professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Setting Holiday Hours for Your Virtual Assistant Business

As a Virtual Assistant, once of my biggest challenges has been remembering to give myself regular time off throughout the year.

When I began my VA business, I was even guilty of working up to seven days a week. My reason, although not very sound, was, "The internet never sleeps, so how can I?" I had this idea that if I looked away from my computer screen for a nanosecond I might miss out on an opportunity I could never get back.

You can imagine how long it took until I completely burned out, and I was ready to throw my laptop and all my Virtual Assistant clients out the window!

Since that moment of crisis has passed, I've been pretty good at giving myself at least the weekends off. And I know it's been a healthy schedule change for me. I'm much more creative and more energized when I come back to work after a relaxing weekend away from the computer.

Something I haven't done as faithfully is give myself scheduled holidays - large blocks of time to get out of town, or just spend on things not business-related. I know it's important to set aside a few weeks each year to spend with my family. When I worked outside the home, it was those few weeks each year that made my job bearable.

But since I've been working at home, something has always held me back from giving myself regular vacations. I worry...

What if a client has an emergency and her business falls apart because she can't find me?

What if I miss out on a new client because I didn't get back to her in time, and she finds someone who responded more quickly?

What if my website has a technical problem or gets hacked when I'm not paying attention?

All these and myriad other concerns race through my mind whenever I think about taking a significant block of time off. But these year, I'm putting those worries aside and giving myself the holiday I need. I know when I come back, my business, myself, and all my clients will be much better for it.

Here is how I'm handling these nagging concerns.

Client emergencies. Are my clients' businesses really going to fall apart because I'll be unavailable to them for two weeks? In all honesty, I'm not THAT important. I'm giving them all a head's up that I'm going to be offline for some family time, so we can address any concerns before my vacation starts. But other than that, I think my online world might be just fine without me for 10 days or so.

New clients. It is possible that I might miss out on a new opportunity while I'm away. But if they're looking for someone to help them ASAP, is that person really a good fit for me? My ideal client plans ahead and takes her time considering whether I'm the ideal VA for her. I'm more interested in taking the time to build strong relationships than taking on a bunch of new clients I'm not 100% sure about.

I'll add an autoresponder to my email so potential clients will know I'm on vacation and will reply as soon as I come back. And if they can't wait until then, I'll know I haven't missed out on anything at all.

Techical problems. These are a little harder to escape. If I ran a brick and mortar business, I would have to have the building checked while I was away to make sure no one broke in, or that the plumbing didn't break. So, I'm going to pop by my websites and blogs during my vacation and make sure everything is still standing.

I'll be by a computer during my entire time off, so it won't be a problem to do so. If I was going to be traveling, I would just hire another Virtual Assistant to look after those things for me.

I'm really looking forward to my holiday this year! I hope these thoughts have inspired you to plan a vacation for yourself too. You know you deserve it. And although you'll be missed, the internet will go on without you!

Marketing 101 for Virtual Assistants

One of my clients recently told me she was giving up on her business because she just didn't feel good about promoting herself.

No, no, no, no, no! And no! That is NOT what marketing is.

Marketing is talking to other people about THEMSELVES. Well, that's not all there is to it, but basically that's it.

You're also gonna need a plan . Ivette Muller has put together a simple marketing plan that any new Virtual Assistant can follow.

Marketing 101: Have a Plan by Ivette Muller

One of the very fundamental keys to success is marketing is having a plan. You have to know where you are going to determine if you have gotten there, or what you need to do to get there.

In order to have a good marketing plan, you need to know who your target audience is. I have been in some form of direct sales for over 10 years and almost all companies give you a list of everyone and anyone you can sell the products to. They say that everyone can be a customer and give you all the great reasons you should show them your product.

While it is true that almost anyone with a pulse can be customer, that doesn't provide a solid foundation for your marketing efforts. You need to pick one or two target audiences to get started. Once you do that, your target audience will naturally lead you to other potential customers through referrals and guests at their home parties.

No matter what home-based business you choose, you need to know who you are talking to. Who do you want to help with your product or services? Who do you want to share the opportunity with? Who do you want to interact with? Who is your ideal client?

Knowing this information will help you plan your marketing endeavors and your presentations. Remember, presenting your product or service is not a one size fits all approach. That's why knowing your target audience is critical to your marketing success.

Here are 5 steps to get you started on your marketing plan:

1. Pick your target audience - while the information above goes into detail about why you need to pick your target audience, you also need to know how to pick your target audience. You need to be really specific, for example: WAHM, age 25-35, participates in social media. The reason you need to be specific is that it will help you choose your marketing endeavors more wisely. If this was your target audience, you wouldn't place an ad in your local paper - you would advertise on one of the social networks where your ideal customer or client is hanging out.

2. What are your specific goals? It's good to know that you want more sales, leads or recruits. But what exactly is your goal? Do you want $10,000 in sales over the next three months? How about 100 leads in 2 months? Or, 2 recruits in one month? Getting this specific helps you evaluate your performance and gives you ideas on how to change and improve for the next time.

3. What is your promotional vehicle? Decide what your primary focus of advertising and marketing will be. Then, assign some kind of code so that when people contact you, they can give you that code which will tell you how they heard about you. For example, if you place an ad on a website, you could put the code on the ad itself.

4. How will you track? Tracking is a necessary task to determine your effectiveness in marketing. By assigning a code to your advertisements, it will allow you to track where sales, leads and recruits are coming from, as well as allow you to accurately calculate the ROI (return on investment) for that advertisement.

5. What is your budget? Set a budget in advance and stick to it. It is so easy to go over your budget in advertising and marketing expenses when you get caught up in the momentum. That's why tracking is critical to your success so that you can stop advertising or purchasing marketing tools if they are not working. Just because it works for someone else, doesn't mean it's the right thing for you to do.

If you haven't had a detailed marketing plan before, now is a great time to start! Make 2010 the year to pull your marketing efforts together for one productive and profitable year!



Ivette Muller is a proud corporate mom dropout who has enjoyed transitioning her skills as a successful work at home mom. Ivette wants to help others fulfill their dreams of being a WAHM. Visit her website at http://www.wahmbahm.com for business advice and work at home opportunities and, http://www.remembergreetingcards.com/ivette, to learn how to start a profitable custom greeting card and gift, home-based business.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Is the Virtual Business Startup System All You Need to Start a Virtual Assistant Business?

Recently, a local woman emailed me about starting a Virtual Assistant business part time. She had a question about the Virtual Business Startup System:

Will the VBSS give me all the information I need to start a Virtual Assistant business?

I purchased the VBSS when it first came out over 4 years ago and even then it was everything it promised to be, and more. A lot of goodies and extra business tools and resources have been added to it since its debut.

But going back to four years ago, I had been trying for a year to get a Virtual Assistant business up and running on my own. I ran smack into obstacle after obstacle:

• What services should I offer?
• What should I charge?
• How do I write a business plan?
• How will I get my first customer online?

I had run a home business before, but it turned out that starting an online business was surprisingly different than anything I had previously done.

The first thing I appreciated about the system was that it really was everything it promised to be. I had invested a lot of money in this, so naturally I was skeptical. I was going to hold Tawnya Sutherland to her money back guarantee if it wasn't everything she said it was....

But once I looked through all the templates, coupons, and oodles of information she had packed into that box, I knew I had nothing to worry about it. It was everything she had said it would be, and more.

Another important thing the system did for me was help me pinpoint which VA services I could offer right now, and which I could leave along for now and offer at a later date.

Here I had been thinking I had to cram all the knowledge I could into my already overloaded brain before I could call myself a VA! Not true, I discovered. I could start right then, with the skills I did have, and add the rest as they developed over time.

Besides that, the biggest help it provided was the website templates, the website hosting package and the domain registration for my first website. I had to know a little bit of HTML to get my spanking new website just the way I wanted it, but that was something I wanted to learn anyways. (And about that first VA website I built from a template - even my hubby's web savvy friends said it was pretty spiffy.)

And then came the test of how robust this program truly is.

Shortly after I purchased the system and set up my VA business, I was invited to attend a networking lunch with other VAs in my area. Yikes!

I was so nervous. I didn't even have my first client yet. From visiting the other VAs' websites and reading their bios, I knew that most of them had years of experience.

What would they think of me... a brand new VA who built her VA business out of a box?

To my surprise, and my relief, I fit right in! Because of all the information packed into the VBSS , as well as the conversations I had participated in at VAnetworking (membership comes included with the VBSS), I looked and talked just like one of them.

In fact, my first client came out of that meeting, as a referral from another VA.

Will the VBSS give you everything you need to start your VA business?

Only you can answer that. But for me, the answer is yes. Definitely yes!

The thriving VA business I proudly own today has grown from the solid foundation I built when I decided to purchas the Virtual Business Startup System.

Turn Your Business Card into a Business Weapon

Do you have a business card for your Virtual Assistant business? Most of my networking is done online, but once in a while I meet someone who asks for a card. I've learned to keep them with me at all times. You never know where your next customer will come from!

Here's another tip I recently learned about giving out your business card: Never give your card to someone who hasn't asked for it first. Have you ever been to a networking event where everyone passes out those cards? How many of those cards do you actually keep?

Business cards are expensive, so you'll save yourself money (and the recipient time from having to recycle it!) if you only give it out to those who really want it. Wait until they ask. ;-)

I designed my own cards with a template in the Virtual Business Startup System, then had them professionally printed.

Colleen Davis has some more good ideas for printing your cards and the most effective ways to use them.

How To Turn A Business Card Into A Business Weapon by Colleen Davis

Business card printing is not merely a tool in introducing yourself to other people. No sir. In truth, custom business cards can be turned into a very powerful business weapon that will help your career as well as your business to achieve success. To transform your business card into a business weapon though, you must first do a few important changes into your business card strategy.

1. The right weapon for the right job: Now you may not know this but business cards can be geared in different ways depending on your objective. There are advertising business cards for sales product promotions, corporate business cards for deals with colleagues and of course there are also personal business cards for friends and family. You will need to determine which business card is exactly what you need. This will define how your business card will be designed, and how it will succeed with your objectives. So choose the one that should get you nearest to your goal.

2. Good quality equals good results: Another tip that should turn your business card into a potent weapon is to use good quality materials in the production. Expensive textured paper, with a glossy sheen and smudge free inks are quite impressive. People will respect such quality with ease and that should give you better results in business deals and with social business networking itself. So as you can see, with the advantage of high quality, business cards can be quite effective at convincing people of the sincerity and the power of your business deal.

3. Continuing innovation: You must also know that weapons are always changing and people are always trying to come up with some innovations on existing ones. The same is true with business cards. You must continue changing and recreating your business card design, so that they will always look new and fresh. Try new materials, new formats and new techniques to make sure that your business cards can take advantage of the prevailing sense of style. You should also try to update yourself with prevailing design trends so that you can apply them to the design as well. This should maintain the competitiveness of your business card so that it can still remain as a potent weapon at all times.

4. Use it or lose it: Finally, the best way to turn your business cards into a business weapon is basically to use it. You must not let your business cards remain lying on your desk, car or your house. Always try to give it away to probable business contacts, investors and customers as well. If you do not distribute them and use them, then there is little point really in making them. So use your color business cards or you will loose them as you business weapon.

That should be all the information you need to turn your simple business cards into powerful weapons of trade. Use the weapon wisely once you make it. There are a lot of opportunities and problems connected with it. Good Luck!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

For more information, you can visit this page on business card printing and custom business cards

How to Convert Articles into Audio Recordings

Here is a nifty way to help your clients get more exposure from content they've already written: Convert it into audio! Courtney Chowing has written an easy to follow procedure for converting written content into audio. While she writes specifically about PLR, this technique can be applied to any written content.

Courtney recommends using Audacity, an open-source software for recording and editing sounds. It's very easy to figure out... even for a non-techie like me... but if you're going to be doing a lot of recording, you should consider investing in a good microphone. This is the one I've been using, and I've been happy with the sound. I just position the microphone a bit below my mouth when I talk so I don't sound like Darth Vader. Although... that would probably impress the kids.

Convert Your PLR into Audio by Courtney Chowning

When purchasing PLR, or private label rights, content you are not limited to just using that content for writing purposes. You can use it for audio as well. By recording the PLR content you can offer your readers something new and really catch their attention.

To record your PLR content all you need is a PLR article, computer microphone, and the free program Audacity. Audacity will allow you to record and edit your audio file. Before you start recording your audio file you should practice a couple times. You don't want to sound like you are reading from a script. You want your speech to be clear and to sound friendly and welcoming.

The audio you can create can be used in a number of different situations. You can add it to your blog as a blog post, add into an existing podcast, use the audio as your podcast, offer it as a freebie for your mailing list, etc. If you create a series of audio on a particular subject you could even sell the audios as an information product. The list could really go on and on. The point is that by using audio files you can add a new and exciting element to your blog or online business.

Creating audio files is just one example of using PLR content in a form other than writing. You can even use your chosen PLR content in a video. The concept is the same as using the PLR content for an audio but you are recording an image of yourself speaking instead of just your voice.

By re-purposing the PLR content you purchase you are making the most out of the money spent and also adding value to your blog or online business. Purchasing PLR content can help grow your business in more than one way.



Courtney Chowning is a Christian entrepreneur who runs a Christian PLR site and affiliate program, http://christianmomplr.com. She also blogs at http://courtneyspeaks.com about putting God first in your blog and online business.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Setting Up Your Virtual Assistant Newsletter

For your Virtual Assistant business, a regular newsletter can be one of your most valuable marketing tools. Your newsletter gives you a way to keep in touch with people who are interested in your services or products, but are not yet ready to become a customer. And for current customers or clients, your newsletter gives you an easy and affordable way to keep them updated with your business news and sell them even more products or services.

For my own businesses, regular newsletters have been invaluable for educating members, building relationships with potential clients, and even making sales from affiliate products.

When you're first setting up your newsletter, there are basically three newsletter formats you can choose from. Here's a brief summary.

An HTML newsletter. These are the pretty newsletters you get that are nicely formatted and include pictures or graphics. They are created in HTML code, but you don't necessarily need to be a coder to create them. If you want to send out HTML newsletters you can use a newsletter service that offers HTML templates you can customize, like Constant Contact or AWeber. Or you can hire another virtual assistant to create a template for you to customize for each issue.

A text newsletter. These are the newsletters you get that don't really look like newsletters; they look like regular emails. These are easy to create... all you have to do is type in the text. While text newsletters aren't as pretty as HTML newsletters, they are easier to read for some people, depending on how they pick up their email. Plus, these look like messages from friends, which could mean more people actually read them.

A PDF newsletter. These are created in a Portable Document Format (PDF) and uploaded to your website. Then you send out a link to the newsletter. You will need a program that creates PDF documents to send out your newsletter this way. If you're graphically inclined, or work with another virtual assistant who is, you can do a lot of nice formatting with these. Also, it's one way to send a print newsletter without the cost of printing. Your subscribers can just print it out for themselves. Or save paper and read it online. :-)

One thing to remember with PDF newsletters is that it's nice to include a friendly note in the email you send out to announce your newsletter is ready. An email with just a link saying, "Hi, here's your newsletter," could easily be ignored by your subscribers on a busy email day.

Which Newsletter Format is Right for Your Virtual Assistant Biz?

For one thing, it depends on which you're most comfortable using. If you don't know any HTML and you're not prepared to hire someone for help, you might not want to start out with an HTML newsletter.

Do a little digging and see what other businesses are sending out to your target market. That will give you some insight into what your subscribers like to get and what they're used to receiving.

Finally, choose a format you'll be willing to work with on a regular basis. Can't stand the monotony of a black and white text email? You probably won't look forward to putting your newsletter together each month or each week if you don't like looking at it. Choose a format you will send out regularly so you can stay in touch with your valued subscribers.

Whatever format you do choose, remember it's not set in stone. As your Virtual Assistant business grows and your skills develop, it's natural that your newsletter will evolve too. If you start out with a text newsletter, you can redesign and change to an HTML format when you're more skilled. Or if you start out with a PDF version and want to simplify later on, you can always revamp and move to a text newsletter.

The most important thing is that you actually do start a newsletter - it's one of the best business building tools there is. The rest will fall into place over time.

Speaking of newsletters, you can subscribe to mine over at http://CassidarInk.com

Do you have a newsletter? Please share it below! Which format do you use?

Do You Need a Virtual Assistant Newsletter?

Virtual Assistants (VAs) just starting out with a new business have a lot of questions to answer...

How will you make money? (Will you ever make money?)
Do you need a website? (Yes, you do. Welcome to the virtual world!)
Who will you be a Virtual Assistant for? (That's called knowing your niche.)

And...

Do you REALLY need a newsletter? (And the follow up question to that is... Who's going to read your newsletter?)

No matter what type of services your offering, or which niche you want to serve, it would be helpful for you to have a newsletter.

For one thing, a newsletter or an ezine people can subscribe to gives you a way to keep in touch with people who are interested in your services, but are not ready to hire you just yet.

And once you do have customers or clients, your newsletter gives you a way to keep them updated with your news and to keep you top of mind. The easiest person to sell to is someone who's already purchased from you.

Even if you don't have any subscribers, there are still worthwhile reasons to start a newsletter now. Posting your archived newsletters or e-zines on your website is one way to add new content regularly, and potential clients might be interested in reading your previous issues. No one but you needs to know they were never sent out to actual subscribers!

To get subscribers for your newsletter, you can begin writing articles on your area of expertise and posting them in forums, article directories, and popular websites for your target market. In your author's resource box, include a link to the sign up page for your newsletter and invite the reader to subscribe.

One place where you can learn more about writing articles and getting newsletter subscribers is at my article marketing forum. It's free to join, and I'd love to see you there!

Why Trust Matters in Your Virtual Assistant Business

As you can tell from my last post, and the title of this one, I've been thinking a lot about trust lately...

Part of the reason for that is I've been reading a book by Stephen M.R. Covey called The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything. Covey's premise is that when you earn trust, everything in a business relationship runs more smoothly and quickly.

When things go wrong, you're more apt to give the other party the benefit of the doubt when you trust them. You will listen to their advice more closely, and be more willing to tell them what you're really thinking.

Covey cites several real-life, big business examples of how trust has sped up contract negotiations and mergers compared to expected timelines. Even though he writes about large corporations, everything he says can also be applied to small business - and, in fact, to almost every personal and professional relationship you have.

According to Covey, trust is built one small step at a time.

Earning credibility with others begins with trusting yourself, and believing you're deserving of other people's trust. He offers several practical examples of small steps you can take to learn to trust yourself (which might be why I found this book under the Self-Help, not Business, section of my local bookstore - his points hit a little close to home at times. Speaking of which... did you know, when you push that snooze button every morning, you might be undermining your credibility with yourself?).

In your virtual assistant business, that small step could be as simple inviting someone to sign up for a free gift on your website, and then actually sending it to them. Most of us do that anyway, for various reasons, but what you're really doing is building trust.

You build trust by showing up at your blog once in a while, if you have one.

By responding to an email inquiry in a timely fashion.

By having a resource box in your article, with a link that is related to the topic of your article.

By participating in a forum, offering solutions to your target market's problems.

By publishing your newsletter when you say you will.

Each thing very small in itself, but all leading towards the ultimate goal of creating trust with your client.

Here's a link to The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything if you want to check it out for yourself.

How to Gain Client Trust for Your Virtual Assistant Business

For the past year, I've been learning how to outsource many of my own routine tasks.

I say "learning how" because I've discovered that outsourcing is not as easy as I've frequently told my own clients it is.

For example, I contracted a Virtual Assistant to look after one of my email accounts for my WAHM article directory. From a Virtual Assistant's perspective, it's a no-brainer. These particular emails don't need my personal touch and they distract me from my revenue-producing activities.

But the thing is, I LIKE adding the personal touch. I LIKE meeting the people who are using my article directory. However, my bank account tells me I can no longer afford to dilly dally over email messages that make me feel good without making me money. (My VA now puts them into a monthly report for me, so I can still get that yummy feeling without wasting my time.)

The other thing I've discovered is that it's a lot harder than I expected to find people I can trust to help with my business.

So many service providers have literally vanished on me this past year, I am almost ready to join the chorus of many other entrepreneurs I've met, singing the "Never Hire a Virtual Assistant Again" song. Except, I know for a fact these incidents are the exception to the rule.

Since you're still reading this, I'm quite sure you don't fall into that group. And you're probably wondering what you can do to make it easier for potential clients to trust you.

Well, I can tell you one thing that always helps. I've started using this technique as well, and it really does help convert inquiries into customers.

Don't be afraid to give information away for free. I'm not talking about giving away the farm, or sharing your expert knowledge with just any Joe.

Here's an example of what I mean.When I go to someone for help, I've discovered the people who really are interested in helping me will tell me the steps I can take to solve my problem on my own. They will then offer to help me, or do it for me, if I would like.

This does two things:

1. It convinces me they know what they're doing.

2. It convinces me that they could do a better job than I would.

But most importantly, it helps me believe they are sincerely interested in helping me meet my goals.

How do you help your clients learn to trust you?

Starting a Virtual Assistant Business during a Recession

There's a rumor going around that it's a bad time to be a small business owner. To that, I say… please keep your rumor mongering to yourself. This could be the perfect time to start a virtual assistant business.

I've been working as a virtual assistant since 2004, almost 5 years, and this month I'm bringing in my biggest monthly paycheque yet.

I'm not the only one experiencing this phenomenon either. As business owners have to find ways to get more done with less money, many more of them are turning to virtual assistants to help them out.

If you're considering starting a virtual assistant business, don't let the media reports put you off. Instead, do your own research. Talk to other VAs. Research your market. Discover what services you could offer that would make their lives a lot easier right now. Then make your own decision about whether or not this is a good time to start a virtual assistant business.

Even though it's a good time to start a virtual assistant business, it's not a good time to waste your time and money figuring out how to do so. If you want to cover all your bases, and get your Virtual Assistant business going quickly, I would recommend you find a mentor to get you on the right track, and keep you there. Otherwise you could make a lot of costly mistakes.

Another affordable alternative is to purchase a virtual assistant training program, like the Virtual Business Startup System. This program walks you through all the steps of researching your market, writing your business plan, and even getting your first clients. It's the same system I used when I started my business, and I still follow the principles I learned from the program, so you know it really works.

Best of luck on making your virtual business a reality!

How Do I Find a Virtual Assistant for My Business?

I received a dm today from one of my Twitter pals, wanting to know if a VA could help her. She had realized that it would save her time and money to outsource some of her marketing tasks, but she wasn't sure how a VA could help - or how to go about finding the right VA for her business.

If you've been thinking about working with a VA, but haven't been sure where to start, you might find my response helpful as well:

Hello,

I know what you mean… I outsource some of my own business tasks to other VAs and it’s frustrating when I have to track down my projects, or get them back only to find out they were done incorrectly.

From what you described, a virtual assistant could definitely be a good choice for you. I’m a member of VAnetworking.com and they offer a free resource that might help you. It’s called Finding the Ultimate Virtual Assistant for Your Business and you can download it on their blog.

It’s also a very good idea to ask for references, and I would be very reluctant to work with any VA who isn’t prepared to provide them.

In my own virtual assistant business, I specialize in article and press release marketing. So, I help my clients get targeting web traffic for their businesses by writing and submitting articles and press releases for them. That’s one type of online marketing that’s very effective and can get good results quickly.


I hope this helps you begin thinking about the possibilities!