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!