Knowing Your Niche Means Sometimes Saying No

A few weeks ago, another business owner I've been eager to work with left me a voicemail.

Good news! He had taken on a new client and was hoping to outsource some of the work to me.

Finally. I've been dropping not-so-subtle hints to him about the possibility of us working together since 2004. So, I called him right back to find out what he had in mind.

The not so good news. :( Turned out he wanted me to install a web template and "pretty up" this new client's website.

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you'll know that web designy thingies are not my thing.

Oh, in case you're wondering why someone who's known me since 2004 would even ASK me to help on a project like this, well, it's not his fault. It's because way back in '04 (and '05... and part of 06) I had the misguided notion that a good Virtual Assistant had to do virtually everything. Not true, and the world's been a better place for me (and everyone who knows me) since that realization came about.

Anyhoo, what was I supposed to do about this "dream client" of mine who had FINALLY called and wanted to send some work my way?

I did the only thing I could. I said, "Thank you very much, but no thank you."

Oh, I was very nice about it. I explained that I was trying to get away from that type of work and focus on what I was really good at - writing and editing. I even offered to refer him to someone else.

I was briefly worried that would be it for him ever wanting to work with me again. But, he has contacted me since then about other stuff, so I'm still on his radar. And hopefully one day he'll need to outsource something to a good writer and editor.

Virtual Assistant Niche Idea! Become a Travel Agent VA

If you're in need of a niche, here's a fun one!

More and more Virtual Assistants are adding "Travel Agent" to their list of provided services.

Darrell Williams of Right-Hand-Man Virtual Assistant Services has already added Travel Agent Services to his repetoire, and he's loving it!

For more information on adding Travel Agent Services to your new VA business, visit his new PTN blog where you can get some more information and watch some very informative videos.

Starting a Travel Business - A Fun Niche for Your Virtual Business

Some virtual assistants are exploring new territory... by helping their clients see the world! If you're thinking of offering travel services in your virtual assistant business, here are some tips from WAHM Articles author Mindy Benkert.

A Guide to Starting a Travel Business

Do you like to travel and see the world? Would you like to help other people discover new countries, languages and cultures. When you start a travel business you will get to help other people with their travel plans, travel at discounted prices and earn a great income. Working as a travel consultant doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to work in an office. In fact, you can start own travel business at home.

How Do You Get Started?

There are multiple companies that offer travel business opportunities. They will usually set you up with your own travel website, travel agent id and extensive marketing tools to help you get started. Without partnering with an established company it will be very difficult to get your big break and find clients. Make sure you do your research before choosing a company to affiliate with. Search for information and reviews, and contact agents currently working with the company. Once you have decided on the right company, you will be able to market yourself as selling their services, and people will trust the name brand that represent.

Read the rest of the article...

Want to Be a Resume Writer? 3 Easy Steps To Writing an Effective Resume

A popular service for Virtual Assistants is resume writing. Here are some tips to help you prepare for this exciting niche.

An effectively written resume is the perfect tool to achieve the objective of securing an interview. In short, it’s an advertisement matching your client's skills to the employer’s needs. An "OK" resume may win your client a personal interview, but a strong resume will increase his or her chances of landing the job.

An effective resume should clearly indicate how your client will positively affect the company’s bottom line. Companies look for specific skill sets for every position. You need to look closely at the job requirements, and then emphasize those very skills in the resume you write for your client.

Keep It Short

Keep the resume short and easy to comprehend - after all, your client will give a detailed explanation of it during the personal interview. Employers have to go through many resumes to find the ones they find interesting, so make yours stand out from the crowd.

A typical employer is likely to spend little more than half a minute on each resume. That’s why perfecting your client's resume is a must; it should be short, eye catching and promising enough to get them to call your client.

Clearly State Your Client's Objectives

The objective is the ‘goal statement’ - it should be brief, but strong enough to keep the reader interested in reading further. Objectives should be written from the employers’ perspective, detailing how your client's past experience, skills, and educational qualifications will benefit their organization.

Highlight Your Client's Skills

Broadly outline your client's skills. Keeping it brief will enable you to put his or her strongest points first. Include soft skills like effective communication, being a team player, and leadership qualities. Also include technical skills, mentioning how he or she acquired them.

Highlight your client's functional area of expertise. Mention any special skills and certifications earned. All computer skills are important, as they indicate how versatile your client. However, list skills sets in the order that meets profile of the position your client is seeking.

Any accomplishments that you mention should be supported with documentation. Your client should be prepared to bring proof of anything contained in his or her resume if he is granted a personal interview.

Finally, many resume and cover latter templates are available. If you use a template, don't just copy and paste your information into the "insert here" spaces. Instead, allow the templates to guide and inspire you toward your own great masterpiece... and your client's new career.

5 Easy Ways to Always Give Your Niche Something New

by Alicia Forest

"Do I always have to come up with something new?"

This is a question I get asked often by my private clients, and the answer is a resounding YES, if you want to continue to grow your business.

Besides boring your target market after awhile, you'd get bored, too, so yes, you want to breath some life into your business by consistently coming up with new offers. This helps keep your list interested, and it helps you stay cutting edge in your market.

Here are 5 easy ways for getting and staying hot in your market:

1. Be recognized...

Start showing up - in-person and/or virtually - at events that are offered for your target market. Throw your own events. Be seen on discussion lists and popular blogs where your target market hangs out. Join the conversation, offer your valuable insights and comments, ask good questions and give good answers. Joint venture with your colleagues and double your efforts with half the work. Join associations made up of your peers and volunteer to be on a committee or head up a project. There are loads of ways to build your recognition in your market. Pick a couple and start doing them NOW.

2. Be open to offering other's products...

If you've hit a creative low point, there's always the option of offering someone else's product to your list. It's still new and fresh material to them and a new offer for you to make. Make a list of five of your colleagues who each have a product offering that complements what it is that you do and start building a relationship with them now (if you don't have one already), so when you want to offer thier product, they've gotten to know you and your business a bit so they may be more willing to say yes to that kind of strategic alliance.

3. Be more 'servicable'...

Take a fresh look at your service offerings. Write down what they look like currently on one sheet of paper, including all the features and benefits. One a separate sheet of paper, write down how you'd like your services to look, including all the features and benefits. You might be surprised to find a real difference. Based on what you discover, consider repackaging your current offerings in a way that better suits you and your clients.

4. Be trendy...

Enter the conversation already going on in your client's mind to spark new ideas. What are they reading, seeing on TV, involved in right now in their world? What current event or newsy item or popular TV show can you tie into your sales copy for your offerings that will keep it fresh and make stand out in an already crowded marketplace?

5. Be occasion-oriented

Tie a promotion into a holiday or special occasion. There's hardly a week that goes by these days that doesn't have some sort of celebration attached to it. Or you could make up your own. For example, January (New Year's) and September (Back-to-School) are great months for launching new products, programs, or services that allow the client to do, be and have better.

If you want to keep your clients and customers, keep them interested. Always be offering them something new, either in the way of a new product, program or services tailored to their wants or by tweaking your current offerings to keep them fresh and make them stand out in an already crowded marketplace.



Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & CoachT, founder of ClientAbundance.com and creator of 21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success SystemT, teaches 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 abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com.

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

Resume Writing Service - Questions to Ask Your Client Before You Begin to Write

Here are some of the questions I ask my clients to help me write a resume that will help them with the perfect job. Feel free to use them, or change them for your own needs!

1. Personal Information

Ask the client for his or her First Name, Last Name, and Email.
Does he want his email address on his resume?

You'll also need Telephone, Street Address, City, Province / State, Postal Code / Zip Code.

Ask the client what her Career objective is. What type of jobs will she be applying for? What is her ideal position?

2. Education

Beginning with the most recent school or training program your client attended, get the following information: Name of schools or programs, cities, province/state, years attended, awards received, were honors received.

3. Miscellaneous

Here you need to ask your client about his computer skills, licenses, volunteer activities, awards, other interests.

4. Work Experience

Finally, you'll need to interview your client about her work experience. Beginning with the client's most recent job, document the following information for each of your client's employers:

Employer Name
Type of Company:
City
State/Country
Date Started
Date Ended
If you supervised, number of people you supervised
Job Title
Tell us about your employer (including size of company, number of employees, list of products/ services and its place in the marketplace.
Where/ how do you fit into the company?
Day-to-day responsibilities
Special achievements – what did you accomplish while you were in this position?

5. Cover Letter

Does your client need a cover letter to accompany the resume? Would she like a generic cover letter, or is she applying to a specific company?

If she's applying to a specific company, you'll need the following information:

Company Name
Address
City
Province
Postal Code
Position applied for

Good luck to you, and your new resume writing client!

Virtual Business Niche Idea – File Conversions

A service many virtual business owners need is file converting documents into pdf format.

If you don't have a PDF converter tool, here's a link to a free one.

Virtual Business Niche Idea – Article and Directory Submissions

More and more online business owners are recognizing the importance of submitting to article directories and website directories. This is a legitimate and effective way to build an online presence and credibility. The problem is, though, it can take a lot of time to submit articles and website information to all these directories.

The Niche: You can submit articles and website descriptions to relevant directories for clients.

Research Required: Before you offer a submission service, you will need to create a list of sites to submit to.

You should list the name of the site, the URL, a description of what content the site will publish (i.e. only certain types of listings, or all types?) You can find these by doing some Internet research of your own. You may also need to sign up for an account before you can submit.

Four major article directories you want to include are:

EzineArticles.com
Isnare.com
IdeaMarketers.com
GoArticles.com

Software You Need: Submissions can be done by hand, but it is very time-consuming. You will find it much more profitable to acquire a software submission program.

Here are some programs you may want to look at:

RoboForm
Article Submitter
Article Announcer


Skills Check: You should be able to write site descriptions (unless your clients will be doing that part themselves). You must know how to submit content to various article and web directories.

What You Can Charge: Prices vary, but you can charge around $45 an hour for submitting to article and web directories. What you charge should depend on your target market and what they are willing to pay for this service.

Potential Clients: Clients for this niche will be website owners and online business owners who want to establish more credibility on the Internet, and gain more traffic for their websites.

How to Sell This Service: To sell a submission service to prospective clients, you may need to educate them on the value of links created by article and website directories.

Focus on the benefits this service provides. For example, it can take hours to submit to directories by hand. You save them time and by submitting for them, and money because you’re paying for the software yourself and can do more submissions per hour than VAs who submit by hand.

You will also increase your clients’ profits because these links will ultimately mean higher rankings in the Search Engines and increased traffic to their websites.

Providing an At-Home Proofreading Service

Do you have an eagle eye for grammar mistakes and typos?

Are you the first one to spot when a comma or an apostrophe has been misplaced?

If so, proofreading might be the right niche for your virtual assistant business.

Although many proofreaders have a masters degree in English, that's not a prerequisite to providing a proofreading service through your virtual assistant business. A BA with an English major, or another English course will suffice, so long as you have an excellent grasp of the English language.

And proofreading is certainly an in-demand skill. As the need for good website content grows, so does the need to make sure it's spelled correctly.

Proofreaders charge by the word or by the hour, whatever works best for you or for your business.

If you need more help finding the right niche for your new virtual assistant business, check out Tawnya Sutherland's Virtual Business Startup System. Tawnya walks you through all the steps of finding your right target market and choosing a niche that's in demand and that you will LOVE.