I do have one thing to add here before I go on leave. This morning a new member of one of the VA chat forums I belong to posted a message requesting help on how to attract more work. Unfortunately their post was not very well typed, spelling errors, no caps used, words run together. I emailed them privately suggesting that their typed email is also a form of marketing - to their fellow VAs, and if someone wanted to outsource work to them, examples of their typed emails is the only way to get … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2006
Silence
I may be a bit silent here over the next few weeks. We're taking some leave (you can read about it on our family blog) and unless I have some fantastic thought or a sudden revelation, I'll probably not post here. Much of my writing comes from things that happen during my working day and so I expand on what's taken place, or on something I've shared with others, or something I've learnt. I will be meeting with some business contacts during the time away so perhaps something might be forthcoming, … [Read more...]
Putting Your Eggs All In One Basket
Discussions via the VA forums get quite interesting and it's good to see really meaty topics take place. Recently one of my team posted a series of questions for other members to answer and it gave real insight into the background of many, their experience, why they started out as VAs, would they ever return to the corporate world, and so on. One answer given to a question asked brought to memory something I'd done a couple of times (hopefully I've learnt from it) where I became dependent on … [Read more...]
Advice For Clients Seeking To Use A VA
Each virtual assistant works as an independent contractor in their own business. Some work full-time and some part-time and also in temporary positions. Because they work independently, prices vary amongst VAs, plus they are in many countries around the world, so feel free to shop around. Please understand that until the work is sighted, it is sometimes difficult to accurately price a job. Thought to consider: The speed and experience of one VA may mean they charge higher than another VA who … [Read more...]
Advice For New VA’s
Time again on VA forums I see the same request. "I'm just starting my business and want to know how to get clients". They get a number of responses and are often encouraged to read the archives of the forums for further information. I thought sharing via this blog might help those considering a career as a Virtual Assistant. Apart from the obvious requirements such as computer, internet connection, suitable software, good knowledge in how to use that software and suitable experience in … [Read more...]
Putting an Accent (Emphasis) on Your Business
I read today a newsletter that's just been published online for the VA industry. Had some great information in it - it's obviously tax time in the US! Along with it was a very useful article about how seriously VAs should take their businesses and the survey done in 2004 by the Brenner Information Group. The article is on page 6 of the newsletter (thanks Ramona). Please note that the figures quoted throughout the article are in USD and I believe a large number of those surveyed would have been … [Read more...]
Sad Week For Our Community
It was a sad week for the Virtual Assistant community with the passing of one of our very active leaders and participants in the Virtual Assistant industry. That lady was Janet Jordan, who was very well known amongst most of the VA chat forums and to many other aspiring VAs as well. Janet founded a training organisation to assist new VAs in the development of their businesses and many, many owed Janet so much. I never met Janet personally but had spoken to her via web conferencing (using … [Read more...]
What you think about!
A member of a VA chat forum mentioned that he was looking forward to going virtual fulltime and hoped it would happen by the end of this year (2006). His comment took me back about 14 or so years ago, to a mentor in my life who was also a doctor in psychosomatic medicine outside of our business connections. He taught me about the RAS. The reticular activation system (RAS) states that our minds are drawn towards what we think about. Have you noticed how when something in particular is on your … [Read more...]
It is the World WIDE Web!
I often have to remind people I converse with via email and chat forums, or perhaps those who write articles that are meant to be read widely, that we are in the WORLD Wide Web and not the Country Wide Web. In fact, I've kind of made it my personal quest so I hope in reading this it prompts you too, to think about this. What do I mean by that? Writers frequently forget that readers may be in a different country when they refer to a number of things such as currency, dates, temperatures, … [Read more...]