“We don’t go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.” John G. Blumberg VA Tip: Sometimes it's easy to let our values drop when a client wants us to do something for them that doesn't quite align with our own values. Or perhaps we get swept away with hype that someone has been promoting and others have been jumping on the bandwagon. Be careful not to cross this line. You need to … [Read more...]
Who should you be asking?
Sometimes on the VA forums I see people asking questions that really should be directed to others more equipped and qualified to answer those questions. For example, should I have a business license? Or, if in Australia, should I be registered for an ABN or GST? While people on forums can answer these questions, if the forums are global, rather than national, then the new VAs run the risk of receiving advice that really isn't relevant to them in their location. Who should they be asking? They … [Read more...]
Should I be receiving mail on behalf of a client?
Periodically requests might come through from a prospective client to receive mail on their behalf, and forward it on, as instructed, because they're out of the country. I believe this request could be fraught with problems, and possibly danger, and is one that should be handled with the utmost care and a lot of thought. Irrespective of your need, as a VA, to grow your client base, there are some client requests that should be handled with caution or declined. A recent request came from a … [Read more...]
Is this job a scam?
This is something I see posted on the VA forums from time to time and it amazes me that some cannot see common sense with the jobs that are offered. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, unsure, uneasy, then there is a good reason for it. If the job requires you to handle the client's money to pay their bills and buy things - DON'T do it! Never, ever take on jobs that require you to pay bills on behalf of clients or do shopping for them. Nor accept their mail for them or buy gifts on their … [Read more...]
When the client search is on
When we are new in business, or business is slow, the client search takes place. Sometimes it's hard to know where to look, what to do, who to contact, in order to secure clients quickly. After all we're in business to make money and to do that we need clients. Where do they come from? They should come via our own efforts of networking, connecting with people, both offline and online, and helping people to learn about our services. They should come from our own personal databases and personal … [Read more...]
Being friends with the client
A couple of my VA team members have contacted me recently about past clients and shared some insights with me and their experiences. We all thought that this might make a good topic. It's probably something you don't think of when you're new in business and I'm sure it's probably something that has happened to many who have been in business for some time. What am I talking about? The client who takes one step closer and decides that you've become their friend. As such they'll start sharing all … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistants and Digital Transcription
Digital transcription is a popular choice of service provision for many Virtual Assistants and when new VAs join the industry they often see many of these jobs being promoted via the various VA networks. They're quick to jump on board to offer this as a service too. However, fast and accurate typing isn't the only skill that's required for providing transcription support. You also need to have the ability to spell accurately, know where to put in items such as commas, fullstops, semi-colons, … [Read more...]
How to get started as a Virtual Assistant
If you've been a Virtual Assistant for awhile, you're probably like me, and get many approaches from those who want to be a VA but have no idea where to start. Often they will ask if you have work you can pass on to them. I had someone recently contact me after seeing me on LinkedIn, to find out if I had a friend or someone who would like a Virtual Assistant. This was my response to her: I am a Virtual Assistant and if I’m going to refer any of my clients to a VA, it would have to be a VA I’m … [Read more...]
Building a VA business – takes more than a day…
I watch the VA forums online and love to participate and encourage all within the industry, particularly the newbies. But I do have a concern that there appears to be this misconception that they'll have a fully functional business within a month or two, and when they don't, they become very despondent and ready to give up. Where does this perception come from? Is it all the marketing online about overnight businesses, working just 4 hours a week or something else? Any business, no matter … [Read more...]
