Virtual Assistants have become the target of many scammers and we are aware of it. Seasoned VAs work to help newer VAs open their eyes to this fact when they join VA forums and networks (just one good reason for not going it alone and making sure you join at least one active forum). However there are so many scams out there that appear real and real jobs that appear to be scams that we need to keep alert all the time and learn to discern reality from falsehood. We need to learn to ask … [Read more...]
What program should I use for a website?
Many VAs on forums are found to be asking about what programs they should be using to develop websites. As beginners they frequently don't have the funding to pay someone to do it for them, but also they feel that they should be learning about things like that themselves so they can advise clients about what's available, even if they don't end up providing that service. I often recommend Wordpress these days. It provides a great CMS (Content Management System) type website with static pages … [Read more...]
The Importance of Commitment
Periodically I get emails from VAs who have sought the assistance of other VAs only to be let down by them due to a lack of commitment, understanding of time sensitivity or simply just not taking the work seriously. They accept the job and then contact the VA outsourcing the work sometime later to say it hasn't been done or they don't have time, or something else has happened. I've had clients complain of the same thing - thankfully few and far between, but it does happen. Or, I've seen a VA … [Read more...]
That’s right! I can outsource!
I had an epiphany recently. Here I am, a VA of many years standing and I own and run a network of VAs. But I still try to do everything myself! A few nights ago I had dinner with a possible new client. I say 'possible' because I actually had tried to pass her on to my team members but she kept coming back saying she wanted me - she'd been referred to me and the person who referred her spoke very highly of my abilities. That's good, most of the time, but when you're stretched to the limit, you … [Read more...]
Benefits of Virtual Assistant Networks – Do the Research
There are so many networks out there these days that it's hard to decide which ones to go with, or should you join any at all? Many people are now entering the Virtual Assistant industry, having read about it in news articles, magazines and blogs, or having seen it via television business shows and news reports. But they are not always sure where to go and how to start. Using your favourite search engine should pull up various Virtual Assistant networks and organisations which really are your … [Read more...]
Taking Your Business To New Places
As your Virtual Assistant business grows and develops a routine you will begin to wonder where else to take it. You will be feeling confident in what you are doing and looking for opportunities to add to it. I have done this over the years. They might not always look like opportunities at the time, and occasionally had the appearance of nuisance value. But because I wanted to please the clients I had, because I enjoyed the majority of their work, I would take on the extra duties they gave me … [Read more...]
Looking at Payment Options for Clients
Many new VAs today have been told about retainer agreements and that they should be seeking them when securing new clients. Well, I'm here to tell you that isn't always necessary, and in fact, in all the years I've been running my business, I've only ever had one retainer client. He paid me once, didn't give me any work to do, disappeared and I never heard from him again. But you don't get many clients like that. Because I started prior to the Internet I began with clients who paid … [Read more...]
Don’t forget to introduce yourself!
I recently participated in an email promotion for a new book launch which was interesting to do - I have plans for a similar process for my book when it gets into Amazon in a month or so. Yesterday I received an email from someone I've never heard of to promote a book written by someone else I've never heard of and when I emailed them to find out how I got on their list, they advised I'd participated in the launch I mentioned above and they thought I'd like to participate in their's too. I … [Read more...]
Keep your bookkeeping up to date!
I try to make it a rule to do my bookkeeping on a weekly basis. By that I mean statement reconciliations, filing of papers, etc - I do the data entry daily as I complete jobs for clients. However, sometimes I get behind with the busy-ness of life, and wouldn't you know it, there are sometimes debits on my statement and I don't recall the business name or what it was for. I used to have to write 'miscellaneous' for the time being until I could remember what it was the amount was or what … [Read more...]
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