I was at a BNI presentation last week and the guy speaking was a salesman for a window company. He raised the subject of a marketing budget and encouraged us to consider that even our BNI membership fees are part of that budget.This is something I've always felt with respect to VA network memberships too. The networks are active in providing exposure for the industry and are proactive in attracting the attention of clients for their members, amongst other things. And yet so often I see (new) … [Read more...]
Last chance giveaways for Virtual Assistants
Today marks the last day for my Virtual Assistant Giveaways spree to celebrate 14 years in business. There have been offers of books, web hosting and VA Coaching. This applies to VAs in any country so don't make the mistake of thinking you are not eligible. If you are operating as a Virtual Assistant, or are in the process of setting up to operate as one, then all you need to do is subscribe to my blog and follow any other requirements on the various blog posts of the past week, and you could … [Read more...]
Responding to Requests from Clients
When you respond to Job Requests or Requests for Proposals via the different VA networks do you send your CV? Because VAs are business owners and not employees, the general consensus is 'no' - we're not applying for a job with an employer, we're responding to a request for help with a client's business. So, just how much information should you provide when responding to one of these requests? On one of the VA forums I belong to there has been discussion about whether or not to send CVs to … [Read more...]
Hiring a VA
I saw a blog post discussing the pros and cons of hiring a VA and the author asked a question but does not have comments switched on so there wasn't any way for me to respond. Nor does he have any contact information available. So I'm linking to his post here and answering his question. He was asking about engaging a VA from another country and discussed that the time difference and economic value could be advantageous but if you needed phone contact with a VA that could be a disadvantage and … [Read more...]
Getting Paid To Write For A Year?
If you're like me then the subject for this post would sound like a dream! And it does to me. I love to write and get nowhere near enough time to write as much as I like. And frequently I come across items I'd like to write here for our industry and if I don't quickly write it down, the idea is lost again as I concentrate on my work throughout the day. So, I've entered this competition and invite you to vote for this blog. If I were fortunate enough to win it would allow me to spend time … [Read more...]
Are You a VA in Singapore?
We've started to get enquiries for VAs in the Singapore region. We did have one member there but she's shifted and now we're left with no-one. I've made a few enquiries and did locate one person but she did not have the 'secretarial' skills required by the company asking. The company rang me again this morning to see if we'd had any further luck. As knowledge of the VA industry increases, along with the need for companies to do business in other countries, access to the support provided by VAs … [Read more...]
New Look Blog!
I'm still tweaking it, but now have Virtual Assistant - THE Blog housed on my own server, using Wordpress. I've been learning this program for just over a couple of months now and have been able to successfully import this blog from its previous home. Please do update your bookmarks to http://www.vadirectory.net/blog/ for new posts or, if you haven't already done so, subscribe to my blog at the left of screen and new posts will be automatically emailed to you. KMT blog theme, blog template, … [Read more...]
Steps for operating a blog
As I often share information about using blogs these days I’ve been asked several times, how do you go about it? So, for the benefit of those who wish to learn, and don’t yet fully understand, here are the steps: 1. Go to www.blogger.com and create a username and password if you don’t already have an account (if you are reading this at blogger then print it off, follow the steps and click on the blogger logo at the top left-hand of the screen). 2. Next choose a name for your blog – try … [Read more...]
