It is clear to me through the various VA forums that the industry is continuing to grow. That’s a good thing.  And we see continued requests for VA support as well.  But it is also obvious to me that there’s not enough information out there for budding VAs in how to set up their businesses – or perhaps they just don’t know where to look.  I see the same questions being asked constantly at the forums and also get individual emails with similar requests.

And it’s probably been awhile since I’ve shared that information here so thought I’d do a new post.  These are all things I’ve done myself to grow and develop my business over the almost past 16 years (anniversary in March).

1.  Network - it is very important that you spend time getting to know people both online and offline. This means you don’t promote blatantly in people’s faces about what you do but you spend time finding out what they do and, in the process, show them ways you can help them.  Networking is about building relationships – it’s not about meeting someone once (online or offline), shoving a business card in their hands or sending a promotional email and then expecting business will come your way.  It won’t.  It takes time for people to develop trust and confidence in who you are, what you know and your ability to assist them.  I find it’s best to join a couple of physical networking groups of some type – business, social, sporting, or any other type of network.  Somewhere where people physically meet on at least a monthly basis, but more is good.  And yes, I did mean face-to-face – not just virtual and online.

2.  Business cards/signature block. You need to have both and they should tell people who you are, your business name if you have one, something of what you do if it’s not obvious and some contact details.  Business cards should be carried with you wherever you go and a signature block should be used in email and for any discussion forums you belong to.

3. Discussion forums – this fits in with networking but I wanted to address it separately.  Join in and participate but DON’T use these to spam the lists and promote your business.  If you join forums that relate to your industry then it’s no use promoting to your peers – they’re in the same boat as you. Learning about the industry and looking for clients.  If you join forums outside your industry let your signature block speak for you and keep the discussions on topic. No-one likes being spammed.  And please sign off your emails and let people know who you are.  Also DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPS.  If you’re a VA, or planning to be one, this tells recipients two things – that you are yelling or demanding attention and perhaps you don’t know how to type.

4. Rates.  It’s no use asking people at forums how much you should be charging. Many cannot tell you that and some forums don’t like discussions taking place as it may be perceived as price-fixing. You need to do your homework.  Only you know the cost of living in your area, how much experience you have and what your service offerings will be.  There are formulas available online to help you work out rates right for you and some memberships also help give you guidance in that area.  What is right for one VA may not be right for you.

5.  Service offerings.  Don’t promote you can do everything, because you can’t.  Think about what you’re good at and start with that.  So if you’re an excellent typist with accurate and fast typing speed, that is your selling point.  Perhaps data entry fits into that as well.  Don’t tell people you can do bookkeeping if you have no experience, same with web design, copy-writing, proofreading and all the other types of services out there.  Too many budding VAs get their egos deflated and give up before things have really begun because they bite off more than they can chew simply by telling a client ‘yes’ when it should have been ‘no’. Which is why building alliances at VA forums are a good thing.  If you can’t help the client you can refer them to a VA who can – the client is grateful and you build working relationships with other VAs.

6. Promotions/marketing.  This doesn’t have to cost you the earth and you should only pay out what you can afford.  However, that does not mean you should be looking for things that are free.  There is a saying ‘you have to spend money to make money’ and for the most part that is true.  Advertising is a legitimate business expense and a taxable claim.  Do your research, find out what works for your area or expertise and then try it out.  Give things a good 6 months to see if they’re working – don’t give up after a week or one month as that is not enough time to know.

7. Join VA networks. These are your industry associations. There are many out there.  Most of them have chat forums. Join these to check out the network and see how the members knit together and the culture of the group. If you like what you see and the member benefits on offer suit you, then join the network.  Two or three is good to start with.  I know that many VAs join the networks just to get work but the reality is that is only ONE of the member benefits for most networks. There are many others.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking that joining a network is going to give you heaps of clients as it won’t. But it will help introduce you to clients and slowly build your client base and the networks will also help you shape your business and learn from many others who have trodden the path you are now on.

8.  Get a web presence. If you’re operating as a Virtual Assistant, then by the very nature of our industry it is expected that you have a web presence.  Some of the VA networks offer you a page which outline your services – that is often sufficient for those just starting out and you can give that page address as your site.  But if you plan to have a website of your own, don’t opt for a free site that has advertising all over it.  You can get a blogsite at www.blogger.com and edit it to suit your needs, or pay for a self-hosted site and have Wordpress installed which is a really good option. Or pay someone to do the site for you if you don’t have the knowledge to build one of your own.

9.  Email address. Don’t use a free address such as hotmail, yahoo, etc.  Unfortunately many spammers also use these and you may not be taken seriously by those you want to do business with.  The purchase of a domain address is very cheap and web hosting not expensive either. It wouldn’t take much to set up an email address with a domain of your choosing and later build a site with that same domain when you’re ready.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Operating a VA Business, VA Education | 1 Comment »

This time of year traditionally gets people thinking about what has transpired over the past almost 12 months and what they would like to do for the following year.

Some look upon the year with sorrow and others filled with hope and promise.

What about you? What has this year brought for you?  Have you achieved?  Did you struggle?

January each year I have a prayer and planning day, thinking about what has transpired before and what my hopes are for the forthcoming year.  I type them up as bullet points in PowerPoint, add a colourful background that has some meaningful connection with my goals and then print off in full colour and laminate and have them in front of me beside my computer monitor so I see them every single day.

It is said that goals written down are set in concrete and become more achievable.  I do know that ever since I started doing this some years ago the majority of my goals are reached most years.  Last year I secured my first international speaking engagement and fulfilled that engagement June this year in Canada. This year my husband and I relocated to a home in the country and our surroundings are not unlike the photograph I had in the background of my goals sheet printed January this year.

If you have good intentions but struggle to achieve them then it’s likely there are two things you need to help you get there:

1.  Someone you become accountable to – I have a business coach I connect with regularly and he helps me stay focussed on my goals.  Do you have someone you can report to?

2.  Someone to delegate things to.  I’m a Virtual Assistant but that doesn’t mean I do everything myself. I have a team who assist me when things are really busy or if I don’t have the skillset required for certain jobs. Who do you have that you can delegate work to?

Make the time to sit down and assess things over the Christmas/New Year period and make plans for 2010.  Decide who you  need to report to, to help keep you accountable for your goals.  And decide who can help you when you are faced with things that need to be done but you don’t have the time, the skillset or the resources to get them done.

I hope this time of year is one where you can spend time with loved ones – family and friends and that it’s not spent entirely alone.  Reach out to others if you find yourself alone.  They will be grateful you did and perhaps new friendships will be formed.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Author's musings | 4 Comments »

I often get requests via email from people who want to become a Virtual Assistant. Sometimes via my VA forum, sometimes via my website contact form, sometimes by email and sometimes by phone.

It’s generally the written requests that concern me.  Some write in ALL CAPS. This is not polite and considered yelling. It also makes me wonder if they really do know how to type or whether they’re hiding the fact that they can’t.

Many do not proof read what they write before hitting send.  Their written examples give me little confidence in their ability to write for clients when needed, or even to liaise with them appropriately by email.

Some fill out forms intended for potential clients. This leads me to believe they cannot read and/or follow written instructions. More cause for concern.  I know they’re anxious for work but they do need to make sure they are filling out the right form.

If you’re someone anxious to become a VA please take the time to read properly, do what’s required when making contact and follow instructions.  You’ll be readily welcomed into our team of VAs as long as you meet the criteria.  New members are always welcome.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Mistakes VAs make, Operating a VA Business | 4 Comments »

I had a problem with one of my Telstra accounts. I’d inadvertently made a payment on the wrong account and I didn’t pick it up till after I’d made the same mistake the following month.

I couldn’t figure out why Telstra was saying I was in arrears when my bookkeeping program told me I was all paid up. I logged into my bank account and found the error.

Do you think I could get Telstra to do something about it?  I’d spoken to 3 different consultants over a period of a week and each time got told it would get sorted.  I even emailed them via their website and I got a reply email to confirm the payments had been located.

The last consultant I spoke with was a bit on the arrogant side and she told me they couldn’t do that – shift the payments to the right account.  I got very annoyed and demanded to speak to a supervisor (3 times as the consultant was ignoring my requests on the phone).  Eventually she went away and then came back to say the supervisor was in a meeting but would call me back.  I hung up in disgust and wondered what would have happened if the ‘wrong account’ had turned out to be another person, and not my business account. Would they have still refused to shift the payment to the right account?

So, what does any annoyed person do today when they have social media at their fingertips?  They tweet about it.  And very quickly someone at Telstra picked up on it and contacted me.  The guy got my problem sorted very quickly, followed me up by email and by phone and I’m now happy.  Perhaps I should have tweeted earlier!  Oh, and did the supervisor ring me back?  No but in fairness they have may learned that Twitter and @Telstra were sorting it out for me.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Technology, Twitter | No Comments »

The end of the year might not be far away but it’s not too late to plan for the New Year.

I have two options available for new and emerging VAs and you can sign up today!

Option 1. The VATrainer.com course runs over a 10 week period and requires you to spend some time doing research and homework.  You can send your homework to me weekly or at the end of the 10 weeks in one hit.  Once completed I go through your work, add comment where needed and provide you with a certificate of completion and a bound copy of the course.  Membership discounts to my VA network is also made available as long as you are eligible to join our team.

Option 2. The VA Coaching Club.  Newly formed this club will have monthly teleclasses, guest speakers, materials available for download by members and a forum specifically for members of the club to discuss things relating to the Virtual Assistant industry.  Currently available at a trial price for a short period of time if you contact me direct.

If you feel you need a kickstart for the new year then either or both will be suitable for you. And if you take option 1 but don’t have time to study now, that’s ok, as long as you sign up before 31 December you get the Christmas special price and can start doing your homework in the new year. Lessons should be completed by 31st March 2010.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Uncategorised | No Comments »

We read often the importance of follow up when networking and meeting people for the first time but what about when they’ve already begun using your service or product?  How many of you follow up afterward to see how things are going?

A couple of years ago I decided to set up an autoresponder series for follow up after clients fill out the job request form on my website.  I hadn’t realised how valuable this simple action would be.  Over that time I’ve received really valuable feedback as well as some excellent testimonials.  It’s also helped me discover clients who might have ‘fallen between the cracks’ and didn’t get a VA when they requested one. Few and far between but it does happen now and then and provided me the opportunity to correct that.

The latest response I got from a new client is this and it’s a great start to the day, I can tell you.

Thank you for the follow-up email. At this point all is well with my virtual assistants, and work is proceeding.

This site is fabulous, I am happy with all aspects of the service. I would not hesitate to use these services again, and will be recommending you to all in need.

If you don’t have some kind of system in place to follow up client requests then I encourage you to make a plan to change that today.

Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Filed under: Client Ed & Case Studies, Operating a VA Business, Technology | 4 Comments »