Virtual Assistant – THE Blog About Our Industry

About the Virtual Assistant industry for VAs and for clients

Monthly Archives: July 2006

Don’t Blow Yourself Out Of The Water!

When a new VA is starting out, there is the temptation to accept any job that comes along, just for the sake of having a client and work to do. But things can go awry very, very quickly, if you have no experience in that type of work, and if you don’t know what you’re doing. Some jobs may appear to be easy at the outset, but unless you truly have some idea of what’s involved, probably best to let it pass to someone more experienced. Some of these will include: transcriptions (audio & digital), bookkeeping, website design and maintenance, database design.

Best to start with things you know well and as you build your client relationships, and they ask you to do something you haven’t done before, then it’s worth exploring and learning how to do that thing. The client already knows what you’re capable of and would be more willing to accept that there is some learning time involved, without you feeling uncomfortable and that you are out of your depth.

But don’t worry too much if this does happen – as long as you learn from it.  Pick yourself up and start again. Even seasoned VAs have their ‘failure’ stories – I might share mine… one day ;-) KMT

Working Virtually – What Does That Mean?

I have on my VA website a Job Request form for prospective clients to fill out, asking them the questions that we need answers to, to know what kind of support they require. Two of those questions ask if they need local support and where the job is located if local support is required. However, not all answer those two questions and we end up with some interesting exercises to ensure that the right VA contacts them for their needs.

For example: If a client is based in the US and indicates that they do not need local support and that the location is ‘virtual’, that would mean to the team that it doesn’t matter where the VA is located and that the work can be carried out virtually. However, it seems that this is misinterpreted sometimes by the person filling out the form, or perhaps they do not realise that ‘not local’ can mean in another country, rather than not their state.

So, working virtually can mean different things to different people. I carry out duties mainly for clients in my own state and country – but it’s almost all virtual and I rarely see them face-to-face or in their offices. However, virtual can also mean carrying out duties for someone on the other side of the world, so it’s important to convey exactly what is meant by ‘virtual’. Perhaps I need to rethink my form so it’s clear to all those who choose to fill it out.  KMT

Taking Your Business Seriously

When setting up a business at home, I find that people tend to sort themselves into one of two different groups. One group takes their business seriously, putting in the groundwork to get it established, do the research, learn about their chosen industry, mix with the people who are already doing it and basically performing a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ type scenario.

The second group put in the mouth work, i.e. they tell people they’re setting up a business, but apart from having the equipment at home and their internet connection, perhaps joining a VA network, they do little else. In fact, they’re kind of waiting for the next step but don’t realise that they can’t wait for it to happen, nor wait for someone to tell them what to do, but rather, they have to make it happen.

I find the difference relates to two different mindsets – the latter one is an employee mentality, the former a business owner mentality. Which one do you have?

If you seriously want to get your business happening, then you need to take it seriously. In other words it needs to almost consume you. It should be in your mind constantly, seeking out opportunities to network, to let people know you exist. Seeking out new ways to improve on what you already do. Seeking connections. When it’s not foremost in your mind then it should be in the back of your mind so that your ‘business mode’ kicks in, in less than a moment’s notice if a suitable opportunity arises.

Do you carry your business cards around with you, wherever you go? And I mean WHEREVER you go. My husband once told me off for handing out a card at a funeral. But someone had asked me for my address to keep in contact and rather than scribble it on the funeral notice or a piece of paper that might get lost, it made sense to give my card instead. NEVER leave home without them.

I challenge you to think today about whether you take your business seriously or not. You need to be mixing and mingling with those who are already doing it and are successful – something rubs off over a period of time. If you need to, find a coach or a mentor to assist you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – not ‘how much do you charge?’ but rather ‘how did you find your clients?’ Take time to read information about this industry – I have a lot in this blog relating to developing a VA business and links to other sites you can also visit to give you more information. You can never do too much research, but don’t let the research be an excuse for not starting – you can ‘learn on the job!’ KMT

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Case Study #5

Cheryl is an artist, mainly oils and water paints, but does silks scarves and other items too. Her passion is cats and most of her paintings has a cat somewhere in the picture, and often she is too, depicted as a little girl with long blonde hair.

Her father is the second case study I did and he introduced me to Cheryl years ago. Periodically I do mail lists and mailouts for her, presentations on her artwork, media releases, brochures for her art shows, and so on. In these latter years she’s struggled with a health problem, resulting from an injury whilst teaching art, and I’ve had to type up a series of reports for her relating to her injuries and health.

However, she had to stop getting me to type her reports and I recently found out the reason why when she paid me a visit to do some other things for her. The ‘authorities’ handling her compensation claim told her that her reports were very professionally typed and as a result perhaps she could get a job as a receptionist or something? She told them she didn’t do the typing and that she had engaged someone, but they wouldn’t believe her. So both Cheryl and her specialist have taken to hand-writing on the documents I produced for her, with additional information, to drive the point home.

First time I’ve been told that I’ve done such a good job I could be jeopardising my client’s situation! KMT

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Networking – a life skill

I wrote recently about Robyn and networking – a client I really enjoyed working with. Tonight I had the privilege of meeting another great networker, and that is Ivan Misner, Founder of Business Network International (BNI). I was attending a “Meet the Founder” function in Melbourne, Australia, along with many other leaders of BNI here. It was a great evening, filled with information because we had a Q&A session where we could just fire questions at Ivan and he answered them. I took lots of notes, and made sure I got to speak with him, even if briefly. I was introduced to him as a lady who had worked with Robyn, and he has a great respect for her and called her the Queen of Networking here in Australia – which she definitely is.

You can read more about tonight’s function at SOHO-Life.

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