Virtual Assistant – THE Blog About Our Industry

About the Virtual Assistant industry for VAs and for clients

Monthly Archives: October 2009

Email and Forum Etiquette

There seems to be an increasing trend of replying to a personal email or forum based email and not include the message being responded to.  I find this rather annoying to say the least, not to mention time wasting.

Email is still not 100% proof as we all know and if I’m interested in seeing what someone is responding to, but they haven’t included a portion of the originating email, it means time is wasted trying to find the original email or be forever in the dark if the original email wasn’t received. And I hate being in the dark!

Yesterday I was trying to follow the thread of a conversation on a forum but had to keep going back to previous emails to try and figure who was responding to who and about what.  Very disjointed.

And today I received an email from someone I don’t know thanking me for my offer of help regarding their website.  And yet they did not identify themselves and did not have the original email included.  I did a search of my sent files for their email address and they aren’t listed there – at least not over this past month. So what were they replying to and what did I say to them in the first place?  And how long ago? I’ve had to ask them.

If you’re new to email or new to participating in email based forums, it makes good sense to include the part of the original email you are responding to, to keep a trail of the conversation that has been begun.  And if you’re emailing someone direct from a forum, copy and paste the bit you are responding to so it keeps them in the picture.  Makes for much smoother lines of communication.

Keep abreast of their industries

In my last post I mentioned I get a regular enewsletter for the professional speaking industry.  I provide virtual assistant support to a number of professional speakers, both here in Australia and in the US.

I believe it’s really important, as a service provider, to keep abreast of my clients’ industries and what is happening for them. So when I can, I register for ezines and newsletters, join their discussion forums or even register for events.  Sometimes the clients ask me to subscribe so I can report back to them and advise of things they need to know about. Sometimes that means I have to explain what something is or how it works, because I may have a better knowledge of whatever that item is – usually something to do with the web.

If you feel you don’t have a handle on your client’s industry and how it works, then it is vital you get that information as quickly as you can.  Ask your client about industry publications, and do the research. The more you can help them, the more valuable you become in the operation of their business.

Practical Advice for Social Networking

I get a regular enewsletter called Speakernet News.  As a Virtual Assistant for Professional Speakers I like to keep abreast of what’s happening in their industry.  The following came from their most recent newsletter and I sought permission from the author to republish it here.  The article makes really good valid points about using Social Networks and setting up profiles.

Social network tips – RJ Garis

There is no point in having a MySpace, Facebook or any other profile unless you are going to keep it active. If you are not going to log in daily or at least weekly, don’t bother having one. It will just send the wrong message.

People will think you are disorganized and neglectful. Messages and add requests received on a social network profile must be handled in a timely manner (just as if they came from your primary Web site).

You must also guard your content. Don’t accept all add requests. That will turn your profile into nothing more than a joke. When it comes to social networking friends, it’s about quality, not quantity. You must make the time to actually screen them, or again don’t bother having a profile.

Don’t accept irrelevant add requests either. In other words, make the effort to keep it all real. You should also set your preferences to pre-screen all comments people want to post on your profile.

Decline anything not in keeping with the image you want to present.

Don’t allow raunchy sexual photos or foul language, and don’t allow random people to use it for their own advertising. Otherwise, your profile will quickly become irrelevant, boring and less than legitimate.

Remember, a profile is just another form of Web site. It’s part of your public persona. Before adding anything – consider the impression it will have on those viewing it.

Do you produce a newsletter?

I do. I have been since the second year of my business. That means I’ve been producing a newsletter for around 14 years now on a monthly basis.  I missed a few months here and there in the early days but it has been monthly for quite some time now.

In the early days, it was printed and posted and I would periodically hear from people who had a copy passed on to them from the recipient. That was always nice to hear.  I would sometimes use a guest writer for the main article but mostly I’ve written the articles myself, teaching clients and others about our industry and the services we can provide for them with the various tools and technologies available to us.  Without doing a hard sell – I just like to share information and stories.

The newsletter shifted to email delivery around 1999 but I didn’t save them!  I should have. The archive I have online dates back to July 2000.

What is the value of a newsletter?  It keeps your name in front of people.  I’ve often had people say to me that they had heard from me just when they had a new ‘job’ that needed doing and they were thinking about who to contact.  Me, of course!  But ‘out of sight’ often means ‘out of mind’ as well so a timely newsletter is ideal to prompt their memories.

Yesterday is a perfect example.  I sent out my monthly newsletter and got a reply email from a company who was just thinking about how to contact me because they had a new job coming up – a fairly large one.  I knew that not everyone on my list had seen the email yet – my broadcast system lets me know that, so to already have gained one job from the mail out is a good thing.

If you’re not yet doing a newsletter for your business contacts, don’t you think it’s time you did?

There’s still time!

Are you a new VA and wanting to get your virtual assistant practice up and running in the new year?  Have you thought about doing some training to get you moving in the right direction?

There is still time before Christmas to sign up with my VA Trainer course. I have been with the industry since its birth and have watched it grow over the years.   But don’t let me be the one to tell you, why not see what others have had to say about my course?

“I would like to say a big thank you for offering this course.  My money is well spent.

When I first joined your site, I thought I had a fair idea of how to start up a VA business.  I was terribly wrong and naive.  I have learnt more than I could have imagined.  My business has grown in leaps and bounds already simply by implementing what I had learnt from your course week by week.  I now have a database of contacts and if I look back to 10 weeks ago and what I have achieved in those 10 weeks it is quite amazing.

I also want to thank you for your participation.  You are only an email away for questions or advice.  Thanks again Kathie, you are a fabulous mentor. ”

Tina Litte (recent graduate)

“I cannot overstate the value of “A Clayton’s Secretary” (ACS) VA Coaching & Education Course. The training helped me organize; differentiate myself from others and to present my unique value.

The course was very informative and provided in-depth insight to the latest technology in the industry. Also, I received valuable information and extra links to retrieve more information on becoming a very successful and sought after VA in the industry.

I highly recommend the ACS coaching and hope to utilize their other courses in the near future; to enhance my VA practice more efficiently.”

Loraine Nelson, Dial-A-Va Inc., USA

VATrainer is a 10 week course, delivered via email and you do the homework at your own pace.  But that’s not all!  With this special offer you also get 12 month’s membership of the “A Clayton’s Secretary” network AND 12 month’s web hosting for your VA site.  Now, isn’t that something to celebrate?

Why not register now to get your early Christmas present and set yourself a date to start your VA practice for the new year!