Virtual Assistant – THE Blog About Our Industry

About the Virtual Assistant industry for VAs and for clients

Just getting started – what’s the best way to find clients?

This is a comment/question I see regularly via forums, and particularly at LinkedIn.  People just starting out in the Virtual Assistant industry but not sure how to source clients and build their client base.

This question can actually apply to anyone in business – not just the Virtual Assistant industry. But since I write for the industry, I’ll focus on VAs for now.

I began my business in March 1994, pre-internet.  The way I found clients back then is still very much relevant today.  The Internet just adds another dimension and another way of doing that same thing – networking.

Networking, and the resulting word-of-mouth referrals, should never be underestimated.  Networking is a way of meeting people both online and offline, word-of-mouth referrals come as a result of people experiencing your service and telling others about it – both go hand-in-hand.

It is important to note that networking should NEVER be done just online.  You are missing a good percentage of your audience otherwise.  Locally there will be groups of people meeting for all sorts of reasons – business networks being just one of those reasons.  And because the number of people is very much smaller than the internet, you have a higher chance of being seen, heard, and noticed.

Some places you could look for networks or groups of people in your area? Local Council, Chamber of Commerce, business network groups such as BNI, Leads Club, or perhaps even Rotary, Lions, and special interest groups.

Online you can use a signature block to help people know about your business, at networking and business events, your business card is an important tool. ALWAYS carry cards with you wherever you go as you never know who you’re going to meet or where.  I’ve been known to pass on my card to a cashier when we’ve been engaged in conversation.

So, if you’re looking for clients – go out and mix and mingle with people.  Be prepared to tell them about what you do – without telling your life story.  Also be prepared to spend time listening – and not do all the talking.  People give you respect when they feel that you are listening to them.  And listening will alert you to their business needs.


Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Starting off the new year

If you’re like me, you may have been spending the past week still on a holiday break, knowing full well that work was just around the corner.  So, now it’s time to really take stock of what is ahead, or perhaps outstanding, to get the year started off right.  Here are a few hints and tips on things that VAs, clients and other business owners can do, to start the new year off right.

Your Outlook file. How big is it? Mine was nearly 2.5gb in size – too big!  At the beginning of each year, I usually rename outlook.pst to outlook20xx.pst for the previous year and then re-open Outlook. When it can’t find the old pst file it automatically creates a new one.  Then I go about importing my contact folders, drafts folder, and any other folders that are important to me. For my inbox, I elect to import everything for the past week (or month, whatever suits you) into the same folders as the previous file, so my preferred structure is reset up and I’m operating again.  After that I reset up my rules wizard as often that’s gotten into a mess too. Don’t forget your appointments too – make sure anything you’ve entered over the past month for the future is included too. My Outlook program is now ready for the new year.

What other things can you do?

Check all the folders on your computer.  Are there folders no longer relevant?  Perhaps for clients you no longer service, or groups you no longer participate in?  Archive, file or delete what is no longer required.

Does your computer need an overhaul? It’s gotten slow, or has software on it no longer relevant? If you don’t have the ability to do this yourself, book it in for a service with a reliable service provider.

Check the (c) notices on your websites and blogs to make sure they reflect the new year.

Basically, you want to clear out the clutter you have on your computer (and your desk) so you can start afresh for the New Year and be ready to jump to action without being held up by old messes and old things.

 


Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Australian VA Conference 2012

Have you caught up with the news yet? The 2012 Australian VA Conference will be held in Melbourne, Australia 4-5 May.  We elected to shift to the May date because of problems with the March date we’d been having for the past couple of years. Proposals are in from speakers, we’ll be announcing our program very soon but we can promise that there will be lots there for all VAs – newbies and experienced, alike, and those in between too.  And, if you know someone who isn’t a VA but does operate a home-based business via the internet, they would be most welcome to attend too.

Full details can be seen at the AVAC site and we look forward to receiving your booking to attend the event.  New venue – Parkview Hotel, where we can have the event, the dinner and accommodation all in one place.  Easy walk to Albert Park Lake if you want to get some exercise or simply catch a tram across the road to get into the city of Melbourne – it’s a short distance away.  Why not book today?  Early bird bookings close soon.


Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Are you prepared for the responsibility?

I saw a question at answers.yahoo where a woman was asking about becoming a Virtual Assistant. She’s keen to find work she can do at home and had been doing some research and discovered the term ‘virtual assistant’. She wanted to know if she could become one and how to get started.

I answered her query, gave some information and websites and then thought it was important to add this little bit of information:  “It is important for you to know that being a VA means you are self-employed. So you need to be prepared for that responsibility.”

Why did I add that? Because, all too often, I hear from people who want to work from home and have work given to them (so they can get paid also) but they do not realise what’s involved in being a VA.  It means being a business owner – it means you have the full responsibility for sourcing clients, marketing your business, tracking your finances, recognising that the buck stops with you if anything goes wrong and managing things every day, day in and day out, whether things are going well or not.

As I’ve often said in this blog, being a Virtual Assistant does not mean you’re an employee with limited responsibilities – it means you are a self-employed business owner. The good thing is you get to make all the decisions about the work you do, who you work with, how much you charge and how many hours you work. The bad thing is you get to make all the decisions…. etc, etc.

So, if the goal for you in 2012 is to set up a Virtual Assistant business, please go into it with your eyes wide open.  There are many out there willing to help you on your journey (including me), give you advice, point you to resources, assist you with training, and networks available to support you in your new career.  But ultimately you are still responsible for the day-to-day activities of your business. So, are you prepared for the responsibility?


Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

Punctuation and transcriptions

Do you have challenges with working out the punctuation in a transcription you’re doing for a client?  It’s not always easy to know when you should be putting a semi-colon or a colon, a fullstop (period) or a comma and so on.  I’ve heard the occasional person actually dictate when a fullstop should be used or comma, but not often.

I guess if you’re under 40 you might not have heard of the name Victor Borge but my husband and I were lying in bed this morning and something just got us thinking about him.  We googled him and were delighted to find there are many clips for him on Youtube.  Victor was a much loved Danish comedian, and a brilliant pianist, but probably more well known in English speaking countries for his comedy.  I remember growing up listening to him on my dad’s 78 records.  We used to giggle often at the sounds he made.  Victor Borge passed away in December 2000. He had made his home in the US in the 1940s.

I want to share this clip with you which demonstrates the phonetic punctuation he developed long ago. Enjoy!


Written by Kathie Thomas - Visit Website

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