It could be the difference between whether or not you get the client! I've lost count of the number of times that people spell my name incorrectly when responding to an email I've sent - either directly to them, or via a discussion forum. And many of these people are VAs - it makes me wonder how much care they take in their own business practices. People's names are so important to them and when someone cannot spell their name correctly (not just a typo but an outright incorrect spelling) it … [Read more...]
Subscription Not Working
It's often easy to forget the lessons you learn along the way that others may not yet have come across. The beauty of someone being just that bit further down the road than someone else beginning their journey. Recently a VA tried to subscribe to my new site VA-Announcements but her address was knocked back as potentially fake by the subscription service. I tried but had the same problem so contacted the people who run the service and they sorted the problem out. The VA in question emailed … [Read more...]
The Right Client Mix
Around a month ago I gained a new client - she is in a different country to me and working in an area that interested me. I'd been engaged to manage her email lists, monitor her website and eventually set up her shopping cart with a well known shopping cart system online. However, two things worked against us. My daughter's wedding took place shortly after we had connected and I had several days when I was unavailable online - she had been informed but it was very early in our new … [Read more...]
VA Announcements – further info
After some thought and experimentation, I decided the best way to set this new site up is to make it a blog format. That way regular posters can register to become members (at no charge) of the site and submit their own posts whenever it suits them. So, if you have a VA event to list, why not head over there now to get started? KMT VA training, VA coaching, VA announcements, VA lists, VA forums … [Read more...]
VA Announcements
I notice on many of the VA forums that there are VA trainers and coaches, and other list owners, keen to promote the teleseminars, coaching sessions and other things they have happening and they want to let the VA community know. Some may feel they have a right to cross promote across the various lists as much as possible so they can get as many VAs involved as they can. Others might feel that it's not appropriate to do so on lists that aren't moderated or owned by them - personally I'm in the … [Read more...]
Developing Your Niche
During a class session last night I was asked how do you develop a niche market for your VA business? My own particular specialities had happened almost by accident but it is about knowing what you like doing and keeping your eyes and ears open. In 1997 I was offered a role to run the secretariat for a membership based group. I'd never done that type of work before but I knew I liked working on databases, organising events, and being in my own office. I met with the chairperson of the … [Read more...]
There’s Value in Writing Articles
I periodically get clients (new and existing) ask for assistance in getting exposure for their website and their business. There are a number of things you can do such as Google Adwords or any of the other click through advert programs available, make sure your site is listed with search engines and so on, but one of the best value items you can do, is write articles on your niche topic. How many others know your topic as well as you do? And how many others are writing about it? If you are … [Read more...]
Seeking free training?
I see a lot of people who are starting out in the virtual assistant or homebased secretary industry across a number of forums looking for as much free stuff as they can get, but the reality is that if it's really worthwhile, and it's going to help build and develop your skills, then it should be paid for. Bear in mind that any expense incurred in operating or developing your business is a tax expense and as you start out, it's probably best to plan what you need to do now and what you'd like to … [Read more...]
What a Week!
Those who know me well but didn't hear from me in the past week were getting worried - I don't usually not respond to emails and phone calls. But it was all for good reason. A week ago our youngest daughter got married and I had notified my team and all my regular clients that I'd be 'out of action' for a few days. I had family members here from interstate and country areas - not exactly easy to sit down and concentrate on work when you have guests in the house. By Tuesday evening we had our … [Read more...]
