I have a collection of cards that are meant to be topic stimulators in meetings and I find them great for posts to this blog. The topic this week is: Spirit - Of Adventure & Achievement What does Spirit - Of adventure & achievement mean to you? To me it means having the spirit to venture forth and try things out, to be willing to have a go at something for the sake of adventure but also for the sense of achievement after that thing is completed. To know that even if you are not fully successful … [Read more...]
Networking – Information and Relationships – TAMT
One of the things I love about networking the most is how relationships can develop. Good friends, good information, good business. Developing a business as a VA requires networking both online and offline. It's important to get a good mix of the two. Some are so desperate for the 'virtual' thing to start happening that they overlook the importance of laying foundations - and often those foundations need to be on solid ground, not cyber space. Getting in the middle of the networks that your … [Read more...]
110% – Give Your Best – TAMT
What does it mean to give 110%, to give of your best? I believe it means taking something further than most people would. I believe it means to give or do as much as you can for the task at hand, and then a little more too. In this day and age of rush, rush, rush, people tend to take short cuts and say 'that will do' when often it barely meets the client's needs. As VAs it is important we demonstrate to our clients that we are prepared to give 110% - that we will treat their business as our own … [Read more...]
These Are My Thoughts, or TAMT
One of my team wrote me about a man named "Bill Caudill, an eminent Architect (AIA Gold Medal recipient) who, between 1964 until his death in 1983, put out a regular memo to his people titled "This I Believe" or TIBs. He used to write his thoughts and send them to his management as a Memo and before long, they were being pinned on the noticeboard for the entire office to read. They generated so much interest that Bill continued this practice on a weekly basis. " Today they're available weekly … [Read more...]
Learning on the Job!
I was thinking this morning about a recent chat with a client who indicated through their conversation that I should be charging them cheaper because they’re getting me to learn a new system and it would then be something I could do for other people. When I say cheaper – I mean considerably lower than I was charging – although I had already lowered the rate from my real rate. It then occurred to me (this morning) that my entire business life has been spent learning new things as each … [Read more...]
Network, Network, Network!
Virtual Assistant Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 4:37 pm Post subject: Network, Network, Network -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is nothing like networking to give your business a boost. It is a bit like planting a seed, watering it and then watching it take root - it can take a few months before the first nibbles come in, but when they do - it is usually worth it! You've heard the saying 'it's not what you know, but who you know'? and in … [Read more...]
Employee Mentality or Business Owner Thinking?
It is often hard, when starting out as a VA to determine what information you should be seeking, whether something can be sourced elsewhere, or whether you should be doing it all on your own? I participate in several VA forums and often see new VAs asking for items that they really should be sorting out for themselves. Things like contracts, rates sheets, brochures, business plans and other items. What should they expect help with and what should they be doing on their own? The key word here is … [Read more...]
Maintaining Your Professionalism at Home
How do you do it? How do you cope with family and working at home? I was asked these questions recently at a networking breakfast but it's not the first time I've been asked such questions. Perhaps the answers came naturally to me, perhaps they were instinctive, or maybe they were something instilled in me at a much younger age, but it all seems pretty much common sense these days. And yet not so for others. Hence why they ask the questions I suppose. What am I talking about? Managing my … [Read more...]
Outsourcing or Offshoring?
There has been a lot of talk and many articles printed about the benefits of Offshoring as opposed to Outsourcing locally. There has also been great debate about whether the cheaper costs of Offshoring are outweighed by the benefits of Outsourcing locally. Within a space of a few short years it has become evident that not all cases of offshoring have been beneficial with the end user (the consumer) becoming disgruntled with trying to communicate with telemarketers who do not understand the … [Read more...]
