I received a newsletter during the week from a coach who was talking about the very topic of this blog post. It raised an important aspect and that is not all clients are a good fit for us as Virtual Assistants. I know if cash flow is slow, our businesses are new or going through a slump, that we want to say yes to every client that makes contact, but that's not always a good thing to do. Particularly if the client has had a bad experience with a previous VA - they can often react to us in … [Read more...]
Building relationships at LinkedIn
I was participating in a discussion at the Women in Photography group at LinkedIn recently as many of us are connecting to each other. We had a discussion about the importance of letting people know where they came from, rather than just send the standard invitation that LinkedIn provides. Here is my commentary on that subject: Checking the box does show up on the invite when received via email but isn't that obvious - the message that is sent says: I'd like to add you to my professional … [Read more...]
7 Questions to consider before hiring a Virtual Assistant
The Virtual Assistant industry has grown so much in the past 10 years that it's easy to understand that clients might get confused about where to find a Virtual Assistant and how to know if they've got a good one. There are some things you can do to put your mind at ease. Firstly, did you find them online or have they been referred to you? This will make a difference as to how you might feel about the working relationship. Receiving a recommendation or referral from someone you trust will … [Read more...]
Confused with marketing your VA business?
If you're not clear on what it is you do, or perhaps not clear on how to explain it, it will show, both in your vocalisation and your written word. Recently a new VA went to a networking event and she was unsure how to explain what she does. The people she was meeting with made some assumptions based on what they think an Assistant is and it confused her. They'd not heard of a Virtual Assistant before so she came to ask questions about what she should do and got a number of responses which … [Read more...]
Why did you start your Virtual Assistant business?
I was asked that question at a forum. Well, not me personally, but all the members of the forum. Got me thinking why I got started. I could sum it all up with just one word... frustration! There were lots of other reasons but frustration probably sums it up well. I was frustrated with growing up in a poor family and my parents not being able to afford things I wanted to do as a child. I wanted to make sure I could give to my children things that were necessary or because I wanted to. I was … [Read more...]
The Faceless People at LinkedIn
Social and business networks offer the opportunity for people to show their faces online when connecting with others. Which is why they have a place for uploading your photo. On social networks people often use images of their pets, favourite artists or their kids but when it comes to something relating to their business I really do believe they should be using their own photos. There are some who say they think their photo would get in the way of others doing business with them but I do … [Read more...]
Have the networking rules changed for a top networking site?
LinkedIn has grown to an enormous professional networking site with over 150million members now. It was only a few short years ago that I began to take it seriously and there were just over 14million in those days. There was a time when receiving an invitation to connect at LinkedIn, that LinkedIn would have a warning message at the bottom of the email invitation about whether you should connect with people you don't know. People used to be penalised if they got 5 or more IDKs (I don't knows) … [Read more...]
Beware of job scams
I had someone fill out my job request form the other day and I asked for more information before sending it out. It’s not unusual for clients to be vague when filling out the form so I usually do ask for more info when that’s the case. Glad I did as what she is outlining below is (I believe) a variation on the ‘receive the funds on my behalf, keep some for yourself and send the rest to me’ scam. I believe this is money laundering and she may be targeting VAs in Australia so please spread the … [Read more...]
How do I get clients as a Virtual Assistant?
A question I see over and over again at various VA forums. Here is my answer: Networking is very important when running a business, any business. Businesses only succeed if they have clients. It's why you see advertisements in magazines, newspapers and on TV and why you hear them on the radio. It's why there are lots and lots of different types of business networks that meet regularly, be it weekly, fortnightly, monthly or ad-hoc. It's why there are associations for every industry out there. … [Read more...]
