There's been a discussion on a VA forum recently about the value of joining BNI as a Virtual Assistant. If you don't know what BNI is it stands for Business Network International and can be found at www.bni.com internationally or here in Australia, bni.com.au. I belong to the Melbourne East region. I joined when it first came to Melbourne around 10 or 11 years ago and was a member for over 5 years. Things changed for me on the business front and I decided to leave BNI for a time. My husband … [Read more...]
Twitter 4 VAs
Networking is such a useful thing to do. Less than two weeks ago I attended the 90 Day Networking Event in Melbourne, being held by Networking World. I met quite a few people (there were over 150 in attendance) and have connected with some of them since. One of these people is Keith Keller, whom I like to nickname "Mr Twitter". Keith is a Global Social Media Coach who focuses entirely on Twitter. He teaches you how to get the best out of your Twitter experience and runs sessions called … [Read more...]
The etiquette of posting on Facebook page walls
I logged into my business page last week and was surprised with a promotion for a service by someone else that I hadn't put on my wall. What disgruntled me was that I also provide that same service (Wordpress Training) and I thought that person had a cheek promoting on my wall to all my likers about their services. I reported it as spam and removed the post. I had tried to leave a comment on their wall however because they were an individual posting and not from a business page, and I hadn't … [Read more...]
Should I charge low?
It's a common question I hear from those who are new Virtual Assistants just starting out. They're keen to get their first clients and think because they're new they should be charging low. The answer to this is no, no, and a resounding NO. Don't undervalue yourselves. Just because you're new to the industry doesn't mean your value is any less. What about all the experience you have behind you? And I'm assuming you do have experience otherwise you should not be starting up a VA … [Read more...]
Joining a Virtual Assistant Network makes sense
I use Google Alert a lot to keep me informed of the industry and also about things relating to my clients' businesses. One thing I often see are blogs about where to find a Virtual Assistant or comments on blogs from new VAs who are keen to find work, clients and learn more about the industry they've joined. What amazes me is that a simple Google search will direct people to the Virtual Assistant Networks that are out there and yet so many seem to miss this fact. Virtual Assistant Networks or … [Read more...]
What can a Virtual Assistant (VA) do for you?
Virtual Assistants look after a wide range of clients. My own core client base consists mainly of business coaches, professional speakers and authors, but I have a few others who do different things, such as a couple of nurses who run workshops for new parents, a lady who is a trained operatic singer and another who runs a dance school. Below is a list of services provided by myself and my team of VAs currently but there are sure to be other things too! Word processing Data entry Authors … [Read more...]
Special offers for Virtual Assistants and their clients
You may remember my mention recently of a 'sick scam' where an affiliate was processing orders using stolen credit cards on my shopping cart on this site. Not a nice thing to happen and I'm still getting things sorted and processing refunds as people contact me. I can say the bank hasn't been as helpful as I would have hoped, given that I'm not the perpetrator but a victim too, but that's another story. At any rate, I'm working hard to recoup lost funds, cover refunds and pay additional fees … [Read more...]
Virtual Assistants – use your own domain for email
Many emails are sent by business people, and particularly business owners, using free email accounts such as hotmail, yahoo, and others. Often these addresses don't appear professional and it's hard to know if the sender is genuine or not. If you want to provide a professional image, consider this: A domain name reflects your business name or your particular industry - why not use it as potential for telling people who you are and what you do? Because of number one above, it helps people to … [Read more...]
Want to set up a Virtual Assistant business?
Perhaps you're not sure where to start or how to go about it. Why not let me help you get started? With over 17 years in business, and having founded the industry in my country as it birthed around the world, I am well placed to guide you in setting up a VA practice and build a satisfying business. I spent the first 10 years in the industry mentoring other upcoming VAs till it occurred to me I really should develop something that was more structured. Enter VATrainer.com which was launched in … [Read more...]
