Mass Marketing vs Target Marketing

Have you ever wondered;

“if you’ve done marketing differently from the start,

what the outcome could have been?”

Well, that thought crossed my mind this week while I was reading a bedtime story to my daughter. I was actually amazed with how I could draw a parallel between the story and how so many of us (and I speak out of experience) are marketing our businesses.

I would like to tell you the story (in a few words), so you can understand what I mean.

The story was about a very poor little boy, who by some tragic events was the only provider for his sick mother and 2 little sisters. To ensure there was food on the table he daily went to the nearby lake and spend hours waiting with his shotgun for a flock of geese to arrive.

Having only one shot per day and hoping that one of the pellets in the shot actually kills a bird, he had to get his timing right. Unfortunately it often happened that his one shot didn’t even kill one goose and he had to go home disappointed and sad because his family didn’t have meat to eat.

Then one day while waiting at the lake a hunter passed by, spotted the boy and asked him what he was doing. After some conversation, the hunter felt very sorry for the boy and gave him his rifle and 3 bullets as well as the instructions that when he shoots his first deer with the rifle, he must take it to butcher’s stall at the market place.

The boy was too afraid to use the rifle and carefully buried it under a huge tree. Eventually his shotgun ammunition run out, and after many weeks, struggling to provide for his family, his sick mother died.

He then remembered about the rifle, the 3 bullets and the instructions from the hunter.

Well, to make a long story short, he killed a deer with the 3rd bullet and that one kill changed the boy’s life. It not only provided food for himself and his sisters, but he could also sell the access meat to the butcher at the marketplace. Through a good strategy of repeat kills and selling the meat, he eventually became quite a wealthy man.

This is just a children’s story, but it actually made me sit up and realise the truth behind it with regard to how we sometimes do our marketing:

The shotgun approach (mass marketing) vs

the rifle approach (target marketing).

As in the story above, a lot of us sometimes use the shotgun approach in marketing and hope that one of the pellets hits a client – any client.

We are also sometimes too afraid to use the rifle approach to target a specific type of client in the fear that we might lose out on a bigger audience.

We want to be…

“All Things to All People”

We’re trying to spread our marketing message to anyone and everyone that is willing to listen; we do a truckload of general advertising to the mass market in the hope that some of it will hit a target; we want to have such a wide range of services to enable us to take each and every job that comes our way; and ultimately we become a “jack of all trades and a master of none”.

But, what often happens with this type of “shotgun-mass-marketing” approach is that

• VAs are mostly disappointed with the results they get or
• they tend to do a lot of work that they don’t really want to do or have experience in

Eventually they reach a point where they have to do some soul searching and need to make important decisions about their ideal clients and how to reach them.

It is at this point, that they start taking a look at the “rifle approach”.

What do you want to do?  Wait for a turning point in your business, or use a rifle from the start?

I would love to hear what you think about this.

Getting Clients is Easy

“Getting clients is easy if you are willing to build relationships with your prospects” – Marietjie Steyn

Yet, most virtual assistant business owners find ‘getting clients’ one of their biggest headaches and for many years I had the same situation until I’ve discovered that “you have to put relationships before your agenda and value those relationships above the transaction” to change the situation.

That’s right.  People will only do business with you when they trust you and that’s not all.  When they trust you they will refer their friends to you.

Want more clients?  -  Build Relationships … 

Most people think contacting a prospect once, is enough to make them line up in front of your office door begging for your “service”

but

the fact of the matter is that you have to make contact with a prospect at least 18 – 24 times per year to build a sound relationship.

Wow, 24 times a year? 

Yes and if you commit yourself to contact your prospects on a structured, well set out plan and keep track of it for at least 12 to 24 months you will have more clients than you can handle on your own.

A couple of thoughts

1. Build a database of 100 prospects (the average person knows 285 people according a Gallup poll)
2. Send your prospects an item of value each month
3. Call your prospects every second month
4. Send them a handwritten note six times a year
5.  Remember to ask for work or referrals

And remember …

Not all of them will become clients but they might refer friends and colleagues to you.

Let’s talk numbers

If only 10% of your prospects (100) become loyal clients and only 10% of your prospects (100) refer one person to you over a period of two years and of these referrals only 5 become your clients you will have 15 loyal clients in 24 months.

Wow!!

Do you think this is worth a try?   Especially in our industry?

I did exactly that and secured more deals than ever before.  And that’s not all!!  I’m  still getting referrals from my database without even asking!

Do You Have The Nimbleness to Be Successful?

Starting your own virtual assistant business nowadays is actually easy.  Yeah it is!  With the help of the internet and all the free information available, all you have to do is Google “starting a virtual assistant business” and “wallah” you have 526 000 results in 0.26 seconds.

Or is it really that simple?

Well, maybe if you only want to start a business.  But if you want to run a successful VA business you have to dig a little bit deeper into the qualities and characteristics needed to help you put bread and butter on the table.

Now if you thought 526 000 results in 0.26 seconds was good, when you Google “characteristics of an entrepreneur” you’ll get 1 570 000 results in 0.12 seconds. Wow!

Ok, enough of the statistics.  In my eyes there are 5 essential qualities or characteristics that stand out above the rest and I am convinced that if you possess these qualities you have what it takes to make a success of your Virtual Assistant business and career.

1.    Self-motivation

As a Virtual Assistant and independent business owner, you are the boss and should be able to motivate yourself.  You determine your pace, motivate yourself and know that if you don’t work you don’t earn an income, and the “no money no honey” phrase is your motivation to be in the office on time, schedule your work in advance and make sure your mental strength is fed on a daily basis with a positive attitude.

2.    Confidence and the Ability to Organize

 Virtual Assistants normally work with several clients and need to keep their workspace and projects well organised and has to have confidence in what they are doing. Although this seems to go without saying, it does take a lot of effort and planning to stay on top of matters and procrastination, tardiness and delay can be fatal to your success.

3.    Initiative and Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness, initiative and pro-activeness are excellent qualities of top Virtual Assistants.  Various clients mean different tasks and sometimes you will have to put your ‘problem solver’s’ hat on and come up with the answer that is baffling your client.  You should be able to take initiative, dig around, do research and become their vast resource of information. 

4.    Intelligence and Good Communication Skills

 Intelligence does not mean you should be a Harvard Scholar but it means that you should be Virtual Assistant Wise.  You should be a quick thinker, know what you do and how to do it.  If you add to it the ability to communicate with clients in a positive, understanding, clear and to the point manner you will definitely set yourself apart from your competitors. 

5.    Professionalism

Professionalism is perhaps the most important quality of all and can best be described as a mixture of courtesy, integrity, class and excellence.  Professionalism is paramount and will distinct your business from just a ”work from home” job to a successful virtual assistant business.

Do you posses these qualities?  Excellent!! 

Our e-book “Jumpstart Your Virtual Assistant Business” is an excellent source and addresses the above and much, much more.  For more information about this fantastic business guideline, visit http://www.be-virtual-assistant-wise.com/jumpstart-virtual-assistant-business-ebook.html

Winners of Regional VAimpact Awards

The  AFRIVAN  VAimpact awards are annual outstanding ovation awards in different categories awarded to Virtual Assistants and business partners who have achieved and demonstrated high standards of business excellence, creativity, professional business practice and are constantly promoting the Virtual Assistant Industry in Africa.

We are proud to announce that the founders of Be Virtual Assistant Wise, Francis van Wyk and Marietjie Steyn were nominated for 3 of the 4 categories namely:

Above and Beyond Award: This VAimpact award is for an individual who has worked creatively beyond the expectation of Virtual Assistants in a short period of time in the VA industry.

Achievement Award: This VAimpact award is given to individuals for outstanding contribution over significant period of time in the VA industry.

Regional Award: This VAimpact award is a standing ovation award for an individual or association with strong business understanding and development with incomparable business management.

We were quite humbled to learn that we won the Business Regional VAimpact Award. It is an important achievement, not only for our organisation, but also for every person associated with BeVAWise.

We sincerely want to thank everyone who are part of our community for your involvement and participation and helping us to reach this important milestone.

This award makes each of you a winner as well, since WE cannot exist without YOU!

Winning the regional award as the best VA organisation in South Africa surely motivates and inspires us to grow the industry further to the benefit of all our members.

We also would like to congratulate the winners of the other awards:

Annemarie Robbertse for winning the Above and Beyond Award and

Alison Fourie for winning the Achievement Award.

You can read all about the winners and their profiles here.

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Thanks to African Virtual Assistants Network™ (AFRIVAN) founded by Topsie Egbetokun, for taking the initiative and establishing a business and professional support network specifically for all Virtual Assistants and online professionals in Africa.

SEO – Attract Clients to Your Virtual Assistant Business

It is tough to get noticed on the Web these days….

…. but luckily, SEO can help you fight this battle.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving the visibility of your website in the search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo etc. –  in other words, getting your site on the first few pages of the search engines (and preferably on the first page) so that people can actually find your site when they search for you or your specific services.

You can think of SEO as your ticket to make more money, because more visitors to your website, means more money in your pocket.

So, how does SEO generate leads for your business?

Well, most people these days are using the internet to search for information.

When you apply good SEO techniques on your website and people are searching for a Virtual Assistant, they are more likely to find your site within the sea of VA websites on the internet. Only when someone find and enter your website, you have a chance to convert that  visitor into a paying client with the content and info on your site

In contrast, if you don’t use good SEO, there is a big change that potential customers will never find and visit your site.

This translates into the simple fact that if you’re having a Virtual Assistant website without using good search engine optimization (SEO)….,

….you’re literally flushing your money down the drain.

Google Alerts – Your Own Research Assistant

“Google Alerts” is one of the most powerful tools on the internet to stay on top of the information you need.

It  is a system that searches the Web, news sources, blogs, video sites and groups for new information related to any search term that you specify. Then, as the name suggests, this free tool “alerts” you via an automated email about new results.

Whether you are..

• just starting out and want more information about the VA industry or
• a savvy VA and want information to keep up to date with your clients or your competition,

Google Alerts can be your own personal research assistant to find the info you need and best of all….,

It’s free and really simple to set up.

Below are also 5 ideas how to use Google Alerts for yourself and your business. Read more »

Is a Virtual Assistant Career Right for You?

If you think about it, this can be a controversial question, right?

Some people will automatically say yes!

Others will waver a bit before they answer,

…..and a few will admit it is not!

At first glance, many people may think virtual assistance is a simple career to break into but unfortunately, reality often proves otherwise.

Although in theory anyone with the right technical and administrative skills can become a Virtual Assistant, in practice, only a few really run a successful Virtual Assistant business.

For many, Virtual Assistance is a dream comes true, but for others, this dream sometimes turns into a horrible nightmare.

So, what can you do to ensure your Virtual Assistant business IS in fact a dream career?

Well, to start with, here are a few important questions to ask yourself before starting your own virtual assistant business:

1. Can you work independently? In a 9-5 job, you know what is expected of you and someone else determines how much work you do and when you do it. As a Virtual Assistant, you’re the boss and the buck stops with you. Nobody tells you what to do, nobody motivates you and nobody determines your pace.

2. Do you understand the VA industry? Do you understand that a Virtual Assistant is an independent business owner and what it all entails? Do you know what services you will provide and do you understand how to effectively communicate with your clients and deliver your services when you are miles or even continents apart?

3. Do you understand what it takes to run a business and are you ready for that commitment? As independent business owners, VAs run their own businesses and as such have to consider things like …

• Deciding on a Business name
• Developing a Business Plan
• Developing a Marketing Plan and Finding their own clients
• Developing a Website
• Determining a suitable rate to charge for their services
• Having an effective bookkeeping system for invoicing and collecting payments
• Developing contracts to protect themselves and their clients
• Protecting their business via insurance and effective back-up plans

4. Do you have marketable skills? If you’ve had experience as an administrative assistant, you most likely have the skills needed to get started. But you may need to add new skills to really stand out from the crowd since the number of Virtual Assistants competing for jobs has increased tremendously. Thus, in order to be really successful it is necessary to have a unique, desirable skill set. In other words, skills that are in high demand and that are not freely available. Skills which can solve a client’s needs and skills that you can charge a premium price for.

5. Can you wait for your first client? In most cases, clients will not line up for your services the minute you open your doors for business.  Growing a business takes time and often you don’t find that first client for several months. Do you have enough financial resources as a back-up when you don’t find your first client soon? Do you have your plans in place to go out FIND your first client?

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It is important to be patient and persevere during the start-up phase and to continue marketing your business on a daily basis. Face-to-face marketing to friends, family, colleagues and new potential clients and spreading the message via “Word of Mouth” is usually the easiest and most common method of finding your first solid client.

As I already said above, a Virtual Assistant career can be a dream comes true for many, but it can just as easily convert into a nightmare for those who are not sufficiently prepared for the challenges that will come their way.

If you cannot answer positively on the questions above, but it is still your passion to become a Virtual Assistant – don’t despair. There is a lot of information on the VA industry, what it takes to become a Virtual Assistant and how to have a successful Virtual Assistant career. Read as much as you can, join VA organisations, speak to existing VAs, start your business part-time, get a business coach if you want and develop your skill sets until you feel more comfortable.

Remember: Anything in life is possible – but only you can decide how to live your dream!!

At Be Virtual Assistant Wise, we are really passionate about helping you to succeed in your virtual assistant career.  We would also love to hear about the challenges you experience in starting your VA business . You can use the comment box below to tell us more about it.

The Most Important Question

(and answer) to grow your virtual assistant business

I believe more and more Virtual Assistants are trying to “make it out there”, but are they REALLY growing their businesses into viable, profitable enterprises?

The most important Question you have to ask yourself as a virtual assistant business owner is …

Do I have a website?

The word virtual says it all.  The synonyms for virtual are:  practical, fundamental, near, effective and essential.

To be a virtual assistant means that you are not physically present in your client’s location, but you are virtually present which imply that you are almost present, effectively reachable and nearby.

In my eyes “virtually present” means that you are “present on line” and to be present on line you NEED to have a website!  Full stop. 

And if I may be particular, not only “just a website” but a professional looking one.  With a professional website, your business is open to the World 24/7, 365 days a year. 

A website is your online brochure where you are going to establish client confidence and rapport and to a great extent improve your overall business image.

When internet savvy clients are looking for virtual assistants in a VA-directory, odds are that they will be looking for website links and if you don’t have one, they will nine out of ten times move to your opposition’s listing, click on their link and never even return to yours.

Having a website means that you are not that local little business anymore.  It means that you have crossed all geographical borders and are an internationally recognized virtual assistant business.

 Can you really afford not to have a website of your own?

 And the answer is ….

…  NO!

The biggest event ever…

… on South African Soil. 

Yes, I am talking about the FIFA 2010 soccer world cup that kicks off in less than 70 hours in Johannesburg, South Africa.

It almost feels unreal to realize that it IS going to happen.  The announcement on 15 May 2004, that South Africa is to host the next World Cup in 2010, made me so proud but also filled me with fear that we are not going to be up to it. 

BUT  for Danny Jordaan there was no fear in the announcement.  His journey began 10 years prior to the announcement when he started working on SA’s first bid for the 2006 World Cup.  Although we’ve lost that bid in 2000 to Germany by one vote, he did not give up and started again only to taste the reward of his beliefs and hard work in 2004.

Today, 2216 days after the announcement Jordaan’s dream is finally coming to fruition as we are looking forward to the kick off on Friday the 11^th. 

Are you also proud?  Did everything that goes with the preparations etcetera also surpass your wildest expectations?

Yes?

But you know what.  It did not happen overnight.  It took years of pre-planning to get the bid and it took more than 6 years of planning, dedication and hard work after the bid for this majestic dream to come true.

 Starting your own virtual assistant business works the same.  You might not reap results overnight, but if you have a dream you’re halfway there.   The secret is to belief in your dream, to do everything in you power (pre-planning) to make your dream come true (founding your business) and then act on the planning to reap the rewards of the Biggest Event Ever you’ve dreamed about.

When Danny Jordaan was asked in 2004 how excited he was about the World Cup he said:  “Excitement is something that lasts for 90 minutes in football.  This is an engagement that lasts five years.”    Use these words to build your business and surpass your wildest expectations.

Be Virtual Assistant Wise is a proud supporter of …Enjoy the World Cup!

Experience a Powerful Client Connection

Working virtually means that you might never see eye to eye with you clients and it is up to you to make sure you understand your clients’ message and know exactly what their needs and expectations are. 

Virtual communication is in my eyes a bit different from eye to eye communication because you cannot see or interpret the body language of your clients. That’s why virtual assistants should not only communicate with their clients, they should connect with them.

I don’t know  if  you still remember those black, roundish sweets called nickerballs.  They consisted of several layers and were so hard you could not just bite them; you had to suck through the hard black liquorice shell and the different coloured layers to eventually reach the core of the nickerball.

Communication is like a nickerball.  You have to figuratively suck through the hard shell and the different coloured layers to eventually reach the core essentials of what is needed to connect with your clients.

But …

You cannot connect with your clients if you do not listen to them.  Active listening is the most important ingredient of effective communication and an essential part of the virtual assistance puzzle.  Make it your motto to:

1.      Listen with concentration

 Listening is the key ingredient of effective communication and it is imperative to improve this skill.  When your clients talk to you, listen and concentrate to make sure you hear what they are saying.  Good listeners are not passive and they do not drift away with thoughts of their own, they concentrate on what is being said.

2.      Listen without interruption

 The purpose of listening is to understand the message.  Although you might think you know and understand what your clients want to say, avoid the urge to interrupt or finish their sentences.  Be polite, listen carefully and always “put your brain into gear before you put your mouth into motion”.

3.     Listen with the mindset to discuss

 Effective listening is not a one way street.  Make notes of what is being said, ask questions and discuss the facts with your clients to make sure you leave no room for misunderstandings.   The secret weapon to effective communication is to ask the right questions.

Remember, communication is like a nickerball … you cannot just bite through it to reach the centre; you have to suck through the layers in order to reach the core. 

Don’t just communicate with your clients, connect with them.   Listen actively and carefully, don’t interrupt when they are talking, make notes and ask the right questions in order to reach the core of their message, their needs and their expectations.