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?

***

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!

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.

Is a Virtual Assistant Contract needed?

Why not Just Make a Verbal ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’?

Any business owner who has burned her fingers over a verbal gentleman’s agreement will tell you why you need proper Virtual Assistant contracts. And it is actually not really rocket science to see the reasons.

Why is it then, that we still hear about so many VAs that trust informal verbal agreements and do not operate with the proper contracts in place?

Verbal gentleman’s agreements only invite costly misunderstandings.

Why? Read more »

Choose Mastery

One of the inevitable aspects of life is that we are bombarded with millions of choices each day. It starts early morning with choices of; will you snooze the alarm another 5 min, what you will wear, what you will make for breakfast, what road to take to work, what email to read first…. It just goes on and on… and we make all these choices on a daily basis without even really thinking about it.

But, have you ever thought about the process of making a “choice” and how it works? Read more »

Technology Trends and Virtual Assistants

Don’t Stay Behind – The World is Moving!

Internet technology changes at an alarming pace and these changes have a profound impact on the Virtual Assistant industry. The technology boom gives

• clients so many new services that they can demand and
• Virtual Assistants so many new areas to specialise in…

In this dynamic environment, the ability to change and adapt is essential. For some VAs it can be a scary experience, but for others it can open up many new and exciting niche areas to tap into for their virtual assistant businesses.

I want to explain 4 hot VA niches on the hand of the following example:

Read more »

Does a Virtual Assistant Need a Website? Top 3 Evaluation Criteria.

Does a Virtual assistant need a website?

There is no hard and fast rule on this.  However…

…most well-known and well-established VAs do.

Is it a critical component for VA business success?

Again, there is no scientific proof that it is.

However, if we look at the bigger picture it become obvious that each VA business  have in principle 3 main strategic areas (i.e. your clients, your own business and also your competitors) to consider when developing an overall business approach.

Therefore, to decide if a website is necessary and a worthwhile investment for your VA business, it should definitely benefit at least one, but preferably all three strategic areas. Thus, let’s break it down into a few questions and after evaluating each area, you might be in a better situation to make a decision  whether you need a website for your Virtual Assistant business. Read more »

A Virtual Assistant’s Most Powerful Secret to Time Management

Time Management is an important aspect in building a successful Virtual Assistant business.  But it is and continues to be a difficult thing for business owners in many industries, not just the Virtual Assistant profession. Yet it’s vital to ensure your time is spend on those things that can make a difference and have the biggest impact on your business success.

I believe the most challenging about taking control and having better time management is “Focus”.

Are you also one of those virtual assistants that tend to make To-Do lists with 100’s of tasks, ranking everything as important and trying to complete them as planned. I know, I’m sometimes like that. In reality however, between all those tasks we only lose focus. We tend to take care of the urgent matters first – even if they are not important.

Just evaluate the following scenario:

Read more »

Today’s Tips for Tomorrow’s Success

Wow, this year flew by and everyone is running around, wrapping up, reviewing and planning for the year ahead…

… and South Africa is ‘kicking the ball’ and ‘blowing the vuvuzela’ to get everything in order for the Soccer World Cup.

Francis and I are also having our fair share of  “year-end running around” sessions to get our business planning in place before the family arrive for a well deserve bi-annual Christmas get-together.

Wednesday night when waiting to attend a VA-networking webinar at 01h00 (yes at night and it was well worth the wait!), I thought about “today” and wondered whether “today still matters” to us.  Sometimes we are so busy dwelling in the past (wrapping up) and thinking about the future (planning) that the today of our lives passes us by without any notice.

Having said that, I am the first to admit that the way you live today have an enormous impact on your tomorrow and that today’s actions lead to tomorrow’s successes or failures.

Preparation today, gives you confidence for tomorrow

Read more »