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Stop Doing This Now To Become a Better Virtual Assistant

You teach people how to treat you (especially as a VA). This lesson was engrained in me by one of my business coaches, many years ago. When I got into business, I didn’t know how to be a business person. I am guessing it was the same for you. I knew how to be an assistant – doing whatever my ‘boss’ (client) needed done. I was very good, though. I could anticipate a lot of things. One of my managers called me ‘Radar’ like the character on the tv show M*A*S*H. I could get things done for him before he even knew he needed them. I was an excellent assistant. When you make the leap to becoming a Virtual Assistant,… Read More »Stop Doing This Now To Become a Better Virtual Assistant

Are You Still Afraid to Niche Down Your VA Services?

Fear of niching down is very common for Virtual Assistants. Is it for you? Every time I ask VAs who their target market is, or what their service offerings are, and I get a vague answer, I know they are afraid to specialize in one or the other. I ask them, of course, why they haven’t defined those things, and they tell me that they don’t know yet, or they don’t want to miss out on clients, or they don’t want to say no to someone who asks them for help. The funny thing is that you never have to say no to someone if you want to work with them – ever! And honestly, if you have a business… Read More »Are You Still Afraid to Niche Down Your VA Services?

Is Your Virtual Assistant Business Profitable?

Is your VA business profitable? Sure, you may be making money because your clients are paying you, but are you keeping as much money as you should be? Profitability isn’t usually something that comes to mind when you are operating a service-based business. We always say we trade our time for dollars. And we do, as Virtual Assistants. Whether you are charging by the hour, by the task, by retainer or by the project, you are still doing work in return for money. Our rates are all based on how long it takes us to get something done. So we don’t think of our business in terms of profit. But we should! Your business should be profitable, like any other… Read More »Is Your Virtual Assistant Business Profitable?

5 Steps Virtual Assistants Need to Take to Fix Mistakes

We all make mistakes. It’s how you handle them that can set you apart from your Virtual Assistant colleagues. What do you do when something goes wrong for one of your clients? • Maybe you have sent something out with a typo or a broken link on it.• Maybe you have answered a client request incorrectly.• Maybe you charged a client the wrong amount for something they bought.• Maybe you forgot to schedule important social media posts.• Maybe you have taken three times as long to complete a task as they budgeted.• Or maybe you have done something differently than what the client expected you to do. The list can go on. We are all human, including our clients. Mistakes… Read More »5 Steps Virtual Assistants Need to Take to Fix Mistakes

Setting Goals to Find Virtual Assistant Clients

If you are struggling to find clients for your VA business, it could be the way you are going about it that just needs a little work. I talked to a VA this week that was trying to connect with potential clients, but she wasn’t having any luck. She didn’t have a real plan or strategy. She didn’t have a goal. And as a result, she was spending a lot of time, getting nowhere. Setting goals is a really helpful way to make finding clients easier. How does it work? When you set a goal, you create a focus – a target that you can follow – and follow up on. Goal setting is much like a roadmap. If you… Read More »Setting Goals to Find Virtual Assistant Clients

Create an Onboarding Process for Your VA Clients

First impressions matter, in every relationship – but especially in business. When a client has paid you money or agreed to work with you, their expectations kick into gear immediately. If you aren’t providing a great first impression, you could be losing a bit of your client’s trust before you even start working together. Have you developed a great onboarding process for your new clients? If you haven’t, I have some great tips for you. Your process for onboarding clients should be all about clarity and communication. 1. Send a welcome letter or email. Once a client agrees to work with you, clearly outline what comes next for them. Be succinct in your emails – try not to get too… Read More »Create an Onboarding Process for Your VA Clients

Are You Blogging To Promote Your VA Business?

If you are not blogging to promote your Virtual Assistant business, you should be. Blogging is an easy way to promote your VA business – it takes a bit of practice to get it right, but consistent blogging helps you create regular content, showcase your expertise, and drive traffic to your website – free! Here’s how simple it is: Create regular content. When you write just one blog post a week, you will be creating new content for your VA website. And that content can be repurposed to use in your other marketing initiatives, like social media. The search engines love new content. When you publish a new article, Google and other search engines recognize that as a new page… Read More »Are You Blogging To Promote Your VA Business?

Find Your Virtual Assistant Squad – Not Where You Think

Stop asking for advice in VA groups about every little thing for your VA business. Is that a harsh piece of advice? I’m sure it sounds harsh, and it’s kind of meant that way, but for good reason! Virtual Assistants are full of questions. We are a naturally inquisitive type of personality. As a business owner, that can be a good thing. In fact, I regularly encourage you to ask questions wherever possible! But more and more I see VAs asking for advice about the SIMPLEST things. I see VAs ask others if their rates are too high, because although they say they are confident with their rates, clients are telling them they charge too much. I see VAs ask… Read More »Find Your Virtual Assistant Squad – Not Where You Think