Blog – Page 8 – Virtual Assistant Success Strategies

Wil Hart on February 2, 2012

These 3 Activities Will Grow Your Business

growth It would be an understatement to say that you want more clients, more stability, fewer expenses and more money in your business. Let’s not start there because that is what business is all about. If you focus on three simple activities, you will see your business improve in all of the aforementioned areas.

PLAN ~ You likely have your sources for information gathering. In fact, the list of resources that are available to you grows daily. In some way, you have mentors who teach you tactics and skills that will help you to accomplish your business objectives. How you obtain that information is not as important as how quickly you will put it into action. BEFORE taking action, however, step back and get the “blimp perspective“. Blimps, such as the Goodyear Blimp, provide a perspective of a city or a venue like the Super Bowl, that you otherwise would not see. It’s the full scope. If you apply the blimp view to your business it will give you a broad perspective that includes:

Where you have come from.
Where you are now.
Where you want to go in the future.

Planning allows you to achieve such a view of your business. Therefore, it is imperative that you take all of the knowledge that you have gained about running a successful virtual assistance company and map out the future course of your business. The blimp perspective gives you the freedom to see many potential roadblocks, opportunities and sterling possibilities. Then you will have to …

DO ~ This is the step that moves you from the drawing board to the playing field. The plans that you drew up for your business are now “LIVE”. Now it is time to ‘do or die’, ‘sink or swim’, where the ‘rubber meets the road’, or whatever cliche you can think of that helps you to get things done! 🙂 There is no substitute for taking action on the plan that you have created. Many entrepreneurs habitually purchase programs but fail to implement what they have learned. It is as if the mere purchase would increase their business. I often wonder if they reason this way, “since I have invested in my business, I should be successful.” That is so far from the truth. Investing in a program, a seminar, a software or a service is tantamount to picking up a tool. Something has to be done after picking up that tool. Oh yeah, they call that WORK. Action is the key that unlocks the door to business success. But, do not be satisfied with planning and acting on your plan. Next, you will want to …

REVIEW ~ That’s right! Consider the results of your hard work. Did you reach your goals? How far off were you from your targets. What did you omit from the planning or action steps? What would you adjust, cut out or include? Reviewing and measuring your results will enable you to start this 3 step process with what I like to call Success Data. This data is the stepping stone for your next round of planning, action and reviewing.

These 3 activities, when applied to your marketing, client work and back office duties will set you up for business growth and success. You cannot go wrong with this process. You will never have all of the knowledge you need at one time. Most of the important things you learn comes from the action that you take. So, do not be paralyzed by perfectionism. As long as you take confident imperfect actions, you will step closer to the goals and dreams that you have established for your virtual company.

Until next time be sure to Plan, Do and Review.

Let me know how this works for you by commenting below.

Wil Hart on January 10, 2012

One Tip to Explode Your Virtual Assistance Success

Give yourself the credit you deserve!

Many people doubt their self-worth. This is the case especially for woman. That can even be increased for female entrepreneurs.

“Will people buy what I am selling? Might they think I’m a fraud? Who am I to try and be successful in business?”

Let’s stop right there! If you have such feelings of self-doubt, it is important that you believe the next fours words in this article. YOU ARE THE BOMB! End of story.

Of course it is not that easy to dispel negative feelings that may have deeply entrenched roots. But, I want to help you to start realizing that you can overcome such feelings. In fact, it is a MUST if you are to be a successful entrepreneur. So, where might those feelings of low worth come from? As an administrative assistant in the work force, you are used to being at someone else’s beck and call. Clearly, that is the main function of an administrative assistant. Run here, run there. It never seems to end. That type of employment forces you to answer to every whim of other people. What is more, it may even be hard to make decisions without the approval of a superior.

Now that you seek to be a successful entrepreneur, you may find it difficult to take the first, second or even third step towards accomplishing your goals. How can you combat low self-esteem?

The key is to learn how to pat yourself on the back as you take steps towards building the business that you desire. When you learn to gain your own approval, you will find it refreshing. You will also realize that the pressures imposed upon you by other people will dissipate. Become proud of your accomplishments in everyday life, not just in business. As you become more adept at building up your self worth, you will see your level of accomplishment skyrocket. Start now by repeating this phrase, “I am the BOMB. I am SMART. I am SUCCESSFUL in all that I do.”

Feel that positive energy and allow it to boost your self-worth, your personal productivity and your Virtual Assistance business.

Wil Hart on December 30, 2011

BIG Changes! A special video message for you

I’ve been hinting about this for a few weeks and have an announcement for you! Check out the video message I’ve prepared for you:

Best of all, YOU don’t have to do a single thing! You’ll gain access to all these new resources automatically.

I look forward to helping you create your version of a successful VA business in 2012!

Wil Hart on December 22, 2011

3 Easy Tactics for Enrolling New Clients

call me I think it’s safe for me to assume that it’s a no brainer that you want more clients. That is why you are started a Virtual Assistant business in the first place, to make a living, helping others while working for yourself. If you are struggling to enroll your first few clients have no more fear. The answers to your business prayers are right here. I am going to teach you three simple tactics that are easy to implement, effective and comes directly from the heart.

When you come into contact with new business owners, you never quite know who may be a prospective client. That is why you need to be on top of your game when you are discussing who you are and what you do as an entrepreneur.

Here’s what you do:

Talk About The Benefits of Working With You– Just the other day I went to get a massage. (I absolutely LOVE massages by the way :-). After this relaxing experience I thought about the many benefits that I received (release of tension, rejuvenation, etc.). So, I wondered if my therapist highlights these wonderful benefits when she speaks about her business. If not, she should, because it’s the reason why her clients come to her. I didn’t go to get a massage because I needed a massage therapist. I went because I wanted to treat myself and feel good. Imagine for a moment that you met her at a networking event and asked her “What do you do?” She might say:a. ‘I am a massage therapist.’
b. ‘I liberate people from tension, stress and anxiety.’Now if you heard either of those responses, which one would make you want to learn more? EXACTLY! I chose B as well. Can you see how powerful that is? The same applies to your business.

The people who need your help aren’t looking for a Virtual Assistant. But they would like to feel less frazzled, more organized and to make more money in their business. When people ask you about what you do in your profession, make sure to highlight the benefits so that your prospects can see themselves experiencing the results from working with you. If you say, “I’m a Virtual Assistant”, you are likely to receive a confused look in response. Instead, focus on the real benefit clients will enjoy in working with you so that your conversation partner will want to learn more about you and even refer you to others who may need you.
Ask to Keep In Touch – As you progress in the conversation about the wonderful work that you do for your clients, this next tactic becomes very important. Simply say, “I’d like to continue this conversation with you, when would be a good time for us to connect again?” Then capture their contact information and let them know you’ll confirm the appointment shortly. When you receive this information, move along to easy tactic number three.
Follow Up Quickly – Please don’t allow more than 48 hours to pass before you contact the person. I know that you are quite engaging and very interesting, but you have to remember that everyone has a terribly busy lifestyle. With all of the gadgets and activities, people are more distracted than ever. Make follow up your #1 Priority. Let the person know how much you enjoyed meeting them and the conversation you had. And that you look forward to continuing it on DATE/TIME! Your diligence in following up shows your contact exactly how serious you are about your business and how serious you will be about theirs.

The three steps I shared with you are simple to implement, quite effective and are focused on you being of service. The People will be so impressed with the way that you express yourself. They will be excited to work with you and find it easy to say yes to what you have to offer them.

How will you apply this strategy to your business? Share your thoughts with me on the blog or in the LinkedIn group and I’ll offer you some additional support.

Wil Hart on December 16, 2011

Turn Your Trial Into Triumph

try and try again As you strive to build a successful Virtual Assistant business, I encourage you to not hold back from acquiring new skills and knowledge. Because you are an entrepreneur, you are likely hesitant to experience failure. Those feelings are completely normal.

What will help you to not allow that fear to hold you back is to understand that there is really no such thing as failure. Even if a situation or opportunity doesn’t turn out as planned, there are valuable lessons to be learned. Plus, if you never try, you won’t really know what’s possible for you.

Does the thought of failing prevent you from progressing beyond your comfort zone? Don’t fret, I’m going to help you S-T-R-R-R-E-T-C-H those ‘comfort muscles’ and branch out into new territory.

I am sure that you are familiar with the expression ‘trial and error’. That is the process of experimenting with various methods of doing something until you find the one that’s most successful. Think about this for a moment. Should your business building efforts be considered trial and error? It may be better to consider them ‘Trial and Triumph’?

Let me give you an example. Imagine you are looking to use new software to organize your business accounting system. So, you download a 30-day trial of Quickbooks. You have never used Quickbooks before, but you know that you must organize your money matters. During the 30 day freebie, you decide that this software is a bit more complicated than you expected. That is a triumph for sure. You gained new knowledge and decided that you want to go in another direction. Now you have some experience and a better understanding of what you need to build the business that you desire. The time spent can hardly be considered an error. Are you still with me?

This principle should be applied to everything that you do in your business. As you try new software and new marketing strategies you will continue to increase your effectiveness as an entrepreneur and be more valuable to your clients. My goal is really to help you avoid being ‘stuck in time’ due to fear of failure.

You are not a “bad business owner” if you try something new but do not obtain the intended results. Use that new knowledge as fuel that will propel your business forward to prosperity. If your mindset is right, you can turn ‘trial and error’ into trial and triumph.

Wil Hart on December 9, 2011

Yes, You CAN Be a Part-Time Virtual Assistant!

multi-tasking If you are currently employed with a company working as an Administrative Professional and are wondering how you are going to transition into your own home-based Virtual Assistant practice, the thought may have crossed your mind to start your business part-time. This likely led to a number of other questions, such as “how do I get started,” “how will I balance my job, family and business?” and “can I really do this and be successful?”

The good news is that you can create a profitable, successful business that you work in part-time. You and I both know of many individuals who have been able to maintain two or even three sources of employment simultaneously. It would be no different if you were to choose to start your Virtual Assistance practice while you maintain your current job.

There are a few things that you will need to consider if you are going to start a part-time Virtual Assistance business such as:

What is my current situation? As with any endeavor in life, especially when there is a demand on your time and financial resources, it is imperative to consider your circumstances as they are and not how you want them to be.

Ask yourself:

How much financial support can you dedicate?

How will your part-time Virtual Assistance business affect the time that you spend with your family?
Will your quality of life improve or be impaired by taking on this challenge?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. The point is to honestly assess where you’re at and what needs to happen in order to make your endeavor successful.

Who will I serve in a part-time capacity? I’m asked all the time, “Will clients be interested in working with me if I’m only available part-time?” And the answer is Yes! Why is that? It is because when and how you work isn’t really their concern. Remember, they are looking for solution to a problem, not a Virtual Assistant. So when you focus the client relationship on solving their problems, are clear about your availability and meet the agreed upon deadlines, WHEN you actually do the work is a non-issue.We currently have three VAs who work on our team. They each have different circumstances and different schedules. When they do their work for us is not something I worry or care about. Once a task is assigned, I just want it delivered on time and as we agreed. What this means for you is that you’ll want to focus on providing services that aren’t necessarily time sensitive (that have to be done during normal working hours). You do this by matching your skill set with what the client is looking for and then honoring your commitments.

How will I manage my time and clients? Time is our number one resource. We all enjoy the same portion of it each day. You, as a part-time VA will have to determine how you will use your allotment of 24 hours. First, be mindful that you do not need to tell your clients that you only work part time. Every day, you treat your employer as your biggest client, right?When you enroll a client on a part-time basis, they only need to know that the agreement that the two of you made will be honored. Therefore, even in a part-time situation, make only commitments that you can keep. This means not over-committing yourself or making promises you can’t keep. Be honest about what you can do and you’ll quickly build trust with your clients, that will likely lead to more work and referrals to others in their network.

Is pursuing a part-time VA business the right goal for you? It can be if you honestly assess your current circumstances. Decide whether or not you have the time to commit to building your business. You also need to determine if you have the financial means to support your business. It is also important for you to be realistic in your commitments to clients. Many are getting this accomplished. By reviewing the points mentioned in this article, creating a plan and taking action, you can start a successful part-time Virtual Assistance business too!

Wil Hart on December 2, 2011

Are You Moving Full Speed Ahead?

speed to profits There’s a lot we can learn from consumer spending habits this time of year. Did you notice how many emails you received about “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” offers? Retailers are stocking their shelves, running special deals; truly they are doing all that they can to attract more customers to buy their goods. Yes, retailers are moving full speed ahead in order to increase their business.

Many other types of businesses, however, do not maintain the ‘retail mentality.’ Especially serviced based businesses like Virtual Assistance. They may tend to think, “oh well, this is a slow time of year. We will pick back up in January.”

Please tell me that you are doing all that you can to develop the ‘retail mentality’. You should be “stocking your shelves” and “doing all that you can to attract more customers.”

How can you, though, move full speed ahead and ramp up business so that you hit the ground running come January 1st?

Here are 4 action steps for boosting your business NOW instead of later.

Create Your Money Map for 2012: If you want a clear path on how to create more success, more profits and more freedom in your business, I invite you to join me for a two-part LIVE webinar course on how to create a marketing masterpiece. Click here to get access to your best year ever. Even if you choose not to join our profit-boosting program, please make sure that you make plans for how you will conduct your marketing program.

Set SPECIFIC Goals: How well did you do with accomplishing your goals for 2011? I certainly hope that you reached them all. If you have, that is a sign of good planning. And you should set new goals for yourself, stretching a bit beyond what’s possible. If you didn’t quite achieve all that you set out to, use where you are now as a starting point for what you can achieve in 2012.
Strategize: Setting goals is one thing. Charting the course to accomplishing them is quite another. Can you imagine saying that you wanted to lose 45 pounds, but then choosing not to exercise or change your eating habits? That wouldn’t make sense. The same principle applies to your business. If you don’t set goals and outline how to accomplish them, you won’t find the success you’re looking for.
Implement: THIS is the MOST important step. Take an honest look at your business. Are things going the way that you would like? If not, are you doing everything within your power to make good things happen? If not, you can choose to change that. Starting…NOW! Commit to taking the necessary action. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You just have to be consistent.

It is my greatest hope that you succeed in developing a successful virtual assistant business. Don’t slow down right now! This is the time to go all out and boost your business. I would be happy to help you do that. Be sure to develop and maintain the ‘retail mentality’ through the end of the year so that you will have a strong start in 2012.

Wil Hart on November 25, 2011

The Magic Pill for Small Business Success

success pill Commercialism has ingrained into our culture the idea that whatever we want we can obtain quickly, abundantly and easily. Commercial geniuses try to convince you that you can “Lose weight FAST!” “Fall in love INSTANTLY!” And the ever elusive, “Get rich NOW!”

I truly believe that as you build your Virtual Assistance company, there is a magic pill that you too can swallow. The cool thing about this magic pill is that it is tried and tested. It’s called doing the work. That’s all folks!

Doing the work is the only thing that is going to allow you to build the successful business that you desire. Along with doing the work, you are going to have to combat laziness and discouragement.

Laziness is the quality of being unwilling to do the work and expecting the easy way out. How might this trait manifest itself in your efforts to build your business? Perhaps you come across a software, technology, or set of tasks of which you have no previous knowledge. What effort do you put forth to learn what you need to learn to complete the project and make progress? The answer to this question is an indicator as to whether or not you need to develop a more pro-active approach to doing your work.

It’s great to learn from those that have paved the way before you (which is why I encourage you to get fully involved in the Executive Assistant to Virtual Assistant! community.) You can also learn by investing in training, coaching or reading a book. However, it is your choice to learn the necessary skill. Doing so will require an investment of your time, energy and in many cases financial resources. But more importantly, once you learn what you need to learn, you have to put it into action and do the work! Simply increasing your knowledge is not going to help you be more successful.

Applying what you learn and doing the work, however, is the key to success. As you seek to implement what you learn you may make a mistake along the way. That’s OK. Everyone does. (I have personally made EVERY mistake an entrepreneur can make – and that hasn’t stopped me from being successful.) Even if you make a mistake or something takes longer than you expected, that is how you learn. You can then make adjustments and do better next time. It’s part of the process. So don’t allow a tendency of being unwilling to do the work stand in the way of the success you deserve.

Discouragement is a loss of confidence or enthusiasm. The magic pill of doing the work can help you to overcome this challenge and reach success at a quicker pace. In your business, there will be situations that cause your confidence and enthusiasm to wane. It may be the loss of a client, a financial setback or a goal that you did not accomplish. It is understandable that you might feel deflated by such disappointments. However, the magic pill of doing the work will allow you to triumph over such feelings.

Yes, doing the work you need to do will enable you to find new clients, to create new sources of income and to accomplish the goals you’ve set for yourself. This in turn will increase your vitality and your outlook for your business.

There is no substitute for the magic pill of doing the work. It does not matter how many advertisements that you see for losing 20 pounds in a matter of days or for getting rich within a few months. The essence behind any successful endeavor is putting your hand to the plow and getting things done! Success, however you define it, is manual, not automatic. You are the creative force that drives your Virtual Assistance company. Even if you purchase a software, a training course or attend a seminar; you are going to have to put in the work to make your goals a reality.

Are you ready to swallow the magic pill?

Wil Hart on November 18, 2011

Enroll A New Client Within DAYS

If you entered a contest that challenged you to enroll one new client next week, how would you go about doing so? Imagine that the stakes are VERY HIGH. The prize, $100,000 if you could just get one new client to work with you in your business. Would $100,000 be enough to get you excited about prospecting for clients?

I hope that you are excited because this is a reality. If you work feverishly to get in front of your ideal clients, you can truly operate a $100,000 business! But, don’t allow the money to be a barrier for you. Think about why you started your business in the first place. What made you excited about being an entrepreneur? That is the very energy and zeal that you need to employ when you are marketing your solutions to the people who are already looking for you.

I want to share with you the strategies that we have used to build two successful businesses. First, I want to offer a disclaimer. If you do not perform the work that needs to be done, you will not get new clients and thus build your business. Fair enough? Good! Let’s get started:

I tapped into my warm market: That tactic is how I got my business off the ground. I simply told my friends, co-workers and associates that I was starting a Virtual Assistance company. It was fascinating to them that I was going to do the same work that I had been doing for more than a decade using the freedom of running my own company. I sent a letter to everyone that I knew and set coffee dates with others. I did whatever I could to get the word out about my new business. This was my first ever marketing campaign and my company was born. Continue Reading>>

Wil Hart on November 17, 2011

Avoid These Three Money Pits for Your Virtual Business

trashing money When you are in start-up mode, it’s important to pay close attention to the numbers in your business. You will absolutely need to invest money into your new enterprise in order to set it up properly and build a strong foundation. However, there are three categories that could prove to be money-pits if you are not careful. I am an expert in the field of making mistakes and learning from them. Thus, I’d like you to learn from where I went wrong in the early days and avoid making the same mistakes.

Start-up Costs
The first mistake I see many new VAs making is not calculating an accurate amount for start up costs. (I actually made the opposite mistake and spent too much money!) Starting a successful Virtual Assistant business doesn’t require tens of thousands of dollars in capital, but you will HAVE to invest money to get started. So resist the urge to think you can build this business on a shoestring budget. If you miscalculate the start-up costs of your business, this may lead to you owing a lot more money than you begin to earn.

Consider what technology you will need to purchase. What are the monthly operating expenses? How long will it take to turn a profit? Knowing this will give you an idea of how much money you should have saved for the first six to twelve months after you open your doors for business. Not counting the costs may in turn cost you a lot of money and unnecessary frustration.
Taxes
Please do not start your business thinking all of your money will go directly into your wallet. When you had a corporate job, your company happily deducted taxes for you. Who is going to do that for you now? You guessed it. YOU.

It is YOUR job to make sure that your company is set up so that you will receive the best tax advantage. With that said, you are also responsible for setting aside the proper taxes so that you do not get caught in a whirlwind of back taxes and trouble with the state and Federal authorities.

Hiring a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is one of the best investments that you can make as a new entrepreneur. She will help you to avoid many tax pitfalls, keep you updated on your local and federal tax law and help you to file your taxes appropriately and on time. Even if you decide not to hire a CPA on a permanent basis, I highly recommend meeting with one once or twice to setup the financial structure of your business correctly. You don’t want to tackle this on your own, rather you want to create the best possible situation for you and your family.
Marketing Costs
“But, I can’t afford a marketing budget.” Have you said this before? If so, I only have one question for you, ‘How can you stay in business if you do not grow your business?’ I say this with so much care and warmth for you: You can’t expect to hide behind your computer, hoping clients will show up at your door payment in hand. It simply WON’T happen.

The whole point of going into business for yourself is for you to help other people while being the source of your own income.

But, if you do not invest in prospecting, how will you earn money? Anyone can start a business. Smart entrepreneurs know the importance of investing in their marketing. Marketing creates awareness for the solutions you provide and attracts prospects. Having conversations with prospects is what converts them to clients. It’s service clients that generates revenue and builds your reputation. None of this will happen if you don’t market what you have to offer. It would be useless to open the doors of your brand new business only to have zero customers walk through them. Plan to set aside funds to learn how to market your business, create your materials and implement your marketing plan. You’ll need to focus on marketing almost daily, especially in the beginning.

Take the time that is needed to get your business off to a great start. Do the proper research so that you can have a realistic number for your start-up costs. Get a CPA involved in your business as soon as you get started to avoid a ‘tax mess’. Understand that you will need to do marketing for your business and that will cost money as well. Be ready for this expense by setting up a marketing budget. Avoid these pitfalls and you will find your new business is profitable, successful and debt free!

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