Bet you hadn’t realized that you, too, have super powers as strong as the Marvel comics heroes of our youth.

It’s essential to learn to follow your instincts and trust your gut especially when you’re in business for yourself. The majority of the time you won’t be sorry and you’ll reap very prosperous and satisfying results.

It can be confusing and frustrating when these messages without any logical reasoning seep into the crevices of your thoughts. Allow yourself some time to mull over the scenario – let it brew and come to a froth. Ask yourself the hard, pointed questions about what’s really behind this. Then, weigh your choices.

Rarely in business does an immediate life or death decision need to be made. Lightning won’t strike if you take a few days.

Not all business that comes knocking on your door is welcomed or the kind that you’re seeking. Some of the biggest headaches come wrapped in smooth talk, eloquent emails, and pretty websites. The packaging and presentation is eye-catching but does it really tell you the whole story and give a true picture of what it represents?

I’m not saying that there is intentional deception, only a mismatch of working styles. Shortly after the honeymoon period, you may notice that communication styles, varying expectations, and a lack of connectiveness show up. Those things that triggered your Spidey Sense were always there under the surface but were pushed down and drowned by the excitement of the project, the idea of new business, or 101 other possible reasons. Maybe a few more questions during the interview would have skimmed the next layer off with a clearer reflection; maybe not.

Our gut tells us what we really want, when we want it, and how we need it. We just need to listen . . . and obey. No one (I’ll say that again, no one) knows you and your business better than YOU. Instinctively you already know what to do or what the decision should be. It’s about moving in a comfortable direction and affirmation. Follow through and trust yourself. Soon the Spidey Sense will cease and your day will go bouncing along.

                          

Following the lead of  the financial sector, you’ll notice that investment planners suggest that you never put all of your eggs in one basket but diversify your assets. This may mean investing in CDs, mutual funds, saving accounts, stocks or bonds. The reasoning is if there’s a slump in one area the other areas will shoulder the weight and carry you through.

Applying this same principle to your business would look like, providing your niched services to a diverse group of interested clients. Does this mean you’re diluting your niche? Not at all. You are thinking in a broader scope of who can utilize your services and products and how you can continue to improve their experiences with you. You’re still casting your net in a focused area but you are now fishing with a bigger net. Want more fish? Move to a bigger pond and use a bigger net.

Say you specialize in shopping cart services and have your recognized place, or niche, in the business world. Now, focus on who would use a shopping cart . . . internet marketers, writers, coaches, speakers, small businesses to name just a few. If there’s a slump in one industry, for whatever reason, and a boom of business in another you’ll be better able to ride the wave of demand still doing what you love to do in your niche area. That’s a nice wave to ride – all from casting your net a bit wider.

Time and time again I see businesses zero in on only one area when taking a step back and surveying the land will often yield other avenues of income to be tapped into. If you’re unsure about diversification then remember chicken empire mogul, Frank Purdue and what his family has built with Purdue Farms. The family always knew they wanted their niche to be chickens. They started with an egg hatchery, added raising young hens, later grew to grain mills (so they’d have better control over their chicken’s feed and raise a better chicken), and eventually added the packaging plants. They kept diversifying and casting their net wider and wider to eventually encircle the entire chicken process.

What do you think? Are you ready to think about diversifying?

                          

A marketing plan that is. It’s hard to showcase your business if you don’t have a clue what to do or when so let’s talk about creating a marketing calendar. The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to create your own personal marketing road map for 2010.

Consider where you want to focus your marketing efforts:

• Email campaigns
• Joint venture promotions
• Blogging
• Virtual blog tours
• Article marketing
• Social networking i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
• Podcasts
• Video marketing
• eZines/Newsletters
• Virtual events
• Giving a seminar
• Writing an eBook

You get the idea, right? Make a quick reference list of everything you want to do and be daring – include something new to stretch yourself.

Next Steps

If you like working online then use your eCalendar, if you like to be a bit more hands-on then get a paper calendar, your favorite pens and highlighters, some stickers, and roll up your sleeves. (It’s okay to rip the calendar apart so you can see a whole year laid out across the floor. You can staple the corner when you’re finished.) The fun is about to begin but let’s get some of the logistics out of the way first.

Step 1: Make sure all major holidays are highlighted with attention to the smaller holidays and note those religious holidays that would be meaningful to your target market. You never want to send out a business to business marketing message when your target audience is focused on a holiday and is not thinking about business. If you are selling a product, you DO want to market to the consumers who would buy your products during a holiday. HINT: Remember to check Chase’s Calendar of Events for a fun holiday if you see some gaps in your plan. Who says you can’t celebrate National Thank You Day with your own fun marketing promotion?

And the fun begins

Step 2: Mark your yearly goals on the calendar.
Step 3: Mark your quarterly goals.
Step 4: Time to mark your monthly action plan.
Step 5: Weekly to-do’s.
Step 6: And lastly, Daily to-do’s.

As you fill in the areas of the calendar for each marketing type remember to work backwards from the end date allowing enough time for each step needed to implement your marketing steps. If you’re a blogger mark each date you want to post something new to your blog. As you mark each area soon before your very eyes you see that you’ve outlined the year with an easy to follow step-by-step plan of what needs to be done and when.

No need to skip down the yellow brick road without a care in the world when it comes to marketing because you’ll now be ready to hit the ground running towards your own personalized marketing goals. Ready. Set. Take off marketing!

                          

“˜Twas the week after Christmas, when all through my office, No printers were humming, no emails were coming;

The file folders were hung in the cabinet with care, In hopes that client work would soon be there;

The client files were nestled all snug in their bins, Then visions of retainer clients, spreadsheets, and to-do lists danced in;

With a cup of hot cocoa and holiday cookies near, I had just settled down to the computer and what did I hear?

“You’ve got mail!” was the chatter, I sprang in my chair to see what was the matter.

Away to my Inbox I flew like a flash, Tore into my emails and read each in a dash.

The nod of my head showed I was in the know, My clients needed assistance, I had to go.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a 6 month retainer – and I wanted to cheer!

With a sigh and a giggle, my heels they did click, I knew in a moment that the VAnetworking did the trick!

More rapid than eagles my thoughts they did race – No, I must slow down, for things like this I should pace,

Now contracts, and policies, and guidelines to find; For sending off to a new client to sign.

Where’s the brochures, the press releases, and packets for all; What’s that I hear? It must be a call.

As the papers flutter back to the top of my desk, It’s a pencil I grab to jot down the request.

“Yes, I can do that! You’ve got the right VA!” What else could I possibly say?

And, then in a twinkling, I heard in the other room – The super-sonic sound only a kid-made “ka-boom!”

As I drew my hand up, and was turning around, Into the room came my child with a bound.

He was dressed in spaghetti from this head to his toe, All I wanted to do was just say “No!”

And his clothes were all covered with red tomato sauce, Into the laundry these I would need to toss.

Now all clean and tidy and down for his nap, It was back to my desk with the click of a pencil I did tap,

I remember now that feeling I had, It was excitement and joy – no feelings of sad.

Getting down to work is what I must do; Preparing reports, checking facts, should that really be a two?

A VA’s work is never done – For when you think you’ve finished, you’ve only just begun.

And I laughed when I caught a reflection of myself; For traces of red sauce were on the tip of my nose, where else.

With a wink of my cat’s eye and a nod of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

I spoke not a word, but went straight back to work; And filled every client request, then turned with a jerk,

And standing in the doorway near – Was my dear husband with a take-out bag – I gave a cheer!

He sprang to my dinner rescue and lended a hand. He knew that warm-ups again would have tasted bland.

Then I heard him exclaim as he headed to the kitchen out of sight, “Congrats on the new client and let’s celebrate tonight!”

Holiday wishes to all of my fellow Virtual Assistants!

                          

Isn’t marketing to be about value and benefits for the client? It’s not about YOU  . . .  and that’s the magic of a good testimonial. Allow others to boast about you, your services, and your products. Allow these testimonials to tell your story when you can’t speak to the person one-on-one. And, who better to speak on your behalf than those satisfied with your services and products.

The words of others who attest to your services or products carry real weight. Think about it. You have dinner at Restaurant X. The food is scrumptious so you tell friends about it. If you have dinner and it’s bad, I mean really, really bad, what happens? You tell five, ten, maybe even more — friends, family, the people standing in line with you at the grocery store — that the food or service or whatever was bad. Granted the bad reviews will always be talked about more (it’s spoken from frustration or dissatisfaction) but that’s not to say the positive experiences aren’t to be found or won’t be shared.

The good stuff is out there. Let’s make it easy to find. Help them filter through everything to discover the nuggets of gold spoken or written by others who have tried, tested, and use your services or products. Think about when you need a referral for something. What do you do? You ask someone you trust.

“Who/what did you use?”

“Who/what do you recommend?”

It’s those personal testaments, the firsthand experience stories that carry the most weight.

Showcasing those shiny gems of acclamation and praise where they can shine their brightest is KEY. Use testimonial words in places like:

• Websites
• Welcome packets
• Marketing pieces such as brochures, flyers, postcards, trade show signage
• Advertising specials
• Cover letters
• As a quote in a RFP
• Ebook teasers
• Sales pages
• Email campaigns
• On-hold messages for incoming calls

TIP: A good rule to follow in marketing with testimonials is to add no more than two per page spread or bunched or as a highlighted graphical quote.

Where do these testimonials come from?
And, what makes a good one?

They can be requested or harvested. Requesting a testimonial is as easy as asking. Make requests to former and current clients, each new client, and business colleagues you have close working relationships with – the people who interact with you frequently and can give a genuine assessment of you and your services or products.

Harvesting is acting on a spontaneous correspondence or conversation that would make an amazing testimonial of how you’ve handled something and how this benefitted them. Ask if you can write down what they said or copy what they wrote for inclusion in your testimonial files. Recently I harvested a testimonial from a client that expressed joy in outsourcing a task to me permitting her the needed time and attention to generate $10,000 in income. (Now, that’s an awesome testimonial to have!)

A good testimonial will have several key elements:

• It relates to the reader that someone is just like them.
• It speaks of a problem that was solved for them by using your services or products.
• It testifies to the benefit and value you provided to them.

Observing testimonial etiquette

In general, if you receive a testimonial it’s always good business practice to offer a reciprocal testimonial, where applicable. Some testimonials will come from those who would have no use for a testimonial and a thank you note is better.

I suggest not editing a testimonial but keep it in its natural state with any minor grammar or spelling errors intact. This lends itself to be genuine and not give the impression of being a manufactured statement. I recommend including the person’s full name, business name, and adding a hyperlink to their website.   Include the city and state/province for anyone not having a website address.

Spreading the love

Whenever you experience top-notch service I encourage you to take a moment and let that individual know. Surprise them with a note or email telling them so. Be genuine, be specific, and be generous with telling them why their service or product worked for you and your immediate need. I often write something like, “I really appreciate you and  ’X’ that you did. I took a moment to write a  testimonial you may use  however you like.”  Not only will the recipient get a well deserved boost for the day but so will you. It’s such a rush to give a testimonial when it’s unexpected.

Now, let’s be like savvy marketing pros and showcase those testimonials that you keep hidden in that file cabinet, huh?

                          

I’m not sure if Dr. Bach ever had a virtual assistant but I like his thought process. Bach made it his purpose to increase his appreciation and understanding for those he had interactions with. This makes me think about how cultivating creativity in business allows open discussions of any and all solutions.

As virtual assistants (or VAs), clients look to us to be solution finders . . . or solution providers. Working as partners equally invested in the successes of the business, VAs get excited about where the company is headed and that satisfies their personal interests in making a valuable impact along the way. The enthusiasm brought to the table can be a catalyst for creativity that sustains a project or breathes new life into a vision that may have dried up.

Working together with the approach that there are no wrong approaches in the process opens so many doors. It’s not to say that common business sense doesn’t apply but it removes the perceived limitations and encourages out-of-the-box thinking.

So, how does the creativity cultivation process take place?

It begins with the business owner’s realization that a company of any size cannot sustain growth on the back of one person. It is vital to the health of the business to have support, loyalty, trust, and a continual stream of ideas. It’s in these moments that the business owner becomes the client and a virtual assistant alliance is formed.

Think about those brainstorming sessions that are judgment free. The ones where ideas are flying and soon a thought is piggybacked onto something else that was said and then . . . “Shazam!” The birth of a new fresh idea was just witnessed. Those free-wheeling brainstorming sessions can be electrifying and that’s when the magic really begins to happen. Each idea sparks off another as the two collaborate together. Simply put it’s “synchronicity in action.”

Both the client and the VA come away energized. Ready to get the ball rolling. Ready to tackle any hurdle that comes up along the way of this new solution. I encourage business owner’s who become clients to be the pipeline rather than a chink in the creativity that is brought to the table by a forward-thinking virtual assistant. It’s not the time to squash creativity like a bug but time to watch the wings of the idea open and unfold before your very eyes ready for you to take hold and give it flight.

                          

What’s the secret to avoiding the “hurriedness” of being “busy?” Self Care. These entrepreneurs recognize the importance of nurturing themselves before nurturing their business or having contact with a client.

Most of us have been taught to manage our public world but our inner world is often cheated and ignored until burnout, breakdown, blow-up or giving up. When we run on empty (like working both day and late into the night or wee hours) finally we just don’t go anymore. Think of it like this, if the gas gauge is on empty eventually the engine will stop! If we don’t nurture ourselves eventually we don’t go either. There’s always balance between self care and self sacrifice. We may need to work late to finish up but be sure to take some extra time away from the business the next day or sleep in late.

Self care is monitored by our personality and will address the core values of our lives. It won’t look identical for every entrepreneur. While some may prefer exercising or jogging others may read, take a bubble bath, go shopping, enjoy a hobby, talk with a close friend or have a time of meditation to name just a few possibilities of self care in action. You will know what uniquely revives and energizes you.

The important thing to remember is to make that time for YOU so that you can give from a full tank. Did you know that YOU are the most valuable asset in your business? Self care is the insurance to protect your assets. Make the investment. You are definitely worth it! I’d love to hear some of the ways you recharge when the energy level is getting low.

                          

Actually, yes, bonding is exactly what you should be doing. No, it’s not time to call the wedding planners or anything like that. It is time to take notice of your existing clients. Time to make note of their likes and dislikes, learn their business expectations and goals, discover what motivates them and touches them to the core, time to remember their business milestones and special occasions and time to celebrate their victories.

Did you know   . . .
“¢  repeat clients spend 33% more than new clients?
“¢  referrals among repeat clients are 107% greater than non-clients?
“¢  it costs six times more to sell something to a prospect than to sell that same service or product to an existing client?

Marketing dollars go farther building, nurturing, and developing those existing relationships — relationships that you probably have contact with daily, weekly or monthly. This is not to say that seeking out new clients is the wrong way to go but never overlook what’s right in front of you. Always remember to give focus and priority to those that have helped you grow your business to what it is today and will be part of what your business will be tomorrow.   The grass can be equally green on your side of the fence. Building relationships isn’t as difficult to do as you may think.

Clients want to know that we care about them and their business. They want to know that we are invested as a strategic planner along side them – treating their business as we would our own. Providing the right services and products at the right time to benefit the client is an essential key. Most importantly, be sincere in your relationships as clients will always pick up on indifference and any insecurity on your part. Your interactions must be genuine. This simply can not be faked.

Long-term client loyalty is an on-going, conscious effort that should be strived for every day with every interaction regardless of how large or small the project and regardless of how large or small your business.

Businesses that fail to acknowledge those clients directly in front of them are the businesses that fall by the wayside. Don’t let that legacy become yours. Never become limited in your ability to attract new clients if you can’t hold onto and satisfy your current clients. Get it right with your existing clients first, then, branch out.

Implementing this strategy will increase your sales by 50% without increasing your marketing budget. Now, who couldn’t use a few more available dollars in their budget these days?