That one thing is “personal attention” or customer service if you will.

This personal attention can, and does come from many sources, and of course one of those sources is working with a Virtual Assistant. Now keep in mind that when working with a VA, you can become as friendly as you want to, or keep it strictly business. Naturally this would be a mutual decision, but from my own experience I can tell you that when a VA and a client get to know each other a bit more on a personal level, that personal attention will eventually get stronger and better as time goes on.

Who does this benefit?

The truth is that both the Virtual Assistant and client will benefit. This is not to say that you have to invite your clients over for dinner, nor does the client need to know who your first born is. All I am saying is that after some time it is quite common for clients and VA’s to fit together so well that they actually become friends, just like a secretary working in an office setting became friendly with their boss or co-workers in the past, it really hasn’t changed much in this aspect.

So what does this all mean?

Very simply stated is that when someone knows you well enough, and trusts you they will continue to work with you, and/or will come back to you just as a consumer will go back to their favorite store, because of the personal attention that they are given.

Clients, customers, and really all of us want and crave this personal attention, so much so that we now have social media which really goes way back to the basics of any business, online or offline. None of us reinvented the wheel all we did was change the design a bit to fit our needs in this century, and guess what? It worked then and it surely works now! This is exactly why there is Facebook, Twitter, and the hundreds of other social venues upon us today.

People want to connect, get noticed, give and receive information, and socialize. However, since Virtual Assistants work one-on-one with clients in most cases already, they have a bit of an upper hand to begin with. Imagine that, working with someone one-on-one, taking care of a clients business needs as if a VA is sitting at a desk in a clients office, and giving them that personal attention that they need and deserve. In fact both the client and VA could be in different countries and that attention and customer service will still be there.

A marvelous thing.

So you decide…did we really reinvent the wheel or did we just create a fabulous new design? My theory:We redesigned, reconfigured, revamped and remodeled a brand new way of servicing individuals that need assistance with an added touch of personal attention, similar to putting brand new spokes on a wheel.

Always remember to drive safely into the new world of Virtual Assistance and you, the client, will reap the rewards.

                          

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.

                          

“˜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!

                          

What do I do when I am stressed and feel like I am over my head? I make lists – and then I ask for help.

Making lists

The first step in tackling any problem is first understanding what it is, and then breaking it down into manageable pieces. There is an old saying – never try to eat a whole elephant in one sitting – and it is true. My client status report is my best friend. I use an excel sheet broken down into clients, and then also broken into projects, tasks within the projects and due dates for each task. I can sort this sheet by task, or by deadline – and therein lays the beauty. I can see in black and white when there will be too little, just enough, or more work than I can possibly tackle in a day or a week. I can plan for when I might need to subcontract out a task, or not. I can proactively manage my client’s requests and their deadline desires based on my realistic time estimations. I can also decide when it is time to go prospecting for new clients – be they retainer or short term projects for a quick infusion of cash into my business.

I love my spreadsheet. Do I always use it – admittedly not. (Hangs head in shame) When things are either very slow, or very busy, I tend to drift away from my daily updates of my spreadsheet. Perhaps if I found a way to track my time on the spreadsheet I’d use it more.

Is a light going on for any of you? Does this magical spreadsheet sound like a project management tool you use? I recently replaced my spreadsheet with an online project management tool – and I am learning to love it as much as my spreadsheet. There was just something so comforting in doing things the way I always did them.

Asking for Help

I mentioned subcontracting earlier, and I do use subcontractors in my business. (I prefer the term team members) I offer some services that honestly, I am either slower at completing then they are, or I do not have the time or the expertise to complete to my client’s satisfaction. I have chosen the members on my team with great care. But it is not always a team member from within my company that I turn to for help. I have professional partnerships with other businesses, so I can refer tasks that are not within my service offerings. I am a Virtual Business Manager, not a videographer or a speaker’s coach – but sometimes those are the services my clients need. So, rather than say “sorry, can’t help – go away”, I have formed relationships with other businesses that I trust. I do not subcontract these businesses – oftentimes their rates are much greater than my own – but I do take an active part in managing the process.

But, what if even that won’t help? What if you don’t have an army of subcontractors waiting to do your every command? Do you have local friends or family? Think about how distracted away from our business we can get this time of year. What if you had a full day to yourself that you could focus 100% on the tasks for the week? What if your sister took the kids for the day or your husband did the housecleaning this week? Don’t overlook the value of help that seems indirect. If the household distractions are shared or removed – the ability to focus and do what needs to be done is greatly increased.

So this Christmas, make your lists, check them twice and ask for the help you need. Those two simple tasks will help you avoid the stress that burns your  cookies on Christmas morning.

                          

I realized this is not unlike an entrepreneur deciding to work with a Virtual Assistant.

As a small business owner, you have goals for your business that you probably know how to reach, but just don’t have the time or knowledge necessary to take the steps that must be taken to reach them. When you work with a Virtual Assistant, you have someone in your corner with a vested interest in seeing that you reach those goals and the professional know-how it takes to get you there.

Just like my personal trainer created a plan for me in accordance with my fitness goals, your Virtual Assistant can draft a plan in accordance to your business goals. In most cases, this VA can also do what needs to be done to get you there.

Most of us start our businesses intending to do everything it will take to make us even more successful, but life can get in the way and when we’re lucky enough to get very busy with clients and customers it becomes very difficult to do what it takes to reach higher levels of success. A Virtual Assistant will be there for you when this happens and s/he will ensure that you stay on track.

Just like my personal trainer was a sound investment in my physical health, a Virtual Assistant will be a sound investment in the long-term health of your business!

                          

We had a lot of discussion around that and before our chat, I hadn’t realized what a mental block that could be for many people who could really benefit from the services of a Virtual Assistant.

We all know who Sam Walton is and in case you don’t, he’s that guy who founded Wal-Mart. Do you think Wal-Mart would be a household name if Mr. Walton was managing stores, working as a cashier, stocking shelves and greeting people by himself?

Obviously that would never work. He has fleets of people who do the work it takes to keep the chain of stores running. Does that make him any less of a visionary business man? Is he any less successful because he has so many people working at all of his Wal-Marts?

Of course not.

If you choose to partner with a Virtual Assistant to unload your administrative burdens, you won’t be any less of an entrepreneur than if you were doing it all yourself. You’ll just have more time to dream up more business ideas or go to the movies once in awhile! Don’t be stubborn! Let go!!

                          

• Will your outsourcing strategy change? Should it change? Are you missing out on something here?
• What’s more efficient? Crowdsourcing? Outsourcing? Hiring in house? Some combination of the above?
• Is not the traditional “RFP” crowdsourcing? Or does it depend on what community is being targeted?
• Is it crowdsourcing only if it’s online and involves a social community of some sort?

I haven’t read the book (yet!), but perhaps a true “crowdsourcer” is one who will not necessarily go actively looking for a specific type of VA; instead, crowdsourcers might prefer to just throw a post up on Ping.fm once a week and see what comes back.

Although Pinging isn’t really targeting an identifiable crowd, is it?

There are more questions than answers, at least for me, at this point.

There are obvious drawbacks to the throw it at the wall and see what sticks approach. While the response rate may be higher, versus submitting an RFP to VAnetworking.com for example, what will the quality of those responses be?

On the other hand, it might be argued that crowdsourcing will create a sort of self-selection process where the cream rises to the top, because who really knows what the competition is like except that they all follow the same person on Twitter? Or Facebook? Or even subscribe to the crowdsourcer’s blog feed?

Then again, marketing is marketing. As such, like attracts like and maybe crowdsourcing has been here all along but under a different name: outsourcing.

What do you see as the fundamental difference between crowdsourcing and outsourcing? And how will it impact your business as a potential client of Virtual Assistants, if at all?

                          

I decided to get a goldfish and put him in a bowl with some blue gravel. I named him ‘Biz’.

At first I thought about all the great little taglines I could use in front of Biz’s bowl:

Too busy to keep your goldfish alive? Time to partner with a VA!

Feel like a fish out of water when it comes to Internet Marketing?

Are you using the right bait to catch the clients you want?

And so on and so forth. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized Biz was bigger than all that!

Biz is a small little goldfish and as long as I keep him in a small glass bowl he will remain small. But, if I were to move him to a large tank he would grow much bigger. If I put him in a pond he would grow bigger still. The potential in this little fish can only be realized when he’s put in different surroundings. If he swam around this small glass bowl for the rest of his life, he would probably never know what’s possible for him.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

How big is your bowl?

Partner with a virtual assistant to help you expand into new markets, take your business online or to free up your time so you can develop new ideas.

                          

Enjoy!

Let’s, for a moment, imagine that your business is a beehive and you’re the Queen Bee. After all, the Queen’s the most important person in the hive – her sole job is to lay eggs. Without eggs, there are no bees so nothing else can happen. You are also the most important person in your business – goes without saying if you’re a ‘solo-preneur’. You’re responsible for getting new clients and ensuring all daily operations run smoothly.

Each beehive is a whole world in itself. Each bee has a role to play, it’s a very well-organized society. The Queen’s job is to lay the eggs, but there are worker bees who make the honey, there are guard bees who make sure no robber bees get in, there are scout bees who go around finding the best flowers, there are nurse bees who make sure the babies are cared for, there are bees who tend to the Queen – fanning her and caressing her, there are even bees whose lot in life is to remove the dead bees from the hive.

If it were the Queen’s responsibility to make honey, guard the hive, scout for nectar and remove dead bees, how many eggs would get laid?

As a business owner, every second you spend typing up letters, writing newsletters, blogging, entering contacts in your database and researching stuff on the Internet is eating up your egg laying time. Rather:the time you should be spending on meeting with clients, finding new ones and just doing what you want to be doing.

Honeybees have a lot to teach us, don’t they? What sort of chaos would a hive be in if the Queen were running around trying to do everything herself? She’s smarter than that. If a Queen bee could give you some advice, she’d probably tell you to go get yourself a Virtual Assistant so you can focus on what’s important. The future of your company depends on it just as the future of the Queen’s hive depends on her focus on egg laying.

Honeybees invented the art of delegating as far as I’m concerned!

                          

How many administrative tasks did you do today that could have been outsourced to a Virtual Assistant? Or more importantly, how many administrative tasks did you not do today that could have been outsourced to a Virtual Assistant?! ;)

For argument’s sake, let’s say you charge $100/hour in your service-based business. Your time is best spent serving customers and second to that, finding new ones. Is your valuable time being spent wisely when you’re acting as your own admin assistant? Are those tasks you despise being done well and in a timely fashion?

If you spend just one hour each workday on administrative “stuff”, that equals out to a whopping 6 work weeks over the course of a year and roughly $24,000 worth of your time if you charge $100/hour.

You owe it to yourself and your business to stop wasting your precious time and energy doing things that you can easily delegate to an administrative professional. A Virtual Assistant can take care of your administrative needs and guess what? We love doing them so they’ll be handled with love.