Trustworthiness = More Sales Online!

If I trust someone and believe in them as a person/company online, then they can tell me they are an expert at whatever they want and I’ll believe them. ;) AND, I buy from websites/people I trust in the end. Purchasing online for me all boils down to one thing > Trust = Buy.

There are many ways your Virtual Assistant (VA) can help you gain credibility online and here are just a few you can get them to do over the next month to help increase the money at month-end in your bank account.

1.Make sure you have full contact information on your website and it is easy to find. And a post-office box just won’t do for met at least to increase my trust in a website.  I want a real address with a phone number to contact them at.

Why? Because if they don’t deliver the product I ordered then I can physically get out of my slippers, put on my steel toed heels and go knock on their door to get it from them.  (Not that I would but I do have that option). A website without contact information doesn’t put me at ease.

2. Get your Virtual Assistant to set you up an email address at your domain name if you haven’t gotten one already. bozo@gmail.com, bozo@yahoo.com email addresses just don’t instill credibility. (Anyone remember before yahoo it was bozo@geocities.com?) Do I need to say anymore?  I know everyone is joining the CLOUD and using Gmail for everything nowadays but personally, I still like seeing an email from a company with their name on it like cool@companyname.com, call me old fashioned but it somewhere makes me trust that this is a real company I’m buying from.  And don’t forget our equation above: TRUST = BUY!

3. If you are selling a product online make sure you and your VA are fully living it themselves and also backing it up with fantastic tweets, raving facebook pages and recommending by word of mouth.

Example) If I am looking for Internet marketing services and the company’s website isn’t ranking high in the search engines themselves then that tells me they probably won’t get my site very high in the search engines either.

4. Make sure your Virtual Assistant keeps your blog updated. If your last blog post was dated May 10, 2009 then its highly likely that the ebook I’m thinking of buying from you is out of date too or so it would make me think.

5. Make sure your Virtual Assistant is on top of all the social networks you belong to. People who never respond back to my tweets/facebook comments just irks me. Hey, if you can’t take a minute to answer my product question or even acknowledge my existence, maybe I just won’t buy your product then. Tit 4 Tat ;)

6. Have your Virtual Assistant do a Google Search of your company name. And if it shows up with SPAM/BBB complaints on the first page, get her to start dealing with them and get rid of them.

People typically only buy online from companies they trust and feel are credible.

Have your Virtual Assistant go through your website and see if it complies with all of the above points this month and fixing any issues they’ve found.  You’ll find that the next month you’ll see more sales in your email box, guaranteed!

                          

Take a good look at your website – is the message consistent to your brand’s message? If you are marketing your company as “the best in your field” – does your website convey that message in both content and marketing about your business and in its level of professional functionality?

In my business, we work with Speakers, Authors and Trainers and we have found some must have elements that their websites demand in order to position them at the top of their field – and ultimately get them more ideal clients.

Website Elements for Serious Speakers

Before you even begin to think about the elements in your website, or any of your marketing material – there are some things you need to nail down first.

• YOUR BRAND – What does your company represent?   Who is your ideal client?   What are you all about?
• YOUR ‘UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION’ – Why are you different? What is it about your company that will entice your clients to hire you over the competition?

Once you can answer those questions confidently – then it is time to get to work on your website!

These are the elements we have found work best for our clients.   They are listed in no particular order.

1. Biography with professional photos
2. Client list (if not confidential in nature)
3. Testimonials (written and video) – make sure you have reciprocal links from their websites if possible.
   Hint – outgoing links can lower your website ranking – but links TO your website raise your ranking.       Also, make sure those links open in another page, never encourage clients to leave your site! 
   • Brag - if you have worked with popular clients – put them front and center.   Include a photo of you with them as well as the testimonial.
4. Speaker’s page (outlines topics)
5. Articles you have written, or that you recommend.   (Adding value is a big component to attracting the clients who you want to work with.   If you are publishing – and they come to you because they like what you have to say, they are already pre-qualified and are now a ‘warm’ lead and therefore it is much easier to close the deal)
6. Videos with various audiences and topics – always incorporate humor
7. Information for meeting planners
8. Downloadable and online speakers package including:
   • Top 5 or 10 reasons to choose you
   • Meeting checklist
   • Sample contract (including fees and travel expense guidelines)
   • AV requirements

What you might not have thought about

• Opt in section to gather email addresses with give a value driven give away
• Do you have a blog?   If you do – link to it!   If you don’t – get one!
• Are you listed with a speaker’s bureau – make sure the link is visible on your website
• Invitations to follow you on Twitter, Linked in and Facebook.
• Affiliate links – are you recommending an amazing book – see if they offer affiliate programs and make a commission every time someone buys from your site.   For that matter – are YOUR books and products set up with affiliate properties?   Are you taking advantage of someone else’s website sales?
• Are you recording any smaller presentations that are relevant to the masses?   Package them along with telecasts and webinars to create passive income products.
• A shopping cart to sell those amazing passive income products you have just created
• Links to media and newspaper articles where you have been featured.   Don’t just get the initial kick when it airs or is published – use it to gain credibility for months to come.

So now you know what you need – but do you know how to do it?   This is where hiring a qualified Virtual Assistant or Virtual Business Manager comes into play.   I have a few tips here too.

When you ask for help – plan first what you need.   If you do not understand what you want, it is much more difficult to help   someone give it to you.

Interview your prospective VA.   Don’t just rely on what they say when they respond to your RFP.     Ask to see samples of their work and ask to speak to their clients.

Hiring a VA and taking the ‘website plunge’ are   big decisions
but using the right strategy can help make it a   simple choice.

                          

Once your business is up and running, at some point you will experience the realization that you must take the step to move to the next level – you have existing clients, new clients, referrals and what worked when you started up will not accommodate the growth you are experiencing now.

Whether you have reached that point now or not, it is only sound business sense to make a plan on what you need to put in place to make a seamless transition to the growth of your business.

Remember, that Business Plan you created?  That is the perfect starting point – to revisit your Plan and document what procedures you need to change (e.g. your organizational steps to accept a significant number of new clients), what expenditures you need to meet (e.g. additional staff, equipment, training), what new products or services you can offer to meet your clients needs (eg. a bakery that wants to add preserves and jams to increase revenue).

This can be a daunting and time-consuming task, especially when you are already overloaded with working “on” and “in” your business but it is crucial to your success and growth.

Your Business Plan is like a bible or journal that needs to be constantly revisited to adjust and change to meet the needs of your growing business.

Where can you go for help? Once you have a plan of action in mind and an idea of what you need to make changes, consider hiring a Virtual Assistant to help you. They can partner with you to assist in meeting your goals, organizing and streamlining the process and help with the implementation.

                          

When hiring a Virtual Assistant a client really does not know anything more about this new person that is about to help them other than what has been emailed between them, or perhaps a quick chat on the phone to confirm details etc. Does a client really know who they are dealing with? Probably not, but that also does not mean that a VA is lying either. It may be wise on the client’s part to check references on a VA first, before actually hiring him or her. By the same token a VA really does not know if a new client is on the level. For example, will the client pay the VA what they are worth, on time, and in accordance with a VA’s policy or terms? Yes, it can be a shot in the dark sometimes, but more often than not if a VA and a client are trustworthy it usually works out, but it doesn’t hurt to take a few extra measures to be on the safe side.

But what about more important things like information; such as, trade secrets, user names and passwords of any kind, and/or confidential matters? There is a solution for that as well. Service agreements/contracts and confidentiality agreements are both beautiful things! This is exactly what they are meant for. However, this does not mean that a client will actually adhere to what these agreements state, the same for a Virtual Assistant. So how does one actually make someone else trust them?   A hard question to answer, but I have found that developing a relationship with a new client works wonders for both the VA and the client. In other words, be a tad less formal. Discuss things outside of work if that is possible. Call each other by first name only.   Does this solve every problem: absolutely not, but at least it is a beginning to what could very well be a long and mutually beneficial working relationship. Remember that praising your VA for a job well done, or just caring about the others “needs” is a wonderful start. Just like regular employees in an office setting people like to hear that they’ve done well. This spurs a lot more interest in a particular job being handled on the VA’s part, and gets the job done. Caring in general is an act of kindness. Be kind to each other. It does work.

In conclusion to this article, I will give you an example of one of my own experiences. I had a job that had to be done, but when starting this job I began to realize that it was way over my head in certain areas. I could have outsourced this particular job easily, but I did not. Instead I told my client the truth. What did this do? The client was so pleased that I was completely honest about the situation that I ended up doing other work for him/her instead. The client could have asked for a refund, but they were so genuinely impressed by my honesty that they kept me on for other work needed. As they say:Honesty is the best policy!

                          

One example might be that you are watching a TV show, you see the screen, and you hear the dialogue, but you’re not really paying attention to it, thus the end result is having no idea what the show was really about.   It works the same way with Virtual Assistants and clients. Are you really LISTENING to your client’s wants, needs and concerns? On the flip side is the client really LISTENING to your ideas, and suggestions?

The following are some tips to help Virtual Assistants and clients battle the hearing versus listening blues and will no doubt help anyone in their communication efforts!

• The first step is to discuss what your communication preferences are. Is it via email, telephone, chat, in person if that is possible. How about designating a time each week to discuss updates, projects, tasks, etc.  Again this is between the VA and the client. Choose a preference and stick with it, it will make life a lot easier!

• Once the above is settled you are one step ahead of the game! But of course there is always more:A client should be very clear on what his/her expectations are. If they are not, as a Virtual Assistant it is “our” job to fully understand what those expectations are to the best of our ability. Ask and ask again! No question is a foolish question. The more that both parties can be clear on what they want and can do the better and faster the job will get done. “Listen” to each other!    Hearing is simply not enough!

• How about implementing a “Master Project List.” A client can write up a list of tasks/projects to be done and a Virtual Assistant can follow that list with the most important project on the top, i.e., to be done first. When a VA updates a weekly report, that same list can be used to check off what has been done!

• Do not be afraid to over communicate. This holds true for both the VA and the client. If something is not completely understood, it may waste a lot of time and energy because it may have to be redone. As mentioned above, keep questioning until both parties completely understand what is needed.

Even though this may only be a few tips to help clients and VA’s communicate more effectively, the same holds true for any relationship at all.   The key to effectively communicating is to understand what the other person or party may want or need. Reading the words, hearing a voice, or watching a screen is simply not enough to become a successful communicator. Just because you hear someone or read something does not mean you are listening and understanding! Much like this article:do you “understand” what this article is trying to tell you? If you do, then you are on your way to becoming a much better communicator, and in the long run will help clients and Virtual assistants alike communicate more effectively and efficiently!

                          

If you Google your Company Name and it comes up at the top of the first page, you may think your site is optimized. But what if your prospective customer is looking for a product or service and they use search terms or “keywords and phrases” to find what they are looking for? Would your Company Name come up on that search? If your site is optimized properly, ir probably will but likely not on the first page.

Example: Your company is a Coaching business.   You have decided to “niche” your Coaching and target market to “family businesses”. Would your prospective clients type in your Company Name? No! They don’t know you exist. They are using search terms like “Small Business Advisor”, “Small Business Coach”, “Family Business Coach”. If those words/phrases are on your site and in your Header for your pages, Google crawlers have read them and your Company will appear in their listings. If your pages have only “Coaching”, the likelihood of your site coming up in the first 100 pages of a Google Search would be slim to nil as there are thousands of Coaches.

Creating a website for your business is a great way to advertise but if clients can’t find you, how effective will your site be?

Not only is the design and content of a website important, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is even more important. Whether you are creating and designing your own site or you have contracted a web designer to do it for you, make your SEO strategy an integral part of your site. Do a keyword search to find out what prospects are typing in to find your product or service. Make sure those specific words and phrases are on your site for Google to find them. Ask your web designer if they have done a keyword search and optimized your site.

If you are uncertain about how to do this or you find your site is not optimized correctly, ask your Virtual Assistant to provide this service to you.

                          

It’s really simple if you think about it. While a client is actually paying a Virtual Assistant for their time, and a job being worked on, the client will actually start making money in the process. Okay, how? Let’s say client “A” has a business, his or her focus would be to generate sales for whatever the business is. However, how can client “A” generate these sales when everything else needs to be in place first, and even more than that it is continuous work.    To elaborate further, a VA will insure that a web site is up and running, search engine optimization has been done, a press release has been written, social media marketing is done on a daily basis, a blog is live and active and the list can go on. Who is going to operate all of these things while client “A” is trying to generate and make these sales?

Having a business online today is not exactly the same as it was years ago. Years ago we created a web site and hoped that people would visit us. Of course there was still some prep work that was needed to be done, but today what is needed to get done far exceeds what was needed to do back then, which of course equals to time. Who has that kind of time?  Just looking at the to-do list alone is tiresome all by itself!

So you set out to find your perfect Virtual Assistant to do all of the above, plus more, while you generate those sales that you need to keep your business running; to keep you sane, and also to pay your VA for all of his or her hard work. But remember one thing:while your VA is working the set amount of hours that they’ve been hired for, could be per week, per day, two hours a day, etc, they are alleviating you from doing all of this work that you’d be stuck doing and probably would be taking much longer to do at that. A Virtual Assistant is huge reprieve in the business day when it comes to this extra work that is essential to keeping a web site active.

Think of it as a team effort if you will. Client “A” tells his/her VA exactly what needs to be done, the leads and traffic starts making its way to Clients “A” site.   One sale alone, in some cases, can pay for your VA’s salary for the day, and two sales can bring home the bacon. Now obviously it all depends on what is being sold, but little by little that VA’s salary will be paid for completely by the business over time, plus you will see an increase in traffic and those much needed sales.

Is there a guarantee of sales? There aren’t any guarantees no matter what you do or what business that you are in; however, with two people working on the same goal, just in different capacities, any client has double the power to get on the online track to success.   Double the power might mean double the sales and in most cases more than that, as traffic is generated from all kinds of venues. So don’t think of hiring a VA as an extra expense, think of it as added exposure which leads to income!

                          

So how does one go about working a business “online” if they do not know what to do first? Good question and one that many often ask. Modern technology is a wonderful thing! We can Fan pages on Facebook, Tweet until our hearts content, connect, Network, socialize and the list goes on…but how can we do all of this and still focus on the bottom line? Better yet, we now need to do this, yes you read me right, NEED is the keyword. Naturally not everyone will do all of the above; however, it is becoming less and less of an option to not do, so much so, it is becoming necessity, because if you don’t do it your competition will.

Thus we have thee “Virtual Assistant” that ever loving “write hand” that is here to assist you every step of the way! Isn’t this just the most innovative thing that you have heard of yet? Someone actually helping you to succeed; grow your businesses and get your name brand out to the virtual world and beyond! Can someone say Star Trek please…oh yes, and beam me up Scottie! Not so far fetched after-all is it?

My point to this article is that not everyone can do the above all by themselves! It is extremely difficult to focus on the bottom line, which is YOUR business, and sales, and then have to Network, tweet, connect, social bookmark, write press releases and everything that it takes to get noticed and become successful! Just working on your bottom line; which is making those much needed sales, is a full-time job all by itself, without any of the other things mentioned above. A Virtual Assistant can do all of these extra things for you all you have to do is hire one that meets your specific needs, and they will do all of the things that you can not do or do not have the time to do. Your job should only be to focus on you business, and let your Virtual Assistant do the rest. This is a very simple formula, invest in your business and you will reap the rewards, or spend numerous hours online trying to figure out what should be done. What does this equate to? Time, and time equals money lost when you can be focusing on what you really need to do. Now that’s the bottom line!

                          

This works very well for Coaches, Speakers, Sales Trainers, Authors, Internet Marketers, Virtual Assistants and many other types of service-based businesses as well as businesses that are launching a new product.

In the recent past, marketing an Event started out with a mailout, an email blast, a local ad in a newspaper or magazine or telemarketing calls. The event was usually held in a Conference Centre, a Banquet Hall or similar.

But in these days of tightened budgets, expensive and time-consuming travel and busy schedules, many professionals just can’t attend. And presenters are finding the cost of advertising the event, booking a room and refreshments and providing training materials and handouts are not worth the Return on Investment which can net from 0% to approximately 5% of attendees.

A practical and much more effective choice is now a “virtual event”. This could be in the form of a phone or web-based conference call, a Podcast, an on-line seminar or a webinar.   Virtual Assistants are very familiar with this format, as they are interacting and learning through many on-line events and even taking courses to constantly upgrade their skills, all by way of the internet.

Many presenters have expressed concerns that a “virtual event” takes all personal interaction out of the experience, but those who have held the events are generally hearing that the attendees are very satisfied with the format and the content of the events and interaction does happen with the availability of the attendee to respond through the audio connection by phone, mic or speakers on-line or in “chat” windows.

How can this be set-up?

There are multiple choices of service providers that offer bridge lines for conference calls, podcast sites, seminar sites and webinars. Some are “paid” services and some of them are free.   You can choose to hold a “free” event or “paid”. You can direct them to an on-line registration process, that usually includes an autoresponder to confirm to the registrant and you can provide electronic handouts, literature, workbooks or course materials, all emailed to their Inbox after the registration.

How do you promote your Event?

With the advent of Social Media, whether you are going International, National or Local, you can direct your announcement to where your “target market” hangs out on the internet. As well, you can issue a Press Release on-line and direct them to sign up for the Event on your website.

Did you know that a Virtual Assistant can help you set up your first Event? As well, there are many Virtual Assistants that offer specialized Virtual Event services.

Make your first Event a huge success with the help of your VA.

                          

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?