What Kind of First Impression Do You Leave?

Goodbye, Mom

I was shopping at Sav-A-Center and noticed a little old lady following me around. I stopped… she stopped… Furthermore she kept staring at me. She finally overtook me at the checkout, and she turned to me and said, “I hope I haven’t made you feel ill at ease; it’s just that you look so much like my late son.” I answered, “That’s okay.” “I know it’s silly, but if you’d call out “Good bye, Mom” as I leave the store, it would make me feel so happy.”

She then went through the checkout, and as she was on her way out of the store, I called out, “Goodbye, Mom.” The little old lady waved, and smiled back at me.

Pleased that I had brought a little sunshine into someone’s day, I went to pay for my groceries. “That comes to $121.85,” said the clerk. “How come so much? I only bought 5 items.” The clerk replied, “Yeah, but your Mother said you’d be paying for her things too.” (Author unknown)

We are all guilty of making judgments based on first appearance. We see someone and are making suppositions about them immediately, even if it’s subconsciously.

In the virtual world, prospective clients usually do not meet their virtual assistant face-to-face. So what do they base their first appearances on? The web site. Did you do your web site yourself? Do you have the experience to know if what you’re creating will have “eye-appeal” for the prospective client? Does your web site reflect professionalism and cleanliness? Do you have a professional web site with information that tells a prospective client everything they need to know? Does your web site answer the questions prospective clients will ask? Do you offer solutions to a prospective client?

These are just a few questions to keep in mind as you are building your web site. Try to look at it as an outsider would. Remember, your web site is generally the first introduction to you and your business. Take the time to ensure that “first appearances” are enough to convince that prospective client to take the next step and contact you.

Self-Esteem and Business Success

Are you a shy person? Are you a quiet person? Have you been wondering when you’re going to get the results you want in business? People who are great at what they do simply aren’t getting the results they’d like in order to grow their business. So what is the problem?

It could be self-esteem. We may have the best skills in our field of expertise. We may have the best looking web site available. But if we can’t be forthright and honest with how we feel about ourselves, business will not come. So how do you truly feel about yourself? Do you feel you are a worthy person? Do you feel you contribute to society? Do you feel you have something unique to give to others? Our feelings about ourselves and who we are as a person directly correlates with how our business is growing.

If we cannot see the worth in ourselves, how can others see the worth of our products? No matter the marketing tools you use, if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you, nor your products.

How do we build our self-esteem? I believe we have to start internally – by telling ourselves we are a unique creation; we are unlike anyone else on the planet; we have worth – otherwise, why would we be here? We need to surround ourselves with uplifting and supportive people. Have you ever been around someone who is always negative, talking about others, lacking in respect? Don’t they drag you down? Don’t hang with them! Find new friends, people who are supportive; people who value friendship; people who know your worth and are drawn to you because of that. We need to believe that we can contribute something to society, that we have something special to offer that no one else can provide. Think of the positive influences you have made, the positive decisions you have made that have shaped who you are. Before you know it, you feel like a success in your personal life.

Once you have changed your internal voice, you can then begin to project that externally. Join clubs, organization, forums. Start asking questions; let people get to know you; get your name out there. Before you know it, you will be hearing yourself talked about as someone who is involved, someone who gives insight, someone who is wise. When you start becoming known, people start trusting you and your product. You start selling, your business starts growing, you gain more clients. And before you know it, not only will you be a success in your personal life, you will be a success in your professional life.

Only you can make the change from low self-esteem to high self-esteem. But it takes work and commitment. You must BEGIN. There will be potholes along the way, but at the end, you’ll see a new person emerge, one who is confident, one who is self-possessed, one who is successful!

Make today the day you step out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there. What are you going to do? Whatever it is, as the Nike commercial says, “Just Do It.”

Good luck in your journey!

Free Upcoming PR Seminar at the VACOC

One of the many benefits of being a member of the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce is participating in the free seminars that are held monthly. The next VACOC seminar will be Using Radio PR to Promote Your Business with Pat Lynch of WomensRadio.

This will be held on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 8pm EST. It is a 60-minute seminar and the cost is FREE.

Ms. Pat Lynch was an innovator in media usage during her 34 years in advertising, marketing and public relations. She began a media company for women in 1996 and the first project was WomensRadio. In 2002, she launched WomensCalendar and WomensCalendar eNewsletter that reaches some half million women leaders each week.

In 2004, her company launched two new media services: Press Your Point, a powerful, yet inexpensive press release service; and AudioAcrobat, a unique and very easy-to-use audio recording and streaming service. In 2005, her company launched the all-new Women’s Radio with it’s “hub” of 30 minute-long programs.

Pat is a frequent speaker at women’s events, not only about the use of media, but more importantly, about her favorite subject “Speaking Up.”

Ms. Lynch will be sharing:

• practical advice on getting started

• methods of ramping up to be the media expert, and

• taking advantage of on-the-ground radio as well as the new Web world–Web radio and blogs, too!

To register, visit the VACOC registration page at http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/…egistration.htm.

If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll be glad to help you find the answers. Look forward to “meeting” you there.

Hanging out your Shingle and Becoming a Virtual Assistant

More and more people seem to be jumping on the Virtual Assistant bandwagon. Why?

There seems to be a mindset that, “Hey, I don’t want to work in the corporate world any longer; I have computer equipment at home; I think I’ll be a virtual assistant.” So they quit their job, start searching the Internet, join a few forums, and poof! they’re now a virtual assistant, putting their names out there and trying to drum up business. But my opinion is, just because someone works from home doesn’t make them a virtual assistant.

The term “virtual assistant” was coined by life coach, Thomas Leonard, during a conversation he was having with Stacy Brice, founder of AssistU, the first organized training and coaching organization for virtual assistants.

• What virtual assistance is – VAs are micro business owners who provide administrative and possibly personal support while working in long-term collaborative relationships with only a handful of terrific clients. Using phone, fax, email, as well as other emerging technologies, VAs support their clients’ needs, across the board, without having to ever step foot inside the clients’ offices. (AssistU definition)

• A Virtual Assistant (or VA) is a professional service provider who specializes in providing remote administrative office support services as an independent contractor who works with clients in an ongoing, collaborative professional relationship. (VACOC definition)

• What virtual assistance is NOT – A VA is not someone who provides consulting services. That person is a consultant. A VA isn’t someone who only provides bookkeeping services. That person is a bookkeeper. A VA isn’t someone who only provides marketing support. That person is a marketing consultant or a marketing assistant. A VA isn’t someone who books speaking engagements. That person is an agent. Nor are VAs Tax Advisors, Accountants, Medical Transcriptionists, Web Designers, or professional business and personal coaches. (AssistU definition)

I believe VAs can provide additional services such as those mentioned above – but they are additional speciality areas. They are not the “heart and soul” of a virtual assistant business.

If you feel you have the administrative skills needed to become a virtual assistant, before you hang out your shingle, please, research, network, learn, train – do everything possible to find out all you can about the title you are about to assume. There are some wonderful places to do this, two of which I’ve mentioned above. Check them out, be prepared to learn and see if you have what it takes to become a virtual assistant!

For additional information, visit my website at Elite VAs. I’d love to hear from you.

Networking and Blogging – Do you have time?

There’s been an explosion lately of networking and blogging. Everywhere you look, you see people touting the benefits. But you may think, “I really don’t have time for all that if I’m going to have a successful business.” To that I say, you won’t be able to have the success you’re looking for if you don’t take the time to market your business – which is what networking and blogging are all about.

When I first became a small business owner, I spent most of my time doing the client work. I didn’t take time, nor interest, in doing more than getting the projects done in a timely and efficient manner. I soon realized that the business was not going to grow unless I spent some time in “non-billable” work.

Since then, I’ve started networking and joined forums both in my business market and in my target market. I have made many new business relationships, made new friendships, and most importantly, people are telling me they’ve heard of Elite VAs. I network with people all over the world and learn about different cultures, different ways of doing things, different perspectives. I’ve watched as my name has gotten around and people begin to see me as a professional in my field.

I heard and heard about blogging, but just couldn’t make myself do it. After all, with the time I was spending on networking and actively marketing my business, I didn’t have the time to blog. Big mistake! Since I’ve started blogging, I’ve met more interesting people – people who are the experts in their fields, people who want to see others succeed, people who truly strive to enrich themselves by gaining all the knowledge they can.

The other benefit to networking and blogging that I never would have imagined is the confidence you gain. As you become more familiar with terms, with writing, with software, with sharing ideas and inspiration, you gain wisdom. Wisdom turns to confidence, which once again is an avenue for business success.

So the next time you think you just don’t have time to blog or network, or you just don’t know how, drop me a line at vturley@elitevas.com, or come on over to any of the thousands of forums out there and see what’s going on. You may end up having fun, learning and growing your business all at the same time! And isn’t that what we went into business for in the first place?

Narrowing your Marketing Niche

As a small business owner, I have recently been convinced of the need for a niche.

As Beryl Powell, owner of VAMarketingCoach.com recently mentioned in a teleseminar, “When you find a niche, you’re not limiting yourself – you’re focusing your efforts …” (Loosely quoted)

When I first started hearing that you should narrow your marketing focus to a specific industry (or two), I wondered if I would be limiting myself. After all, if you’re just starting the process of building your client base, you don’t want to turn any work away, right? So you try to market yourself as everything to everyone. But let’s be realistic. You can’t be everything to everyone. If you’re spreading yourself that thin, you won’t be as effective as you are capable of being. To narrow your focus means all of your energy will be concentrated in one direction, giving you the edge you need in this competitive business world. So it pays to find your target market and gear your efforts toward that group.

How do you go about finding your target market? Sit down and think about your ideal client – what characteristics will they have; what goals do they have; are their end goals similar to yours? Once you have decided on a niche, find out if the services you provide are needed by that industry and (this is very important) if they can afford you. You’re then ready to begin your marketing.

When you think about it, this makes much more sense than trying to be all things to all people. Focusing your energy gives you a clear vision of how you’re going to provide the best service. And providing the best service will get your name “out there” so that you will soon become known as an expert in your field.

Do Emotions Affect the Success of Female Business Owners?

There has been some debate going on in one of the networks of which I’m a member. The participants are all female – emotions have gotten involved and it has grown into a monster.

What is it about females that we let our emotions rule everything? We are business owners – some bringing in six figure incomes, some with full practices and turning away new clients, some who have been in the business industry for many years. Yet put a bunch of us together and we’re bound to clash. Our business sense goes out the window and we are taking things personally.

Males don’t seem to have this problem. Not that they don’t have disagreements with each other; they just don’t seem to let emotions get involved. They present themselves as professional business owners and keep that image throughout confrontations.

As women business owners, we must get past the mentality of emotions first. To be taken seriously as entrepreneurs, we must present ourselves, at all times, as professionals. I believe there is a place for emotions (especially as women). It helps define who we are and I believe it can help with our success. But we cannot let our emotions rule us.