The Virtual Wire

Selling ... do you hate it?

The opening lines of this article written by Tim Berry caught my attention:

"You know who you are. You hate selling, but here you are, making your way as entrepreneur, having to sell or sink. 

Oh yeah, I'm part of that crowd!  The "I hate selling" mantra has been heard from my lips many times. In fact, that was the biggest hurdle for me as I prepared to go out on my own and launch a micro-business. I did not want to "lose" my real self, which is what I had witnessed from some. 

Tim titled his article, "5 Points on Selling without Selling Your Soul."  I appreciate each point!  It is a list of fundamental principles for effectively developing a solid business. 

Each, too, is characteristic of good, strong interpersonal skills.  Skills we have likely (hopefully) honed as professionals - active listening, empathizing, truth telling, problem solving, and persistence.

You may find that you're implementing each of these points already.  This read will serve as a great validation, then, of your savvy selling skills!  I found it refreshingly relevant. 

4 Simple Steps To Marketing Your Business

Market your business in a systematic way. The steps are easy, though producing results may be challenging. Marketing your business is a game of numbers and trust. The more people who know about your business, the greater your chances are of closing business. Additionally, the more people trust you, the easier it will be to refer you new business. Let's review the steps.

1. Choose a target market
There is nothing like knowing exactly whom you serve and explaining that in a very clear way. Choosing a target market is the first step in marketing your business because you need to focus your energy with laser precision. This statement is not true, "Everyone can use my services". Choosing a target market tells you exactly who needs your services and this will allow you to understand their needs as a group.

2. Understand the needs of your market
Being a virtual assistant is all about solving problems. You wouldn't choose to serve an industry that had no need for your services. Would you? Of course not! You have already decided to go into business because there is a market that could use your expertise. Heck, they'll even pay you for your expertise. Get out there and really connect with the problems that you solve. Think about your skill set and your past experience. What problems did you solve when you had a J-O-B? These are the same solutions that you provide in your own business.

3. Be where your target market is
When you identify your target market it's a much easier task to find where they hang out. This is golden information. Perhaps you remember the 1849 gold rush. Where did everyone rush to and why? People flocked to California in droves because they heard that gold was there. They wanted to be in the right place in order to discover riches for themselves. If you position yourself where your target market is, you'll be sitting on a virtual gold mine.

4. Develop and follow a marketing plan
Now is the time to go to work. You have the skills you need to run a business. You have a target market who needs your expertise. You have figured out how to get in front of your target market. Now, you need to implement marketing strategies so that your market will understand that you are expert who is dedicated to solving their problems. You will need to build trust and credibility over time. You can do this by having the professional marketing collateral that is appropriate for your market.

Pick two or three different marketing strategies and master them. Try networking (in person or online), article writing or public speaking. Whatever marketing strategies you choose, plan to engage in them during times when you are not working with clients. If you have openings every day, then put your plan into action.

Be on your way to acquiring more clients by remembering that it is as easy as 1 2 3 4!

How to get local PR on a micro budget!

Getting PR is one thing, but leveraging it is quite another.  When you visit blogs, websites, etc. you can't tell me your not immediately swayed by the logos of the NY Times, USA Today or some other media channel that they've plastered on the front page of their site.  Getting PR is a badge of honor that we all want and some do, wear very proudly.  So, how do you get it, and then what do you do with it?

I recently had the privilege of hosting Meredith Liepelt, a local marketing guru on my first my radio program for Smart-Savvy Entrepreneur's.  Here are a few tips and tricks she shared that I've benefited from as well:

Focus on your local media community...

• First, you need to get to know "who's who" in your media community
• If you haven't made the national splash yet with PR, then focus on your local community.

Compelling story, not an ads get splashed in the news. 

A few elements of a compelling story...

• Personal and draws emotion
• Viewers, readers and listeners can relate it to their life because it solves a problem or because you just showed them how to do it differently.
• Create a great headline that hooks them on first glance (research this by reviewing your favorite magazines and then model your headlines behind the ones that got your attention)

Keep press releases simple by following this formula:

Paragraph 1 - Set up credibility by using a statistic
Paragraph 2 - Quote from you (subjective and sound exciting)
Paragraph 3 - Solution, solutions, and more solutions
Paragraph 4 - Short bio

Send it in and then follow up quickly.

Create a media kit on your website

Without breaking the bank, create a simple media kit on your site that contains:

• Fact sheet about your company
• Bio
• Head shots (both hi and low res)
• MP3s and videos
• 1 sheet about products and services

Some of you may know that I was recently featured on the local news and then published in the Columbus Dispatch - a two page spread about virtual assistance.  I knew I was being blessed because I had not done any searching for the right media person to connect to, I didn't take the steps mentioned above.  I didn't have an agenda.  It just happened.  

But, according to the reporter, what I did do right was:

• accept the invitation to be interviewed when the reported had the hot story
• work with their time frame (we spoke on the phone and within 1 hr. they were at my house!)
• be associated with organizations larger than your own (they found me because I was a part of a larger association)

I would add, be real and authentic and as Meredith mentions on the radio program, support their story line - try to really work with them in getting their jobs done.

In no time flat, you'll be making headlines and impacting lives on the local news channels.  When you do, don't forget to tell us so we can all celebrate your success!

How To Successful Grow A Virtual Assistant Business

Getting your Virtual Assistant business off the ground is a MAJOR accomplishment! If you have already done so, congratulations and welcome to the ranks! And if you are thinking about it or getting ready to take the leap, just DO it!

Once you’re up and running, you’ll want to focus your attention on making smart decisions and running an efficient, productive business. Today’s article offers three tips on how to grow a successful Virtual Assistant business:

1. Understand Your Numbers

How closely do you track your expenses each month? Is your cell phone plan more than you need? When is the last time you asked your telephone company about any discounts or promotions they are offering? Are you paying for other services you don’t really need? Investing money back into your business is great, but make sure you aren’t losing revenue by wasting money on products or services that you don’t really need. Take a look at your profit & loss statements for the last 3-6 months. Which customers or products have been most profitable? Which products or services are actually costing you money? Don’t wait until the end of the year or tax time to review your financial reports. Schedule time each month to review your reports so that you can be on top of developing trends and make the necessary adjustments.

2. Stop Networking and Start Connecting

No matter what your profession or industry, as a small business owner you will find yourself constantly marketing your business and looking for new opportunities. As you meet various people at networking events, seminars, business meetings or otherwise in your daily activities, seek out opportunities to learn about what other people do. Make that your focus. When you ask someone “what do you do?” be genuinely interested in their response. Better yet, instead of thinking about how they can help you, consider how you can help them. Do you have a friend or a colleague that would be a great connection for them? Perhaps you have a recommendation for a vendor that could solve a problem they are having. Look to build connections and assist others instead of fulfilling your own needs. You’ll be surprised at the opportunities that come your way.

3. Don’t Stop Learning!

Set aside a specific budget of time and money to regularly invest in your personal and professional development. If you want to be considered as an expert in your field, you cannot become stagnant and rest on the knowledge you already have. You must constantly be working hard to stay abreast of changing trends. Make it your business to keep up with new books, ezines, and blogs, attend seminars and classes. Staying current will help to position you as an expert and expose you to countless opportunities for learning, networking and collaborating with your colleagues. You will continue to find ways to add value to the lives of your clients and have a wealth of knowledge to translate into new products and services.

Email marketing simplified!

You probably get bombarded with loads of e-newsletters, e-zines, and auto responder campaigns, all competing for the #1 spot in your in box.  If you are anything like me, you're managing your time by focusing on the most important things and anything else get's relegated to the "reading" folder.

So, what can you do to ensure your email gets read?  Here are a few tips shared by an industry expert, Lisa Almeida.

Avoid the biggest mistakes.

• deciding NOT to use an email marketing provider (like iContact, Constant Contact or Aweber)

Make sure you have the most important sentence right.

• The subject line - make sure it's consistent and concise
• Hook them with a catchy title to ensure the highest open rate

Select the best day of the week to send your message.

• This gets tricky because it depends on your target audience
• B2B - then Tuesday - Thursday between 12-5 EST
• B2C - Sundays and evenings might work best

Apply the 80/20 rule.

• 80% content that is useful to your audience
• 20% promotional

If you haven't included email marketing in your bag of tricks yet, then hold on to this.  Every business owner, at some point will need to communicate with their clients or target audience.  If they don't then they are missing a big opportunity to leverage contacts.

Suffering from social networking overwhelm?

I've found a great blog article, and want to share it with you today.  Its title says it all:  "How to Manage Your Time with Social Networks."  

I've come across many "experts" advising me how to use the various networking sites.  In fact, I'm tiring of their advice. 

This post from Meryl.net, however, hit the mark for me with her short list of tips and solid, practical concepts.

My favorite tip is her first one: "Tell yourself that no one can keep up with it all."  (I guess I simply needed the reminder.)

And ... I appreciate her summary:

"Don’t let social networking overwhelm you. You’re the boss of your time and very few can be all over the place on a regular basis. Instead, take a step back and prioritize. Having a profile is better than nothing. Besides, you can point to where people can find you."

I've been re-thinking and rearranging work schedules and commitments in my own business and daily  activities -- a type of life management exercise.  It's a skill that continually needs attention, I've found. Determining what is most valuable and understanding then what can be left out is not necessarily easy.  It is, though, critical - avoiding overwhelm can be achieved! 

What have you found that helps?

Knowing when to learn, what to learn, how to learn and what to spend on learning??

Earlier in the year I discussed what I thought were good places to spend my learning budget on this year.  But I realized that to make my final decisions I had to ask myself the 4 questions above:

1. When to learn?
   Looking at my schedule I looked at how Q1 has panned out for me, and what availability feels comfortable to fit (this changes periodically), i.e. do I have free time in the mornings, afternoons or evenings, when it is more natural and productive for me to be doing my client work, when does my brain feel open and susceptible to learning new things, in the morning, afternoon or evenings.
   For me I actually realized that right now, morning and evenings are my most productive work times, so there is flexibility in the afternoon, and that is when my brain tends to be in learning mode, as that is when I naturally look for new things, and play (which is my definition of learning). 
   So classes need to be between 2pm-5pm GMT.
   
   
2. What to learn?
   Shall I learn how to grow my business, or how to develop my business? 
   Actually this is an easy one for me because I know that I am technically gifted and love the technical aspect of my business.  Also learning business development works better for me in practical, forum type discussions rather than theoretical learning.  I need to hear and learn about the nuances of communication, making the wrong or right decisions and how this has impacted the business and life, but for technical skills theory and practical are both suitable – I just love this stuff.  So with technical being the leader the main thing was what is relevant right now.  Through our referral system, and my own experience with clients, I often see people asking for shopping cart, ezine services, website development and social networking skills.  I am by no means saying this is an exclusive list of present requirements, far from it, these are the technical skills I am already strong in and therefore appeal to me when I see a request.  So rather than learn something totally new, it makes sense to develop these skills further.
   So for me I want to learning shopping cart, ezine services, blogging applications, website development and social networking skills.

Becoming Client Attractive

I had the opportunity to attend a workshop last week focused on client attraction and came away with some great insights that I wanted to share!

First, though I wholeheartedly admit in NOT buying into the Law of Attraction, I do agree that a positive, abundant mindset is critical to being a successful Virtual Assistant.  Being positive and confident and highly client attractive, will allow one to confidently talk about their services and rates and will keep you from taking on a client who is less than ideal.

Secondly, I was reminded how important it is to have compelling marketing materials for your business. This doesn’t mean fancy or expensive.  It means having materials (a website, blog, brochure, business card, etc.) that speaks to your ideal client and their biggest problem.  You see, no one is really sitting around thinking “I need a Virtual Assistant” just for the sake of having one.  What clients REALLY want is solutions to their problems. So in talking about what we do, we must position ourselves as expert problems solvers and our marketing materials MUST showcase the solutions we offer.

Finally, I was reminded of how important it is to not be virtual all the time.  This particular event was filled with over 200 attendees, all of whom are in my target market, so it made it really easy for me to connect with folks I might potentially choose to work with.  And it was lots of fun!  I walked away with LOTS of solid leads and one that is going to completely transform my business in a BIG way!  Attending live events and talking confidently about what I do has been a major part of my success as a Virtual Assistant.  We can’t expect to hide behind our computers and achieve the success we want.  To grow, both personally and professionally, it’s crucial to invest time and money in attending trainings, events and in education opportunities.

I’d love to hear about your favorite client attraction tips!  Please do leave your comments below.

Cheers!

Becoming a Full Practice VA

“Knowledge is power” is an over-used cliché, but oh so true!  When we educate ourselves about best business practices, and then apply what we learn, it makes all the difference in our success as entrepreneurs.

Here are some tips on how we can apply knowledge to fill our VA practice:

1. Identify your target market, ideal client and niche (in that order).  Having this clarity about who you are best meant to serve is a key factor in your attracting an endless stream of ideal clients.
2. Your ideal client profile should be based on qualities NOT circumstances.  When I first started my VA business, I would have worked with anyone with a pulse and checkbook.  That is NOT the way to run your business.  Get clear on the type of people you want to work with.
3. Develop a solutions-focused answer to the age old question, “What do you do?”  (HINT: Do not say…I’m a Virtual Assistant!)  Be sure to convey the solutions you provide to a specific industry or group of people.
4. Promote your business in a big way!  Don’t hide behind your computer, get out and meet people.  Connect.  Network.  Find organizations that cater to your target market and ideal clients, both online and offline.  Tell your friends and family about your business and what you do.  Be proud of your entrepreneurism, smart about how you spend your marketing dollars and strategic in the connections you make.
5. Set up a marketing system that will consistently drive ideal clients to you. Wouldn’t you much rather have a steady stream of prospective clients anxiously wanting to work with you, instead of you “pounding the pavement” looking for them?  I know I would and I do! 

Implementing these exact strategies has helped me to grow my business.  I am 110% confident that applying them will all you to fill your VA practice.

Social media - are you really connecting?

This week has been amazing.  For the first time, I really get Twitter.  When co-founder, Evan Williams, was asked "Why Twitter?" he responded:

• It lets you find out about people, organizations, and things that YOU care about - real time (bios, status updates and Retweets)
•  It allows you to have a shared moment when you can't pick up the phone (feeds and favorites are amazing)
•  It's a practical way to get news about areas interest (i.e. hast tags, twitter stats, and search)

He concluded with "it's not about getting the message perfect (140 character restriction), but about getting it right here, and now."

Admittedly when I heard this, I had already gone through a Twitter immersion with Craig Cannings Social Media Specialist program for VAs, but I hadn't implemented everything, which was reflected in the #followers and people I was following.  But in one week, I went from just a little over 100 followers to almost 600.  It's not the number of followers, but the great connections I've made within just one week. I've met some truly inspiring entrepreneurs and have gained potential clients too.

Now, I get the viral affect and the ability to really connect.  It's not just about sharing what "you're doing", which by the way is something you should do at least once per day but it's what happens after that, but about being present with what others are doing.  In the instant of time that you see the DM or @reply, you have two choices, ignore it or engage it.  Choosing to engage is the beginning of really connecting.

For those of you who "don't get Twitter", here are some quick stats and tips that may make a difference in your social media activity and engagement this week:

1. If content is King, then Twitter is Queen!  So use this micro blog to RT - retweet great content.  Always use the @ to give props to the originator and leave 15-20 characters empty in case you get retweeted.
2. Send out great content to your community - if you read it and liked it, no doubt your followers wil too.
3. Be here now!  Meaning, the moment you open the message, be determined to do something with the message.
4. Automate your reply in a personable way (http://www.tweetlater.com)
5. #followfriday - for sure!

Want to learn more?  Post your question in the comments section and I'm happy to reply.  Or, DM me or tweet with me @virtualpartner.