Monthly Archives: March 2008

Grateful Mondays: Great Clients Who Pay on Time

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Since tomorrow is "payday" for me, I am reminded how grateful I am for wonderful clients–who pay on time!

I am super-picky about who I work with… long experience and tough lessons learned have taught me that I absolutely can not afford to work with anyone who is a drain on my time, my energy or my spirit.

After years of refining and streamlining my business and gaining more and more clarity about who I work with best, who I like working with and who is profitable for me to work with, I now have a client roster of wonderful folks who appreciate my work and are a pleasure to work with.

One of the benefits of those relationships is that I am never paid late. Part of that has to do with the standards and policies I’ve put in place in my business. I have most of my retainer clients on auto-pay so all I have to do is run their credit cards on the 1st of each month and I’m paid.

The other part is simply that I work with people who value our relationship and what my work brings to them and their business. I have two clients who pay on their own each month, but I never have to worry about them paying late or having to remind them. They are always on time with their payments.

I am so grateful to all of my clients, who honor me with their business and confidence!

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Taxing on Services?

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Dear Gritty VA:

As a Virtual Assistant, do I need to charge sales tax on my services? –AM

It’s not really a good idea to ask other Virtual Assistants this type of question as their answer may or not be accurate, especially given that the laws and requirements in one country, state or locality are going to vary and not necessarily be the same as those where you operate. Your reliance on inaccurate information could then put you in noncompliance and cause you problems, maybe even get you into hot water.

What you want to do instead is ask the appropriate governing agencies in your state and locality. That might be your state’s Department of Revenue (or equivalent) and your city or county tax and licensing departments. Whatever those agencies are, they will be the place to get the most accurate information on the matter.

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Are You the Best Person for the Job?

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There is always an ongoing conversation in all kinds of circles, including among our members at the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, about the different kinds of Web site platforms available for our business sites… traditional Website, blog site and so on.

One common denominator in these conversations is that the emphasis always seems to be on the do-it-yourself mentality.

Here’s a thought that seems to be left out of the equasion… Are you the best person to be building your business Web presence?

We Virtual Assistants preach this business principle all the time to clients:  Are you the best person to be doing that work? Is it the best use of your business time and energy as the business owner? Do you have the knowledge and skills to do a good job of it? If you are spending your time there, what more important business activities are being neglected, and how is that impacting your forward business growth?

And yet many Virtual Assistants don’t practice what they preach. A Virtual Assistant business is no different than any other small business; Virtual Assistants can be more successful if they create and grow their businesses in the same ways that we advise our clients to grow…

The mantra in marketing circles is: "When the product is invisable, the package IS the product."

What that means is when you offer an intangible product such as professional services, how you package that product is absolutely vital to how your business is portrayed and perceived by your market.

So the question becomes: Are you the best person to be designing the product packaging for your business?

First, most people are not designers. Just because you can do a thing, doesn’t mean you are any good at it. People often get so caught up in playing with their new site software toys and tools (because it is fun), they lose sight of the fact that they might not have the marketing understanding and knowledge of design principles to give their business the best possible "packaging."

Another thing to consider is the idea that when it comes to our own work and our own businesses, we can be too close to it to see clearly and through the same eyes as our audience. Your Web site, after all, is not for you, it’s for your customers, and it should be built with them in mind–their needs, their viewing habits, their tastes…

And, through all this, when you are "playing" with your Web site, what is that distracting you from in your business? Where could your time be better and more smartly spent?

Not that you shouldn’t be involved in the design of your website–of course, you should! And I also understand that lots of people start their businesses without being well and properly funded so they have to make do with what is available to them at the moment.

But when it becomes possible for you, I really urge you to consider having your Web presence professionally designed. Your business will look better, allowing you to attract a better clientele, it will help differentiate your business from the sea of generic, templated and unprofessional/amateur looking sites, and you can focus your time and energy on the more important work in your business.

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Grateful Mondays: Thankful for My Health

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Gee, my members are good ideators…

Electra Ford recently posted at the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce about being thankful for her health, and I think that’s a perfect thing for me to be grateful for as well on this Grateful Monday. (Thanks for the reminder, Electra!).

I really am grateful for my health on a constant basis. I am, as the saying goes, healthy as a horse. I literally never get sick. The last time I had a flu was in 1993. Every once in awhile I think I feel myself "trying" to get sick, but then I never really do.

(I better go knock on wood now!)

I don’t know what to attribute it to. I think some of it is good genes. Maybe some of it is good luck. I am very active and we eat really healthy (lots of foods in their natural state, organics).

I love to walk, bike, kayak and go to the gym at least three times a week. My guy even asked me to go with him on his next kayak trip. Yeah, right!

As some of you might remember, he has done a couple solo kayak trips from our place up to Ketchikan, Alaska. That’s 750 miles and it took him almost a full month! He’s planning a smaller trip again this year just touring around some of the islands in Alaska.

Well, I’m glad he has confidence in me, but I know my limitations. I have no where near the kind of stamina and endurance he has for that kind of physical endeavor. I’m happy just tooling around the Sound on day trips.

Yes, I have had to tame some of my prima dona ways being with my nature boy adventurer, and that’s allowed me to experience some of the most wonderful things with him hiking and camping and stuff like that.

But I gotta draw the line somewhere. A girl like me just can’t go for longer than a few days without a shower and a real bathroom! LOL

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Thanks, But No Thanks

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I was recently contacted by someone new to the industry to contribute to a book of tips they are compiling for people who are interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant. They informed me that one of the benefits is that I’ll get to put the fact that I was quoted in a book on my resume, and it will help document my expertise as a Virtual Assistant.

I then learn that they have been sending this blanket message out to all the members listed in my Virtual Assistant organization’s Virtual Assistant Directory.

On top of this, it turns out they aren’t running a Virtual Assistant practice at all, but rather a virtual staffing agency.

So to put all this in perspective:

  1. They are a private, for-profit business
  2. They are indiscriminately spamming Virtual Assistants
  3. They want us Virtual Assistants to write their book for them to benefit their business
  4. They think Virtual Assistants are employees who submit resumes to clients
  5. They aren’t even a Virtual Assistant business, but a virtual staffing agency.

Oy vey! Sorry, but what this industry doesn’t need is yet another for-profit book on how to become a Virtual Assistant from people who just hung out their own shingle, and especially not by folks who don’t know themselves that a Virtual Assistant isn’t an employee and they don’t send out resumes.

Indiscriminately spamming people with for-profit intentions is not a good way to introduce yourself into the Virtual Assistant community; it certainly has generated quite a bit of ill will amongst my members.

It’s also not a great way to establish business relationships. A better idea would be to do a bit more homework first to gain some understanding about who you are contacting and make sure your contact is appropriate.

Like in this case, if this person had done any research, they would know that virtual staffing is not the same thing as Virtual Assistance and that I would probably not be an appropriate person because I am a huge proponent of bringing improved clarity and understanding to the marketplace about the different types of administrative service businesses out there.

I am not interested in the least in contributing to any effort that only causes more confusion for everyone involved–Virtual Assistants, virtual staffing agencies and the marketplace.

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Small Business: No Place for Sissies!

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The Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce is hosting yet another fabulous free teleseminar this month, and it’s open to all Virtual Assistants, small business owners, solopreneurs and independent professionals. Be sure an invite your business buddies to register!

SMALL BUSINESS: NO PLACE FOR SISSIES

Presented by Barbara “Don’t Make Me Slap You” Grassey

Date: Thursday, March 20, 2008 (this week!)

Time: 5p PST / 6p MST / 7p CST / 8p EST

Duration:  60 minutes

Cost: FREE!

Register:  http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/teleseminar.htm

What are the conscious and subconscious acts that limit your ability to succeed in business and in life?

Barbara Grassey, author of “Don’t Make Me Slap You,” will be presenting “Small Business: No Place for Sissies” at a complimentary teleseminar on Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 8 pm EST. The teleseminar is being hosted by the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce.

During the teleseminar, Barbara will cover five common mistakes made by small businesses. A former stand up comic, her brash, in-your-face style wraps the hard realities of business in humor to soften the blow.

“We are the biggest stumbling blocks to our own success. I show people how to stop making excuses, and start taking charge of their lives and their businesses.”

Some of the topics that will be covered in the one-hour teleseminar are:

  • Signing your own permission slip
  • Fear as your traveling companion (because Thelma and Louise are already taken)
  • Following is for sheep
  • Modeling–it’s not just for anorexics anymore
  • Why your clients’ success depends on your success
  • Controlling your end result.

Barbara preaches that you can’t be timid.

“Your clients’ success is directly dependent on your success. You owe it to your clients to fully commit to your business and take the lead in your industry. You owe it to yourself to lead the life you want.”

Find out if you have been limiting your own success. Join us for what is sure to be a rousing, fun-filled session! Register today at: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/teleseminar.htm

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Grateful Mondays: Being Debt-Free

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One of my members was celebrating her and her husband’s achievements on becoming debt-free, and it reminded me how grateful I am for my own financial circumstances.

We have absolutely no debt and it’s been that way for many years now. Everything we own is fully paid for. We don’t have any mortgages or car loans or any other loans to pay. Although we have them for emergencies, we never use credit cards. We pay cash in full or we just don’t buy it.

It is one of the best feelings in the world to not be tied to or have the burden and stress of debt, and I am so grateful that we have consciously put ourselves in that place. It’s such a liberating, worry-free lifestyle!

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Low Rates

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Why is it that whenever the subject of low rates comes up (i.e., people charging rates that could not possibly be anywhere close to profitable, especially for what they are deliving to their clients), there are always several people who bring up the words "judgment" and "competition?"

The idea of competition is such a pedestrian notion to me; it’s non-existent in my world as I don’t compete with anyone but myself. It’s never had anything to do whatsoever with who was attracted to me and my services or how I obtained clients. And regardless of what anyone else thinks, it has nothing to do with how you attract and obtain clients, either. ;)

A lot of what you hear in these conversations are excuses and rationalizing.

And that’s too bad because those who don’t charge profitably are being deprived of an opportunity to learn how they could do better in their businesses. Instead, they are enabled to continue to be mediocre and operate out of ignorance and poor understanding of business principles, instead of being empowered to become more knowledgeable in business and gain more confidence in themselves and what they offer.

When people don’t charge properly, they rob their business of being financially solvent and profitable. Undercharging businesses attract a far less desireable clientele, which makes the business so much harder and less pleasant to run. At the same time, they also in turn miseducate a large part of the marketplace to expect something for nothing.

If people could get over this ridiculous idea that the topic has anything to do with competition, we could instead have more meaningful conversations that might actually help those folks learn a bit more about running their business better.

I guarantee you, almost every single one of the people undercharging has most likely not done any business planning. With proper business planning, they would see how short their rates fall in building a self-sustaining business. They would begin to see that they don’t have to work with everyone, only the people and markets that are the best fit. And that they could actually make more money doing so.

Granted, most new business owners are unsure of themselves, and lack confidence, which is a large part of the issue. Lots have absolutely no business training or experience whatsoever. But with knowledge comes power, and as they grow in their business smarts and begin to work more with clients who value what they offer and are willing to pay for it, their confidence grows as well.

These things grow in stages–it’s always a journey. But we can’t help people in their journey when conversations are effectively shut down by tired, puerile concepts, and those who don’t have the fortitude to say something different.

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What's Your Backup Plan

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Dear Gritty VA:

There’s a discussion happening on a coaching listserv where some coaches are wondering what a Virtual Assistant’s backup plan is. How do you respond to this? –SA

Well, at the root of this is some miseducation of the marketplace. This is the kind of question that usually comes from a client who thinks he or she is hiring an employee when hiring a Virtual Assistant.

First, it’s really important that you educate clients that when they hire a Virtual Assistant, they are hiring a service provider–a business–and not an employee they don’t pay taxes on. If they want an employee, they need to hire an employee. Simple as that.

Virtual Assistants are an alternative to employees; not the same thing as employees. That means, there are necessarily gonig to be some differences in how you work together.

Now, when it comes to backup plans, I would say this:

A backup plan is a good thing to have for your business as a Virtual Assistant. That means, having some kind of risk management plan in place to mitigate issues, problems and unforeseen events and catastrophes from seriously interrupting or interfering with your ability to conduct your business and assist clients–and make money.

You might also want to formalize your vacation and minor emergency (such as illness) policies, as well as what happens if you are unable to fulfill any contractual obligations (e.g., partial refunds). That way, when you consult with clients, you can let them know right from the beginning that you periodically take vacations or that you try to give XX days advance notice; and that in the event of minor emergencies, you might be "closed" on occasion. Those are just simple client-friendly policies and courtesies to have, and let’s them know what to expect.

All that said, it’s very important that you understand the distinction between being a smart business owner and knowing what you are obligated to provide for clients:  It’s not your job to have a backup plan in place for clients. You aren’t their employee–you’re a service provider to them.

No client’s business should be so dependent upon your services that it can’t run without you. Their business is never your responsibility; you are each responsible for your own businesses. So if they want a backup plan, then they are the ones who need to put that in place in their business–not you (although you might assist a client with that as their Virtual Assistant).

The Virtual Assistants I associate with are honorable and do all they can to fulfill their contractual obligations. If they can’t, I am confident they will do whatever is fair in the situation. But that’s where your responsibility ends as a Virtual Assistant and business owner. If for some reason you are unable to provide services to clients for any extended length of time, they have the same recource all of us has when we deal with any business that has closed or no longer meets our needs–which is to take their business elsewhere.

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Gritty Business Buzz Affiliate Program

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Hey, we have an affiliate program now!

The Gritty Business Buzz is our weekly ezine written by our Virtual Assistant members for the savvy, resources, fiercely-determined business owners we serve.

By joining our affiliate program and promoting the newsletter, we’ll pay you 50% (yes, you read that right–fifty percent) for every advertising sale that is referred through your unique affiliate link.

For more information, visit our Affiliate Program page and sign up today! (And start promoting the Gritty Business Buzz)

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