Category Archives: Business Savvy

February 2, 2010 – 10:00 am

Do You Understand the Difference?

Sometimes I’ll read things from other Virtual Assistants and I have to wonder whether they understand the difference between a project and providing support. In case you’re confused, I thought I’d talk about it here…

A project is something that is basically one-off, one-time work. It has a start and a finish. Web design is a good example of project work. It’s a one-time thing where you are hired specifically to do that one thing and that one thing isn’t ongoing because there is a finish, which is the completion of the site design.

Support, on the other hand, is something that is ongoing. In the case of administrative support, it’s a body, a package, of any number of administrative tasks, roles and functions in a business that are recurring and continuous throughout the life of that business.

For example, you don’t just return one customer’s call and that’s it, you never have to call another customer in your life, right? Of course not. So customer service is just one aspect, one area in a business in which you will have to engage in any number and kind of tasks and actions throughout the life of the business. There is no beginning and ending like with project work. It is ongoing.

When you understand the differences clearly, you can begin to better distinguish categories of work and services in your business so that you can create more revenue streams and make more money. So that means, you can group all kinds of administrative support into retainer packages and then charge separately for specific projects and other work unrelated to administrative support.

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By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged , | Comments (1)
January 25, 2010 – 10:00 am

Are you a Non-Listener?

I like what Keith Ferrazzi had to say recently to his mailing list:

“Failing to listen well is rude. I don’t care whether you’re talking to the Queen of England or your intern. It very loudly communicates, Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. And as a master relationship builder, it’s your job to care.”

As a Virtual Assistant/Administrative Support Consultant, it’s your job to listen well. This includes all forms of listening, not just with your ears. Being attentive to written details and instructions is a form of listening that is absolutely essential to what we do. It’s a critical demonstration of your competence and qualification.

Now, don’t confuse this with asking clarifying questions when you need more information to get an accurate picture and understanding. That’s a sign of an attentive listener who wants to do a great job. But when you can’t follow simple instructions and ask for all kinds of hand-holding, particularly when the answers to your questions are right there in the instructions, you waste people’s time. That’s not only rude, it’s incompetent.

I am ruthless about how my time is expended; I have to be. So do clients. I absolutely will not waste it on people who disrespect my time by abjectly refusing to read and pay attention. No one is going to want or continue to work with you if you have a problem listening–in all its forms.

Give to Haiti Disaster Relief!

By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)
January 21, 2010 – 10:00 am

One Way to Sort the Ideal from the Unideal

I was reading an ezine recently where business owners were advised to offer a variety of ways for prospects to contact them. The reasoning was that if prospects can’t reach you the way they prefer, they’ll call someone else.

And this might be good advice at a very general level, particularly if you are in a commoditized, project-driven business that requires a great deal of volume in order to be financially successful. You aren’t in a position to turn anyone away when you’re in that kind of business and you are more or less forced to be at the whim and dictate of customer preferences.

But solopreneurs can be more choosy. In fact, their survival depends on being choosy about clients because a professional service business filled with unideal clients who negatively drain the solopreneur’s time and energy will take down said business faster than a cheetah felling an antelope.

This is very true in our business as well. If you are in the business of administrative support (not project work), you don’t need to work with everyone in the world. It only takes a handful of ideal retainer clients to be financially successful.

So what I was thinking as I read the aforementioned advice was how I actually use limited communication methods as a way to weed out unideal clients. For me, one characteristic of an ideal client is that they are very adept and comfortable with technology and particularly with communicating by email. I’m not interested in taking phone calls all day from prospective clients, 99% of whom I will never work. I couldn’t if I wanted to or I’d never have any time to get any work done.

Therefore, I have a very specific path set up for consulting with me. When I hear from a prospective client who has completed the consultation form on my website, I know that there’s a 50/50 chance they’ve read a fair amount of information on my site. This is where I want them educated first about what I do and they can weed themselves out if there’s not a fit.

When they complete my consultation request form, that also tells me this is someone who isn’t going to be a pain in the ass by sidestepping my processes and, thus, more likely to be the kind of client I can work with easily and happily. I have no interest in clients who have been to my website, but instead of filling out my consult form, email or phone me instead. I know from past experience that those are the folks who are almost always going to be difficult to work with moving forward. I don’t return those phone calls and those who email me, I refer to my VA organization instead.

Is that a head-spinner for you? I know it shocks a lot of people. But you see, you don’t have to be at the mercy of the rest of the world. (And personally, I think the business culture today breeds and enables a lot of really childish, indulgent, self-entitled behavior in our society that does NOT make the world a better place. I refuse to participate in that, but that’s a whole other post.) Getting back to the topic at hand, your business and the clients you work with have to be a fit for you, too. It’s not just about what clients what. It’s about what you both want and need from each other. There has to be a mutual fit for anything to work moving forward.

I realize a lot of new Virtual Assistants who don’t have clients yet or who are still growing their practice will think this is crazy talk, LOL. They are still in scarcity mindset so this won’t make sense to them at all. But if you are further along in your Virtual Assistant practice, you know a bit more about what I’m talking about. You’ve worked with more than your share of clients who turned out to be completely difficult and energy draining. If you are looking to work with more ideal clients, the ability to follow your protocols is one of the telltale clues you can use to establish whether a prospect is someone you will be able to work with well or not.

Give to Haiti Disaster Relief!

By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged , , , | Comments (5)
January 20, 2010 – 10:00 am

Dear Gritty VA: What Advice Do You Have for a Vagrant Virtual Assistant?

Dear Gritty VA:

I am currently planning and readying my new Virtual Assistant business for its grand opening in about a month and a half, but my husband is in the military and we will be moving all over (this is why I am starting this business). So my question is two-fold: Do you have any tips for a vagrant VA? And will there be different laws to follow depending on where you are located? –CD

As you recognize, that’s the beauty of a business such as ours. It does not require any kind of physical brick and mortar presence, there are no geographic constraints and we can do the work that we do anywhere. You don’t elaborate much so I’m not sure what kind of tips you’re thinking of, but here are a few thoughts off the top of my head:

1. Set up a virtual collaboration office with a service like HyperOffice (they charge a monthly fee) or software like Groove (one time software purchase; requires hosting). These are not merely project management programs–these are full package organizational tools that you can set up by client so that each “collaborative office suite” has it’s own shared calendar, contacts/address book, project/task management section, full real-time document filing and sharing, forums and wikis you can set up, and all kinds of other things–all in one.

2. Perhaps set up your email accounts in an online tool like Gmail. That way, you can have online access to all your communications wherever you have an Internet connection. It’s funny I should recommend this, since I’m not personally a fan, but I can see the potential advantages for someone in your position who moves around a lot.

3. Get an aircard (also called “mobile broadband”). This is a little “stick” you plug into your laptop that gives you Internet. Wherever you can get a cell phone signal, your aircard will work there as well. Which means you could be anywhere, in your car, at a park, whereever, and still have Internet access. I use Verizon and have been very pleased.

4. Get a remote access service like LogMeIn. This will allow you to log into your homebase when you need to whenever you are away. There is a free version, but there are all kinds of wonderful extra tools you get with the pro version, which is what I use.

As far as different laws to follow depending on where you live, yes, that might be the case. Different cities, counties and states have their own licensing and tax obligations. Some cities (like mine) requires a separate business license in addition to the state business license you may have to take out (also required in my state). Others don’t require any separate or special registration at all. Some areas might have special zoning or laws pertaining to home businesses. Some cities or counties might require you to file their own business tax reports in addition to what you might be required to file federally or with the state. It will be your job as a responsible business owner to research those each time you move.

I want to also stress that it’s important to go straight to the source–contact the pertinent state and local agencies and ask them those questions. Their directions and information will be the only ones that matter. You don’t want to rely on the guesses or opinions of others as they are not going to be paying your penalties or fines or dealing with problems if you end up not doing something right based on their “helpful” advice.

Give to Haiti Disaster Relief!

By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Dear Gritty VA, Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged , , | Comments (1)
January 19, 2010 – 10:00 am

Where Do You Get Stuck?

Wouldn’t it be great if all we had to do was network, have business owners immediately want to work with us and instantly sign on for our retained support without any questions?

The reality is that getting to actually work with retained clients takes a bit more effort. You have to get at least some small idea about the new client’s business. You have to gain some insight into their challenges and goals and where your support can best fit in with those things. You have to be able to articulate your value in a way that makes sense to them so that they aren’t asking you, “Why should I pay you $X when I can pay bozo over there $5/hr.

Am I right?

So I’m curious about where VAs are finding trouble spots in their consultation process. Do you have any particular stumbling blocks when it comes to conducting consultations? Are there any areas of the consultation process you’d like to be better at? Or maybe you feel like you do well in your consultations, but the clients aren’t signing on or calling back. Is that the case?

Whatever the issue is in your consultations, I really, really want to hear from you. Shoot me an email (or use the submission form here) and let me know where you feel you are getting stuck and what you’d like to improve.

Give to Haiti Disaster Relief!

By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)
January 15, 2010 – 10:00 am

Where Do You Get Stuck in Your Consultations?

I’m working on putting together a special learning module that expands on the concepts for conducting consultations that I share in my guide, “Breaking the Ice: A Step by Step System for Confidently Navigating the Consultation Conversation and Converting Prospects into Retained Clients.” Right now, I’m a bit stuck trying to figure out what should be included, how many sessions are needed to cover all the material and how to organize the outline, and I thought you all could really help me out.

If you are a Virtual Assistant/Administrative Support Consultant still growing in your consultation skills and would welcome some additional hands-on help, I need to get a gauge about where you are specifically getting stuck. Do you feel like you’re doing well in consultations, but then not getting the clients? Are there particular parts or topics in the consultation that you struggle with? Is lack of confidence your stumbling block?

Please email me at [danielle at virtualassistantnetworking dot com] with any of your stumbling blocks and where you’d love to get help. I’m working on something really great for you!

Give to Haiti Disaster Relief!

By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Great News, Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)
January 13, 2010 – 10:00 am

Consultation Fees?

A member of my Virtual Assistant community asked a great question today that I thought I would share here as it’s excellent food for thought. This member has been asked by clients on occasion if she would come to their offices and teach them how to do a thing (the “thing” itself doesn’t matter) so they can do it or manage it themselves. She basically wanted to know if this was a good opportunity or something to avoid, and if she did offer it, should the rate be significantly higher. Here’s my advice to her and you:

One reason doing something like that should be offered at a substantially higher fee is because of the on-site, personal one-on-one training and attention. Anytime you have to leave your office, it puts stress and strain on your normal systems and operations, especially if that’s not the thing you are normally in business to do. That time and energy away creates a significant expense for the business and takes away from other work and clients–time-wise, availability-wise, space-wise, energy-wise and money-wise. So yes, I would definitely offer that at a considerable premium fee to make it worth your while. Doing so also creates an additional layer to your top-tier offerings and signifies to clients that this is a special, premium service.

Whenever you get into work that takes you out of the office, it creates significant impact on your profit margins and to the time you have left available to you and your other clients. As solopreneurs, this is a particularly important consideration for Virtual Assistants/Administrative Support Consultants. What you might want to consider offering instead (or at least additionally) are online training classes where you can stay in your own office (thus reducing the expense to produce and conduct them) and teach several clients all at once. That kind of offering is going to be much more profitable for you all the way around.

I think this is a great opportunity for any Virtual Assistant as it is client-focused. This is exactly the kind of thing that I’m always touting to Virtual Assistants–there are so many more avenues for creating additional revenue streams and passive income from clients (not other VAs) that they just aren’t exploring. This is a perfect example of the kind of supplemental, complementary stand-alone offering that Virtual Assistants could be marketing to clients and prospects separately from their retained monthly administrative support.

Qualifier: That is, IF it’s something you want to be doing/offering. It’s perfectly okay to tell clients, “that’s not what I’m in business to do.”

By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)
December 30, 2009 – 10:00 am

The “Cheap” Mindset Will Always Defeat You

I’ve been having an ongoing conversation with a business owner over the past few months. He had emailed me awhile back outlining ongoing issues he’s had with Virtual Assistants. He’s hired and fired many and nothing ever seems to work out for him.

I don’t spend my time and energy trying to convince those who will never get it. But this was a very nice, genuine fellow… not a crank or someone just emailing to complain. He was sincerely reaching out for some help and even though he’d had many unsatisfactory experiences, he wasn’t ready to completely abandon all hope of ever finding a competent, reliable administrative  professional to work with.

Plus, I’m always interested in better understanding how business owners think in these cases because it helps me identify areas where we Virtual Assistants are giving them inadequate or confusing messages and allowing them to form expectations that will prevent the kind of desired outcomes and mutually beneficial relationships from happening.

So that you have a little bit of context, here are a few excerpts of what he shared with me:

“It’s my opinion there are more Virtual Assistants who promise the moon and then grossly under-deliver, which disappoints. It’s easy to say I’m patient, but I also run a business. If a VA will charge the kind of rates they want, they should come prepared (and many do not) and also be able to say “I don’t do that part” of the business or task you need accomplished.”

“I have worked with various VAs for five years. Spent a lot of money, didn’t really get too far. I’ve had enough experience where I can say that many VAs do not have the skills they advertise, do not have the expertise with products and resources they say they do; rarely complete work on time; have a difficult time estimating how much will be involved in a project, which slows everything down; suffer from the loneliness factor so when they get someone on the phone, it becomes a gabfest… and I’m paying!; they are in constant education mode meaning they spend all weekend getting up to speed on a tool you need them to use (which they professed they had working knowledge of) and so you become their guinea pig. I’ve also found that if you are somewhat flexible in deadlines, a nice guy or easy going, the other clients of the VA will soon take (re-allocate) much of your VA’s prime working time.”

“I had a wonderful VA who was (literally) dirt cheap and fantastic. I’m pretty certain I found her on Guru.com. She charged $10/hour. She was amazing and very trustworthy. Out of the blue one day she called, said she is going to have to drop me because she found someone else who was willing to pay more and give her significantly more work. I would have paid her more, but she then said she would need $30/hr… triple!”

“About a year ago, I interviewed a VA who lived outside Chicago. I swear to God, I would have picked up and moved my entire business to Illinois, she was THAT impressive. She then told me her rate was $75/hr. That ended the entire discussion. She could have been sliced bread (and probably is), but for $75/hr?”

This business owner ended up advertising piecework and projects on Craigslist for $8 and $9/hr, but admitted he has to wade through a lot of wacky replies and still has a boatload of work he puts off daily. I pointed out that while he was finding some help this way, it sounded like it wasn’t an ideal alternative since he still wasn’t getting his needs met, which he conceded was the case.

So we talked at some length about all of this, with some very clear common themes emerging. He was getting in his own way with his “cheap” mentality. Besides advising him to hire for support, not piecemeal transactions, and giving him some tools and information for helping him make better choices and weed out those calling themselves VAs who really don’t have the skills and qualifications, part of what I suggested to him was this:

You had a wonderful VA who was “dirt cheap and fantastic.” This “‘dirt cheap” thinking will always defeat you. Unfortunately, it’s a personal problem that only you can choose to change or not. All I can tell you is that you simply are not going to get anything worthwhile for “‘dirt-cheap.”

It’s a flawed concept doomed to fail because no business owner can afford to stay in business being “dirt cheap.” Business cannot happen unless both the client and the provider have their needs met. In this case, no VA can be dirt cheap and have her income needs met for the business. It forces her to take on more clients in order to make ends meet, which in turn, causes her to become overwhelmed in work. Yet what she’s earning in piling on more clients and more work still doesn’t adequately cover all the time and energy is required for her to keep up and provide any reliably consistent level of professional support to anyone. In fact, the more work and clients she piles on, the less money she makes exponentially and the less effective and productive she becomes. Ultimately, something simply has to give. It’s inevitable. So what happens is,  once a VA realizes she simply can’t be dirt-cheap AND fantastic, and begins to recognize her true value, she necessarily has to increase her fees and move on to clients who recognize the value and are happy to pay her more appropriately priced fees–just as you experienced with the “amazing and trustworthy” VA you lost.

So my advice would be to stop begrudging the Virtual Assistant her fees. If you found these two VAs who were fantastic and impressive, they are worth every penny in time they save you, the headaches and work they save you from, the ability they give you to get more done and move forward more quickly than you could otherwise, not to mention the convenience and peace of mind you’d have working with someone you feel is competent and trustworthy.

And this goes for Virtual Assistants as well. If you are constantly expecting everyone and everything else to be free or cheap, business is going to be that much harder for you. If you want to attract clients who value you and happily pay what you are worth, you have to value and respect others in the same manner when it is you who is in the client/customer position. It’s a laws-of-attraction type thing, if that helps you understand this better. If you are in the habit of devaluing others, you will continue to be devalued by would-be clients as well. If you can’t operate with a value mindset yourself, you aren’t going to be able to attract value-minded clients, must less be able to articulate your value in any meaningful way to them.

By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged | Comments (8)
December 23, 2009 – 10:00 am

Dear Gritty VA: I’m Afraid I’ve Forgotten Everything I’ve Learned

Dear Gritty VA:

I sent an attorney the Virtual Assistant contract templates that I purchased off your site. I contacted him knowing very well that it would be costly, but he offered to look them over at no cost. After not hearing back from him, I asked him once if he’d had a chance to look them over and he mentioned via email that he would look them over during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Well, as of today, I’ve yet to hear from him. Since he offered, I don’t want to bug him. I would really like to start marketing the business, but I’ve been hesitant because of this minor glitch. I’ve worked with contracts before and they looked fine to me, but contacted him because it’s smart to have an attorney look things over. I’m seriously thinking of writing him off and simply moving on. I really need to move forward with my business, but I’m nervous about working with my first client. I’m sure you can understand my dilemma and frustration. To be honest, I’m afraid I’ve forgotten everything I’ve learned in the last 15 years. Crazy, isn’t it? –DE

Not crazy at all. So is that the only thing holding you up? If so, don’t give it another thought. So you’re nervous about going live, so to speak. It’s perfectly understandable. Perhaps waiting around for this attorney’s approval on the contracts is a way to keep dragging your feet. So I have two thoughts to offer you:

1)    Yes, I think you should write the attorney off at this point. It’s holding you up and when it does that, it’s no longer a kindness or a favor to you. Don’t allow empty promises to keep you from moving forward in your business. You were prepared to pay for this service originally. Find another attorney and pay him or her. Remember: You get what you pay for and you can’t expect much when it’s a freebie.

2)    For legal reasons I have to qualify my assurances by saying that you should always have an attorney look things over. That said, I work with attorneys, three of my uncles are attorneys, I developed these forms with my own attorneys and have been using them for over 12 years of business. So again, I want to encourage you to move forward. Waiting around for clearances and permissions and okays and not trusting in your own good counsel is going to keep you from rockin’ and rolling. Find another attorney to look them over when you get a chance, but in the meantime, you don’t have to wait on that to get started.

As far as being afraid you’ve forgotten everything, trust me you haven’t. It’s like riding a bike. You’re just experiencing the natural, usual fears that all of us have about putting ourselves out there. We all have the inner self-critic in the back of our heads telling us we’re not good enough and all that. You have to just ignore that and plow forward.

Remember, you don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to know everything. The value in what you do as a Virtual Assistant for clients is that you are providing a base of right-hand support. Some things you might be rusty at, but you’ll pick them back up with use. There will be other things you might have to learn. And then there are going to be other things you simply don’t need or want to provide.

Sometimes, the best advice is to not even think about all the what-ifs you may encounter. Just focus on getting that first client, taking that first step. It might even be helpful to have an honest conversation with any new client letting them know that while you are an administrative expert and can definitely help them, you are new to business as there are going to be things that you learn in that regard as you go along. This will at will clear the air and I think most people are going to find such openness and honesty very refreshing and earn you their even greater confidence. You’ll tweak and hone and fix things as you go along, which is to be expected in any business regardless, but if you don’t ever get started, you won’t ever get anywhere. Go for it!

By Danielle Keister | Also posted in Dear Gritty VA, Virtual Assistant/Virtual Assistance | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)
December 21, 2009 – 10:00 am

It All Starts with Your Calendar

Here’s an article I wrote and published today in “The Portable Business™.” If you’d like to subscribe, go here:

2010calendarOne of the ways to facilitate your success is to be prepared for it. That means taking charge of your time by being conscious about all that you have on your plate and creating space for important actions, events and goals. Your calendar is the starting point for this and now is the perfect time to get yours ready for 2010!

1. Block out all your “off” days. For example, Mondays are my “business days” where I am officially closed. I don’t do any client work; instead, I focus on taking care of my own business and use that time for administration and planning. I shade out that time because it makes me conscious about not making any appointments on that day.

2. Block out holidays. Go through the year and block out any holidays you plan to be closed.

3. Block out vacations. If you know in advance of any vacations you plan to take off, block those out as well to ensure you don’t schedule anything on those days.

4. Block out your breaks and lunches. This might seem silly and unnecessary, especially since we business owners can eat or take a break any time we like. Even so, putting these on your calendar serves as important daily reminders to be conscious about taking care of yourself. It’s important—you can’t take excellent care of others unless you first take excellent care of yourself.

5. Carry over regular meetings. Review your 2009 calendar. If you have regular weekly or monthly meetings, be sure and carry them over onto 2010. Perhaps you have a weekly call with your business coach on Tuesdays at 3pm and a monthly board meeting at 1pm on the third Wednesday of every month. Get all of these regularly scheduled appointments on your calendar for the entire year.

6. Add known events. Are there trade shows, conventions or other events you plan to attend? Be sure and add them to your calendar and it will help support your intention.

7. Mark important dates. Are there client birthdays, anniversaries or other important dates you want to remember on a regular basis? Add them to your calendar!

RESOURCE: Remember, all of this is a breeze for your Virtual Assistant. She can support you in strategizing your calendar systems, entering everything into your online calendar and setting up automated reminders.

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By Danielle Keister | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)