Let’s get one last really great burst of participation by each of us taking one quick minute to post a reminder on Twitter, Facebook, our blogs and in the forums and we listservs we belong to. Remember, once the results report is compiled, you get a free copy. A lot of time, energy and hard work goes into orchestrating the survey each year. What could be an easier way for you to give back as a small gesture of thanks than to help us reach that goal for everyone?

So won’t you please take a small minute to help? Feel free to borrow any survey graphics or text you like from the survey page. Basically, you just want to let all your fellow VAs know that we’re almost there, we only need roughly 200 more participants and remind them to take survey if they haven’t already (and that they can get a free copy if they do). Here’s the link:

http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/survey.htm

Thanks so much for all your help and participation!

This is where your continuing help and promotion will be critical. As you know, all Virtual Assistants who participate will get a free copy of the survey results report. That report will not be compiled until we’ve reached our participation goal. Now that September is over, I’ve got to get back to other things. I will continue to give periodic updates (mostly via Twitter), but not every day like I was. So I’m depending on you all to keep spreading the word so we can reach goal and get the report out to everyone as soon as possible.

I also wanted to say “thank you!” once again to everyone who has continued to send out those mission critical reminders and updates about the survey. Your help has been instrumental in making this huge task such a great success! Keep’em going and feel free to use any verbiage you need from the survey page or press release to remind all your VA buddies and colleagues to take the survey and spread the word.

Luv you, guys!

As you may recall, we’re shooting for an ambitious goal of 1,000 participants (last year we had 604). To get there, we’re calling on all Virtual Assistants to set aside a half hour (and actually, survey results show us that it takes the average respondent only 18.39 minutes) to complete the survey. Your input is vital to pull it all together–the survey is for you guys after all!

So we’re leaving the survey period open until we get there. The sooner we hit that 1,000 mark, the sooner YOU get your complimentary copy of the results report for participating. That means, not only do we need you to participate, we also can use all the help you can give in continuing to get the word out and remind folks to get in there.

Feel free to borrow any text or images you need from that survey page and put those shout-outs on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn accounts and on the Virtual Assistant forums and listservs you participate in.

If you’re a Virtual Assistant, you simply must take part in the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey. Stand up and be counted!

Impossible? No way! We’re gonna reach our goal even if it kills me in the process, LOL. But come hell or high water, we’re going to get  those participants so that this is the best year yet for the survey results report for you.

You can help… I’ve been posting a steady stream of Twitter updates on the survey’s progress. All your retweets help tremendously so please do continue doing that at every chance you get.

I thought it would also be fun if all of us who have blogs posted about the survey today. I challenged all our VACOC members to do so and so I’m challenging you as well–will you join the effort?

Make a post today about the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey. Feel free to use our press release or borrow any language from the survey page (yes, you have my permission–copying is always okay when you have explicit permission from the author).

I’m looking forward to seeing those numbers spike! I’ll keep you posted!

Oh, and if YOU haven’t yet, don’t forget to take the 2009 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey yourself! Your input is very important

Contact: Danielle Keister, Founder & Virtual Assistant Expert
Email: thevacoc@hotmail.com
Phone: 888.648.0566

TACOMA WA, September 1, 2009–The month of September 2009 marks year four of the annual Virtual Assistant Industry Survey, conducted by the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce (VACOC). Over 10,000 Virtual Assistants from around the world have been invited to participate. Participants receive the compiled results report at the end of the survey period.

The goal of the annual Virtual Assistant Industry Survey is to take a representative, group snap-shot of those who are in the business of providing ongoing administrative support, how they’re operating, earning, marketing and where gaps in training and support might show up. The in-depth survey leaves no stone unturned, covering the categories of:

• Individual Demographics
• Education/Experience/Credentials
• General Business Demographics
• Employees & Subcontractors
• Clients
• Hours
• Services
• Marketing
• Pricing
• Success, Profitability & Entrepreneurship
• Training & Continuing Education
• Industry Organizations & Training Programs

Each year the survey has a different focus. This year’s theme focuses on social networking. Past years’ have focused on Virtual Assistant training and ethics and standards in the industry.

“Our annual survey lets Virtual Assistant see what others are doing, compare results and, hopefully, see where they might make changes in their own practice to improve profitability, make more money and better serve clients,” says VACOC founder, Danielle Keister.

There are 100 questions on the online survey with two additional free-form responses at the end. Questions are multiple-choice, making participation quick and easy. According to the software used in the survey, it is taking respondents on average only 14.23 minutes to complete the survey in full.

“Participation and support in the Virtual Assistant Industry Survey in past years’ has been tremendous. This year we’re shooting for 1,000 participants!” adds Keister.

Virtual Assistants are invited to spread the word and take the survey at http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/survey.htm. Survey period ends September 30.

ABOUT THE VACOC: The Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce is a professional association dedicated to helping Virtual Assistants and their clients grow smarter, more financially successful practices. Anyone interested in learning more about Virtual Assistants is encouraged to visit the VACOC at http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com

Hey, Virtual Assistants! It’s that time of year again!

Each year, the VACOC conducts an industry-wide survey with the purpose of taking a representative, group snap-shot of those who are in the business of providing ongoing administrative support. Virtual Assistants who participate get the survey results report absolutely free!

The theme for this year’s survey is social networking. Our goal is to have 1,000 participants by September 30. If we haven’t met our target by that date, we plan on leaving the survey open a bit longer. We’ll need all the help you can give in getting the word out and encouraging all the VAs you know to participate. This survey is for you guys after all! And the sooner we meet our goal, the sooner YOU get your report.

Once the official survey period has closed and the report has been compiled, we’ll email you a link to download your complimentary copy of the survey results. Judging from past years, we expect the report to be around 75 to 100 pages. It will definitely be chock-full of helpful, fascinating, eye-opening data. If you’ve participated before, I’m sure you’ll find it really interesting to compare with previous years’ results.

Here’s the skinny: This is an online survey (you take it right on your computer screen). There are 100 questions with two additional, optional questions at the end. But not to worry… everything is multiple-choice and it’s a total breeze running through it. In fact, in testing the survey, we show that for the average person participating, it will only take about 14 minutes, 52 seconds to complete. How’s that for being exact? LOL

Now here’s the caveat: Due to the in-depth nature of our survey, we use a special survey provider (not one of those free sites). The thing is, you must complete the survey in one sitting. You can’t start it and then come back later as it will think that you’ve already completed it. This is to help prevent duplicate submissions. No survey is 100% fool-proof, but we do our best to provide you with the most accurate results we can. Using this special provider is key in accomplishing that. So before you take survey, just make sure you can sit down and complete it all in one shot.

SUPER-DUPER IMPORTANT STUFF: You MUST follow the link provided at the end of the survey and sign up to the list in order to get your FREE copy of the results report. The survey itself is completely confidential because we want you to be totally candid in your responses. Since we don’t collect any identifying information in the survey, this is the only way we have to get the report to just those who participate and manage the huge task of disseminating the reports once they’ve been compiled. We really, really want you to get your copy so don’t forget that last step.

Be sure and blog, Twitter, Facebook and whatever else to encourage all your Virtual Assistant buddies to participate as well: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/survey.htm

I want to extend a big, huge thank you to all the participants for their efforts in promoting it and making it the best yet! All Virtual Assistants who participated in the survey will have already received their free survey report download information.

If you did not participate this year, don’t fret. You can still get a copy.

== LIMITED TIME OFFER ENDS MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY, OCT. 17, 2008 ==

From now until midnight, Friday, Oct. 17, you can purchase a copy of the full 85-page results report for the huge discounted price of $27. We’ll even throw in the 2006 and 2007 reports. Now that’s a deal!

But this offer ends Friday so don’t delay. After that, the surveys go back up to their regular price of $49.99 and must be purchased individually.

Get your copy now >> http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/virtual-assistant-business-forms.htm#updateme

Happy reading!

I occasionally view the statistics to see what trends are emerging and thought I’d share a few of the more interesting trends with you:

• There’s a growing Virtual Assistant presence in South Africa.
• Virtual Assistants affiliated with the VACOC and AssistU are commanding higher rates and making leagues more money in annual earnings than the rest of the Virtual Assistant body while at the same time working with fewer clients (almost predominately on some form of monthly retainer).
• The majority of Virtual Assistants in the mainstream Virtual Assistant body are making less than $10,000 a year.
• Those who identify themselves as Virtual Assistants, but who work on a project basis, report working with multitudes of clients, yet are still predominately earning less than $10,000 a year.

Definitely some food for thought, isn’t it?

PS: Our U.K. and Ireland Virtual Assistants are not well-represented. If you belong to any of the U.K. or Ireland associations, listservs and forums, please let everyone know about the survey and encourage them to participate. I know that the U.K. is one of the top areas for Virtual Assistants, but they won’t rank on the survey unless we get more participation on there. As it is, South Africa is beating out the U.K., Ireland and Australia in the rankings and that’s what will get reported in the media.

Which brings me to what I wanted to ask you… With your help, we can meet that goal of 500. When surveys have high numbers of participation, the results are way more meaningful and interesting. I’ve been looking at the results occasionally and let me tell you, after already doing two previous surveys, this one is proving to be the most informative yet. I can’t wait to share with you!

(Of course, in order to get the free survey results report, you have to participate and then sign up for the survey report mailing list at the end).

So here’s how you can help spread the word, get those reminders out to folks who might have intended to participate but forgot, and get that last participation boost in the door before the end of the month:

1. Add some survey flair to your website and blog: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/surveyflair.htm 

2. Add some survey flair to your Facebook account. I’m not Facebook savvy myself, but if you send me a Friend Request, I’ll add you and then send you the survey flair I created there. My Facebook account is (I think, LOL): http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=697172996 (Someone let me know if that’s not it, LOL). 
3. If you Twitter, post a link to the survey and tell your Twitter followers and friends. Here’s the survey link: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/survey.htm 
4. Post an announcement/reminder on your Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn accounts (as well as any other social networking sites you frequent). 
5. Post a reminder to your Virtual Assistant buddies in the forums and listservs you participate in. We know the survey has a lot of questions and many folks will appreciate the reminder to go back and complete the survey before the survey period ends (and so they can get their free report). 
6. If you belong to other biz forums, boards and listservs, post an announcement there as well. Virtual Assistants are business owners, too, and there are bound to be some colleagues there who haven’t yet heard about the survey.

I’m really looking forward to sharing the results with you once the survey period is over. Your assistance in spreading the word is most appreciated! And if you have other ideas for promoting the survey and where, please do let me know so we can implement them next year.

We are a little over the halfway mark in meeting our participation goals of at least 500 respondents. Tell all your Virtual Assistant buddies. Let your colleagues know by reminding them in the forums and listservs you belong to. Post the information and links to your blog.

To make it a bit more fun, we’ve also created some flair for your websites and blogs to tell the world you are an active, contributing member of your profession. You can pick up your survey flair in three different color options here:

http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/surveyflair.htm