The Gritty Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistants: Are You Earning What You'd Like to Be?

As Virtual Assistants, I think I can safely say that most of us LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our work.

We love helping people. We love working on computers and using technology tools. We love our craft and putting our administrative talents to use. And we really love when we can actually see our clients grow as a direct result of our support and administrative expertise. We know we are making a real difference in our clients' lives and businesses.

But running a business isn't all peaches and cream, is it? Marketing can be a chore and daunting task. It's often difficult to get clients to understand what you do and why they should work with you. Finding the right clients isn't always easy. You might even be wondering, "Freedom? What freedom? I barely have time to sleep at night with all the work I have to do."

Perhaps the biggest frustration of all for Virtual Assistants is that they can work like dogs and still not make any more money.

At the root of all these issues is the fact that Virtual Assistants are still trading hours for dollars. Part of the reason they stay stuck there is because they don't know how to articulate the true value of their service to clients. They end up using the same, ineffectual script on their Web sites that everyone else in the industry does. The problem with the "script," however, is that it only emphasizes money:

"Save money on this..." "Get a discount on that..." "Here's what you'll save..." "You won't have to pay for..." "Do this and get 50% off..."

Do you see what this tells clients? It focuses them on nothing but cost. It says to them, "My service has no other benefit except that you can get off cheaply." These are the tactics of those who don't have an understanding of the very real value they offer beyond mere time and think clients must be bribed into working with them.

If you remain stuck on the idea that you are selling hours, and incentivizing on top of it, there most certainly will be a cap on how much money you can feasibly make because you only have a finite number of hours to sell. Plus, the better and faster you get, the less money you'll make -- while none of the value and benefits the client receives from your work is reduced. Is that profitable or fair to you?

If any of this is speaking to you...

If you would love to stop watching the clock and make way more money than you are now without having to work harder or longer hours...

If you have difficulty finding your own creative voice and articulating the value of what you offer in a way that is entirely unique to you and your business...

If you are ready to take your business to the next level and learn of a better way of operating, one that allows you to create a smoother-running, easier to manage, more profitable business that requires far less administration than you ever imagined possible... then my latest workbook is for you.

In this 21-page tutorial, "Understanding Your Value: How to Craft Your Own Unique Value Proposition and Cash In on Value-Billing Methodologies" (WBK-38), I will help you identify and gain a deeper understanding of what it is you really offer your clients and the greater implications of that value in their businesses.

Step-by-step exercises will walk you through the process of crafting your own unique value statement, one that will have more attractive, tangible meaning to your prospective clients and have your message standing heads and tails above the crowd. You'll also get easy-to-do, practical ideas and how-tos for implementing value-billing methods and strategies that frame your service in new ways and allow you to work less while making more money.

==LIMITED TIME INTRODUCTORY OFFER==

Regular visitors to the Virtual Assistant Business Forms Store will purchase this workbook at the introductory price of $47. However, you can get this guide at an additional 30% off the introductory price for a limited time until midnight, July 31, 2008, by signing up for our VIP Status mailing list. Simply fill out the form below. Once you verify your subscription, you will be sent a message containing the special discount code.

I can't wait to share this with you and watch the revolutionary changes that can take place in your practice!

Back By Popular Demand

After much deliberation and your very persuasive appeals, I've brought back one of my most proprietary premium tools, the Activity & Time Tracking Analysis Tool (GDE-37) for Virtual Assistants. Plus, it's improved and more streamlined than before.

One of the most difficult aspects of getting started with new clients in your Virtual Assistant practice is the time it takes to get a feel for the client's business and all that they have on their plate. Most often, we simply ask clients to keep a pad and pencil with themselves for a week or two and write down their activities.

Well, this tool is evolutions beyond that, and takes your Virtual Assistance consulting with clients to an entirely different level--one that puts you in control of the delegation process and your role as the administrative expert in your own Virtual Assistant practice!

Not only does this tool help you more quickly and effectively ramp up with new clients, it gives them a clearer, more "scientific" visual of their business and activities. It helps you analyze their time and energy busters, see where their core strengths and weaknesses are, identify where key systems and processes can be developed, and allows you to make more informed recommendations about where your services can be most strategically utilized as you begin working together.

The Activity & Time Analysis Tool will add value to your processes and systems, and clients will be "wowed" by the invaluable, eye-opening business data and charts you will be able to present to them.

==LIMITED TIME OFFER==

From now through July 4, you can get the Activity & Time Analysis Tool for a discounted price of $49.99. After that, it goes back up to its regular price of $64.99.

Order yours now at  http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/virtual-assistant-business-forms.htm

Aw... Thanks!

Nothing does my heart better than to hear about how the products and information I've provided to the Virtual Assistant industry are helping folks. I get lovely messages all the time and I thought maybe I would start sharing those occasionally.

The other day, I got some nice feedback from two new Virtual Assistants who purchased the Virtual Assistant agreement templates.

Melody Hufford wrote...

"The Virtual Assistant Retainer Agreement saved me much time in creating my own. The client was pleased with the professionalism and clarity of the contract, and I appreciated the layout and presentation."

Natasha Rubin wrote...

"It was all laid out for me and I did not have to create something from scratch. I also took the forms to my attorney for feedback and he thought they were the best he had ever seen!"

I am so pleased to hear that, ladies! I wish you all the success in the world!

Valuing Yourself

Mikelann Valterra, founder of the Women's Earning Institute (I LOVE the name you chose for your organization, by the way, Mikelann), shared this anonymous quote in her newsletter recently and it just shouts to be shared with everyone:

"If you place a small value on yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise the price." (anonymous)

Mikelann followed this quote with one of her very astute observations:

"The true key to earning your worth is to believe you have worth to begin with. Not only do you have worth, you are WORTHY of good money. We all want other people to value us. But how highly do we value ourselves? Value and worth come from the inside out. When we know in our gut that we are indeed worth a lot, it is far easier to ask for good money. Don't expect the world to pay you top dollar if you place a small value on yourself!"

Mikelann is one of my absolutely all-time favorite authorities when it comes to helping women value themselves in business. She has such a knack for eloquently and clearly articulating ideas and concepts that aren't always the easiest things to relate.

I can't recommend her stuff highly enough. Go to her website. Sign up for her newsletter. Subscribe to her blog. Get on board her new "Earn Your Worth" monthly program if there's still room. Her "Rate Setting Toolkit" is also a wonderful must-have tool.

Gritty Business Buzz Affiliate Program

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)

Give Yourself the Gift of Business Knowledge & Success

Are you an experienced administrative professional exploring the idea of working for yourself?

Are you a new Virtual Assistant just starting your new Virtual Assistant business?

Are you an established Virtual Assistant looking to improve your business and run more profitably?

Did you know you can lay a strong foundation in your business just by purchasing the business forms and guides from the VACOC Virtual Assistant Business Forms store?

You won't find one ounce of fluff in our Virtual Assistant business forms and guides. Every single one is designed with intention and comprehensive detail so that you not only have the best starting point, but also learn more about the business concepts involved in running a successful and efficient solo/small business Virtual Assistant practice.

You can also purchase educational recordings from our Guest Expert Teleseminar Library, and listen to some of the most inspirational and educational experts in the business world over and over. You'll learn something new each time.

And don't forget that your purchases are a tax-deductable business expense. Get your purchases in now--write them off for 2007 and make 2008 your best Virtual Assistant business year ever!

Get a Free Gift Certificate Template

I designed this gift certificate for a client many moons ago... He wanted something that could be plopped in a Word document and printed quickly from his own computer on brightly colored paper. So I created the layout in Photoshop, and plopped it 6-up (i.e., six to a page) in Word. Voila!

I've taken this design and turned it into a more generic version so that anyone can use it. It's optimized for print, and laid 6-up on a Word page so you won't need a professional printer--simply open the document and print!

From now until Christmas, I'm giving away this template FREE to everyone who purchases from our Virtual Assistant Business Forms store, or from our teleseminar recordings library.

You can use them for yourself or share with your clients. Better hurry though--Christmas will be here in no time flat. :)

Fun Gifts for Legal Professionals

Although I got an early start on my holiday shopping this year, I know not everyone did. If you're still in the market for holiday gifts and greeting cards for your friends, colleagues and clients, The Billable Hour Company can help you make short work of your gift list.

I've raved about The Billable Hour Company before here and here and here. Well, since I last wrote about them earlier this year, they've continued to add items to their product line. Although primarily geared to lawyers and legal professionals, they also feature some great items any professional will get a kick out of.

Their Original Pocket Briefcase and Soft Sided Leather Pocket Briefcase make perfect stocking-stuffers for all kinds of professionals.

They also have a growing Games and Books Department, and, in their continuing quest to help professionals achieve work/life balance, they've added Helios Pens—which appear to float in the air as they balance over their gracefully curved bases—to their TBH Office department.

Over at the Billable Hour Card Store, they've added over 100 new humorous legal greeting cards, bringing their selection of humorous legal cards to over 200. You can't find these cards anywhere else on the Web: they're exclusive to the Billable Hour Card Store.

Stu's Views (their largest collection) is by Stu Rees, a cartoonist who—when he's not drawing—represents other cartoonists in their legal matters.

The Lawtoons line is from Suzan Charlton, a professional cartoonist who is rumored to practice insurance coverage law as a hobby for a major Washington D.C. law firm. Her cartoons cover a wide range of law-related topics, from law school grades to law firm romance.

The Cartoons by Dan line is by Dan Rosandich (who, while not a lawyer, has a pretty good grasp of many legal concepts).

All of their cards can be used as holiday cards, since the inside message is completely customizable. They also carry a wide selection of more "traditional" holiday cards featuring nonlegal themes (such as snowflakes, ornaments, Christmas trees and menorahs).

If you work for a lot of lawyers, check out their music department, which carries the world's most comprehensive line of humorous CDs by and for lawyers. In addition to the CDs by the Bar & Grill Singers, and Bob Noone & the Well Hung Jury, that I wrote about in January, they've added The Billable Hour Blues by Dan Klau, and Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers: A Brief Musical (the soundtrack to an original play by the same name written by Minnesota lawyer, speaker, comedian and playwright Toni Halleen), as well as the full line of CDs by legal music veteran Lawrence Savell, including his brand new album, The Lawtunes: Live at Blackacre.

Lawyers will also get a kick out of the company's Survival Kits for Judges, Partners, Associates, Law Students, Paralegals, and one especially for anyone preparing for—or awaiting the results of—the Bar Exam. Each kit contains one of their signature timepieces, plus a selection of items from their Music, Games and TBH Office departments. The items are artfully arranged in a first aid-themed gift box (the Partner Survival Kit even comes in a photorealistic golf cart gift bag) and topped by a huge 4" red bow.

The company helpfully provides information about holiday shipping deadlines
here.

Better get a move on--I'm grabbing one of those gorgeous Helios Pens right now!

New Activity & Time Analysis Tool: Introductory Price Expires Monday

Just wanted to let you know that the introductory price for my GDE-37 Activity & Time Analysis Tool will expire on Monday, August 20. If you want to get yours at a greatly reduced price, purchase now while it's still at $27. After Monday, it's going up to $60.

This is one of my most proprietary tools. I actually went back and forth quite a bit as to whether it was something I wanted to share. But after continually reading post after post from my Virtual Assistant members of their struggles with "leading" their own process and getting clients to delegate, I realized that it could really be of great service to my colleagues and the industry overall if I were to make it available.

This tool really puts you in the driver's seat of your own business. Once you have a client complete their activity tracking, this tool then gives you the information YOU need to "see" what's going on in their business, develop your recommendations, and manage the delegation process--which is something clients desperately seek guidance on from their Virtual Assistants.

And this isn't just some simple Excel worksheet. Several months of in-depth research and study and critical thought went into developing the formularies that result in the automatic analyses and charts.

Here's what a couple of Virtual Assistants have shared with me so far:

"ALL of my clients were highly impressed with the Activity & Time Analysis Tool that just came out and absolutely loved it!! They felt it was a great way to figure out what they did throughout the day! I think every Virtual Assistant should invest in this form!" -- Alicia Rittenhouse, MMR Business Solutions (http://www.mmrsolutions.com)

"This tool is, in my opinion, absolutely essential to a Virtual Assistant's business. It is extremely well thought out and concise. The conversion chart at the end is also very invaluable." -- Cindy Clark, CCDesignz Business Services LLC (http://www.ccdesignz.biz)

You can get more info and purchase yours in the Virtual Assistant Business Forms Store at http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/virtual-assistant-business-forms.htm

Fabulous New Virtual Assistant Tool

One of the most difficult parts to getting started with new clients is the time it takes to get a "feel" for the client's business and all that they have on their plate. Most often, we simply ask clients to keep a pad and pencil with themselves for a week or two and write down their activities.

Well, that exercise just didn't cut it for me. I wanted something with more intention behind it. So I created a proprietary system for myself that took a more methodical approach that would not only yield critical info I needed to ramp up with clients, but also give clients an actual end product they could hold in their hand. This resulted in my Activity & Time Analysis Tool.

As I continue to watch so many Virtual Assistants struggle to manage their client workloads and get past employee mindset, I decided I could do a lot of good by sharing this tool with my colleagues.

This tool is evolutions beyond the notepad exercise, and takes your consulting with clients to an entirely different level--one that puts you in control of the delegation process and your role as the administrative expert in your own business!

Not only does this tool help you more quickly and effectively ramp up with new clients, it gives clients a clearer, more "scientific" visual of their business and activities. It helps you analyze their time and energy busters, see where their core strengths and weaknesses are, identify where key systems and processes can be developed, and allows you to make more informed recommendations about where your services can be most strategically utilized as you begin working together.

The Activity & Time Analysis tool will add value to your processes and systems, and clients will be "wowed" by the invaluable, eye-opening business data and charts you will be able to present to them. Knowing what a client's true needs are also allows you to better negotiate the terms and control the pace of the work you take on for clients

This tool will be available at an introductory price for a very limited time. You can get more info and purchase yours in the Virtual Assistant Business Forms Store here:  http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/virtual-assistant-business-forms.htm