I was in the supermarket the other day and avocados were on sale for one dollar each.  Deep in thought as to what I could make with this delightful fruit, I saw a woman lurking from the corner of my eye who was pressing several avocados for firmness and then bagged or discarded as needed. I looked up and then moved over to make room so we both could share in the bounty without stretching across each other.

She seemed to appreciate that gesture and then said to me, “It is hard to tell which ones are too ripe just by pinching them.” So I said, “The lighter ones seem to be less ripe.” I continued, “Sometimes I get them home and in less than a day they are too ripe to use.”  She smiled and said, “Yes, that’s why I buy the light greens ones.  If you put them in a brown bag with a banana they will ripen when you need them.”

I knew about that ripening tip but acted as if I didn’t know so as not to be rude. She seemed delighted to share that tidbit with me so I didn’t want to ruin a sweet moment amongst strangers.

So from there we struck up a conversation. She asked me what I did for a living and I said I was a virtual assistant helping small businesses promote their products and services through online marketing methods such as newsletters, articles and email.

She told me about her line of work and as it turned out, the woman owned a real estate agency and contracted me (on the spot) to work on her email marketing campaign.

When I got home, I thought about what could have happened. I might not have stopped to buy the avocados if they hadn’t been on sale.  If I hadn’t showed courtesy in ‘sharing’ the space in front of the avocado display, she might not have said anything to me.  If I hadn’t acted appreciative of her banana-in-the-paper-bag tip (even though I knew about that tip), she might not have continued to chat with me.  We both might have just moved on and continued our shopping.

So I never dismiss small talk. I’m much more aware of my surroundings in public places. I smile more often and look approachable.  And when the stars align, I’m ready with a business card and a quick elevator speech should someone ask.  You never know who you will meet. Now that’s really what I define to be true social networking!

I celebrated that night with the best guacamole ever!

It is well-documented amongst my VA colleagues that working with a virtual assistant means good value for the dollar.  Afterall, clients only pay for the time they use and they do not pay for the overhead expenses to seat a VA in a heated office providing a computer and the necessary software to do the job.  There are many, many blog entries and articles written for the potential client explaining how much money is saved by not having to pay all of the employee expenses such as vacation time, downtime, etc. 

The message is clear and people get it.

But I do not want to dwell only on the dollar-saving value of my services. I do recognize the importance of saving money for clients but my own real worth as a virtual assistant and business owner is in the merit I provide as a business partner.

It is very difficult to place a dollar assessment on the directive and collaborative services I provide to my clients.

As a VA, I act as a sounding board for those clients who come to me for feedback and evaluations.  I often receive communication asking me for my opinion regarding website information, articles, blog posts, etc., as my role with the client develops to a level beyond just completing tasks. I am not just someone to assist with client work but I have evolved into the audience that the client is trying to reach and herein lies another value-added service. 

I have handled phone calls from distressed business owners who need a hand to hold during rough times. I have logged onto Skype during a client’s teleseminar giving feedback on the audience’s comments.  I have made the final decision for clients who cannot make up their mind on which logo or WordPress theme to choose.  I have been given the responsibility of dealing with a client’s difficult customers during busy times and turned those calls into sales. I answer customer questions on behalf of the client because quite simply, I can. I write blog entries as the client’s voice because I am trusted enough be the righthand person.  When asked, ‘How can I create more traffic to my website?” Rather than just say, “Create a better website”, I’ve successfully convinced clients to dabble in more social networking activities. 

I’m the peanut butter to a client’s jelly. And nothing beats a good sandwich.

Your Virtual Wizard Slideshow – Crack Open That Fortune Cookie from Your Virtual Wizard on Vimeo.

As a virtual assistant, I am often asked, “What DO you DO?”

With about 5 seconds to capture the asker’s interest before succumbing to the ‘glazed over-deer-in-the-headlights-look’ with my traditional, boring response, I decided to shake things up a bit…and respond with a question instead.

Now I know this goes against what my mother taught me, “Don’t answer a question with a question” but she’ll forgive me for breaking the rules!

You see, as a virtual assistant…these are two words which do not really mean much at all to folks outside of the coaching, speaker, author or real estate professional industries, which tend to utilize my services more often for administrative and website work.

Explaining to folks what is I do through running off a list of services I offer rarely works either. And, when individuals learn my office is based out of my home that is the trigger that maybe I do not have a ‘real job’.

Even my best elevator speech does not seem to get my point across.

I have an identity problem.

So confusion sets in and I still have not really explained what it is I do for a living.

So when I am asked, “What DO you DO?” I answer instead with, “Have you ever?”

So, Janine, “What is it that you do?”
Have you ever sat down to create a blog using Wordpress and realized you did know how to upload the theme to your website?

Answer: Well, I create blogs for customers who want to promote their services online to a broad audience. I also write blog posts, offer up ideas for those who wish to write their own posts and edit those who send me their posts to upload.

So, Janine, “What is it that you do?”
Have you ever looked at stacks of business cards and wondered who within those cards is waiting for a sales call?

Answer: I can take those cards, update your client database so we can collaborate and send out email messages, ezines and events notices to your clients via autoresponder programs.

So, Janine, “What is it that you do?”
Have you ever written articles and wondered what else could be done with them?

Answer: Well, I can post your articles to varying ezine sites. I can repurpose your articles for blog posts and archive those articles on your website for your visitors to download.

Using Have you ever to explain what a virtual assistant does is so much easier when the services are broken down in small bites. Rather than explain what a VA does, I explain what it is I have done and what I can do for them through examples. Clients see more value in this type of explanation…and no one has, thus far corrected my manners.

One of the services I offer as a virtual assistant is blogging and article marketing. It is a valuable resource that is in great demand in our virtual industry as more clients understand the potential for good SEO.  As article marketing increases online presence it also helps to classify the client as industry experts.  Additionally, articles can reap a ‘better bang for the buck’ as they can be repurposed into blog entries, newsletters and press releases.  Strategically placed, one article can have many lives.
 

I recently had a very intuitive consultation call with a potential client who is interested in blogging and article marketing. The client asked an interesting question, “How do you create topics for articles [when the virtual assistant is not familiar with the client’s industry]?”

I have been asked this question on previous occasions by other virtual assistants as well, so I created a client questionnaire for VAs, which is available for download here . (Click on the star logo). 

Ideally, a virtual assistant partners with a client on an ongoing basis to develop a relationship where communication between the parties is regularly maintained.  If the opportunity for a good partnership develops, the best way to write thought-provoking articles for a client is to be privy to their business happenings. This occurs only through good, two-way communication.  It is not unusual for a client to ask a question or share a piece of information with me, which can easily be turned into an article. Consequently, I’ll often reply with, “This can become a good blogging topic”. 

Another means to develop good article topics is to ask the client to check his Sent Box. What kind of questions is the client answering to his own customers?  Whatever information the client’s customers are asking certainly makes for great article topics.  Give the readers what they want to know… write about what your client’s customers are asking.

VAs, ask the client to send you urls to the online newsletters which are relative to your client’s business.  I often subscribe to the same blogs, newsletters and ezines my clients read. This is another means to find great ideas for articles and blogs. One long-term client regularly sends me real estate articles from which I have been able to construct good articles.  Keep them in a folder in your favorites entitled, ‘Blogging Topics’.

I often find subject matter on other people’s blogs which I send to my clients requesting that he respond with a brief reply.  Sometimes the answers are a few lines which I can expand upon, while others are complete responses which I can post in varying blogs or article marketing sites.

A long forgotten source for good article topics is the local public library.  I will often visit the library and sit down with several magazines and publications related to my client’s businesses. I jot down the publication name and look it up online when I return to my office.  Ask the librarian for other sources such as newsletters and flyers which are not available online. The librarian is another valuable tool to good research…and, the librarian’s services are free!

If a virtual assistant is not familiar with a client’s industry, there are numerous means to learn about his business. Asking questions, creating Google Alerts with keyword relative to the client’s business and keeping abreast of the client’s products and services are other important options to good article marketing as a virtual assistant.  Download the Questionnaire for Virtual Assistants to Ask Their Clients Regarding Article Writing and Blog Ideas for more options.

 Janine Gregor

Recently, I have ‘been on’ a few back-to-back consultations with potential clients. Each conversation had to be fine-tuned on the spot depending upon the clients’ expertise with working with a VA and in regard to his/her use of the internet.  Since consults are not ‘one size fits all’ this post can help VAs to customize the conversation to achieve maximum results.

*note RFP used herein is a Request for Proposal. This is the form that potential clients complete with information regarding their virtual assistant needs.
*Letter of Intent is the reply letter a VA writes in response to the RFP.

1)      Research, Research And More Research – If there is any tidbit of information you will take away from this post this will be it:  Research the client’s website and business as much as possible before dialing the phone. I suggest going one step further and research as much as possible before hitting the send button to reply to the initial RFP itself.  Although each Letter of Intent should be customized to the client’s requirements, take more time than usual to know the client because you may not have much time to do the research between the time you hit send and the time the client replies back to your customized letter of intent.  I have been in close-timing situations and have had mere minutes to vamp-up my research before I called the client back. Being prepared ahead of time will thwart being caught off-guard because you may need to book an immediate consult. It happens.

2)      Be Careful How You Phrase Your Opinions – Before making the consult call (and creating the Letter of Intent), make a list of what you think can be improved on the website or blog but do not come forward right away with a critique while on the phone with the potential client. Wait until the client asks for your opinion and phrase your critique as such, “If your website heading is decreased in size you can offer more information about your business above the page fold” or “If you add your social marketing badges to your home page, you can increase your membership”.  Making suggestions as opposed to saying, “The header is too big” or “The web page is messy” may make for bad vibes during the consult. Diplomacy is key.

3)      If the client indicates that they do not know how to do something while you explain what services you can provide, offer to show them how to do it. You may think that offering to train a client, for example how to post a blog will take away work from you; I actually believe that this leads to more work, which is what we all really want as virtual assistants.  I believe in offering to share my knowledge with a client for three reasons:  First, you will get paid for training; Second, once you spend more time teaching the client a task, this helps to build a relationship and solidifies you as the expert and, Three, these tasks lead to more work because then you can make suggestions as to how the task can be fine-tuned. The latter is much easier to do when you have built a rapport with the client.

4)      During the consultation call, be keen and listen to the client as they speak. Clues to how much expertise they have will be apparent just by listening. It can be embarrassing for the VA to review services the client is already familiar with.  In fact it is a waste of time.  Some clients know what ftp might be, while others have no idea.  Do not assume a client knows the entire internet ‘lingo’ so it pays to be clear during conversation without being too ‘techie’. It is easier to consult with client who has already worked with a VA so be sure you know this information in advance. 

5) If the client is seeking to replace their VA, it pays to know why but never be intrusive by asking outright. Most clients will say if they are replacing their VA upfront.  Use that information to your advantage.  For example, if the client states, “My VA does not know how to post a blog”, that would be your cue to indicate this is a service you offer (if you do, of course). But do not ask why the VA is being replaced. Only use the information if offered to indicate what you can offer to fill that hole.

Finally, evaluate each consultation call immediately after hanging up.  What could you have done better? What did you do well that you can use for the next call?  Consultations calls can improve over time.

Janine Gregor

Sue L Canfield recently released her book, The Commonsense Virtual Assistant – Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee. Today, she’s stopped by my blog. 

Janine:  Sue, why did you write this book?

Sue:  My husband, Joel D Canfield, and I co-authored the book to help newer and aspiring virtual assistants understand what it takes to run a successful business. Over the last two years, I found that many newer and aspiring virtual assistants were asking for and following my advice on how to run their business. Though they had the skills to be a virtual assistant, many had no idea how to run a business, write a business or marketing plan, how to market, and other basic business skills. Since my husband had already written a book for small business owners on how to be the best foundation for their business, we decided to add to the material and focus on the virtual assistant industry in our new book. 

Janine:  Sue, Please tell me about yourself

Sue:  I’ve worked as an administrative assistant for over 25 years and began my virtual assistant business in 2005 before I even knew there was such a thing. This past year I added virtual assistant coaching to my services to help newer virtual assistants succeed in their businesses. My husband and I work together from home along with our five-year old daughter in Roseville, California. 

Janine:  What qualifies you to write this book?

Sue:  Joel and I have more than 50 years of combined experience supporting and operating small businesses. My success as a virtual assistant is in large part due to the advice I received from Joel. Our success in our businesses provides testimony to our qualifications. 

Janine:  What is the book about?

Sue:  The book helps virtual assistants to understand that they are now business owners, entrepreneurs, no longer employees. Successful business owners need good business sense and a good understanding of what it takes to run a successful business. The book provides basic, commonsense information every entrepreneur needs to know along with advice specific to virtual assistants. 

Janine: What do you want the readers to get out of the book?

Sue:  The most important concept I would like my readers to understand is that they are now business owners and what that means. After reading the book, readers will have a clear understanding of how to set rates, manage their time, and market their business. 

Janine:  How can the readers contact you if they want further information?

Sue:  Joel and I can be reached toll-free at 877.771.7746 or by email at Contact@BizBa6.com. They can also visit our website athttp://www.bizba6.com. 

Janine:  How much does your book cost?
$19.95.

Janine:  Where can the readers purchase your e-book?
Sue:  They can visit our website at www.bizba6.com.

JanineL  Sue, thank you for stopping by my blog.
Sue: You are very welcome. Thank you for having me. 

About the Authors:

Joel and Sue have more than 50 years of combined experience supporting and operating small businesses. They operate BizBa6 Small Business Support Services and love not only their work but the life it allows them to live. This book (Joel’s third business book, Sue’s first) shares how they think about business–it’s a ‘why to’, not a ‘how-to’ because it focuses on how people think and what they want–not just your clients, but you, too. 

Book Summary:

So, you want to be a virtual assistant. The virtual assistant industry is growing rapidly. Just about anyone can say they are a virtual assistant. You have a computer, internet access, and the desire to work from home. Voila! You’re a virtual assistant. But is that enough to succeed as a virtual assistant? Do you have what it takes to run a business? Yes, a virtual assistant is a business owner. Successful business owners need to have good business sense. As a business owner, you, the virtual assistant, need to understand what it takes to run a business. Pick up your copy for $19.95 at http://www.bizba6.com.

I was at Tahneesha’s blog and read this great post.
http://www.avirtualblessing.com/decision-making-in-your-small-business/

Lately, I have seen so many missed opportunities for local businesses to rectify bad services complaints from customers and turn these instances into repeat sales or even referrals.  I’ve been the victim of bad service more times than not lately as I have been working with contractors to complete projects on my home. So, this  topic was worth a blog entry. 

It is not a secret that competition in the Florida construction industry is fierce. When we decided to install a swimming pool and install a fence this summer, many of the companies I received quotes from had either gone out of business or did not have the funds to complete projects. (One installer told me that if I did not make a decision by a particular date, my quote would go up $2000.) If a construction company can survive, the only factor I see is that good service is the only means which sets one company apart from the other.  Otherwise, they lose the referral business so necessary to survive.

After completing the swimming pool, we decided to fence the entire yard. We called a reputable and homeowner-referred Florida fence company and received a quote. 6 weeks later when we made a final decision to fence the yard, the salesman came out with a quote $500 dollars more than the original. As his quote was still lower than other quotes we received, we renegotiated the price although he really should have honored the original quote, which by-the-way did not indicate an expiration date. (He kept mumbling—-yes, mumbling about ‘getting yelled by the owner if he returned to the office with a quote which was too low’. ) This was the beginning of a myriad of problems with this company, which I will not itemize here but suffice to say that after installation was complete, I sent a typed note listing all of the issues that had gone awry. Along with that note, I mailed my final payment, which was promptly cashed so I know that the note was received.

Do you think the owner of the fence company would have called me to discuss what I addressed in my note? I have not heard one word.

As a result, I will not recommend this firm. My home sits at the end of a street which leads into a 1200 home brand new subdivision so the fence is quite visible. This is a missed opportunity for more fencing business.

As I mentioned, we put in a swimming pool. The project has been fraught with problems but each issue had eventually been worked out with some reasonable solution. The main problem is that I had to be vigilant and ‘on top’ of every step of the pool installation which became cumbersome (scheduling time off from my work, being available at a moment’s notice, etc.). I felt as if I was labeled ‘the homeowner who was difficult to satisfy’. My arguments with the pool contractor were valid but had I not been vocal many of the mistakes would not have been corrected. (I documented the installation of this pool so I plan to write about it in a future blog.) The bottom line is that none of the subcontractors (tiler, deck texturer, deck painters, cage installer, concrete subs) had my best interest in mind. That is what a contractor was hired to do–oversee the subs! Well, the subs asked no questions of me and simply fulfilled the job requirements. Without someone ON SITE during every phase of the construction, mistakes were bound to be made, which meant that I had to be the one to bring these to the attention of the pool contractor. It did not make for a good relationship. The contractor kept saying, “We want to please you” but that became a burden to him. I could feel that tension. I told him he needed to be here every step of the way.

I visited a local salon to make a hair appointment the other day. I had a bad experience at this salon about a year ago, which was fixed by another hairdresser but it required another visit back to the salon and another monetary tip. I had not been back to this salon since that incident occurred but decided to give the business another try. (I met the owner outside the shop one afternoon and she convinced me to try her services again.) Well, when I made a new appointment last week one of the hairdressers (not the one in question) became defensive when I explained why I had not patronized this salon in some time. It was as if she was calling me a liar. A better way to have handled this was to just simply say that this time the salon would guarantee the work they would do with the new appointment I had made. But,that did not happen. I left there wondering again what the results would be with this new appointment. No customer should leave any place of establishment wondering what lies ahead.

You see, I want to get the most from my money. Every dollar counts. If I am going to pay $100 for my hair to be lightened, I want value for that price. If I am going to pay tens of thousands for a new swimming pool, I want the tile to be installed in some kind of fluid pattern and expect that the tile-guy will have that expertise. I do not want to come back and say, “That’s not the pattern you showed me in the catalog”. If I am going to pay a few thousand for a new fence, I expect that the installers will have the survey in their possession when they arrive. I also expect that I will not get a call the day of the installation to say the construction crew is on its way despite asking for a phone call one day in advance.

And, I expect when I have a concern about work that is being done, paid for by me, out of my own pocket that this will be addressed in a professional manner and not be ignored.

Perhaps I am asking too much. Mistakes are bound to happen. I say to the construction and small business industry–do not blame the economy entirely for your downfall. It is survival of the fittest and that means Good Follow-Up and Excellent Customer Service is your ticket to survival.

Janine Gregor

After recently receiving a slew of what are known as ‘Nigerian 419 Scam’ emails in my inbox recently, I asked myself, ‘Who are these people who do this? And who are the people who respond to these fraudulent emails?”  Poking around the ‘net, I found an in-depth Washington Post article, by  Karin Brulliard which answered my questions, prompting a commentary here.

Ms. Brulliard interviewed a Nigerian man named Banjo for the article.  Banjo explains how much more difficult it has been during tough economic times to bilk naïve Americans of their monies.  “We are working harder. The financial crisis is not making it easy for them over there,” said Banjo, 24, speaking about Americans, whose trust he has won and whose money he has fleeced, via his Dell laptop. “They don’t have money. And the money they don’t have, we want.”

Banjo is a polite young man in a button-down shirt, and he is the sort of guy on the other end of that block-lettered missive requesting your “URGENT ASSISTANCE” in transferring millions of dollars. He is the sort who made Nigeria infamous for cyberscams, which experts say are increasing in these tough times.

U.S. authorities say Americans — the easiest prey, according to Nigerian scammers — lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year to cybercrimes, including a scheme known as the Nigerian 419 fraud, named for a section of the Nigerian criminal code. Now financially squeezed, Americans succumb even more easily to offers of riches, experts say.”

The article goes on to explain how the scams began in the 1980’s “…from news reports about corrupt politicians funneling oil proceeds to foreign bank accounts.”  Sometimes the scams take advantage of lonely hearts while others promise viable work-from-home riches for simply depositing funds from overseas into personal bank accounts.  The recipient then wires the money into other overseas accounts.  The original, fraudulent checks never clear so the recipient is responsible for the final cash outlay.

Brulliard describes that other scams take advantage of naïve respondents who are typically lonely Americans who believe that if they send upfront fees for plane fare to fake women they will come to America to meet their suitors.  Of course, the “ladies” with whom the American has been corresponding is someone like Banjo on the other end of the email thread.  “She” has missed her plane 3 times, prompting the American to send more money.

Further research shows that the The Nigerian scam has infiltrated real estate using free sites such as Craigslist.  Copying current and legitimate ‘for sale by owner’ ads and photos, scammers create new ads to advertise low purchase prices enticing investors to send in down payments for properties sight unseen.  When buyers show up at the properties to take possession, they find that the transaction is not legitimate.

Of course it all boils down to the naïve individual who feels they can purchase real estate at bargain basement prices. In this time of falling real estate values with buyers not wishing to hire a real estate professional (and pay for commissions), scammers are finding it much easier to dupe vulnerable buyers. 

Janine Gregor
Real Estate Virtual Assistant
www.YourVirtualWizard.com