I am rather disturbed by the news of the shooting of  killing six people and injuring 12 others, including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona this weekend. I’ve had a tough time concentrating on my work today.

I dislike discussing politics outside of my own circle because it just brings out such viciousness in people. Although I’m a long way from Arizona this horrific political event felt so close to my heart.  Ever since 9/11, terroristic activities within our own country just seem so personal now.

I am ashamed at how volatile the political language in this country has developed.

During this past Florida state election, I was nauseated with the way politicians beat on each other; spewing venomous names and telling lies or half-truths about their opponent’s personal lives.

For the first time since coming of age to vote, I thought about not casting my ballot in the state election.

When someone commits a terrible act, such as the case in Arizona our media gives these evil individuals major press time personifying the glory that the perpetrators typically desire. TV and radio commentators fight with each other on-air while all of this is captured on YouTube and played continuously in a loop on the internet.

And this same venue plays out in the virtual business world as well.

When business owners have been ‘burned’ by a virtual assistant, many of the comments I read are cruel. These shafted business owners, although entitled to their opinion, certainly cannot justify similar political name calling in their business posts.

I have had my share of clients who have ‘burned’ me but I have not gone on record publicly chastising their businesses or marring their name.

The premise seems to be that if you don’t like someone, it’s OK to publicly reprimand an individual in any way possible.

As a virtual assistant, I write something every day. I think about what I write and I give great thought about who will be the recipient of what I say. I do not want to offend anyone.  My presentation is all that I can regulate.

I cannot control what people say about me but I can control what I say about others.

The old adage, ‘sticks and stones….’ is wrong! Names do hurt and they fire-up those who do not think rationally. The Arizona terrorist is an angry, mentally deficient young man. His own posts give us reason to believe he was heavily influenced by the vicious diatribe between our elected officials.

Our current, dark political atmosphere is not to blame for this man’s behavior just as playing violent video games cannot be blamed for the Columbine massacre. But these influences help mold behavior; particularly for those with a sick mind.

In business and in politics, NOW is the time to reflect on how we communicate with each other. Gone are the days when it took a full day for news to reach us in today’s newspaper when we had time to reflect and discuss events with each other. Editorial comments were, well, edited…and for good reason.

The unedited internet has brought us all closer together but in many ways it has also created a divide.

There is no time to wipe-up a messy blog written in a tirade about someone who might have offended us. With a push of the ‘send’ button, these often insensitive comments have already gone out to be posted on someone’s site, somewhere in the world to be read on someone else’s computer screen.

They cannot be taken back.

Words create moods. They also affect behavior. Think about what we say and write about each other. Someone just may misinterpret and act in ways which may shock us.

Janine Gregor

I’m putting the final touches on client holiday gifts this evening. Tomorrow, I’ll drive to the post office, pay the postage and gleefully drop each package into the postal mail-shoot abyss.

Client holiday gift planning and buying is a carefully crafted process for me. I take my gift-giving quite seriously because I buy, box, wrap and ship the gifts myself. I know that ordering online would be so much easier but I just find it to be so impersonal for what I want to accomplish this time of year. I have at least fifteen people on my gift list whose business relationships have meant so much to me. Handling the entire process myself is really a big portion of my gift to my clients.

It took a few weeks to decide what I would purchase this year. The card selection took me even long(er) [to determine] and then I spent several days writing a little note in each card which was meaningful and not the typical, customary and trite ‘Happy Holidays’.

I derive a great sense of satisfaction in handwriting each card because I know that it is a special treat to be the recipient of a surprise package with an enclosed handwritten ‘something’ from the mailman.

The element of holiday surprise and curiosity was better experienced in day’s past before emails flowed in with expectation and voice mails prepared us with canned responses before making the return call.

Opening an unexpected package or a card requires undistracted attention so it is a nice change from opening electronic communication which is usually part of multi-tasking.

I really do appreciate my clients’ business. I want them to know this. So I step back from the computer and do things the old fashioned way via the postal service, which is still the most personal way to communicate without delivering the card and gift myself.

As a virtual assistant I have been blessed with thoughtful and unexpected client gifts. One client sent me a $50 gift certificate and another gifted a lovely soap set. I never forgot their kindness even though they are no longer clients.

It is not really the gift itself that is so important; rather it is the thought behind the effort. The kind words written in the card mean the most to me.

Very few people take the time to say ‘thank you’ anymore.

I do not expect holiday gifts from my clients as my best gift has already been received this year!

In 2010, every singe client paid me on time and in full. That was the best gift ever, which saved me countless hours of collections and aggravation.

I plan for buying gifts for clients but I have never thought about gifts from clients to virtual assistants. I thought it would be a fun exercise to reverse the gift giving process.

VAs, email me if you have any other ideas. I’ll be glad to keep the list going throughout the year.

Gifts which cost only client time

• An audio testimonial
• A video testimonial
• A LinkedIn testimonial
• Offer to link your VAs site to your own
• Offer to pay on-time for one year and keep that promise
• Offer to refer 5 colleagues to the virtual assistant

Gifts priced at whatever a client wants

• A gift certificate for a massage
• A gift certificate to Amazon.com
• Desk accessories
• Gift certificate to Staples, Best Buy or Office Depot
• Credit for iStockPhoto or the VA’s favorite photo site
• Make a donation to your VA’s favorite charity
• Offer to purchase RoboForm or some program which could save your VA time
• A subscription to Elegant Themes for one year to access a wide variety of blog themes
• A Blackberry or an iPhone
• Memory sticks and/or Flash Drives

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.

In my last post, Cut That Client Loose…It Happens!, I offered tips for VAs whose clients are non-communicators and slow-payors. Should the VA’s best attempts to communicate with a difficult client result in an impasse, the best (and only!) solution may be to simply release the client from the service contract.

Always plan to save the account instead of giving into frustration.

When a client shows signs of waning, I immediately draw up a plan to salvage the souring account.  All that is needed is time, patience and the wherewithal to recognize that a client entering ‘salvagable territory’ is really just another opportunity to grow your virtual assistance business.

My 5 tips to help any virtual assistant save a worthwhile client account.

1) Have a policy in place FIRST to protect yourself from non-communicators and slow-payors.

Collect a deposit from the client before work begins or expect to deliver only with a pre-paid retainer plan. I have a minimum per week plan and state in my contract that I bill that minimum time regardless if I have worked that week or not.

So if the client ‘falls off the face of the earth’, send a reminder that you have not heard from them and will be billing that minimum amount of time and making a draw from the pre-paid retainer or the deposit. Sometimes that is the jolt they need.

Understand that implementing business policies is not a form of retaliation against a disappearing client. I have found that clients have more respect for me because I have business policies in place. I do not hesitate to enforce those policies if needed.

If your client ‘disappears’ try to find out what the problem may be and offer solutions.

2) Begin by emailing the client with polite inquiries. If you do not receive a response within 48 hours, then email again that you wish to speak to them on the telephone. In some cases, they are receiving your emails but not responding (because they can do that…not respond…without consequence) however, when you make an effort to make the contact more personal, clients will respond. Have that conversation and offer solutions to whatever the problem may be.

3) Send a handwritten postcard showing empathy and set up a time and a date in that postcard to have a conversation. “Dear Client, I wanted to connect with you to see if everything is all right. I had not heard from you for a few weeks and I wanted to discuss what I can do to help you. Please call me on Tuesday afternoon between noon and 2 pm.”

4) There may be a personal problem with the client that you don’t know about – so don’t become aggravated right away. Life happens, people are hospitalized…so give a client the benefit of the doubt. I recently instituted a back-up system. If something should happen to me, I give my clients a number to call for updates. Ask your client for a back-up phone number to call if you have not heard from your client for a few weeks. In some cases, you can help the client while they are indisposed so your services become more valuable. Offer to put the account on hold until such time they can work with you.

5) If a client ceases to pay or begins to become a slow-payor, try to work with them first in a manner which does not affect the operations of your own business. In other words, I once had a client who kept missing weekly payments, so I offered to put her on a bi-monthly payment plan. At the time, this was not an issue but over time as more clients were added to my roster, I was spending more time performing non-billable accounting procedures than were necessary. Eventually that client went on a monthly retainer plan but instead of getting annoyed right away, I tried to work out a payment plan that suited her situation. She appreciated that and thus the account was salvaged.

In summary…create business policies and stick with them. Don’t go with your first instinct to become frustrated or aggravated with a non-communicator or a slow-payor. If emailing, calling and making accomodations for the client becomes more work than you can handle, then consider whether that client is your ideal client. If not, then ‘cut them loose’ and move onto marketing your business to your ideal client, which most likely includes a target that can afford your services and understands that communication is vital to working effectively with a virtual assistant.

Janine Gregor

By far the most difficult aspect of being a virtual assistant is working with a client who does not communicate.

I shake my head in dismay.

Clients want the help…they seek the assistance of a virtual assistant but some fail to recognize that good relationships take work.

I emphasize the need for communication in the consultation call. I include an entire page in my Welcome Packet explaining the importance of communication but after a week of working with new clients, old habits die hard.

The Scenario

It is Monday morning and I am ready to work. But I can’t. The client has not responded to last week’s email asking for an updated service list. The client has not responded to questions regarding last week’s work so even that effort remains unfinished.

So I put in a phone call but the client is not available.

Tuesday morning…still no response. This time I am asking if something is wrong. That happens. One of my clients fell off a ladder and I didn’t hear from her for several weeks.

Finally on Wednesday afternoon I receive a reply to last week’s emails but some of the questions were left unanswered. By now, I’ve ventured onto other client work and am engrossed because these clients are responding and thus they receive priority attention.

So I reschedule my work for Thursday to play ‘catch-up’ for the client who has now decided to respond with several apologies and excuses as to why my communication has gone unanswered.

I write a quick aggravated-infused email and then decide not to send it in the annoyed tone in which it was written. (A tip I learned years ago…write out how you feel and then hit delete.)

(Sometimes a client may sign on late in the week and we finally begin to get caught up on last week’s work but alas we are in the middle of an important discussion and I receive, “I am signing off for the rest of today and I won’t be back in my office until Monday.” )

Yes, that did happened…but I digress…

Friday I send out another email and put in another call to discuss the problem(s). I receive no response thus the following incommunicado-cycle begins again for the following week.

This has to stop. Something must be done. Shall I cut the client loose? It crosses my mind several times.

Here’s what I do:

• I ask to speak to the client and make myself available after hours if needed to rectify the situation.
• I explain in that call how difficult it is for me to efficiently book client time while ‘left in the lurch’ without the proper responses.  I need to make the client see that I am business owner myself and that my time is valuable too. I say this in the call (nicely).
• I ask the client what we can do better to ensure that I receive the information in a timely manner. Although I prefer to receive service-related work requests the week before so I can plan accordingly for the following week, if Sunday afternoon is the only time she can answer my emails, then I can work with that.
• I set up a shared calendar so I can see when the client is available. (I do that for everyone now.) But again, this is part of the communication process and has to be maintained by the client.
• I summarize and confirm the discussion in a written email.

In some cases, this method solves the problem. But in other cases, we have a few ‘good’ weeks and the non-responsive cycle begins all over again.

Nothing is fail-proof; either you want to work with a virtual assistant or you do not.

I understand that some clients have full time jobs. But if a client is on a tight schedule for communicating with their virtual assistant, then some effort needs to be made BECAUSE I cannot do the work alone.

I’m here to partner with a business owner and like all collaborations good communication is key to success. Without an exchange of ideas, I am unproductive.

When I am ineffective, the client is wasting my time and their money.

I am here to help the business owner succeed. If they do not realize my purpose, I turn them loose.

It happens.

Reviewers note: This book has been reviewed from the observations of a virtual assistant, which is important to note as the book is written for freelancers who primarily perform project-oriented work.

The Wealthy Freelancer
12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle
by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage, and Ed Gandia

“Ugh”, I thought to myself when I saw the cover of The Wealthy Freelancer, 12 Secrets to a Great Income and Enviable Lifestyle (TWF) featuring a bigger-than-life photo of a red Corvette. “Not another get-rich-quick publication selling a phony lifestyle reminiscent of late night gold digger infomercials!” To add ‘insult to injury’ the use of the subtitle word ‘enviable’ was equally as dubious. However, my first impression would prove to be utterly incorrect. Lesson to self: “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” In fact, TWF is not about becoming financially wealthy at all. The introductory chapter titled, What Being a Wealthy Freelancer Really Means explains that … “Being wealthy isn’t just about the dollars you earn; it’s about the life you build-and the kind of person you become in the process.” Unfortunately, at first glance, the book title and its photo cover, most likely used as a visual ‘hook’ promoted a brief amount of uncertainty which was quickly reconciled by the excellent content within.

Read the rest of the review here .

A colleague emailed me that he was terminated from a social networking site on which he had been a paid member for more than three years.

There was no real explanation given for the termination other than “…[his] style of participation … [and] … contributions to the community are not moving it forward, and have begun to harm its reputation. “Consequently, we have terminated your membership…”

His profile consisted of hundreds of network connections, forum posts, compliments, and event postings.

I personally could find no reason why this occurred as I found him to be a reputable sales person whose postings were continuously professional. But it does not matter why he was bumped from the site nor does my opinion matter. The site does have the documented right to do whatever they want with posted information.

This blog is a reminder to keep copies of all the contacts you make on any of the social networking sites including the content because once someone is terminated, everything is removed from the site. I suggest keeping a spreadsheet with contact information and copies of your posts.

This brings up an interesting point about who owns the digital intellectual content on any one of the social sites. Of course the fine print (that very few really read) on numerous social networking sites states that once an account, paid or free is terminated every contact and post is removed. So the rules to ‘play’ are apparent but I wonder if this is just.

I see two sides to this argument. When an employee leaves a company most are allowed to take their personal items with them. Although many companies do not allow employees to take client contacts with them if they are terminated even though that employee might have nurtured those contacts. But typically the latter rule is in place to protect the company as usually both the employee and the company are in the same business; governed by a disclosure statement.

In the case of a social networking site, which is merely a platform to post digital material and not a direct business competitor to the user, I question why the information is inaccessible for use by the terminated user.

What do you think?

Janine Gregor

1) Stay on topic – If the topic is about blogging, comment about blogging and not about your business or personal affairs. Those who do not stay on topic break the rhythm of the thread, waste valuable space and cause difficulty for readers trying to follow the conversation.

If you have another topic you would like to discuss, create a new thread. Try to keep ‘side conversations’ off main threads.

2) Sign your name – Some blog and forum sites do not offer areas to clearly identify the poster. On those sites without a designated spot to sign a name and company name, please type-in this information within the post for better SEO and for self-identification.

If you create a username which is different from your real name and do not sign your post, people will not know who you are.

Replies to your own entries will typically be returned using your name which personalizes the responses and engages continued conversation. Using your name in a post also makes it easier for you to search out any direct responses to your own posts.

Your name is your unique signature which sets you apart from other posters. Be proud of what you comment. Use your name.

3) Use back links which are useful for several reasons. Back links support a posting; provide easy clickability to the readers as well as confirm to the readers you have topic expertise. Back links will also help you to get the google juice for the sites you link.   If the site on which you are posting does not automatically link urls (Biznik is one such site) you can use code to make your links live.

HTML and Markdown Language (lighter version of HTML) are two code choices.

Example:  HTML <a href=”www.yourlink.com”<Your Site Name></a>

Example:  Markdown Language [Your Site Name](http:*//*yourlink.com) *Do not type in *characters. Demo purposes only.

4) If you provide back links in your posts, make those links relevant. Do not just put your website address or your blog address. Link back to the referred post URL itself or a document which is relative to what your post is mentioning. You will receive a high bounce rate on your blog or website if you are not using direct links to specific posts because folks will be frustrated when they cannot find what it is you might be linking and will quickly leave your site.

5) Try not to comment for the sake of commenting or agreeing. If you want to say ‘thank you’ to someone for offering valuable information or if you find someone’s post to be helpful, say ‘why’ it was helpful or how you can apply this newly found information.

6) Try to summarize your posts into an easy-to-read format. If you have a lot of information, try to breakup your thoughts into paragraphs or use bullet points.

7) Before you post, check first to see if someone else has made that same post. So if you are on a social networking site, do a search of keywords. If there is a previous post on your topic, do not start a new one; add a relevant comment to that particular post. Blog and forum posts have infinite lives. Adding fresh and relevant information to an already birthed thread brings the full string ‘out’ for new readers to view.

Janine Gregor

I was hoodwinked.

A few weeks ago, I was fooled into reading an article entitled, “Why No Business Should Be Involved in Online Social Networking.” Roughly halfway into reading this piece, the author explains that we should stop using the term ‘social networking’. We should be using the words, ‘social marketing’ instead.

Yes, that was the gist of the article.

Based on the title, I was expecting to read why social networking was a taboo for business.

I was ‘sucked-in’ like the eleven thousand or so other readers intrigued by the same headline. (Yes, the article received eleven thousand views.)

And that type of ‘Tomfoolery’ journalism bothers me.

Interestingly, the content of this article was rather robust with a good discussion about social marketing. So it was not a complete loss once I arrived to read the piece. It was the signage on this path which led me to the article that is bothersome.

But I wondered; did the End (good content) justify the Means (crafty title)?

Fellow commentator and blogger, Judy Dunn of Cat’s Eye Marketing and I both believed that the trick title stood out ‘like a sore thumb’ prompting both of us to write our own rebutted blog entries.

Judy makes some great points in her post, On Respecting Your Readers: Headline Trickery. She writes, “A headline can generate interest without deceiving the reader. When we write with honesty, we build trust with our readers. If we break the trust, it can be more difficult to keep our audience. And if we do it over and over again, well, they may stop reading our stuff.”

The author of the ‘social networking v. social marketing’ article had a follow-up piece which I never even bothered to read. As Judy mentioned would happened; the author lost my trust because he did not deliver what his title promised.

What captivated me the most from this experience was that a majority of the article readers did not object to being lured by the misleading title. In fact, several commented that they were glad the title was misleading because the content was well-written. Some claimed they may not have even read the article if the title had not been misleading.

I did not see it that way.

Misleading advertisement is a pet peeve of mine; particularly in blog posts and articles. I spend a fair amount of valuable time reading print and online material just to keep up with current marketing topics. As with most business owners, time-wasting activities eat into profits. A well-crafted article title is as important as the content it represents. I depend upon good article titles to determine if it is worth my time to read the piece.

It is my contention that we have been deceived far too many times by some marketers that we have come to expect that trickery is an acceptable means of promotion and sales.

Consumers have become desensitized to dishonest practices.

Over time, as we have become more comfortable with questionable advertising I surmise that passivity is the only means to survive the constant barrage of ads and promotions we see each and every day. It has become ever more difficult to discern fact from fiction. As a result the marketer has a more difficult time reaching the consumer without settling for ‘shock-value’ ads or ‘misleading promotions’ in order to capture our interests.

Are consumer attentions stirred by negative marketing better than positive marketing receiving no attention at all?

Questionable and misleading article titles are like the ‘bad’ child who acts out just to get his parents’ attention.

In a 2007 New York Times article, “Anywhere the Eye Can See, It’s Likely to See an Ad“, the author writes “Yankelovich, a market research firm, estimates that a person living in a city 30 years ago saw up to 2,000 ad messages a day, compared with up to 5,000 today. About half the 4,110 people surveyed last spring by Yankelovich said they thought marketing and advertising today was out of control.”

The shear volume of media ads we view each day is overwhelming; more than the average person can handle. Filtering ads and their titles by accepting what we see is the only means to sort through the promotional mire.

As a marketing virtual assistant, article marketing is a service I provide to promote my clients’ businesses. It is not easy trying to come up with the next innovative title ‘hook’ that will allow my clients’ articles stand out from the crowd. I’m all for creativity but there is a fine line between being creative and being deceitful.

A good example of clever titling is Judy Dunn’s piece, “Swedish Cowboys and Scuba Diving Brides: 8 Reasons You Should Have a Niche.”

Judy had many click-throughs for this piece. She also gave the readers eight valid and solid reasons to have a niche. She promoted and delivered the goods.

That’s honest marketing and as a result, I have bookmarked Judy as a credible writer.

Isn’t being believable what all marketers really want?

Or do they?