Clients can fall off the VA radar rather quickly. And it can be a painful experience.

“Am I doing something wrong?” is the first question every VA asks when the following occurs:

• Client stops emailing abruptly
• Client responds, but slowly
• Client says he/she will do something but does not follow through
• Client pays invoices late
• Client stops paying invoices all together
• Client is simply MIA despite repeated VA attempts to contact Client (but they can be seen on Twitter and Facebook)

It is difficult not to be angry. You have poured your heart and soul into this client’s work. You’ve stayed up late or worked extra hard to get the work in on time only to be forgotten. When once the relationship was continuous and exciting, it is now troubling and agonizing.

And while I try not to become too personal with my clients, I have found that working in a virtual mode without face-to-face contact is a petri dish for growing personal connections. Emails do not hide feelings and it is quite easy to really like a client based upon daily correspondence and phone calls.  So when that relationship wanes, the hurt can feel similar to losing a good friend; particularly if you have worked with a client for a year or more.

Remind yourself this is business and no matter how many jokes or personal moments you have shared with this client, it is still all business. And, I know that concept can be hard to fathom. Sometimes we can become so involved, that while the work is indeed work; it can also be enjoyable. This transfers to the relationship with the client making it all the more difficult to accept the client’s decision to fall off the radar is indeed, business-related.

1. At the first sign of  a waning client-VA relations, my first suggestion is to step back and breathe. You will be glad you did not take action immediately and write some confounded email that you will regret later.
2. Take a day or two and decide what to do. Mull the alternatives around; forming no definite decision. Keep an open mind.
3. When you are ready, compose an email or a phone script (if you plan to call the client) first and then read, and reread. Step back again and then reread again. I guarantee the first writing will be changed entirely to something more professional.

With a ‘business, not personal’ mindset, decide if you want to ‘hold’ their deposit. (Hopefully, you have taken a deposit.) I personally do not like to hold on to any client monies. But I do have a non-refundable clause in my contract. Offer to work to the end and use up the deposit money (my preferred choice) but be clear when that will be. Remind the client that by a certain date the deposit monies will not be refundable. Usually that is enough to get things going so the relationship can finally be put to rest.

And certainly, if they owe you money, stop the work immediately.

If your client has prepaid for services he is not taking advantage of and it looks as if he will not be using your services in the near future my advice is to set a timeframe when work will need to be completed. Explain that you are holding prepaid retainer money (along with deposit money) that will not be refunded if work is not offered by a certain date. I believe 30 days is sufficient. When the work is sent to the VA, complete the work and decide at that point whether the relationship will continue or terminate.

As I mentioned, I do strive to work to the end using up the deposit money but that may not always be possible. Returning the deposit will be up to the virtual assistant.

It is important to note that if the client has extenuating circumstances, it is best to work out a plan and be an understanding individual. It may be a temporary set-back that will be rectified. However, if the problem client continues to be difficult, it is best to cut all ties.

“Honestly, once a client becomes difficult to work with, it has been my experience that this behavior will occur again.  It is simply not worth the virtual assistant’s time and effort to ‘beg’ for work because begging is what it feels like. And that feels wrong.” Janine Gregor

While understanding those red flags before signing with a client is important, there is no real indicator that things will go sour a year down the road. It’s the nature of the beast.

Be prepared for the worse:  Have a contract ready. Take a deposit. Set the terms of the work, i.e., every 2 weeks, every 4 weeks. Don’t roll over hours to the next month (It’s an accounting nightmare if you are not an accounting virtual assistant AND clients will take advantage of the opportunity stretching out hours from one month to the next. You can’t run a business that way.) Decide if the deposit is refundable before any client ‘falls off’. Act early. Don’t let the situation drag on. It will gnaw away at you and eat into your time you could be spending with clients who are really ready to be professional.

1) Thou shall not take on a new client without a deposit and a signed contract. Period.

2) Thou shall be tolerant when viewing a $4.00 an hour overseas virtual assistant advertisement. Plenty of work is available for all VAs at every rate.  Establish yourself as an expert and you will attract those clients willing to pay your rate.

3) Thou shall be patient when applying for a VA position through a Request for Proposal (RFP) particularly when the potential client never acknowledges the submission. Follow-up once with a PC (potential client) and then move on. Early signs of poor communication may be a red flag that the client may become difficult later on.

4)  Thou shall not believe thyself to be an employee of the client. If the client treats you as an employee, set the record straight immediately. If this explanation does not change the relationship, then terminate that relationship. As difficult as it may appear to lose the income, there is nothing worse than feeling miserable having been labeled as subordinate. You are a business owner and you are in business to partner with clients. You are not an employee. You set the rules.

4) Thou shall take not plagiarize another virtual assistant’s website. Period.

5) Thou shall join an industry-related forum such as Virtual Assistant Forums and participate frequently to help others. Note to new VAs: before you post your questions to any forum, use the ‘search’ feature first. Your question may have already been asked and discussed. Using ‘search’ is a time saver too!

6) If thou finds that thee does not have any clients, this is the time to look up and forward and NOT down and out. Use this slow period to redo a website, create a blog, and engage in social media discussions or better still…

7) …volunteer your services. There is no better means to gaining experience and exposure than to offer your time to other virtual assistants and/or non-profits while expecting no reward in return.

8) Thou shall set a goal that thee will, in 2012, do the work thee only truly LIKES to do. For new VAs, if you are  performing uninteresting client work, as only a primary means to ‘pay the bills’, use this time to garner testimonials and referrals from those clients.  So do your best work!  Your goal is to eventually take on only the work you will enjoy.  This may mean ‘biting the bullet’ at start-up and accepting work that is not interesting but always do so with a positive attitude knowing in the end you will eventually accept projects that are enjoyable.

9)  Thou shall hang a sign above thy computer with the name of the target market thee wishes to reach.  Remind yourself daily that your blog posts, your social media posts, and your discussions will be geared toward the interest and the needs of that particular market. Your client base will increase.

10)   Thou shall ask for help. There is no shame in asking another VA to assist, however, first do the legwork yourself. Check Google, YouTube and industry sites for answers.  If you just want other VAs to tell you what to do, you will never learn. Clients want to partner with VAs who are willing to dive in deep, find the answers and make the suggestions. This is how VAs build long-term, trusting relationships with clients.

Have a great year in 2012!

Interested in learning how to write the Winning Request for Proposal (RPF) that will land you the virtual assistant job? Sign up for details of my new program and be a part of the launch. Learn How to Write a Winning RFP

It goes without saying that lying is unethical and immoral. Eventually, the truth will be told. If you must be untruthful, do not involve your virtual assistant in your misdeeds. Do not ask your virtual assistant to fudge any numbers, reword documents with falsehoods or use a different name if she is to make calls for you.

Do not ask your VA to post positive comments on a blog about you or your business if your customers or employees have posted negative comments with the intention of marring your reputation. Take care of the problem yourself.

Do not ask your VA to lower her rate. If you are committed to paying a specified rate for a specified period of time, find a way to meet that commitment. Negotiating rates with a virtual assistant after the contract has been signed is bad business practice and shows disrespect for the virtual assistant’s value. If you find you are unable to pay for your virtual assistant at the rate agreed upon, give the virtual assistant 30 days notice of your decision.

Do not send work to your virtual assistant before the upcoming monthly retainer has been paid. In most cases, the virtual assistant will bill on a timely basis allowing for the retainer payment to be paid in a seamless manner for work to continue. However, if you have received this invoice but have not paid this bill, do not forward work expecting this to be completed before payment has been received.

Do not ask a virtual assistant to use unsolicited email addresses for unsolicited email. Although this is not illegal, personally, I feel this is a waste of your money and your virtual assistant’s time. No one likes to receive unsolicited email. This is spam. Do the right thing… for your business and your reputation and realize email addresses for your prospects in a double opt-in, organic manner.

I have had the opportunity to work on virtual assistant teams with clients and I have engaged with other virtual assistants heading up their own teams.

And although a gathering of the minds at a physical table setting is an ideal arrangement; permitting the participants to interpret each other’s facial expressions and body language, leading a virtual team via a conference call is much more complex simply because the participants cannot see each other.

We are social beings. When meeting someone new, we receive cues and make judgments using our five senses to assess individual attributes. When using only our ears to assess one another, our minds pass judgement with considerable limitations. So it is important that rules and code of conduct are stated ahead of time by the leader of the teleconference.

Rules allow us to view each other on the same playing field.  Rules also creates boundaries for behavior and protocol.

When we know the rules, and what is expected of our behavior, we can respect each other and not be so quick to judge.

The success of any virtual team requires a strong, diplomatic leader. Without these personal qualities the group will not be cohesive.

Here are my suggestions for a successful team leader:

Dial-in early on the virtual or teleconference call before everyone else appears. This will give the leader time to chit-chat before the event occurs. A little round of social activity helps participants to ease into becoming more comfortable with people who cannot be seen and who may be complete strangers.

Create rules and announce these to the group before the teleconference begins. Such as:  No private conversations between members on the group call.

Specify a timeframe for the call (one hour, half hour, etc.) and stick to that time. Watch the clock. If you run over the time, say so and ask if anyone wants to stay on to finish up. This shows the group that the leader respects the participants’ time.

Introduce the participants to each other preferably with a little blurb about each other. For example, “This is Janine Gregor of Your Virtual Wizard. She is a marketing virtual assistant and I welcome her to the group.”  This action also sets the tone for the call and clearly states who is leading the call.

Ask the participants to briefly say ‘hello’ and announce where they are from. Introductions help break the ice.

Have someone take notes and send out a ‘minutes of the meeting’ when the call has commenced. Provide a recording link after the meeting and send that within 24 hours thanking everyone for their participation.

If you want to initiate a Q & A after the topic is discussed, say so. If you want to elicit questions during the call, then advise participants how comments can be made.

If a question is asked during the call which is not relevant to the topic, tell the participants to send you an email and you will be glad to respond to that question.

If an individual’s work is to be reviewed during the call, ensure that the comments are constructive and not critical. There is nothing worse than having a team member publicly criticized by a peer.

Create an outline of the teleconference topics to be discussed and distribute this before the teleconference so that everyone has a copy. If you assign a particular topic to a participant, include their name on the outline so that they can prepare ahead of time and not be caught ‘cold’ on the call.

The most important aspect to running a successful team call is to make it clear who is the leader on that call. I once worked with a coach who assigned the conference calls leadership aspect to an online business manager (OBM). The problem with this set-up was that the work that I did was for the coach so when I contributed my thoughts to the group call, the OBM actually acted as the interpreter between myself and the coach. That made for a very uncomfortable and odd arrangement.

My rule of thumb…if the team is working for you and you pay their wages, you are the leader and therefore, you run the virtual group call.

Janine Gregor

“That’s so 80′s, Janine!” was the retort I received from a long-term client during a discussion about the importance of encouraging employee and customer feedback to improve business processes. I cited one of my favorite business books written in 1982 by Tom Peters entitled, In Search of Excellence to back-up my claim that employee and customer feedback is an enormously useful business tool.

Peters believes that companies could make vast improvements in their products, services and public image simply by ASKING employees and customers for feedback.

Who better to know the inside operations of a business than the employees and customers who work directly with the company’s processes?

Employee and customer feedback and suggestions are one of the most economical resources to make improvements in any business. It costs nearly nothing to ask and often the improvements can be low-cost to implement.

I rarely see any suggestion boxes in company store fronts nor do I see any suggestions on any online business sites.

I am reminded of former NYC mayor, Ed Koch (1978-1989) who would often say to his constituents, “How’m I doin”?  This was his self-check. He encouraged citizens to voice their opinions about the work he was elected to perform. It became his mantra and opened up communication with folks who might not have ever uttered a word about this great city.

So, why aren’t feedback requests used more often?

It is my contention that business owners may be afraid to learn what it is that their customers really think. Or, perhaps they do not want to spend the time dealing with negative comments.

But feedback should be viewed as a positive source of information. Microsoft’s Bill Gates is quoted, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

So why don’t businesses ask the unhappy customers and employees what can be done to make improvements?

As a young manager in my 20′s working at a large (blue) health insurance company, we were given copies of Peters’ book and asked to implement the varying steps leading each department ‘toward excellence’. It was my responsibility to eek out the problems in my department and then ask the staff for suggestions.

My assignment staff consisted of 30 union employees who processed employee health insurance enrollment forms.

I asked the staff to list difficulties within the department which affected their productivity. We then brainstormed for ANY idea which could improve upon a particular problem. No suggestion went unnoticed. I could not write down the ideas fast enough! The results were astounding.

One problem in the department was that the telephone would ring endlessly and no one knew if the receptionist was too busy to pick it up. (She was not visible from the department floor and the phone system was not terribly sophisticated. This was the 80′s, you know!)  It was suggested that if the phone rang 3 times, that this would be our clue to pick up the phone. Simple.

Another problem was that the door to the lunchroom, which swung in an out, meant that folks often were hit with the swinging door hurting a hand or an arm. Employees then had to visit the medical department for treatment and in some cases were sent home to heal. This meant down-time in the department and lost productivity. So we brainstormed about making the door swing only one way or even just eliminating the door all together. But in the end, just adding a small window to the door to make it easier to see to the other side became the obvious result.

From this task-solution exercise, productivity increased, customer service response time improved, employees felt empowered and people felt valued.

And, when people feel valued, they work harder.

This concept can be applied to my own virtual assistant business. As a result I placed a Google Voice number on my site that anyone can call and leave an anonymous suggestion. I want to know how I am doing. Am I meeting expectations? What can I do better?

Let me know.

2010 will go over as the last year this virtual assistant will be over-marketed.

Email is my primary method of communication. I monitor several email Inboxes boxes, which quickly fill-up with marketing messages faster than I can hit the delete button.

Email Marketers use numerous tactics to increase their chances that I will open their email promotions. But the practice has backfired as many of these email marketing ploys have ended up in my delete box.

You see, marketing messages do not excite me anymore. It’s just too much hype.

I have been over-marketed and I am tired.

There was a time when I was motivated to read an article entitled, “9 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid…” or “Killer Marketing Methods You Can’t Afford to Pass Up” or “Smokin’ Hot Tips”.

But then EVERYONE started with ‘killer-this’ and ‘deadly-that’. By mid-year, every CD, eBook or Teleseminar was “Smokin’ Hot” and ‘Chock-full” of something or other. (I exaggerate to make a point.)

And so the thrill was gone.

Just tell it like it is.

Squeeze Pages Gone Wild

Squeeze pages or marketing pages no longer intrigue me. I once thought these sites were rather clever with their colorful fonts, lots of white space, enthusiastic text, ‘…if you click this button now you will receive direct to your Inbox, “10 Killer Tips (yep, ‘killer tips’, gag!) Which Will Make You Six Figures Richer in Six Months”.

And that was fine for a while, until I began to loathe the term ‘Six Figures’.  Nearly every email marketer was using this self-despised term which I coined as ‘snake oil’ sales promotions.

The ‘six figure’ phrase preys upon the vulnerable so it is a shady term in my marketing book

I am not saying that creating ‘six-figure’ financial goals is wrong or that making ‘six figures’ does not happen for entrepreneurs. Many, many folks have made six-figure-plus fortunes.

But the term is overused. And when the promotional verbiage is no longer a unique selling tool, the credibility factor decreases.

It would be my wish that Marketers could be truthful and use a definite, realistic dollar amount claim instead of using an imaginary, general term which conjures up nothing more in my mind than ambiguity.

But the reality is this…consumers do not want the truth. They want to believe they can make ‘six figures’. And who is to say that someone will more likely open an email that states, “Make $50 More Per Week” versus “Make Six Figures in 12 months”?

And those contentious squeeze pages!

These are Marketing Emails which contain miles and miles of text with no clickable way ‘out of the website mire’ EXCEPT to buy the product or sign-up for a newsletter loaded with more self-promoting ads.

I feel trapped when I click on a squeeze page. But I know that they are a valuable tool for Marketers and if one is to make ‘six figures’ then marketers will employ every online tactic available.

Oh, no…not another Hover Ad!

Hovering ads over text on site pages are Everywhere! My knee jerk reaction is to click the X to remove these messages.

At one time, hovering ads were ‘polite’ and clever marketing ploys. Hover ads would appear in the corner of the viewing screen and quickly fade away. Now, a hover ad comes at me as if to pop out of the screen and wrap its beady little corners around my face.

It takes several minutes to find the X to close these gigantic ads, which are ever more hidden in the background colors. Hover ads refuse to ‘go away’ quietly.

I am reminded of one instance where I clicked on an article link and was taken to a website. Without warning, an ENORMOUS pop-up ad came out at me which can only be described as ‘shocking’. It took me several minutes to find the X to close the ad that I totally forgot why I even came to that page! I did, however, find the X to close out the entire site all together so nothing was accomplished for that marketer.

As a marketing virtual assistant, I know that if a hovering message appears 100 times a day prompting one individual to sign on, this may mean another online sale for the advertiser.  But how many others are turned away with such ‘in yer face’ ads?

What’s In Your Email Subject Title?

Getting the recipient to open an email message is the most important objective in email marketing. If the receiver does not open the message, then nothing within that message will be read. So Marketers create email message titles which must insight a user to open.

But some of these marketing message titles simply border on vagueness and possible deception.

Earlier this year I read an article entitled, “Why No Business Should Be Involved In Online Social Networking”. The title was a great hook but the article was really about businesses being involved in social marketing and not necessarily social networking.  After reading the article, the difference between the two terms was not significant. Many readers voiced a negative opinion to the author about the vague title more so than the contents of the article.

This backfired for the author.

So as I begin a new work year, I surmise that reading junk email marketing will find a smaller place in my work day.

I’m watching more videos now and listening to podcasts while I work.  I am also signing on for more teleseminars and viewing more PowerPoint presentations. This is how I am receiving my marketing information and I feel more in control of how I spend my time.

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.