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Virtual Assistant Assessment

September 14, 2008 | 2 Comments

Assessing the job that a Virtual Assistant is doing for you is tricky.  A virtual assistant assessment begins with asking yourself, Have I been clear on the tasks and outcome I expect?

I am sure it was clear to you.  But look at what you asked and imagin not knowing your business or what you are thinking.  Is it clear for someone else?

Assuming that you answer yes to the self assessment question, here are the assessment questions you have to ask after working with a virtual assistant for a while.

1. Did the VA ask questions when he did not understand something clearly?
2. Did the assistant acknowledge work requests quickly so you knew what was going on?
3. Did the virtual marketing assistant understand the task AND the Marketing Goal?
4. In what quality are the tasks completed?  Are they doing bare minimum or going the extra mile.
5. Are the hours spent on your task reasonable?  Are you paying for the VA to learn?
6. Are the virtual tasks done in a timely manner?
7. Do you get reports back and proper followup from your Virtual Assistant?
8. Are there errors in your copy?  If the VA is writing blog posts, how is the grammar and spelling?
9. How do you feel?  Are you confident in your Virtual Assistant’s ability to get things done or do you feel like you need to watch them every step of the way.  This improves with time, but if you do not feel like you can count on them, you should try another virtual assistant.

Several things will make it very hard for you to be successful with any assistant at all.

1. You did not clearly define the task and realistic outcome.
2. You did not clearly let them know how you like to communicate - frequency, reports, etc.  A virtual assistant may not want to bother you if they view you as busy.
3. Pay - if you are bargain hunting for a cheap virtual assistant, keep in mind you will probably get what you pay for.  Occasionally you may find a diamond in the rough, but it will cost a lot of energy and bad experiences while you look.
4. Assuming expertise - Virtual Assistants are frequently experts in some areas, but you should not assume they are the same as a professional consultant.  For example, our Virtual Buzz Assistants assist you in executing your marketing plan, they are not a buzz marketing agency that will necessarily craft a fantastic plan for you.

You get the idea.  Sometimes a virtual assistant will just not work out because they are not good at organization or doing the tasks you need.  Sometimes there is just a breakdown in communications or a personality conflict.  The key is to do a virtual assistant assessment and do a self assessment and see if you can improve the process and outcomes.  When you think of the effort that goes into hiring a new employee with orientation, training and weeks of getting up to speed, a virtual assistant has to jump over those issues and provide value to you much faster.  Clarity is your best friend.

And doing a virtual assistant assessment makes sure you find the virtual assistant that is right for you.

Virtual Website Design Firms

September 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

If you have a website design firm you probably do not think you need a virtual buzz assistant on staff.  You already know everything about technology, and nothing else is all that important.

Well let me give you some advice based on my experience.  I started out a website design and custom technology consulting firm.  We set up great tools for people.  Really great.

But more than 80% of the people thought they were spending too much money and not getting enough value.  Not because of the tools, I said they were great.  It was because normal users do not take the time and effort needed to put good tools, websites and blogs to use.  Then they do not produce results (through no fault of your own) they still blame you.

Let me give you a better idea:

1. Hire a Virtual Buzz Assistant.  Have them work a little each day helping you with blogging, answering support tickets, doing online advocacy.
2. Sell additional Virtual Marketing services to your clients.  Don’t try to do it yourself.  You techies can’t spell.  Hire a virtual buzz assistant.  Now your web design firm is getting more marketing and you are subcontracting out services (for a profit) that will make your clients more happy.
3. Set expectations up front.  Virtual Buzz Assistants will help you close the sale because you can tell a client that they should produce regular content to get good web results, and you have just the person that can help them.

When you are looking at the success of a website, there are many important elements.  Good design will make your feel happy on day one, but good, steady content creation will make you feel happy in the long run.

If you are a Virtual Assistant reading this, think about approaching local web design firms and offering your services.  A couple clients like that could keep you more than busy.

Free Virtual Assistant Training

September 11, 2008 | 2 Comments

There is free virtual assistant training available everywhere.  It is called experience.

If you have even a modest budget, you should at least buy a book on starting a Virtual Assistant Business.

If you have a slightly higher budget and want to focus on marketing, you should join our network where you will get virtual assistant training in marketing as well as virtual assistant job leads that can help jump start your business.

But if your only choice is Free Virtual Assistant Training, keep in mind you are paying in time instead of money.  Here is some ideas to get the free training.

• Join lots of free virtual assistant forums.  Participate and use Google Notebook to save good advice.
• Read virtual assistant websites and va blogs daily.
• Study free business advice sites.  You are not just a virtual assistant, you are also a freelance assistant that is an entrepreneur and you have to mange your business well.  You also have to have the skills to help other businesses succeed.
• Become a better communicator for free.
• Become an affiliate and learn how to sell via trial and error.  It takes longer but it is free.
• Find a mentor to help you.
• Email experts with respectful questions.  Don’t pester one person, spread your emails around.
• Focus on a few tasks that are high value and perfect them first.  If you can only afford free virtual assistant training, it is going to take you longer to learn stuff, so you need to focus on a few marketable tasks and generate some income with those skills.  Then you can join this network or pay for training someplace else.
• Do a free virtual internship.  Make sure you get free training and a testimonial.
• Volunteer to help a non-profit in exchange for testimonial.
• Work for a virtual assistant agency until you have the experience to go out on your own.

There are many more ways to get free virtual assistant training.  The point is, if it is free you are going to have to hunt for it and learn through trial and error a lot more.  You will pay for your free training with your time, instead of your pocketbook.

Good luck.

Virtual Assistant Management Software

September 8, 2008 | 1 Comment

I have been searching for good software that would help collaboration and manage projects with Virtual Assistants.

I know that there are a lot of good project management software products out there.  But what about having people assigned and approved for particular tasks?

I am very surprised there is not something out there.  Maybe the bigger agencies all build their own virtual assistant management software and no one has it that you can buy.  I did see one software solution that is OK, but really is very expensive for a solution that is not as extensive as it could be.

Here is what I would like to see in Virtual Assistant Management Software:

1. Manage 1099
2. Integrate certification and training for tasks
3. Virtual Assistants can update availability, specializations, hours, tasks
4. Clients prepay for hours to activate activities
5. Automatic monthly satisfaction surveys

There is more I would like, but you get the idea.  I know I could put together several products and get very good results.  But I would prefer one system that helps people manage virtual assistant teams with good virtual workforce management software.

If anyone knows of something like this, please leave a comment below.  Thanks

Hire a Virtual Assistant

September 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

If you want to hire a virtual assistant for anything, there are some specific things to consider in advance.

The number one problem people have when hiring a virtual assistant is when they hire them, they have unrealistic expectations.  Let me explain.

If someone is really good at all the aspects of internet marketing, they can generate a lot of income for themselves.  A LOT.

If you are hiring a virtual assistant that will help you with virtual internet marketing tasks, you are not hiring someone that is good at making $100,000+ per year on the web.  If they were that good, do you think they would want to work for you?

Virtual Assistants, whether Internet Marketing or otherwise, are a valuable part of a puzzle that you are putting together.  They are not your high-priced consultant that will tell you everything you need to know.  They are often happy to specialize in on or two areas and make a decent income working from home.

If you have the patience to plan, experiment and measure results, you can hire a virtual assistant and get better results faster.  If you are just looking for someone to figure out what you need and do it for you, plan to hire an experienced consultant or plan to fail.  Virtual Assistants need clear tasks and expectations.  And they need input from you.

You should hire a virtual assistant to help you execute your plan.  You should have a clear idea what the steps are that the virtual assistant can repeat to get you the results you want.

Also, if you hire a virtual assistant, don’t expect one person to meet all your needs.  Hire particular tasks for particular specialists and build a virtual assistant team that works like an engine to achieve your outcomes.

Making Money as a Virtual Assistant

September 5, 2008 | 1 Comment

First, I have to say that this post is not typical of every member of our Virtual Buzz Assistant Network.

How did one member launch a business and generate $4,000 per month in clients within the first 3 months?

When you join this virtual assistant network, it is not like eLance or Guru.com where you are competing with everyone in the world.  It is far fewer projects and far fewer marekting assistants.  So if you are proactive you can get some nice projects.  Generally I find that the active people do well, and other people sign up intending to use it but do not find the time and do not get the benefits.

So the story:  Four months ago one of our members quit his job.  He could not take it anymore.  (I would never advise doing that unless you already have other income.)

He asked me questions, formed his company, set up his website and used the Virtual Buzz Assistant Network to find clients and sharpen his skills.  Even though the summer was slow, he just closed his third client.  All three clients together are over $4,000 per month in reoccuring revenue as long as he does a good job with them.

I have started a few companies in my years, and I think his expereience has been exceptional.  His costs are low, his income is better than ever and now he is turning down projects.

The one thing he has not learned yet is how to scale the business.  He needs to stop turning down projects and outsource (after his cut) to other members of the network.  Otherwise his income will not stay consistant as clients come and go.

I am highlighting his success because it truly is exceptional and shows that you can do it with some luck and hard work.

Making Money as a virtual assistant is not easier than making money in a job.  But it can be more rewarding and more profitable.

Using Virtual Assistants to Grow a Marketing Agency

September 4, 2008 | 1 Comment

I had lunch today with a friend that runs a successful PR and Marketing Agency.  We were discussing how to use Virtual Assistants to grow her agency.

Here is the primary issue.  When you get clients, you could put them with a virtual assistant, but that is risky because you do not know their skill set or dependability.  So you end up fitting those tasks into your full time staff’s schedules, even though it would be more profitable if you knew the Virtual Assistant could do the job.

So what is the solution to effectively growing your marketing agency with virtual assistants?  Simple.

1. Hire them on a small monthly retainer to market your marketing agency.  This way you have an existing relationship in place and you know the quality of work.
2. Communicate in advance when new opportunities are upcoming.  Make sure you know if they have the time to take on additional hours.
3. Get them accustom to your culture and expectations.  Be tough in these small projects, so they do not think you will be easy to work with on client work.

If you just do those things, you can have one or even a few virtual assistants waiting to take on additional work when the need arises.  Plus you will be doing a better job of marketing your marketing agency.

This approach will keep you lean and help you scale to meet fluctuating demand.

Virtual Assistant Network

September 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment

How do you assess the value a virtual assistant network provides and how do you know if the VA network is worth paying for?

Here are some tips to help you think about whether to pay for membership in a Virtual Assistant Network.

1. First assess your own needs. What do you want out of the network?  For example, you would not want to join the Virtual Buzz Assistant Network if you are just looking for basic information on becoming a virtual executive assistant.
2. Assess value to needs - How much is a solution to your need worth?  In our case, is becoming an Internet Marketing Assistant worth $99 per month?  Depends on your goals.
3. Job Leads - A Virtual Assistant Network will probably not provide you with 100% of your work.  Instead, figure out how many new clients per year you would need to be happy with the network.  Networks are usually only going to provide leads, and your ability to offer a service and close the deal will be critical.  Some of our Virtual Assistants have reported making a profit within the first month, but some have never gotten a virtual assistant job.
4. Commitment - Is the Virtual Assistant Network trapping you into a long term commitment?  Do they require monthly payments that you cannot cancel?  We allow people to cancel any time and offer a $9 trial membership that is good for 7 days.
5. Virtual Assistant Network Cost - Money and Time - If you invest your money and time into the network will it help you grow your organization?  What are the key values they give you to grow your Virtual Assistant Business?

You might think I am all about talking you into joining a Virtual Assistant Network.  I am, if you are serious about growing your virtual assistant business.  But it is an investment and if you are just going to dabble, you should stick to the free virtual assistant message boards out there.

You  should join our Virtual Assistant Network only if you understand that long-term, you will be a better asset to your clients and worth more because of your Internet Marketing skills.  It does not happen overnight, and you have to learn by doing marketing for yourself as well.  But it is a great long-term investment in your Virtual Assistant Business.

How to Promote a Blog

September 1, 2008 | 1 Comment

A blog can go a long way promoting itself if you are putting out GREAT articles.  However, it takes a long time to get someone to discover you and building an audience.  So this article is How To Promote a Blog, assuming you already are producing good articles.

If you are a really good writer, I would suggest you hire a Virtual Buzz Assistant to do most of these activities for you.  The reason is that producing great information regularly on your blog is your number one goal.  If you do not do that you can generate traffic but you cannot capture an audience that cares about what you have to say.

Part 1: How to Promote a Blog Online?

There are so many ways to promote your blog online that I can only give you some of the more well known options here.

You can promote your blog with:

1. Article Marketing - Write and submit articles to eZineArticles.com
2. Blog Commenting - Write good comments on some good blogs, not spam lots of blogs.
3. Add your blog in your email signature.
4. Participate in online groups that have the audience that would find your blog interesting.
5. Publish and reference your blog articles as part of broader resources in sites like Work.com, Squidoo.com, Hubpages.com, etc.
6. Add clear ways to subscribe with email or RSS.  Getting people to come back is much easier.
7. Do keyword research and write blog article that people are searching for.
8. Add a link from your website to your blog.
9. Syndicate your blog in sites like Tumblr.com, FaceBook, Twitter

Part 2: How to Promote a Blog Offline?

1. Go to local events and meet people.  If they are interested in your blog topic, invite them to read.
2. Have your blog listed on your business card or on its own business card.
3. Send postcards or greeting cards to promote your blog - Targeted, not mass mailing.
4. Promote your blog within invoices and mailings to existing customers
5. Promote your blog with a bumper sticker on your car with your blog URL.
6. Make sure local media knows about your blog so you are seen as a local expert.  This could land you in print.
7. Join or start a local bloggers group, where other bloggers come and share ideas and experience.  They often become readers as well.

If you are wondering how to promote your blog, this is just the most obvious ways.  You want to think in terms of one reader at a time and not get caught up in trying to get thousands.  For example, I frequently get bursts of 100’s of extra visitors via StumbleUpon.com, but they just stumbled upon the blog and are not likely to become a long term reader.  One person that is going to keep coming back has far more value to me.

Lastly, you can see that promoting a blog is a lot of work.  If you are trying to do everything, you have a long hill to climb.  Consider outsourcing some of the writing and some of the promotion.  It is free to submit your project here at this site and get quotes on help.

Virtual Management

August 30, 2008 | 1 Comment

Why am I writing about Virtual Management when this is a virtual assistant blog?

Well, if you have ever had a really skilled virtual assistant, you know that they can actually manage a big part of your business.  In fact, once you have tried them out, why not call them your virtual management team?

A virtual assistant only becomes part of your virtual management team if they are actually managing an aspect of your company and reporting back to you.  Lets look at a few options where a talented virtual assistant could actually be a virtual manager.

1. Virtual Manager of Google AdWords and Online Advertising
   Manage all ads, keywords and track cost and results for every single expenditure.
2. Virtual Manager of Online Customer Relations
   Management of customer relations.  They see support emails, get info@ requests and search the web for people that are talking about your organization - and respond if appropriate.
3. Virtual Manager of Internet Publishing
   Your Internet Publishing Editor is the management person in charge of getting your articles out on time and following your schedule.
4. Virtual Manager of Virtual Assistant Team
   If you have several virtual assistants doing regular tasks for you, then it is time to hire virtual management to manage your virtual assistants.
5. Accountability Boss
   OK, call me crazy, but maybe you need virtual management to manage you.  They keep your calendar up to date and hold you to your goals.
6. Virtual Marketing Manager
   For many smaller organizations, having a virtual marketing manager is the next best thing to having a full time employee or working with an expensive marketing agency.

The only things that make someone a virtual manager instead of a virtual assistant is the desire to take on more responsibility, be highly organized and clear on outcomes.  A virtual management position can be in the future of any virtual assistant.

Social Media Manager

August 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment

A Virtual Buzz Assistant can easily also be called a Social Media Manager.

Here are the differences

1. A Social Media Manager works full time and explores all kinds of avenues for developing relationships and information online.  A Virtual Buzz Assistant focuses on the specific social media tasks as defined by the client.
2. A Social Media Manager can handle complaints, bad reviews or negative comments.  A Virtual Buzz Assistant will point these items out to the client and the client should address them.
3. Social Media Managers are doing many social networking tasks.  Virtual Buzz Assistants focus on a few high value tasks and leave experimentation up to the client.
4. Social Media Managers need to be able to create great original content about the organization.  A Virtual Buzz Assistant might create content, but rarely are they the main messenger of the organization.
5. A Social Media Manager monitors the web for information EVERY DAY.  A Virtual Buzz Assistant can do that, but rarely do clients schedule enough hours to include that service.
6. If you employ a social media manager, they are going to be going to all kinds of conferences and group meetings, because those online relationships actually get stronger when you meet people in person.  A Virtual Buzz Assistant can do that for you, but I am thinking you will not want to send a VA.

This post is not to say that Social Media Managers are better than Virtual Buzz Assistants.  It is simply a budget issue.  If you cannot afford a full time social media manager then a Virtual Buzz Assistant, with some great involvement from you, is the next best thing.

Go here to read a great example of what a Social Media Manager would do?

Home-Based 100 Competition

August 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Deborah, one of our Virtual Buzz Assistants, entered a contest for top 100 home-based businesses.

I voted for her, but I also signed up the Virtual Buzz Assistant network.  VOTE HERE.

Entering contests is a great way to get some buzz.  It provides a link back and nice visibility even if we do not win.  But go vote for me and maybe I will win.  Or go sign yourself up - and enjoy the extra exposure.

Virtual Assistant Tools

August 29, 2008 | 2 Comments

A good Virtual Assistant Tool is a web-based tool that allows the virtual assistant to be more productive, save data in a safe place and collaborate with clients.  Here are some of my favorite tools, most of which are either free or at least have a trial free account.

1. Google Docs - This is a great way to have web-based documents stored and you can share them out.
2. Google Reader - You may not know this, but you can use Google Reader to subscribe to web searches (via the RSS of the search) and with that tool, you can aggregate industry information and quickly become and expert on what you need to.
3. Zoho CRM - Free CRM that is very good.  A crm is a tool that helps you close sales by tracking everything through the sales funnel.
4. Survey Monkey - You should be using this or a similar tool to get feedbackfrom clients periodically.
5. BaseCamp - Simple, interactive project management system that really focuses on collaboration.  Collaboration with clients is the key to providing more value.
6. Wordpress - Yes you have to pay a few dollars to host it someplace, but the Wordpress developers are not getting that money.  That is the best free software I have ever seen.
7. DocStoc.com - Officially, you should always hire a legal professional.  The reality is some of use go out and find a document we can modify ourselves.  You can save on legal fees just by having one done first and asking a lawyer to review it after.
8. HighRise - There is a free version of this software.  It is excellent for sharing contacts.  If you are doing online advocacy, this tool is a must for you to work with your client.

If you know of some other tools that you use for your virtual assistant agency, please share them in the comments below.

Executive Assistant

August 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment

An executive assistant is a person that helps the executive be more efficient by doing many of the repetative tasks that can be delegated.

A Virtual Assistant can be an excellent executive assistant, if the executive wants to achieve the following:

• Higher Visibility in their Industry
• PR Results
• Higher Degree of Expert Status
• Speaking Opportunities
• More Interviews and Exposure

An executive assistant can do these things, but they are often bombarded with many tasks for the chief executive.  That is why executives that want higher visibility need to not only have an executive assistant, but also a virtual assistant that focuses on Buzz and PR.

And the best thing is that the Executive does not need to manage the virtual assistant.  The Executive Assistant should be the one working with the Virtual Buzz Assistant to organize opportunities and schedule interviews.

Here are the things your virtual buzz assistant can do in conjunction with the executive assistant.

1. Manage online profiles and grow links, friends, etc.
2. Distribute articles
3. Post blog posts to the executive blog
4. Twitter
5. Email Bloggers, Podcasters and other new media experts and offer a chance to interview the executive.
6. Organize New Media Content so the executive can skim only the most important new articles

The executive assistant can do these things as well.  But an expert in internet marketing will be more proficient in most cases and they will make the executvie assistant (the gatekeeper) look great because of all the extra results and opportunities they generate.

Virtual Assistants Jobs - New Customers

August 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment

One thing I do not like about running a network like this is that some people sign up and then think they should get all their sales leads from us.  For a virtual assistant to get jobs with new customers, it is going to take some effort in more than one or two strategies.

Many of these tips are not just for virtual assistant jobs, but for any business that wants to generate new customers.

Finding Virtual Assistant Jobs Tip List

1. Local networking groups like IRN, BNI or B2BConnect
2. Local Chamber of Commerce
3. Bowling Alleys (Just seeing if you are staying awake)
4. Webinars (Participate and follow up with people)
5. Local Training and Seminars
6. Online Forums
7. Online Social Groups
8. Local Clubs
9. Charity Events as a volunteer
10. Asking your existing clients for referrals
11. Conferences
12. Educate local business incubators about your services
13. Hold a contest
14. Offer to do overflow for marketing agencies
15. Join VA Networks
16. Go to local meetup meetings (Not the weird ones)
17. Clearly articulate virtual assistant jobs you do so other people can tell their friends
18. Email local businesses
19. Attend Local blog groups
20. Teach a workshop at the local library
21. Write guest post on blogs (and offer to do a regular paid post if the blogger likes your work)
22. Network any way and every way you can
23. Write articles about how to do the services you do and offer help in your bio - add these to article repositories.
24. Offer a finders fee
25. Use freelance sites like guru.com, odesk.com and elance.com

I love all the web options for getting virtual assistant jobs because I am one of those dorky web guys.  I am also smart enough to know that when you meet new potential customers face to face, you are much more likely to work with them.  If you need work fast, start networking fast, in person and regularly.

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