July 24, 2008
My latest post over at Home Office Warrior is all about the importance of self assessment. Thought you left those behind when you stopped working for someone else? If you did, you may be missing out on an important business tool that will not only help you make your business better, but provide better selling points as well. Check out Virtual Assistant, Know Thyself? to find out how.
And if you are looking for a great virtual assistant with superior writing skills and creativity, excellent people skills and top notch tech geekness, including knowing her way around the latest social media… spaces have become available with Clerical Advantage! Contact me at thilton@clericaladvantage.com or tweet me up on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TMarieHilton to find out more.
July 18, 2008
Ok, so lately I’ve had a thing against Disney princesses. I personally think that they give girls an unrealistic expectation of what ‘happily ever after’ is. But that is not the topic of this post. It’s more about Cinderella’s glass slipper…or to bring it around to business terms, the ‘glass slipper’ client. You know the one that seems so perfect that you just know that having them as a client is going to make your business more successful. And then, horror of horrors, you try them on and they don’t fit at all!! I’ve written another post over at Home Office Warrior entitled “Sometimes the Glass Slipper Doesn’t Fit” that discusses what to do when you find out you’re not Cinderella and the glass slipper client doesn’t fit.
July 17, 2008
Hop on over to Home Office Warrior where you’ll get a chance to either change my mind or make an impression on the virtual assistance industry. In a follow-up to my Virtual Assistants…Unite post last week, I’m asking business people who currently use a VA and/or those who are interested in doing so to comment on the idea of an industry wide definition of just what a Virtual Assistant is. Here’s a chance to let your voice be heard. Can you convince me that the industry doesn’t need a standard definition?
July 15, 2008
I’ll admit it, when I first signed up for Twitter, I couldn’t see how this 140 characters or less communication tool could possibly benefit my business. I almost wrote it off as a techie fad. Almost. Luckily my association with Home Office Warrior made me curious enough to give it a go. Several months and 348 updates later I’m a Twitter convert. Even with the all too frequent appearance of the ‘fail whale’. Hits to both my website and my blog have increased drastically. I’m getting fantastic information by following interesting people like Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan), Grant Griffiths (@grantgriffiths), Erin Blaskie (@eblaskie2) and Susan Cartier Liebel (@SCartierLiebel) just to name a few. People blazing new business paths like Zappos.com CEO, Tony Hsieh or Attorney Stephanie Kimbro with her VLOTech web based software service for Virtual Law Offices are ‘tweeting’ as well, networking with a wider audience than would be possible through traditional methods.
If you’re like I was when first signing up, you’re reading my words above, raising an eyebrow and saying, “How?” It’s simple really. Take the time to find people to follow that you find interesting. Look at the people they follow for more possibilities. Use TwitterLocal to find other Twitter users in your area. And then say hello, in 140 characters or less. Follow the conversations, watch just how those you’ve chosen to follow are using Twitter, and before you know it, you’ll not only be ‘tweeting’ up a storm…you’ll be building a network for your business. And if you’re a virtual assistant, you’ll be advocating that your clients start ‘tweeting’ too!
July 3, 2008
The first title in the Clerical Advantage Learning Series is now available for purchase.
Introduction to Virtual Assistance for Businesses- The perfect guide for businesses interested in the concept of virtual assistance. Five chapters that take you from explaining what virtual assistance is to what to do if it’s not working for you, plus helpful checklists and forms like the Business Self Assessment form that helps you pinpoint just what areas of your business could benefit from a little help.
To find out more, head over to the
Clerical Advantage Learning Series webpage. If you’ve already read about it and have been waiting for it to be available, check out the ‘Buy Now’ button in the sidebar to the right.
July 2, 2008
It took a bit more time than I had originally anticipated, but my first e-book is scheduled to be available for purchase tomorrow!! The title is “An Introduction to Virtual Assistance for Businesses” and as the title implies, it is filled with useful information for businesses and business people who would like to learn more about the industry and working with a VA. It includes several forms like a Client Self-Assessment Worksheet and Virtual Assistant Search/Interview form to help gather the information that matters most when looking to build a successful client/virtual assistant relationship.
Starting tomorrow you’ll be able to go to the Learning Series section of the Clerical Advantage website and will find a link to purchase the book. I’ll also post a link here at The Conference Table and on my Facebookpage. So ya’ll come back tomorrow to check it out!!
June 19, 2008
This week began with a call from a potential client. Excited at the possibilities, I listened closely as they explained what task they were looking to have completed by a virtual assistant. And my heart sank. A contract with a current client clearly would make this task a conflict of interest. I explained the situation and sadly let them know i would not be able to provide that particular service.
What a strange feeling it was to reject a potential client, no matter how necessary it was. It got me to thinking about how I could turn a potentially negative situation into a positive.
Luckily, without much thought at all, I immediately offered the caller my assistance in finding him someone that could help him. I answered several questions related to the task, offering insight into what type of experience he might be looking for in a VA, took his contact information and explained that I knew a virtual assistant that could most likely help. After letting them know I would e-mail a follow-up, I immediately called my fellow virtual assistant, explained the situation and gave them the potential client’s contact information. I then followed up myself with the potential client, giving them my colleagues contact information and letting them know if they had other, non-conflicting work, not to hesitate to contact me. I did all of this pretty automatically, since as a virtual assistant this type of service is a part of what I do.
It was a disappointing situation for me, but it made me feel good that I had a.) helped someone find the help they were needing and b.) possibly helped a fellow virtual assistant gain a client. I believe I behaved in the manner than any true professional would. And although it wasn’t the motivating factor behind my actions, it is entirely possible that both my fellow VA and the potential client may remember me if or when a situation arises where my services could be utilized.
Too often we only see the negative aspect when something like this happens, but each situation we encounter as business professionals can be turned into a positive.
Yes, even rejection.
If you’ve offered your services only to be turned down or passed over for another professional, it can certainly sting. The key to turning it into a positive is to separate your personal feelings of rejection in order to examine the reasons behind it. Politely ask for possible reasons for the the rejection. Were you not offering the service they needed? Did you not have experience that another VA had? Were you unable to answer questions or were you nervous during your consultation with them? Usually with a little effort, you can see just what might have kept you from gaining the client. Once you’ve determined that, you can focus on what you can do differently next time to improve your success rate. Perhaps it comes down to being a bit more prepared for the consultation, being more self-confident in your abilities or getting past the fear of ’selling’ your services. Maybe there was nothing you could have changed, and it’s all about excepting the fact that rejection is a part of business, and doesn’t necessarily reflect badly on you and your business.
The next time you’re faced with a negative situation, take a moment to feel the disappointment and then investigate just how you can turn it into a positive.
June 18, 2008
My latest article over at Home Office Warrior is entitled ” Tools of the Virtual Assistant Trade” and gives a list of tools that virtual assistants may find useful. It’s in no way a complete list and I encourage you to leave your own suggestions in the comments section there. You can find it both on the front page of HOW and in the Virtual Assistant section.
