Listen to an audio message from Dale...
 

From the Desk of Becki Noles...

Take a moment to check out our new Virtual Assistant Training movie which was initially created for the OIVAC Conference. We are still getting rave reviews and sign-ups for VA Training because of this movie!

Now is the time to register for your spot for the August session of VA Training and you can do so now by contacting Dale at CoachDale@VATraining. **NEW** We are now offering payment plans for the sessions. Payment plans will be discussed during the intake process.

We have been quite busy this summer with the Virtual Assistant Revolution and with changing the format for the VA Training program. Instead of 4 group coaching calls and 4 one-on-one calls, we have expanded the VA Jumpstart program to include 8 group calls and 4 one-on-one calls. There has never been a better time to sign-up...the program is bigger and better!

Becki ;)

Featured Resource

25 Ways To Revolutionize Your
Virtual Assistant Business

In a collaborative effort to advance the VA Industry, Dale, Becki and Heather spent countless hours delving into 25 different topics of import to Virtual Assistants to make this e-book an invaluable tool of the trade. There are 74 information packed pages based on their collective experiences and know-how.

While there is no magic pill that will make your VA business effective, each topic
provides insight on how you can make your business revolutionary. The key is that
this information will be good for nothing more than tinder if you do nothing with it.
It is a guideline and a how-to. The success that you attain using any information
provided, within these virtual pages, comes from you doing it.

This e-book is also a tribute to Janet Jordan who passed away January of 2006.
She was and continues to be an inspiration to the VA Industry. Her raw talent for
bringing out the best in all of us continues to shine through the lives that she has
touched. Janet, we love you.

Taken from 25 Ways to Revolutionize Your Virtual Assistant Business

Just Be Revolutionary

by: Dale Noles, Becki Noles & Heather Jacobson

“Good enough isn’t good enough, because now everything is good enough. Our expectations of quality are unrealistic – and are being met every single day. We don’t want to be satisfied; we want to be blown away.” – Seth Godin, The Big Moo

With the increased promotion of the virtual assistant industry, virtual assistants are becoming a dime a dozen. You can go to various directories to find a virtual assistant and there we are, all lumped together. In a directory, nothing sets you apart. You are just another virtual assistant.

If you are listed in a directory and you do not have a website, do not plan on getting any inquiries. Just don’t. Business owners in search of a virtual assistant are going to look at websites before they email for more information. When they get to your website, what will they find? Will they find a “homegrown website” or will they find a quality site, filled with content that speaks to them?

Are there creative ways to spruce up the design of your site as well as the content? Research your target market and place industry related information of theirs on your site. Show them that you understand and know their industry better than anyone else.

Let’s move offline for a moment. For most of us, when we speak to “locals” and mention the term virtual assistant we get the deer in headlights look. But after explaining what it is that we do, and how we do it, more often than not we have intrigued the other party. They request information.

Evaluate your marketing materials. Is there room for improvement? If you lack the skills to create awesome pieces, then hire another VA or creative service professional to help you out. The canned template business cards from online printers will not cut it anymore. The brochures done in your publishing software and printed on your inkjet aren’t good enough anymore. Your marketing pieces speak volumes about you and the professionalism of your business.

Are you just another virtual assistant? Do you want to be just another virtual assistant? If you answered yes and no (in that order) then it is time to do something about it. Stand out from the crowd by being innovative and creative. Within our industry there are plenty of ways for each of us to stand out from the crowd and think outside the box.

What do you know about? Seth Godin states “everyone is an expert on something”. So what are you an expert in? Is it knowing the ins and outs of your target market?

If you have really defined your target market, is there a product or service that you could offer strictly to that industry that will make their business lives better? Take some time and think outside the box. Create a signature product and market it to your target market. You will be amazed with the results, the referrals and the expertise that you will exhibit.

Don’t be just another virtual assistant. Be a revolutionary virtual assistant. See the bar and raise it. Set your goals and surpass them. Run circles around the others. When you’re revolutionary, people take notice. Those are the virtual assistants that business owners will talk about and the ones that will be sought after. You want to be that virtual assistant.

***This Article May Not Be Reprinted***

Heather Speaks...

Question

How long do I have to advertise before I get a customer?

Answer

That’s one of those questions that my boyfriend calls “unanswerable” almost like asking how much does a car cost?  Well it all depends.  Just as you could spend as little as $200 or as much as $60,000 to purchase a car, you could advertise as little as one day or as much as one year before you get a customer.
                                   
While I don’t have an easy answer for you, I do have some things to think about when you’re advertising.  When following these guidelines, you’re more likely than not going to get customers faster.

Make sure that you’re advertising where your customers are.  I can’t stress this point enough with marketing and advertising.  So many people think that placing an ad in the newspaper is a great idea and it is but only if your target market is reading that newspaper!  If you have a local business journal call them and ask them for their demographics.  If you’re targeting CPAs, your best bet would be to advertise in a CPA publication.

Marketing takes time and it’s a matter of following up.  If you send a direct mail piece and don’t hear anything right away, don’t think that it was a waste.  Follow up.  Continue sending mailers.  In advertising, we aimed for a frequency of 3 times a viewer would see a commercial before it registered with them.  Keep in front of them!

Traditional advertising may not work for your business but there are many other ways to market your business and get your name out there.  Keep at it!

About Heather Jacobson:
Heather Jacobson is a Coach and Co-Group Leader with VA Training and the owner of Valley Virtual Assistants, a VA business catering to Small Business Owners who need assistance with their marketing efforts.  Heather has over 12 years of corporate experience including positions such as executive assistant, marketing research specialist, and research director for various media outlets. Her skills are not limited to the aforementioned as she also excels in internet research, website design, and blogging.  Heather is the author of Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer as well as publishes Marketing Made Simple, a monthly publication filled with simple marketing tactics designed to enhance your marketing efforts.

Send your VA business related questions to: coachheather@vatraining.com and your question may be answered in a future publication.

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