Danielle Guerin

Archive for the ‘Virtual Assistant’ Category

I’ve been a virtual assistant for almost 8 years now and on a day like today, I am grateful for being a member of a community where many members believe in collaboration instead of competition.

To me, and I think I tweeted about it a while back, when you are being authentic and work with integrity, there is no competition.

I saw a great free information product on an English speaking VA’s site yesterday. It is EXACTLY what I wanted to create. How cool is that? The idea was in my mind but not on paper yet. I could have just taken the document and translate it in French for my clients without telling anyone. It would not have been right and I would have known that it wasn’t mine entirely. And I wouldn’t have gotten the idea for this post.

I took 5 minutes of my time yesterday to write the VA to ask permission for translating the document and I will keep it as intact as possible with the original author’s information. She accepted and I feel this will be the beginning of a great collaboration.

I did not lose anything by asking. In fact, I think I may have won a trusting colleague.

Next time you see something great on another person’s site, instead of just taking it, just ask! The worst that could happen is receiving a NO answer and that would just leave you with the power to create something entirely of your own.

Have you ever received a recommendation for a vendor with only a name and have to do a search on Google or any search engine to find their website? Or searched your name to see what the web has to say about you?

I make it a habit to Google all potential clients or new VAs’ name. This way, I get to know a little about them before we actually speak. I usually find a website, a LinkedIn profile or a Facebook profile that gives me an idea of who I’ll be speaking to. Today was a bit different.

When I searched for one person’s name today before replying to her email, the first result was an article about a crime committed by someone with the candidate’s name. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions and decided to mention it in my reply.

I felt she had a right to know that this article, even if it’s not about her (I hoped), could stop potential clients from contacting her if they happen to “stumble” on this article.

It appears that it is not her and that she wasn’t aware of this fact. She was a bit disappointed because she knows she’ll have to pay attention and add more “Good Press” on the search engines by publishing blog posts, content, to cancel the effect on her e-reputation. She appreciated that I took the time to tell her.

Have you Googled your name lately?

Did you know that everything you do in your business is actually a system? A system (or process) is a group of different steps you take to achieve a result. Each step is a procedure within a system. The E-Myth books explain how systems can help you go from working IN your business to working ON your business and bring more success.

My friend and colleague Kristi Pavlik, the Systems Chick, wrote a terrific book on systems and processes with ready to use flow charts : Systems of a Successful VA Practice.

Since I read this book, I use the teachings and the colorful models to craft my clients’ systems and processes. Everything has been adapted to suit the client’s needs but I wanted to share where the main idea comes from.

By documenting systems and processes for recurring activities in the business, you save time and facilitate the delegation process. You’re actually creating a step by step document of how the business is supposed to run, whether you’re there or not. At VADG, not only do we create these systems and processes for your business but we also implement them, use them to give you more time to realize your vision and upgrade them as your business grows.

Now that’s what I call Simple, Easy and Fun for me… and my clients.