Danielle Guerin

Posts Tagged ‘Virtual Assistant’

As “The Barbra” would say, “People, people who need people, are the luckiest people in the world.” The truth is, we all need people. We need at least one “safe spot” where we can let it all hang out and not worry about being judged, criticized, or taken advantage of. Just by their very existence, supportive friends like these help us deal with the stress in our lives.

Since I started my business 8 years ago, I have made many true friends and I know where to turn to when, once in a while, not to often thankfully, I feel like flippin’ burgers for a big chain of restaurant instead of being an entrepreneur. I am grateful for MY Virtual Assistant community.

If you’re not lucky enough to have that kind of relationship right now, don’t worry. There are places that offer support for you from people who know your struggles and want to relish in your successes. Here are a few suggestions of where you might go to find what you need to prop you up when you need it:

Online forums

Find an online discussion forum or message board for work-at-home entrepreneurs. There are literally hundreds to choose from! While these groups often refer business to each other, their biggest benefit, in my opinion, is the support they provide. Working from home can be a lonely business, and networking with others who are in similar situations makes it less lonely. It’s impossible to feel left on your own when there are so many people on these forums to cheer you on.

A coach or mentor

Finding a coach or mentor who is several steps ahead of you on the journey to business success can be one of the best moves you ever make. Though their main goal is to provide business guidance, the good ones are also a great source of support and motivation. They know the ups and downs of the work-at-home entrepreneur, and can tell you if what you’re experiencing is just normal growing pains, or something else. Best of all, they can help you devise a plan to deal with the stress you’re feeling.

Family

Don’t overlook your family as a source of support. They may have no idea what you do all day – particularly if it involves internet marketing – but they love you and want the best for you. If you tell your spouse or loved one you just need a non-judgmental ear to hear you work through some issues out loud, you’ll likely find that he or she is more than willing to listen. Give your family a chance to learn as you learn. You didn’t know what to expect when you started down this venture, and neither did they. Include them in your learning curve. Then you’ll have a family that feels a part of your process and will be more than willing to support you.

Real face-to-face friends

When you work from home, you can get locked to your desk and find that most of your closest friends live inside your computer! That’s just fine, as these relationships are fulfilling, supportive, and “real” all on their own. But there’s also something to be said for meeting a friend for a cup of coffee and some real live conversation. We need interpersonal interaction of the face-to-face kind, with the give-and-take conversation patterns that we humans are familiar with. The start-and-stop, ebb-and-flow, of our thoughts and opinions in a real live conversation. Don’t limit your contact with the world to Facebook, Twitter, and email. Connect with your “real-world” friends regularly.

A therapist or counselor

Trained mental health professionals are wonderful resources for objective, sound advice in dealing with stress. While they probably won’t be able to help you figure out the product launch strategy for your latest interactive course, they can help you find ways to deal with relationships, stress, and other negative mental emotions. Often, when voiced out loud to a trained professional as an outside party, a thought that’s been stressing you will all of a sudden make sense. Get a good recommendation from a friend, colleague, or your doctor and schedule an appointment if you feel that a professional therapist would help you straighten out those kinks that keep you from feeling healthy and fulfilled.

Jack Welch didn’t empty the trash cans at GE. Steve Jobs doesn’t answer all of Apple’s emails. And I bet Meg Whitman never wrote a single piece of code for eBay. Instead, these high-flying execs knew that in order to take their companies to the top, they needed to delegate and outsource.

Put simply, if you try to do it all yourself, your head is going to explode. Why not accept that fact upfront and consistently focus on the parts of your business where you bring the greatest value?

Though delegating will save you tons of stress in the long term, in the short term it can be a little anxiety-producing. Here are some tips if you’re just starting down the delegation path:

Choose time limited tasks.

The best jobs to start delegating are those that have a concrete beginning and end. It’s much easier to ask someone to reproduce CDs and mail them for you then it is to ask them to “improve your inventory program.” Start with tasks that you could easily create a checklist for and that have a start-to-finish quality.

Set measurable goals.

Define what “completion” looks like for you, and share that picture with the person to which you’ve chosen to delegate the task. For example, say “When you’re done, all the CDs will be reproduced, packaged, labeled, and shipped, and you’ll have a receipt from the shipping company for me.” The more specific you are in the end result you desire, the more likely it is that your helper will do a satisfactory job.

Focus on the outcome, not on the process.

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make when they delegate is they micromanage the process. Every step of the way, they’re looking over the helper’s shoulder, making sure everything is done “right.”  This is going to cause multiple problems and is just so WRONG. Worry less about HOW the work is getting done and focus on the end result. You’re not saving time if you’re managing every step of the process. Remember, you’re trying to make less work for yourself, not more. Trust your judgment – you chose someone you could depend on, so now depend on them.

Focus on “good enough” not “perfection.”

This is a tough one for work-at-home entrepreneurs, who tend to be of the “If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself,” school of thought. To save yourself time and stress, you’ve got to let go of that expectation. Some jobs don’t need to be done perfectly – it’s fine if it’s just done at all! There are no awards for the person who does the “best” job of mailing your CDs because just getting them out the door on time is good enough, right? How much better can you get?

Evaluate the efforts and fine tune as necessary.

There’s always room for improvement – on both sides! Ask your helper where you could have done a more effective job of managing the process, and be open to her suggestions. Then if you see some ways she could work more effectively, suggest them in a constructive manner. Make sure your review of the process is OUTCOME related, not PROCESS related. You’re worried about the bottom line here!

Now that you’ve gotten over the fact that you can’t do it all and are delegating some tasks, you’ve got a few minutes to breathe deep and take a look at yourself. Have you been eating right and exercising? Are you sleeping well? Do you take any time at all for yourself? Perhaps you never thought you had the time to take care of yourself. Maybe you never thought it was important to take care of yourself.

That’s all going to change. You have a lot to lose if you don’t take care of YOU first and foremost.

I you want to start small, delegating limited tasks, you may start by delegating things like housecleaning, bookkeeping, cooking or even smaller tasks to your spouse or children if they are young enough. There is REALLY no reason why you should do it all yourself.

Notice how I used the term helper and not VA? There’s a reason for that. A true VA is much more than someone you delegate limited tasks to.  Virtual Assistants are entrepreneurs and frankly, I would get bored if clients only delegated limited tasks… Some of the best Virtual Assistants I know are proactive, make suggestions to their clients and offer solutions not only reduce to their clients time and stress, but to help their clients expand the business and increase income as well.

If you’re a VA or a consultant, you know that the one thing that keeps your income steady, is finding clients. Luckily, there are several ways to keep a steady stream of clients coming in through your door.

Here are just a few:

1. Advertise in Ezines.
There are online newsletters everywhere that accept advertising. The key is to purchase advertising in publications that reach your target market and to create your ad to showcase your expertise. Don’t try to be everything to everyone or you won’t attract clients.

Ad Example of what Not to Write: “Hire me to lighten your workload. I can do everything that you don’t want to do. Let’s talk!”

Ad Example of what works: “Are you ready to get more leads to your business? I will handle your ezine advertising campaign for you. No more searching for targeted ezines, no more writing and tracking your ads. I’ll handle it all it all. My clients experience a boost in subscribers after I complete my ezine advertising campaigns that will pay for my services. Check out my website for testimonials and free tips.”

2. Write and Submit Articles.
The key is to stay on topic. Don’t write and submit articles about health or pet care. Present a problem in your article and solve it. Make sure your author bio is very compelling to attract potential clients.

Recommended Resource: If you’ve never tried article marketing, I’d suggest this course to get started – www.EasyArticleMarketing.com

3. Network where *successful* people hang out.
A huge mistake that VA’s and other consultants make is to hang out on forums where there are other people struggling to make money. Instead, join a membership site for your target market and you’ll find yourself in the “inner circle”

4. Advertise at Shelancers.com.
One of the easiest ways to get your name in front of business owners looking for help is to join Shelancers.com.

Again, it is crucial that you list your specialty in order to stand out from the other service providers. But, if you can find a problem that business owners face, and offer to handle it for them, you’ll attract loyal clients who will continue to work with you.

These are just a few of the ways you can boost your client base quickly. What are some of your favorite methods? Please share them below.