Virtual Assistants/Assistance

Hiring a Virtual Assistant Should Not Be Taken Lightly

December 12, 2013 by Jama 1 Comment

Over the last several weeks I’ve spoken to a few entrepreneurs who are gun-shy about hiring a virtual assistant. It’s not that they’ve never worked with one before. They have – and unfortunately it wasn’t a good experience. One of those entrepreneurs, after having a lengthy conversation with me, decided to try again. Now that she is a client of mine, we have begun the clean-up process. She wasn’t exaggerating when she shared how awful her experience had been…balls were dropped, T’s were not crossed and I’s were not dotted (heck…in some cases not even written) all over the place.

So how can you avoid hiring the wrong Virtual Assistant? There’s no guarantee but these six steps will certainly help you make an educated decision. [Read more…] about Hiring a Virtual Assistant Should Not Be Taken Lightly

Are You Ready For A VA?

May 17, 2013 by Jama Leave a Comment

Last month I attended Be The Change and talked to several entrepreneurs who were still trying to do everything themselves. The two things I kept hearing were, “What can a Virtual Assistant/Online Business Manager do?” and “I don’t know what to send to a VA.” And there were one or two entrepreneurs who had never heard of a Virtual Assistant, so we’ll start with what a VA is.

According to International Virtual Assistants Association, “A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent entrepreneur providing administrative, creative and/or technical services. Utilizing advanced technological modes of communication and data delivery, a professional VA assists clients in his/her area of expertise from his/her own office on a contractual basis.”

So what types of tasks can a VA perform? This varies by the Virtual Assistant firm, but can include:

client concierge
online marketing activities
copyediting
shopping cart setup and maintenance (some may specialize in Infusionsoft, 1Shopping Cart, etc.)
transcription
website design and updating
bookkeeping
project management (general projects, virtual events, online telesummits, etc.)

To determine what you’re currently doing that a Virtual Assistant or Online Business Manager could do for you, track your activities for a week. Keep a list of everything you’re doing. Now, what can ONLY YOU do? These are the obvious tasks like talking with clients, creating new products or services, and networking. [Read more…] about Are You Ready For A VA?

Are you heading down burnout road?

December 20, 2012 by Jama Leave a Comment

As entrepreneurs it’s easy to let our business take over our personal lives. We check emails just one more time. We do just one more thing. We respond to just one more request. Three hours later, our kids are wondering what happened to us.You may be thinking, “But I love my work and my clients! I enjoy doing it.” I’m sure this is true, or you wouldn’t be in business, but it’s still important to not over-indulge in your business. I love chocolate, but I can’t eat it all the time – that would be unhealthy. Even healthy things, like running, can cause injury when done too much.

Some of the implications of over-indulging in your business include:

Resentment for your business and even your clients
The quality of work you output
Relationships with family and friends
Health issues associated with lack of exercise and stress

Now you might be thinking, “But I have so much to do, I have to work 14-hour days and weekends or I’ll never get it all done!” Parkinson’s Law says, “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” In other words, “The amount of time which one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task.” So if you allow yourself 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, then that is how long it will take to complete your tasks.

Since we’re at the end of 2012 and heading into 2013, it’s a good time to take a look at how you’re running your business and make some changes!

What can you do to fix it?

Decide what days and hours you will work. Set your boundaries and stick to those boundaries. If you’ve previously been “readily available” you’ll want to notify clients of your new available hours.
Be prepared to say “No.” If you tend to be a people-pleaser, you may need to practice this, but if you’re being asked to do something that interferes with your time off, then just say no!
Unplug. With technology so readily available it can be easy to jump on your phone and check emails, but I encourage you to withdraw from email during your non-working hours. It’s too easy to get sucked in.
Actively participate in your life. Even though you’re not checking emails or on the computer, make sure your brain is not trying to think about work.
Get rid of the little things and busy work that take up time in your day. Make your list of tasks and stuff that you’re doing that a Virtual Assistant/Online Business Manager could do for you.
Find something fun and of interest to do with your new-found time. If you’ve got a fun alternative to working, you’ll be more inclined to follow your new rules.

By following these simple steps, you’ll find that the time you’re in your office will be much more productive and you’ll be working more efficiently. What are some things you do to ensure you don’t go down Burnout Road?

7 Tips For A More Productive Day

November 2, 2012 by Jama Leave a Comment

Working at home can sometimes be chaotic, stressful, disorganized, and overwhelming. So why do we do it and how can we make it less of all those things? Here’s an example of your day…

You get up in the morning, get the kids off to school, walk into your office – only to remember you need to start laundry. You gather up the first load of clothes, start the washer, remember there are still clothes in the dryer, fold those and put them away.

Okay, now you can start work. You walk through the house towards your office and realize how messy the house looks. So you think, “I’ll just tidy up real quick.” You begin cleaning house, put the clothes in the dryer, start the next load of laundry … and the next thing you know, it’s lunch time. You fix and eat lunch.

Now you can begin work, right? But the phone rings. It’s one of your closest friends that you don’t get to talk to very often, but the calls are usually short, so you go ahead and answer it. It doesn’t take you long to realize this is not going to be a short call. You finally get off the phone and get into the office.

You check emails and organize a few things – oh, here come the kids home from school. In between getting them a snack, breaking up arguments, and finding something to keep them occupied, you didn’t get anything done today.

7 Tips To Productive Communication

October 2, 2012 by Jama Leave a Comment

There’s no denying that communication is a very important part of everyday life. Whether you’re talking with a prospect, a client or even a family member, it’s essential to effectively communicate so that both parties end up on the same page.

However, working virtually can cause extra challenges when it comes to communication. Sometimes you might have a tendency to lock yourself behind your office door and spend many hours working, and not necessarily speaking to other people either on the phone or in person. When you allow this to happen, your communication skills begin to diminish. Learn to be conscious of your behavior when you do speak to someone and make an effort to practice and enhance these necessary skills.

Think about some of the face-to-face or phone conversations you’ve had recently. What made you feel at ease during the exchange? Or what made you feel on edge? What was asked of you to cause either of these emotions? If it was discomfort, what do you think would have been a better way to ask the question or raise the topic?

To help you along with this process, here are seven tips for healthy and productive communication:

When asking questions of someone, ask open-ended questions (like the ones above) instead of those that require a yes/no answer. Example: What do you want to accomplish today? Instead of: Are you going to finish that project today?
Don’t assume the answer when you ask the question. Here’s an example: You like the direction we’re going in, right? It assumes the person likes the direction and if they don’t, how likely are they to tell you now? A better question would be: How do you feel about the direction we’re going in?
If the person gets off track, ask another question to get them back on track. Asking questions will help you learn about the other person’s thinking and sometimes you’ll learn more than you thought necessary. However, this can be beneficial. Just don’t let the topic stray too far. That’s great information, but what I really need to know is why do you feel this way about the direction we’re taking?
Avoid asking accusatory questions that will immediately put someone on the defense such as: Why did you let that happen? What did you do wrong? Instead ask empowering questions that allow the other person to know their opinion matters. How do you think that happened and what can we do together to fix it? Do you hear the difference in those examples?
Listen with interest. It’s disrespectful and does no good to ask a question and then not pay attention to the answer. Furthermore, keep quiet!! If you’re prone to say “uh-huh” too often while someone is talking, consider muting your phone. When the person you’re listening to stops talking, count to seven before you speak to make sure they are finished. If they ask, “Are you still there?” You can always answer with, “Yes, I thought you had more to say.” Likely, they’ll continue talking.
When necessary, make qualifying statements to ensure that you understand fully what the other person is communicating. If I understand you correctly, the source of the problem is … or What I’m hearing you say is…
Understand the why. Asking ‘why’ opens so many doors into what the other person is thinking and feeling. Why do you want to make six figures? Why do you have these feelings? Why is this important to you?

By guiding conversations so that they are meaningful and constructive, you will create a feeling of camaraderie, trust and a willingness to work together that will benefit all parties involved.

What are some of the things you do when communicating with prospects and clients?

Do You Suffer From Shiny Object Syndrome?

August 17, 2012 by Jama Leave a Comment

This syndrome can appear in many aspects of our life. It can drive our friends, colleagues, virtual assistants and business partners crazy. And it can drive us crazy and leave us feverishly spinning our wheels and feeling drained and frustrated.

Shiny Object Syndrome.

Do you suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome? Imagine going to the mall with a friend for the purpose of buying a new pair of shoes. But as you walk through the mall, you look at the new clothes in the window of The Limited and the jewelry in the window of Kay’s – oh, wow, look at those boots! Wait…you’re not there for boots. You’re looking for heels.

Do you do this in your business, too? Are you always searching (and trying to follow) the latest, greatest idea for making millions in your business?

Here’s how Shiny Object Syndrome looks. You’re on a webinar with Business Coach Ann, and you get some great ideas to do this, this and this… Then a week later you listen to a teleseminar by Business Coach Betty, and oh, wow, you get some great ideas on that. So abandon Coach Ann’s ideas and jump on Coach Betty’s brilliant ideas. Oh, but wait…now Coach Caroline is doing a teleseminar and, oh, my gosh, what great ideas you learned on that one!! Forget Coach Betty, we’re now doing what Coach Caroline says. [Read more…] about Do You Suffer From Shiny Object Syndrome?

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