» virtual assistant course

Suffering from writers block?

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:36:41 +0000

In this information hungry world, how can you stay ahead when you’ve a couple of hours to put together your latest newsletter and, uh-oh, no content. Sometimes when you sit down to write your latest informative piece it all comes flowing, and at other times, there seems to be nothing in the tank.

Welcome into your virtual assistant arsenal the prewritten articles from the VA Success Group.

We’ve written a whole load of articles about virtual assisting so you don’t have to. Add them to your newsletter, blog or website. Anywhere you choose as long as our author tag is left intact.

Get yours here: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-freebies/

Virtual Assistant Time Tracking and Getting Paid

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:35:48 +0000

There’s a lot to think about when you start your virtual assistant business. There are many processes and systems to put in place, your first clients to find and lots of new ways of working in a ‘virtual’ world.

One thing you really want to make sure you get correct from the outset is your system for tracking your time spent on client work and your invoicing process. After all, there’s no point spending hours and hours on client projects, if you end up not getting paid.

For a range of financial templates that you can adapt to use in your own business visit: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-document-templates/

Becoming a Successful Virtual Assistant Part 2

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:35:01 +0000

For the first part of this article, click here

It’s also important to understand that there are several levels or models of virtual assistant businesses you can operate. From the one-man band to the office based team, these can follow in sequence as you grow or you can start with you favoured business model in mind and develop that to its full potential. As you also develop with experience, practice and gaining the knowledge that you need for the job, you will be able to become more successful with your business. Continuing to define what you need and constantly growing into your virtual assistant business will help you to find your success.

The most important thing to keep in mind with your virtual assistant business is that the satisfaction should come from the process, not the goal. No matter what stage you are at, there is always room for growth. This may mean that you will grow into success by redefining the services that you offer or by continually refining your professional standards. Or it may mean developing your skills in certain areas or learning new ones to make you a well-rounded and progressive virtual assistant. The more you know and the more you can offer, the better of a chance you will have at continuing your success.

Becoming a successful virtual assistant simply means taking the steps that you need to be successful and achieve your own goals, whatever they may be. By beginning with your own idea of what success in your business would mean to you, and moving forward one step at a time.

To get your business off to a successful start, why not check out the fantastic Online Course Bundle and get all three online training courses for the price of two?

Get your 3 courses for the price of 2 here: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-online-courses/online-courses-bundle/

Free Content for Your Website, Newsletter or Blog

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:33:10 +0000

We all know the value of sending out regular information to our prospects and clients through newsletters and blogs. Informed articles on relevant topics promote us as experts in our field. But constantly having to write more and more information to send out to our ‘lists’ can sometimes take over our working lives. If we’re constantly producing articles for the sake of marketing, we’re not spending our time on client work, which, when all is said and done, is what pays the bills.

One of the best ways of keeping up with the information hungry, without extending our working day, is to reprint articles others have written. There are two golden rules here: you must never reproduce an article without permission, and you must always include the original writers author tag or resources box when you are allowed to reproduce them. This is the information at the end of the article that usually links back to the writer’s website.

At the VA Success Group, nice people that we are, we have written a load of articles for you. You are free to use them in your own newsletters, blogs and websites, provided that you leave any links intact and include the author tag at the end.

What are you waiting for? Get yours here: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-freebies/

Becoming a Successful Virtual Assistant Part 1

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:31:20 +0000

Many Virtual Assistants start out in their businesses by working towards the finish line of what they perceive to be a successful VA business. They will research online what everyone else is doing and strive to achieve something very similar. But doesn’t that just make them the same as everyone else?

They will spend time deciding what services they will offer, how they will offer them and going about finding the right clients. But before this process really starts, you should begin by defining what success really means to you. You need to drill down and establish the type of success that you want and how you want to achieve it.

Successful doesn’t necessarily have to mean the largest or most profitable VA business. It could be a business that fits in around your lifestyle, or one that develops a fantastic reputation within a very niche market.

To get your business off to a successful start, why not check out the fantastic Online Course Bundle and get all three online training courses for the price of two? Get 3 for 2 here: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-online-courses/online-courses-bundle/

Tips for Successfully Working with Associates

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:28:16 +0000

Send information.
When you have handpicked those you want to approach either give them a call or drop them and email to ascertain their interest. If they are interested go ahead and send them an information pack and application form. Examples of both documents are available in our Associate Pack available here: http://www.vasuccessgroup.co.uk/documents.htm
Review application.
On receipt of the returned application make sure you have a good look through it. Are the skills the potential associate can offer a good fit for the kind of clients you take on? Do they have any specialist skills that you don’t have that you could offer by working with them? Do they have sufficient experience?

For the remaining 8 tips in this series, download our free “10 Steps for Successful…” guide at: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-freebies/

Tips On How To Stay Focussed on Your Business Goals

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:26:06 +0000

Click here to read the first three tips

4. Don't permit your friends and extended family to put on you. Many people are under the misapprehension that if someone works from home then they are not actually working. They may believe that you are fair game for a social call during the day or that you may be able to run errands that would otherwise mean them taking time off work.

It’s really important to set the ground rules early and then stand firm. You must make certain your friends and family understand that when you are working, then you ARE working and that when your time is interrupted, you will not be earning. You are the only one who can stand up for you. Your friends and family will seldom be able to appreciate your dedication to your business, unless you make the effort to make sure that they have the same respect for your business that you do.

5. You should allot a certain portion of your day to email and to regular mail. For example, allot one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon to handling all your written communications. Unless you dedicate specific time slots to the handling of email and post, you will soon find yourself on the downward slope of decreased productivity as you constantly check and respond to email to put off whatever you should be doing.

In a nutshell:

In the end, the success of your VA business is entirely and completely reliant upon you and the decisions that you make. Success is within your reach, if only you can stay focused on your goals. You must decide to reach for your goals, and then, you must have the discipline necessary to reach them.

Building Your Virtual Assistant Business with Associates – Part 1

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:24:53 +0000

When you have filled your virtual assistant business with clients, you will soon run out of time that you can sell to new prospects. After all, you only have so many hours in the day that you can work. So how can you expand and take on more business without the overheads of getting an office and taking on staff?

It’s time to introduce you to the Virtual Assistant Associate.

Working with associates is a very popular business model in several industries as it works in much the same way as working with a virtual assistant. When there is work you don’t have the time to complete, your clients outsource it to you. When you have an excess of client work you don’t have time to complete, you outsource it to an associate.

Associates work at a reduced hourly rate to that you have charged your client, as they have been handed the work ‘on a plate’ without having to do all the marketing and relationship building associated with bringing that client on board.

You also continue to manage the client relationship and invoicing and the client remains a customer of your business, rather than becoming a direct customer of your associate.

It’s imperative to have an Associate Agreement in pace so that everyone understand the boundaries of the relationship. For more information and a selection of templates you can download and adapt for your own business go to: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-document-templates/

Tips for Successfully Working with Associates

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:24:08 +0000

Do your research.
When taking on an associate VA it is very important to trust the person you are going to be working with. Although there will be contracts in place to protect you both legally, you still need to work with someone you can trust to provide a professional service to your clients, so make sure you do your research.
Select who you want to work with.
After having a good look through all available information about potential associates, including their websites, client testimonials, industry reputation etc. decide who you’d like to work with. If possible check to see if they already work with associates as this will give you an indication as to whether they might be open to this sort of arrangement.

For the remaining 8 tips in this series, download our free “10 Steps for Successful…” guide at: http://vasuccessgroup.co.uk/virtual-assistant-freebies/

Tips On How To Stay Focussed on Your Business Goals

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:23:03 +0000

As the owner of a Virtual Assistant business, you will find hundreds of distractions that vie for your time, energy and focus. Common distractions can include children, family and friends, neighbours, pets, constant telephone calls, mail and deliveries, household chores, television (Lorraine Kelly or Loose Women anyone?) and so many

more.

As the owner of your own Virtual Assistant business, you must always remember

your purpose in bringing your profession home. What was your reason for wanting to own your own home based business? Was your goal to work from home so that you can share more in the lives of your children? Was your goal to be out from under the rule of a dictatorial boss? Was your goal to have the freedom to work when it is convenient for you? Was your goal to reap the rewards of your efforts and make lots of money working for yourself?

Whatever your reasons for starting your VA business, here are a few tips that will help you stay focused:

1. Whatever your reason for going out on your own, you must keep your reason in the forefront of your mind. If you forget your reason for starting your own Virtual Assistant business, you will not be working for yourself for long. It is far too easy to let circumstance drive you and when circumstance is in the driver's seat, you are more likely to crash and burn.

2. Remember that owning your own business is not the same as being employed in a job. Some people go to work and coast along, playing games or enjoying online social networking (Facebook and co.), some socialise over the kettle or printer, and others, most often those who are paid in a commission or tip environment, go to work to work and to make money. When you work for yourself, what you make in terms of money is directly proportional to your productivity. Therefore, wouldn't it make sense to stay focused on getting as much done in as short of a period as possible?

3. When you are dealing with family in the course of your workday, it is important to schedule your activities as much as possible. With small children, you must take time when you need to, but you should also work hard to make sure you dedicate a specific number of hours to your workday.

With older children, it is much easier to tell them that you will be working between the hours of x and y. Then your children, and even your friends, must understand that certain hours of your day are devoted to the activities of your business.

Go to work to work and to make money. Leave socialising for when your workday has ended.