Achieving Goals – Page 4 – Virtual Assistant Success Strategies

Wil Hart on April 8, 2011

Create Systems to Create More Free Time

Savvy Virtual Assistants use documented systems to run their business. Using systems consistently will allow you to work as effectively and efficiently as possible. The more you can systemize, the more you can monetize!

Systems are the key to your business organization. It’s a way to ensure that you create consistent high-quality results in everything you do. This includes bookkeeping, communication, administrative duties, client support and marketing. Whether you realize it or not, you probably already have a system in place for all of these things. You just haven’t gone through the process of actually documenting the steps involved.

Documentation is the key to helping you streamline your processes so that you handle your workload more quickly. Once you document your processes for how you handle different tasks, you’ll begin to see how you can either automate them or outsource them. This will free up time for you to spend on your two primary business activities: client work and marketing your business.

Another benefit of setting up systems and embracing technology to help you run your business is that your clients see that you are a true professional. When you invest the time, money and technology to run your business efficiently, you demonstrate that you are running your business like the CEO of a large company rather than a “hobbyist” who makes decisions flying by the seat of her pants. This sets you apart from your colleagues and makes you a more valuable and respected Virtual Assistant.

Think it this way: why would a client pay you top dollar for your services if you don’t demonstrate that you are the absolute best choice? When clients see that you invest money in your systems that help you work more efficiently on their projects, they will gladly pay you what you are worth because they know they are getting the best service possible.

Setting up systems and embracing technology uniquely prepares you for something else: growth with your client. As your relationship grows with your client, they will see you not only as their skilled Virtual Assistant but also as a trusted adviser and business partner. And when it’s time for them to grow their business by expanding their services or looking at other solutions, they will feel comfortable coming to you for help. That trust can only be earned by someone who can offer solutions to what the client needs.

At this point, you may be asking yourself, “So where do I start?”

The best place to begin is to document your tasks for a couple of days. Once you start writing things down, you will see some areas where you can maximize your time by “batching” tasks together.

For example, if you read email every 15 minutes, you probably waste a lot of time reading emails and responding immediately. This is ineffective for two reasons: one, you are constantly reading emails and never get into a good rhythm for completing client work and two, you set an unrealistic expectation for your clients about when you’ll respond to them. If you always reply immediately, a client may start to get impatient with you if you take more than a couple of hours to address their needs.

You can resolve this issue by putting a system in place to set aside specific times of the day to read and respond to emails. This will allow you to schedule time to review emails and respond so that you free up time to schedule actual client work.

You can also embrace the technology within your email settings to be even more efficient. For example, you can set up rules to automatically filter specific emails (like newsletters) into a folder. This helps you control the clutter of your Inbox and you know where to find the newsletters when you have a chance to read them.

These are just a few examples of how you can begin to create systems in your Virtual Assistance business. Once you get some practice with creating systems and using the technology to help you work more efficiently, you will be pleasantly surprised and how much “FREE” time you have available. Now, you’ll be in a position to use that time to grow your business, work with more clients or take a well-deserved break!

Wil Hart on April 1, 2011

3 Simple Ways to Attract More Clients…NOW!

“I need more clients!” Have you ever made this statement about your VA business?

Attracting ideal clients and keeping a full pipeline is often the number one challenge Virtual Assistants face. Fortunately, it is also one of the easiest challenges to overcome. By consistently implementing a few simple steps, you will be well on your way to achieving your business goals.

The struggle to attract ideal clients is often rooted in a lack of clarity, focus and planning. Remember, when you have clarity of vision for your business, it is easier for your ideal clients to see it as well. So, you first need to know WHO exactly is your ideal client, what makes them ideal and what solutions they are looking for. Also, it’s important to narrow and focus your attention on one particular demographic. This will allow you to be more strategic with your efforts and spend your marketing time wisely. The planning is important too, because allows you to outline exactly what you are going to do on a monthly, weekly and daily basis to connect with ideal prospects, instead of leaving it to chance.

Once you’ve gotten clear on your target market, ideal client and what they need, it’s time to start taking action. Here are three simple strategies for attracting ideal clients to your business NOW:

Reconnect with past clients – Studies have proven time and again that it’s far easier to sell to an existing client than a new one. So use this to your advantage! NOW is a great time to reconnect with past clients and catch up with them. Find out what’s new with them, what their goals are and offer to help them create their next level of success. You can even create a special incentive to honor the relationship and encourage them to engage your services once again.
Networking – If you want to catch “fish” you’ve got to fish where the fish are. In this case your ideal catch is your ideal client. Targeted, focused networking is an excellent way to connect with ideal prospects en-masse. That doesn’t mean randomly attending networking events just because they’re available or you’re invited. It means researching where your ideal clients are congregating and meeting them where they are. It also mean showing up as a friendly, helpful, engaging resource, listening more than you talk and focusing your comments on how you solve your clients problems. Most of all effective networking is all about PROMPT follow-up.
Power Partnerships – Obviously, you aren’t the only service professional targeting your ideal client. For example, if you are a professional organizer, it’s likely that a personal chef, interior designer, landscaper, painter and real estate agent in your area are also seeking to connect with your ideal prospects. Or if you are a virtual assistant you will find that graphic designers, bookkeepers, CPAs, business coaches and marketing coaches are targeting your ideal clients. That is a GOOD thing! You can significantly boost the reach of your marketing efforts by leveraging their network and cross promoting one another’s services.

Marketing consistently is always easier when you see where you want to be, so clearly, you can almost taste it! You’ll have no problem putting in the time it takes, or coming up with creative ideas, when your own clarity has grown your enthusiasm to such a level that you’re actually energized by your marketing efforts. Your energy is very attractive to others – your enthusiasm keeps the pipeline full of those who are looking for the very same in their own lives!

Which of the strategies shared can you implement in your business next week? Share your thoughts and your plan by leaving a comment below!

Your Action Plan For The Week:

Make a list of your past clients and what their situation was when they last worked with you. Schedule time on your calendar to reconnect with them, and present a special offer to re-enroll as a client.
Take inventory of your network and look for other service professionals who are targeting the same market as you and who could provide valuable information or resources to your clients. Then, schedule a lunch or coffee date to discuss how you can collaborate to serve each other’s audience.
Review your ideal client profile and research where they are hanging out, offline and online. Get yourself registered to attend the next live event and start participating in relevant online networks to create visibility for your expertise and positioning yourself as a resource.

Wil Hart on January 7, 2011

Achieving Your Goals in 2011

It’s a New Year! Time for a fresh start and a new approach to succeeding as a Virtual Assistant.

Whatever happened in 2010, whether you dragged your feet a bit in starting your VA business, struggled with a rocky foundation, or didn’t achieve some of the goals you set for yourself…let it go. You can learn from past experiences and make the decision – now – to do things differently.

Consider what your version of a successful virtual assistant business in 2011 looks like. What exactly would you like to accomplish? Have you set aside time to outline your plan for success?

I’ll share a secret with you. One of the greatest contributing factors to my success, as a former VA and now as a business and marketing coach, has been my practice to regularly take stock of what’s working, and what’s not working, in my business. Then, based on the facts in front of me, I establish reachable goals for myself, which forces me to make any needed adjustments and also enables me to measure my progress.

I encourage you to do the same. Analyze what did, and did not, work well for you last year. Take note of what you’d like to do differently in 2011. Once you are clear on where you’re at and where you’d like to be, then it’s time to start setting your goals. Setting goals is a critical factor to your success as a Virtual Assistant because:

Setting goals gives you something specific to work towards
Working toward goals allows you to measure your progress
When you stay focused on your goals you will be more likely to say no to distractions that could delay your progress

To get started, imagine what your ideal business looks like. Visualize your ideal clients; what they look like, the work you do for them, how you interact. Consider how many hours per week you’ll work IN your business and ON your business? What is your gross revenue each month, including a healthy profit margin? How are you making a difference in your client’s lives? As you clarify the vision for your business, you’ll be able to set your goals, which in turn, will help you bring that vision to life.

Why is this important? Another key to success is to not set random, ambiguous goals, but to establish clear objectives that align with your personal vision of success. You must work toward YOUR vision, not someone else’s. Your vision has to be your own!

Setting and achieving your business goals will increase your confidence, improve the quality of the services you offer, and make you more attractive to prospective clients. When defining goals for your virtual assistant company, it’s important to keep a few things in mind:

Your goals must be specific. Don’t say, “I want to make more mon.ey in my business” or “I need more clients”. Be specific with your goals and select a number. Define how much revenue you would like to generate and exactly how many clients you’d like to enroll in your practice.
Your goals must have a deadline. Again, ambiguity won’t serve you here. Set a specific date by which you plan to achieve the goal. This way, you can easily break the goal down into manageable action steps that you then schedule and execute on a weekly basis.
Your goals must be reasonable. You should stretch yourself a bit past your comfort zone so that you really have to step up your game to achieve the desired result. Be careful not to set yourself up for frustration by setting a goal that is too high for you, right now. For example, if you currently have zero clients, deciding you want to have 10 clients within the next 30 days may not be realistic. But you could certainly attract 2 new clients within the next month. Set goals that are a bit of a stretch, yet still attainable.

As you consider what you would like to accomplish, analyze the different aspects of your business which can bring your vision of business success to life – such as:

How many clients you have now – and exactly how many you’d like to have
What marketing strategies you pursue now – and those you would like to participate in
How you will consistently market your services – vs. what you are doing now
What services you offer now – vs. what your ideal client actually needs
How you can run your business more efficiently – vs. where you may be wasting time, energy, or financial resources
What type of support you have to continually grow your business– and what you need to put in place

Remember, it’s YOUR business. Owning your goals and making them work for your situation is what will set you apart from other virtual assistants. You will continue to stand out when you maintain your focus, because you will be actively accomplishing more in your business than VAs who are simply copying ideas from others.

True success as an entrepreneur is based on making consistent progress, therefore, once you have accomplished a goal, set another reasonable goal, along with a deadline for achieving it. This will keep you moving forward, preventing you from being left behind or overcome by the rest of the pack!

Share your goals for 2011 by commenting here on my blog.

Wil Hart on September 17, 2010

Overcome Two Common Challenges To Succeeding As A Virtual Assistant

Life is riddled with challenges. There are roadblocks to becoming a successful parent or spouse. There are certain difficulties that hinder strong friendships and family ties. There are challenges to remaining financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually healthy. Therefore, whether you have a job or run your own company, you will meet obstacles. The key that unlocks the door to personal success is knowing how to meet and defeat challenges. What might prevent you from attaining victory in your Virtual Assistant practice?

Overcoming Fear

What fears do you hold close to your heart? There are some fears that we tend to plant and cultivate. Fear is natural and normal to experience. It is a mechanism employed by the subconscious mind that attempts to keep us safe and out of harm’s way. This fear prevents us from making unwise decisions, but can also prevent us from embarking on new endeavors. That is why red flags and bells go off in our mind when we step outside of our comfort zone. That is why your palms get sweaty and you start to get the jitters when you reach the edge of your comfort zone.

This is the perfect time to host a conversation with your fear. Ask your fear, "What is the worst that can happen?" Ask too, "Why do you want to hold me back from trying this new endeavor?" (This is actually a conversation with yourself that acknowledges the fear you are experiencing). Fear is appropriate. That is why it is so important to engage it and analyze it. Efforts to suppress it are counterproductive.

What fears do you have with regards to running your very own successful virtual assistance company? Are you fearful that you may not acquire clients and have enough income? You might be concerned healthcare and retirement plans. You may have several fears that are trying to keep you "safe". This is good news! Acknowledge, analyze and confront every fear that you have. Start by writing them down. Then have a conversation with them one by one. This will allow your mind to open up to the many solutions that are available.

Defeat Overwhelm

One of your fears may be that of getting overwhelmed. You know that you are great at the work you do. That is why you desire to be in business for yourself. "But, there is so much responsibility and work that is involved in being an entrepreneur," you say. That is true!

What can prevent and/or rescue you from overwhelm? It is necessary to implement systems into your business. A system is a structured method to run every aspect of you business. If you have to re-invent the wheel every time you do filing, billing or even turning a prospect into a client, this will lead to overwhelm and discouragement. Let’s analyze the example of enrolling a new client. Do you have a system for transforming new contacts into prospects and prospects into paying clients?

Here is a simple method:

Meet a new contact
Conversation leads to business interest
Collect contact information
Contact is now a prospect
Follow up with prospect (card or phone call)
Schedule a business call
Have prospect fill out an assessment form
Prepare for business call using the assessment form
Business call is progressing wellY
ou decide you would like to work with prospect
Move into sales conversation
Prospect now becomes a client or a contact to follow up with later
[here is where you complete the process for your new clients and former prospects]

After running your systems a few times it will become second nature. You should implement a system for every segment of your business so that your work can become BRAINLESS. This takes less energy defeats overwhelm and saves time. Which means you make AND save more mo.ney. Write out each of your systems for quick future reference and you’ll find yourself making faster progress than ever before.

Overcoming fear and overwhelm is not necessarily easy. It is, rather, a process of becoming familiar with your way of thinking and performing. And it requires a shift in your mindset. If you want different results, you need to have different behavior. We all are a work in progress. Wouldn’t you like to make your work a lot easier on yourself and become a successful Virtual Assistant? You can do so by defeating fear and overwhelm.

Action Steps For This Week:

Identify the fears that stump your business growth.Write down your fears and have a conversation with them.
Pick two aspects of your business to create systems for and complete by next week.
Share your fears and your systems by commenting on the blog.

Wil Hart on August 20, 2010

Believe In Yourself… Or No One Else Will

Throughout the many Virtual Assistant communities that I belong to, I often see a LOT of untapped potential. I see aspiring, new and even established VAs who have the potential to command top dollar for their work, to create businesses that truly give them the flexible schedule they crave and to ONLY work with clients who respect them and value their contributions. I see this in them, but many times, they just can’t see it for themselves.

“WHY?” you may ask?

It’s because they don’t believe in themselves. Perhaps they doubt their worth or don’t believe they can truly succeed. Perhaps they are used to bosses, HR departments and companies that look down on them. Perhaps they have limiting beliefs (i.e. "I can’t charge that much" or "I can never be as good as …) and just don’t see the abundance of opportunity that is available.

In the corporate world, Administrative Professionals are not often given the opportunity to create their own success. When I was a corporate Executive Assistant I certainly did not have the opportunity to define my future, create my own path and make my career what I wanted it to be.

That’s the beauty of creating your own business, particularly in the Virtual Assistant industry. You ONLY offer the services you want to offer. You can charge whatever you want to charge. You can work two days a week or five days a week. You choose who you work with and who you don’t.

But to do this, one needs to COMPLETELY abandon the “employee” mentality.

Lesson 1 - image 3.jpg That mindset shift starts with saying, “I can do this. I can create my own success. I deserve to be successful! I will be successful!” It starts with a choice. Choosing to think differently and act differently than you have before. It’s that simple.

Embracing the thought that you REALLY can create the business of your dreams, and that what you really want and what’s possible is within your reach will catapult you towards success faster than any tip, resource or strategy I will give you.

The sooner that you, as a Virtual Assistant, can wrap your head around that concept, embrace it and own it, the sooner you’ll see success and the faster you’re going to achieve it.

It is especially important to get your mind wrapped around this at the very beginning of your entrepreneurial journey (or if you have decided it’s time to upgrade your business). You can’t set a precedent for letting your clients dictate how you run your business. You can’t second guess your decisions. You can’t run your business for the benefit of your clients. If you are going to be a successful business owner–over the long haul you have to make decisions and stand behind them. You have to determine what your standards are and how you’re going to set up your business. And you can’t let ANYONE, especially a client undermine your boundaries and make you second guess them. Otherwise you might as well go back to get a regular job.

I implore you to approach your business from a place of confidence. Present a confident stance with your tone, voice, presence, marketing materials and website. Be proud of your decision to ditch the corporate rat race and take ownership of your career.

I believe in you! I believe that you have the talent, tenacity and drive to be a fabulously successful VA! But, that’s not enough.

You have to believe in YOU too. Because if you don’t, no one else will.

Share your thoughts and comments with me by posting a comment here on the blog!

Wil Hart on January 18, 2010

Overcoming the Challenges Every Virtual Assistant Faces

Being a virtual assistant can trigger many fears that you may not have even known existed before. You know that you have many talents and a lot to offer your clients. Nevertheless, it’s not an easy job to keep your confidence up while dealing with the realities of marketing your services and being your own money manager. In order to reach your goals of profitability and success you have to develop the proper mindset.

One big issue that comes up in our business is the one of how to get and stay profitable. Women, especially have issues with this idea of profitability. We tend to be hard workers with a passion for what we do and deliver an excellent product to our clients. However, we don’t always “own our value” in the marketplace. What does that mean? “Owning your value” in the marketplace means charging, receiving money, and asking for money.

Another is the fear of standing out. How many of us really feel comfortable standing up in front of people and saying, “You know what? I am awesome at what I do.” For many even the thought of saying those words might make you squirm. It could be because doing so triggers a lot of old baggage that we may have picked up as we were growing up about being modest and not acknowledging our accomplishments.

As with all fears (False Evidence Appearing Real), these limiting beliefs can be conquered by taking advantage of the many resources available. Some of these include: Continue Reading>>

Wil Hart on December 12, 2009

How To Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals For 2010

It is inevitable that come January, most entrepreneurs will begin thinking about what it is they want to accomplish in their business in 2010. They’ll plan their “New Year’s” resolutions and tell themselves they are going to do A, B and C. But savvy Virtual Assistants are thinking about this NOW, so that they can hit the ground running in January and really create results.

Whether you call them resolutions or goals, the point is the same — to clarify what you will accomplish in your business in specific, measurable terms. Perhaps you want to enroll more clients in your business, raise your rates or expand your team. Whatever the end result is that you want to achieve, you need to set a specific goal and then break that goal down into action steps that will bring the desired results to life.

Smart Virtual Assistants set S.M.A.R.T. goals, which means their goals are: Continue Reading>>

Wil Hart on November 13, 2009

Organization + Systems = Clarity and Progress

You may recall me mentioning that my theme for 2010 is going to be “organization”. Two of the things I pride myself on in my business are knowing where everything in my office is and making steady progress in my business. But, I’ll be the first two admit, things are not always as organized as they could be.

I think this is the case with most entrepreneurs. We are so great with coming up with ideas. We LOVE to start new projects. But we aren’t always great at finishing those projects or keeping our business affairs in order. That fact often leads to a whole host of challenges.

It can result in a lot of wasted time (which directly affects one’s income). It can also create a lack of clarity (which prevents focused, consistent action). It will almost ALWAYS lead to frustration (which affects one’s mood and is NOT client attractive).

The good news is that organizing your business and implementing systems is not nearly as difficult as one might think. Following are a few strategies I’ve learned (in JUST two sessions) from my friend and organizer extraordinaire, Joshua Zerkel: Continue Reading>>

Wil Hart on October 1, 2009

Getting Back to Basics: 5 Steps to Strengthen Your Business Foundation and Become More Profitable

One of the most important lessons I learned in my business early on, was how important it is to have and maintain a strong foundation in your business. In order to support our growth and efforts to achieve our goals, our business needs a solid infrastructure on which we can build. If this infrastructure is not in place, you could find yourself in a position where you are growing too fast too soon and not serving your clients nearly as well as you should be. This in turn will create unnecessary stress and frustration, which equals a not so happy Virtual Assistant who is working harder and making less money than she should.

So, it’s important to take stock of your business periodically and see how your foundation is holding up and what improvements you need to make. And if you’re just starting out, you’ll do yourself a HUGE favor by setting up a strong business foundation from day one. This is the perfect time of year to consider these points, as we are heading into fall and the final quarter of 2009. If you set aside time now to analyze your business operations and start making adjustments, you’ll be primed and ready to jump into 2010, while most everyone else is still trying to wrap their heads around their New Year’s resolutions!

Following are my top five tips for assessing your business and strengthening your foundation:

1) Review and revise your business plan – Many times business owners create a business plan when they are first starting out, get excited about it, but then file it away and never look at it again. Sometimes new entrepreneurs don’t even take the time to develop a simple business plan. This is a BIG mistake! Going through the steps to create a business plan is a terrific way to get all of your ideas out on paper and to create a roadmap to follow to grow your business. Its easy to think one can keep all of their ideas, goals and strategies locked safely in their memory. But there are two things wrong with that. 1) You absolutely can’t remember all of the details and 2) you’ll have a more difficult time working towards them because you haven’t committed your thoughts to paper. So schedule time on your calendar NOW to review and revise your business plan. (Or if you’re just starting out, to create one – which we will help you with in our “Get A Strong Start” class). Think about all that you’ve accomplished thus far in 2009 and map out your goals for 2010 and then how you’ll achieve them.

2) Take stock of your financial situation – For some this can be the least “exciting” part of running a business. That is having to deal with all of the “number stuff”. But, most of us start our companies to make a profit and support our families – not to unintentionally be running a non-profit organization where we work for free. You won’t know which category you fall into if you aren’t clear on the financial state of your business. If you are not already doing so, ask your accountant or bookkeeper to start running monthly reports of your expenses and income so you can see how profitable you REALLY are. You may be surprised to find out which of your services is actually most profitable and then start focusing more attention on those. Also, you’ll see clearly how your expenses are affecting your bottom line and what adjustments need to be made.

3) Review your business standards to see if they are still working for you – One of the things my coach helped me to do when I was first starting out was to create a set of standards for my business. This included the hours I would work, my fee structure, how I would handle different clients situations, illness/vacation, etc. – basically ALL of the details of how I would run my business. I highly recommend that you take the time to outline your standards as well. It’s your business, so the way you work and operate your business should be reflective of and work for you. After doing this you’ll be clear about your boundaries and can then easily (and tactfully) share them with your clients to ensure that you are supported and protected to do your best work.

4) Fine tune your marketing systems – Some Virtual Assistants have a bad habit of only marketing their business when they need a new client. That is a big no-no! As a business owner, you should only be spending your time on two things – 1) serving your clients and 2) marketing your business. If you don’t have a marketing system in place – meaning a strategic plan for how to consistently present your services/solutions to your ideal clients and enroll them in your practice, then now is the time to implement one. You should be regularly attending networking events where your ideal clients hang out, following up on leads, engaging in social media and pursuing other effective marketing strategies. Map out a plan of how you will market your business for the remainder of 2009 and then commit blocks of time on your calendar to work on your marketing efforts. Marketing your business will be a lot easier (and much more effective) if you consistently and comfortable share what you have to offer instead of operating from panic mode because you need a new client.

5) Start implementing systems in your business – You likely do some of the same tasks over and over again in serving your clients. At the very least, each week/month you’re doing bookkeeping, marketing, reporting to your clients on project progress, etc. As such you should be developing systems for every aspect of your business. A system is simple a list of guidelines or instructions about how to handle a particular task or project. It’s way for you to implement quality control into your Virtual Assistant practice so that you consistently deliver high quality results for yourself and your clients. It’s a way to save time, because you won’t have to think about or try and remember how to handle a particular project. And it’s a way to make more money. “How so?”, you may ask. Because you can easily delegate certain tasks to someone else, freeing up your time and mental energy to pursue your high-payoff activities. The more you systematize your business the more organized and profitable you will be. So, start today in outlining the steps you take to operate your business and serve your clients. Compile the instructions into one central document or binder and create your own operations manual. As you continue to grow you’ll have all of the information you need to run your business right at your fingertips.

Likely, you set out to be a Virtual Assistant because you wanted to pursue a career that would give you more control over your schedule and earning potential. So make it easier on yourself to achieve your goals, by taking steps to tighten up your foundation and get clear on your goals. Running a successful business obviously takes effort and dedication. And having a strong infrastructure and a solid plan to follow will ensure that you are spending your time and energy on the activities that will get you the results you want!

Your action plan for this week:

1) Pull out your business plan and schedule time to review and revise it by October 31^st. (If you’re just starting out, set aside time to create your plan by the same date).

2) Pull year-to-date reports on your financial situation and review them with your bookkeeper or accountant to see what adjustments may need to be made.

3) Outline the details of how you will run your business so that it is working for YOU, not the other way around.

4) Review the strategies that have been most effective in marketing your business and then create a plan around how you will consistently implement these tactics to attract new business.

5) Start creating systems for EVERYTHING you do in your business and compile the information in one central location.

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