Posts Tagged ‘Virtual Assistant’

Having been on the networking circuit now for just over 2 ½ years one of the mysteries I will never understand is why some networking groups have a “lock out” rule. By this they mean that if there is already a member in the networking group who provides a specific service another member in the same field of business cannot join. The theory behind this principle is that you will get all the business from the group instead of having to compete with a rival. It seems to me that there is something fundamentally flawed with this principle. It is basically – wrong! (said like a large bell ringing). Why? Because people buy people. As a small business we want to surround ourselves with business partners that we get on with, people who have similar understandings to our own and people we generally like doing business with.

If I join a networking group I want to be able to have choice. If I don’t have a choice then I will have to look outside of the network should I not particularly “click” with the only person in the room providing the service that I need.
The advantage of not adopting a “lock out” policy is all about the variety of characters you meet in the room – hopefully vibrant characters with their own little quirks and idiosyncrasies. How boring it would be to sit in a room where there is only one type of person from each field/service. Now when I say ‘how boring’ I must confess that I haven’t witnessed the situation personally because as I don’t agree with the principle I don’t join those types of group. I have however, often been at networking events where there have been over 5 or 6 Virtual Assistants in the room with each of us providing very different services but still under the banner of “Virtual Assistant”. When this happens, rather than feel threatened, it’s useful to find out what services your competitors actually undertake (that you might not) and use the situation to ask them if they would be willing to promote your services or form a collaboration – which in turn extends the services that you are able to provide.

I was recently contacted by a gentleman who was seeking the services of a Virtual Assistant providing all the services of a PA i.e. diary management, letters, flight bookings etc. As I don’t provide all the services he required I was pleased to be able to pass him on to another VA who does exactly what he was looking for – therefore providing a solution to his request. How disappointed he would have been if I had been the only VA in the group unable to provide the service he wanted!

There are, no doubt, some networking groups where this lock out practice may well work. For example in situations where the attendees are from large organisations and sending representatives on their behalf – so there is no point in having 3 or 4 reps from the same company. However as most networking groups are designed for small businesses let’s keep the new characters coming in and let’s keep the doors open to every sector – allowing everybody more freedom of choice.

In my profession as a Virtual Assistant one of the most common questions I get asked is “So what exactly is a Virtual Assistant, and what do they do?” For many people in business the concept of a Virtual Assistant (or ‘VA’) is well understood, but for other people I find that I need to carefully explain what services a Virtual Assistant can provide.

So in this blog I have decided to explain in simple terms exactly what a Virtual Assistant is and show how a VA can help businesses both large and small. In simple terms, a Virtual Assistant is an independent administrative assistant just like any other Assistant, Secretary or PA. The difference is that in this case a VA does not physically work within your office premises but works remotely using technology to service all your business needs and requirements.

Although no two VA’s are likely to provide identical offerings, most VA’s tend to focus on a number of core business services. Typically these would include secretarial type services like making phone calls and following them up, sending e-mails and physical mail, scheduling appointments, taking messages and even electronic filing. In addition, some VA’s will also maintain your web presence by managing your social media sites; Facebook, Linked-In and Twitter for example.

Some VA’s will also offer to maintain your business website or your blog, arrange mail-shot campaigns, arrange the distribution of company newsletters, write press releases and assist with general sales and marketing activities. For example, as part of my own business I look after a number of clients who need a 24/7 presence on the web through the medium of social media.   I am able to set up their accounts and profiles thus giving them the web presence they require.

The advantages of using the services of a Virtual Assistant are many, but crucially it can prove to be a very cost-effective way of working. By using a VA your business will not have to pay for office space, a PC or office equipment, Internet connection, printer, phone, filing cabinet or desk. Also, because your VA is not on the company payroll, you do not have the additional expenses of health insurance, national insurance, sick pay and holidays. Also, most VA’s already have prior experience of working in an office environment and therefore need very little training in order to start becoming productive.

If you are running a business that uses a Virtual Assistant you will often find that they become an integral part of your team, providing a number of key benefits. To make the most of the services of a VA however, it is worth taking the time to plan exactly how to utilise this important resource to best advantage. For example, think about which tasks can be delegated to a VA, structure these tasks into a priority order and then discuss with your VA how these tasks can best be scheduled. In many cases a VA will specialise in a particular aspect of business and it is worth taking advantage of this expertise if possible.

Realistically, taking on the services of a VA is not always as cheap as taking on a school leaver or part-time Administrative Assistant, but because of their professional experience and reliability it is often more cost effective to utilise the services of a good VA than risk putting your business relationships into the hands of inexperienced staff. Also, it is always advisable to find a VA who is able to offer a wide range of skills than to use the services of a number of different VA’s – because a good VA who understands your business and is able to operate using their own initiative is a much better option than farming work out to a number of different individuals – and then having to coordinate their efforts.

The bottom line is that a good VA can be worth their weight in gold because they free up your time to focus on the most important parts of your business, while you are secure in the knowledge that all your administrative duties are being taken care of by a professional that you can trust.

Don’t forget that if you want any further information on any of the above topics then please do get in touch. On The Go is already helping successful businesses in many of the ways described above – as well as implementing their social networking strategies, helping them set up a consistent company profile and scheduling their media messages to give them a 24/7 web presence.

In my previous blogs I have covered the benefits of using some of the leading social media sites, followed by the advantages of using social media management tools like Ping.fm and scheduling tools like Postlater.com.
I’d now like to move on and take a look at those businesses, large or small, that require a 24/7 presence on the web but don’t have the time to spare to remain quality focused, consistent and constant. Such businesses have my wholehearted support because I know how difficult it can be.

We all know just how important it is to build up a rapport with ones followers’ as well as keeping lines of communication open. The like – know – trust – strap line expresses succinctly the way relationships are built, the same as when we first meet someone face to face.  However, the reality is that when an advert is placed in a magazine there is no way of predicting who might look at it.  In other words you have had no personal interaction with the individuals who are attracted to the advert. Yet this doesn’t stop you from placing the advert and the magazine isn’t going to turn your advert down because you don’t know your target market.  So the key is to adopt the same strategy for your social media presence.  Simply place your posts and adverts linking to your website as you would in a magazine and thereby give your business the exposure it needs on the web.  You will soon start picking up followers, start to build up a rapport, find common interests, hopefully get to like them and eventually trust them.
 
Obviously it takes time to build up a “quality” list of followers on any network.  Don’t be tempted to subscribe to any application that promises to generate 100,000 of followers though – what is the point?  It is far better to have 50 genuine followers who are interested in you and your business than thousands of followers.

As a Virtual Assistant (VA) I look after clients who need a 24/7 presence on the web through the medium of social media.  By setting up their accounts, profiles and producing a continuous stream of posts I am able to give them the presence they require on the web thus giving them the space and time to focus on their day-to-day business.  I do, however, encourage them to spend a few minutes a day ‘personalising’ their posts so that it reflects their own personality and style. 
Sometimes though I am criticised for this approach to social media with comments like:
“You shouldn’t automate your tweets.”
“Don’t post the same information on every site.”
“Not everyone is on Twitter so don’t place an RT (re-tweet) message on LinkedIn, Facebook, FriendFeed etc.”
 
Most people involved with social media will be familiar with the most popular top sites.  Some of them are our preferred sites that we frequent daily, hourly, even every few minutes during a typical day.  Other sites we might just visit once a day or once a week. Occasionally, however, we find something of interest on what I refer to as the “dippers” and it’s often worth remaining with them, both from the perspective of finding interesting articles, potential new contacts and possibly items of general business interest. These may also open up new avenues to further promote your business.
 
In my view I don’t think anyone should say “do this” or “don’t do that”.  Each of us will try our own marketing strategies depending on what we feel comfortable with and I firmly believe that everyone has a right to experiment until they find what works best for them as individuals and as businesses. If you are in business and some of these issues resonate with you, then why not consider utilising the services of a professional VA to help you establish your own 24/7 presence? It might just be just what you need to start getting the phone to ring more often!

Don’t forget that if you want any further information on any of the above topics then please do get in touch. On The Go is already helping successful businesses implement their social networking strategies from helping them set up a consistent company profile through to scheduling their media messages giving them a 24/7 web presence.