Hello, my name is Sandra and I am proud to be a Professional Virtual Assistant! I have worked in the Virtual Assisting Industry as an independent VA and through a Virtual Staffing Agency (VSA). I have done Sales and Customer Service for a VSA and I have been a client with a VA Team of my own. I've seen it from every angle! I have developed a passion not only for this industry but also for mentoring and training women who want to have successful VA Businesses.
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Your Elevator Speech is a cornerstone of your business. Without an Elevator Speech, success will be much harder to achieve, maybe even impossible. It is more important than your Mission/Purpose Statement. Your Elevator Speech is more important than your Marketing and Business Plans because it gives them clarity. It is more important than your bookkeeping [...]
One of the pleasures of working at home is to be able to be there for your kids. In a perfect world, you are able to schedule calls during naptime and they play quietly while you work.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t live there.
I’m becoming a big fan of www.smallbiztrends.com. Anita Campbell and her writing staff at Small Business Trends do an excellent job of wading through the information overload, consolidating and reporting what is happening in the world of Small Business.
I really enjoy the Small Business Trends - a “comprehensive online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them.” Last week Anita Campbell posted an article about the current trend in Small Businesses to hire Independent Contractors and Freelancers.
Trends on Elance - what do they mean for Virtual Assistants?
Elance, one of the top freelance job sites, recently published a list of the Top 100 skills in demand during February 2009. It comes as no surprise that budgets are shrinking and workloads are growing in this economy. Recent trends on Elance show how these [...]
I had a speech teacher in college who opened my eyes to two things. First, the most important element of any relationship is communication and second, when you speak with someone don’t be afraid to ask, “What do you mean?” and she should be asking you too. Everyone comes to the conversation with their own [...]
You’ve probably heard the saying, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” It is often a favorite of Moms, but not of their children.
The phrase is invoked when kids rush through homework so they can go out and play, only to have Mom or Dad send them back to correct mistakes. Household chores often [...]
One of the toughest things for new Virtual Assistants is moving from an employee mindset to a business owner mindset. It is often just as difficult for clients to learn that they are not your boss and you are not an employee. If you want to be a successful VA, however you must make this [...]
I’ve seen some discussions recently in the Virtual Assisting Industry over the topic of charging your clients for training time. In my opinion, the answer is sometimes yes, but sometimes, no. Simply put:
Billable training:
*Time I spend with the client training on their specific systems, policies and procedures.
*Time I spend developing these things if the client [...]
I read an article recently about handling criticism and taking rejection. The good ‘ole standby, “Don’t take it personally” was of course, the anthem uttered over and over, ad infinitum, ad naseum. I have learned through many, many rejections that I grow more personally and professionally from them than from the sales I do close.
Many [...]
Article Marketing is a great way to inexpensively market your services. Sign up for my free Mini-Course -
Article Marketing - Your Virtual Handshake. Feel free to use it as a marketing piece with your own clients and prospects, too!
