I simply had to share this blog post of Tina’s - you’ll understand why when you watch it.

For years, the biggest question we have received from Virtual Assistants is “How Do I Find Clients?”

While there’s no magic formula … there are several key strategies to finding clients — Tina shares just one of them with  us, as well as a ‘challenge’ to get your butt out the door.

>>> Check out Tina’s video and Add Your Comments

Since my bursting point story came out last month, I’ve had Virtual Assistants email tell me they relate to my  experience … and others have asked me “Cindy, how do you know when you’re nearing the bursting point?“

I remember when I first hit my bursting point … I didn’t really know what I was dealing with.  I just knew that I was stressed, sad, angry and ready to close the door to my office, never to return.

But how do you distinguish between a bad day and the actual bursting point?  Here’s a few signs that you are at the bursting point (from the book Becoming an Online Business Manager by Tina Forsyth)

• You don’t have enough hours in the day to get your work done, and you are falling behind on many of your
  commitments

• You are feeling overwhelmed and are starting to dread hearing from your clients

• Clients are starting to get upset with you as the work is coming late, is not complete or is incorrect

• Your family and friends are asking “Why do you work so much?” or “Are you on that computer again?”

• You don’t have time to say yes to any new and exciting projects or clients that come your way
  (including those that pay a higher rate)

• Work has become a drag; you aren’t enjoying it anymore and may even start to avoid it or get depressed
  (this is a big sign of burnout!)

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  If yes, you may very well be at the bursting point in your business.

To those of you who have not had the ‘privilege’ of experiencing the bursting point … don’t worry … you will! 

And to those who have … you’ll likely experience many times to come.  However, each time it gets a little easier to deal with.

One thing that I fully believe in is sharing my experiences - both good and bad.  I want others to learn from what I share … not because it will prevent you from going through it yourself, but because in our virtual world, we may often feel that we’re the only ones dealing with certain things.  Let me tell you … you’re not!  So if you can gain even a teeny bit of comfort in knowing that I’ve been there too … I’ve done my job.

And quite honestly, I’ve hit the bursting point many-a-time.  Just ask my partner-in-crime Tina … she’s been at the receiving end of my venting and thank goodness for me that she was. I’ve hit the bursting point when I:

• had too many clients

• over committed myself and took on too much responsibility

• couldn’t say no to ridiculous requests

• didn’t stay true to myself, my family and the real reason I set out to build my business

Have you hit the bursting point and are willing to tell us about it?
Share with us below .. .we’d love to hear from you.

Haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing the bursting point yet?  What has impacted you most from the details I (and others) have shared with you about their experience? Please share your comments below.

This article was written by Linda Dessau, an editor, ghostwriter and writing coa’ch.
Linda is the lead trainer for the HotSkillsVATraining ‘Writing & Editing Basics for Virtual
Assistants‘ training program.

In the last V-Scoop, Linda talked about how writing issues like grammar errors, misused words, typos or readability problems could be affecting your credibility, your clients’ success and the growth of your business.

Today she’d like to turn the tables and look at what is possible when you write well and use writing effectively in your business. Here are examples that apply equally to the writing you do for yourself and the writing or editing you may do for your clients:

1. When you write about what you know best and help other people understand it better, you build your status as an expert in that area.

2. When you write all of your marketing messages about that same topic, you strengthen the unity (and results) of your message.

3. When you write about the answers to your readers’ questions, they will think of you first when they need more help.

4. When you write about solving these problems, you awaken your creativity for other new ideas.

5. When you write for the way people read on the web, they will keep reading.

6. When you write a clear set of instructions, people will follow them.

7. When you write each email as a precious conversation, people will always be glad to hear from you.

8. When you write out the details instead of assuming someone knows what you mean, you minimize the risk of false assumptions or misunderstandings.

9. When you write with a unified voice, you and your client are a powerful force.

10. When you edit with an eye for professionalism and readability, you and your client both look better!

We’ll be covering all of these points and more in the upcoming Hot Skills VA class – Writing and Editing Basics for VAs, with Class 1, Claim Your Expertise (points 1-2), Class 2, Writing for the Web (points 3-5), Class 3, The Basics of Clear Communication (points 6-7) and Class 4, Basic Editing. I hope you can join us!

Linda Dessau, CPCC, is an editor, ghostwriter and writing coach. She is the author of The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write, and the editor of VOICE, the newsletter of the International Association of Coaching. Linda has been writing for the web since 2003, and created “You Talk, I’ll Write” in July 2005 to combine her passion for coaching with her gift for writing.

Every now and then I hear from business owners who share their story about a frustrating experience with a Virtual Assistant. It’s normal … and really, it should be expected, after all we’re still learning how to work well together and build great relationships.

However in discussions last week at the Wealthy Thought Leader event, I was absolutely shocked to hear that the reputation of the Virtual Assistant industry is on serious shaky ground.

Are you surprised to hear this? 

Here’s the scoop … business owners do not feel like they are well looked after by their Virtual Assistants. In conversations with different business owners there were some common ‘complaints’ that I was hearing. Things like working with a Virtual Assistant who does not:

• provide timely responses to their clients
• assist with the occasional request that requires quick turn around
• complete tasks before the agreed to deadline
• communicate appropriately or asking questions to clarify details
• pay attention to details - making sloppy errors regularly
• manage the priorities of all their clients well (leaving clients to feel
  their stuff is unimportant and at the bottom of the list)

Enough business owners out there are unhappy in their experience with a Virtual Assistant and they’re talking to each other about it… and this can affect the reputation of the entire industry. Which of course is something that makes me sit up and take notice.

As someone who is passionate about our profession and as an active advocate of this industry I want to look at how we can fix this. I’m a firm believer that when we hear complaints from our clients on a regular basis it is an opp for us to step up and respond.

Of all the complaints I was hearing one that really stood out for me is that clients don’t feel like they are important. They feel like their stuff “doesn’t matter” or “falls to the bottom of the list.” Now I know as a VA that this certainly isn’t our intention! We are working to juggle all our clients and their various projects, and that last thing we want is for them to feel like they don’t matter.

As a starting point I created a checklist of things we CAN do to make sure our clients feel like they are the only ones we work with. It’s usually just simple tweaks that can make all the difference for clients, and make them feel taken care of. How many of these can you check off?

What are some other things we can do to make our clients looked after?  

Enter your name and email address below and get immediate access to the checklist you can use to identify how well you’re looking after your client. 

We’d love to hear from you, please share your comments with us below.

Hundreds of Virtual Assistants joined us for the 1st Virtually Successful Telesummit preview call  on Wednesday. 

Our next call is scheduled for Wednesday, March 31st at 12pm Pacific (3pm Eastern).  We’re going to do something that has never been done.

There’s been a lot of talk about specializing.  On this call, we’re going to chat with a couple of Virtual Assistants who specialize in working with a specific profession.  We’re going to ask them questions that have never been asked before … the questions that YOU want to hear the answers too!

These preview calls have been designed to provide you with a tiny sneak peek of what we’ll be covered in the Telesummit.

Are you missing the first call we hosted on the top trends?  Register and get instant connection to the recording.  

www.VirtuallySuccessfulTelesummit.com

So if you haven’t already signed up for these preview calls, what are you waiting for?  Check out the details at www.VirtuallySuccessfulTelesummit.com. 

And if you don’t want to be left behind in fast moving future of the Virtual Assistant industry, sign up for the Telesummit. 

It was a couple of years ago that Tina and Andrea emailed me saying “Cindy, we need something from you that business owners can use to help identify how they can build their business with the help of a Virtual Assistant.  And by the way … we need it tomorrow because we’re leaving for the live conference in the evening.”

Anyone that knows me even just a little bit knows that I work best (unfortunately) under a little bit of pressure.

Off I went … within 3 hours, I had a list of just over 100 ways business owners could boost business with a Virtual Assistant.

The report was a huge success … both business owners and Virtual Assistants requested to use it in their own work.

Well guess what … it’s been updated and now includes 200+ ways that Virtual Assistants can help business owners.  Remember, business owners, really can’t make it all happen and achieve success without all of us and our expertise!

Curious what’s in there?  Take a second to fill out the form below and download it immediately.

Now there’s a cautionary note I’d like to add.  While these are all ways Virtual Assistants CAN help clients, in no way is it to set the expectation that as a Virtual Assistant you need to know how to do ALL these things.  Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with feeling you need to do it all.

While I love to share this with you … there are two things I’d like to have you share with me in the comments section of this blog post:

1. Your feedback on the updated report “200+ Ways to Boost Business With a Virtual Assistant” and
2. Your thoughts on additional tasks that can be added to this document. 

Can we get it to 500+ ways or even 1000+ ways?  I’d love and could use your help.  I’ll take care of updating the document, if you provide me with your insight.

Just post your comments/additions at the bottom of this blog post … can’t wait to hear from you!

>>> Download the newly revised “200+ Ways to Boost Business With a Virtual Assistant” by completing the form below:

It’s a tough decision to make … but once you actually do it, it makes a HUGE difference in the growth of your business.  Before you even think of saying “I can work with all kinds of business owners, why would I want to limit myself by selecting a specific market?”, hear me out.

When I started my own VA business in 2003, I didn’t have a target market.  When I heard anything related to the importance of selecting a target market, I turned away and thought “I Do NOT need a target market …. anyone and everyone can benefit from my services.”

It’s true.  Virtually ANY kind of business can benefit by working with a Virtual Assistant.  But what I was missing was this - by not selecting a target market, I was marketing to every business owner.  How do you possibly do that and get someone’s attention? 

Here’s another example I’m hoping you can relate to. 

Scenario #1

A Virtual Assistant who has not selected a target market, attends a Chamber of Commerce networking event.  The VA offers great services and is ready to work with any business owner who is willing to consider her.  She tells people she’s a Virtual Assistant and shares a little about the services she offers. 

In some cases, people have never heard of the term Virtual Assistant and while they may be interested in learning more, they are not captivated by the VA and her services and move along to connect with others at the event. 

Scenario #2

A VA who has identified her target market attends a networking event that she knows her target market will also be attending.  She knows exactly what kind of challenges her target market is faced with and so when she connects with new contacts, she shares what she does — using specific words that relate to the target market and the kind of help they need.  The new contacts are captivated by the VA, want to learn more, are eager to continue the discussion and a new relationship, which may turn into a paying client, is born.

These scenarios are very general, however my goal is to emphasize the difference in response when you have selected and understand a target market. 

Take a look at the article below “Virtual Assistant Tips to Identifying Your Target Market” and take some time to answer the 5 questions included. 

What will you do differently moving forward?  Share with us by commenting below.

Identifying your target market is essential in the success of a Virtual Assistant business. It doesn’t matter if you have a fabulous website, brochure and business card, if you have not identified your target market, all your marketing efforts can be a waste of your time, money and energy.

Selecting a specific target market can be somewhat of a daunting task for those in the Virtual Assistant industry. Quite often one may think that absolutely anyone in business can benefit from the services of a Virtual Assistant – right? Not necessarily.

Many Virtual Assistants (VAs) feel that if they select a specific target market, they are limiting the potential number of clients that come to them for assistance. The reality is that by not targeting and promoting your VA services within a specific market, you are actually limiting yourself and preventing your Virtual Assistant business from growing.

These 5 questions will help you determine your target market for your virtual assistant business.

1. What kind of work do you enjoy? What tasks/projects excite you? If you could create your own job description, what would it include? If you enjoy what you do, then you are more likely to express enthusiasm and demonstrate your best work. This is an important factor – if you don’t enjoy a specific type of work, then stay away from the professionals who may need that kind of support.
2. Who do you enjoy working with? This may an obvious question but it is one few Virtual Assistants consider. Do you prefer to work with men or women? What age group? Do you work best with people that are older or younger than you?
3. What does your ideal client look like? Is your ideal client a well-known professional with a large business, and making seven figures? Do you prefer small or start-up businesses? If you have family, do you want to work with someone who may also have a family and understands the flexibility required in your Virtual Assistant business?
4. What professions interest you and which do not? This is important. Just like question #1 above, it’s important to enjoy and be enthusiastic about the work you do. If you dread a specific profession, then there’s no use in attempting to work with that profession. For example, I personally have no interest in the financial industry so working with a financial planner or accounting business would not be in my best interest or in the best interest of a potential client.
5. What skills/knowledge/expertise do you offer? If you offer great skills, knowledge and expertise in a certain area, consider which professions are in dire need of this kind of support. For example, if you offer expertise and enjoy working with online technology, to support the automation, product delivery and marketing of a business, which type of industry would benefit and be willing to pay for this support? If an industry does not need your expertise or are not willing to pay for it, you may be better off finding another industry that does.

The five questions above may seem obvious, however Virtual Assistants are not taking the time to consider these questions, and many others, to help in selecting a target market.

If you want to build a Virtual Assistant business with great clients, you must select a target market. With a target market selected, you can market and speak directly to those who you want to attract to your business. And then your virtual assistant business will grow like you always imagined it would.

Just in case you haven’t realized it yet
… we at VirtuallySuccessful.com want you to have a fantastic 2010.

We invited virtual
professionals to join us for a f’ree teleclass on Tuesday, December 15th at noon Pacific / 3pm Eastern as we discussed how to “Get Ready for 2010″.

If you want to:

• find more (or better) clients

• make more money

• create more time to spend on other ‘non-work’ activities

• build your skills and expertise

then you will want to listen to this call.

We’ve seen this over and over and we’ve even done it ourselves (well, Cindy anyhow!), - maybe you can relate …

You get excited about the new year … you write down several goals you want to accomplish … and you’re on track for about the first 6 to 8 weeks and then .. POOOF! 

Before you know it, everything is back to where it was  - you’re busier than ever but not fulfilling what you set out to do for the year.  It’s disappointing.

So let’s make a change for this year. 

Listen to the call below — we’ll help you get going on the right foot … and stay there!

You hear us talk about it all the time … ‘taking inventory’ of your clients so you can better understand their goals and priorities. 

Well this time we want you to take your own inventory.

Every December and January, many of us make a note of goals we want to accomplish for ourselves and our business. Yet, we don’t always consider our current commitments and surroundings and what might need to change in order for us to accomplish these new goals and priorities.

Then before you know it … we continue working away, we get busy, maybe even a little overwhelmed and nothing changes.

It’s time to break the cycle and we’d like to help.

The ‘Taking Inventory’ document has been developed to assist you with:

• identifying your current business commitments  -  the number of clients you have, the number of hours you are committed to etc.
• confirming the amount of revenue you are generating each month versus the number of hours you are working
• uncovering what you really want to accomplish
• recognizing what needs to change in order for you to make the amount of money you want, work with the clients (and number of clients) you want, have the time ‘off’ that you want and still accomplish the goals that are important to you

One of the goals here at VirtuallySuccessful.com is to empower virtual professionals to step up and create the business THEY want … not just support
their clients in building the business they want.

Take a few minutes now to download the Taking Inventory document below and schedule some time in your schedule to take your own inventory.

>>> Download the “Taking Inventory” document

We can’t emphasize it enough … selecting a target market  and fully understanding that target market is ESSENTIAL when it comes to finding great new clients.

In order to really connect with a potential client and have an interactive discussion that captures their attention and makes them think “I DO need this person to help me build my business”, you must understand them and make them feel that you understand them.

How do you do this?  What should you know?

It sounds relatively simple really, but when it comes down to it, ‘knowing’ your client can seem rather daunting, especially when you first start out.   However, it really is quite simple.

To support you in getting underway, we’ve created a simple checklist that you can use to fully educate yourself on your market.  Imagine the connection they will feel when you show them that you’ve taken the time to research and get to know them better so you can best support them! 

Do you know everything you should know about your target market? 

>>> Download the “10 Things You Must Know About Your Target Market”