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When I started my VA business, I struggled with networking:

• I didn’t want to go to the local networking event (even though I knew I should) – it was easier to network from behind the computer
• I felt awkward entering a room with a bunch of people I didn’t know – and who had really no idea what a VA was
• I was intimidated by the professionals there – they appeared to be confident and totally comfortable meeting strangers
• I wasn’t a fan of the ‘get my business card in the hands of as many as possible’ approach
• My ‘elevator speech’ just never felt right – I felt clumsy and inauthentic
• I felt insecure with the moment of silence that followed my “My name is Cindy and I’m Virtual Assistant” introduction
• I wasn’t so sure I fit in — should I really be at this event?
• I was shy about ‘harassing’ people (aka following up) after the event to try to build a relationship

Truth be known, I simply just stopped networking … and I suffered because of it. Then I smartened up, sucked it up, better prepared myself and went to the right places, with the right people and learned how to really connect and peak their interest (yes, without the darn ‘elevator speech’).

For years, VAs that I have coached and trained have shared their insecurities with networking. And I know today that many of us in the VA industry still struggle with networking — finding the right places, building relationships and experiencing return on our time (via new clients, referrals etc.)

A few months ago, I met Nancy Fox of The Business Fox. We instantly connected and as I heard her case studies, stories and tips on helping professionals with networking, I knew I had to find a way to share her with you. Nancy recently launched her brand new book “Network Like a Fox” and she graciously has accepted my request of offering great information to help YOU with your networking in a free teleclass on Wednesday, June 12th.

When you join us for the How to Convert Your Business Networking Into High Quality Leads and Clients teleclass, you’ll learn:

• the best places to network
• how to break the ice with your ideal clients
• how to easily and comfortably follow up with your new colleagues and build a relationship
• how to be productive – increasing your connection with leads, meetings and conversions to clients

It all takes place on Wednesday, June 12th at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific. Sign up below to hold your spot.

A lot of things go into making the layout of a great website. You have to mull over the design as well as the navigation, and how you want the website to flow. To make stuff even more complex, the type of profession that you’re in should also affect how your website turns out.

VAs in the professional service industry have some distinctive challenges that an appropriately designed website can certainly help them out with. Below are some of the suggestions about creating a website that VAs in the professional service industry can use:

Be Direct
The homepage of a website should be very clear-cut. It must tell the person who is visiting your page precisely what you offer and how you can help them. Moreover, use simple language that is easy to understand, and chop out any slang that only those in your industry may identify with.

Be Personal
Certainly, you are a professional and you must perform like a professional. But don’t forget to add that personal edge to everything that you write and do online.

There are many people in the professional service industry doing the same things as you propose to do. Hence one way to succeed over any clients from your competition is to tell your tale. Let people know what makes you unique. People like buying things that are different so that they can justify how they’re spending their money. Exploit your website to help them choose you over the competition.

Be Accessible
People create websites apparently with the aim of getting business. Include your contact information, if possible, on every page of your website. It should be obvious on the home page, and should also have a link to a separate page that has your contact information. It can be a good idea to incorporate your basic contact details like phone number and email address in a discreet and smaller font at the footer of every page. Keep in mind, your website is of no help if people don’t have a way to get a hold of you.

A VA needs to choose precisely who their target market is before offering their services. Selecting your target market lays a crucial groundwork for your business, as a VA needs to thoroughly identify with the market and the problems they have. The better you understand them, the more compelling you become.

When you get to know who your target market is, you will know two things:

1. Where to focus your selling and marketing efforts.
2. Where to focus your research efforts.

Your target market will establish your earnings and accomplishments, and if you pick the wrong fit you will waste a lot of time and money with very little outcome.

Whatever target market you opt for, make sure they meet the following criteria:

• They have a problem, and want it to be solved.  The impact and cost of the problem should be big enough that your market will act to solve it.
• They are easy to find. Do they belong to organizations? Are there forums or publications for this target market? Where do they hang out? If it’s not simple to find these ones it may cost a lot of capital to locate them.
• There is money to spend. It is no use offering a service if your target market has no money.
• You enjoy working with them. Think about how it feels to work with the variety of people in your target market. Remember, you are also in business to enjoy yourself, so make sure you choose a niche that you enjoy working with.
• You have a passion for assisting and helping these people. Passion is a vital element for selling your services.
• You have valuable knowledge and expertise to offer. Your target market wishes to get help from those who are proficient in their field. Think about the particular expertise and skills that you can offer them.

If you are obvious regarding who your target market is, you will be a magnet for just the clientele you’re looking for!

Why are business owners leaping out of other programs and signing up to use this piece of technology?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know about this incredible program that business owners all over are implementing into their business … but do you know anything more than that?

My friend Tina Forsyth is offering a free Infusionsoft Teleclass on May 21st on “What’s the Big Deal About Infusionsoft Anyway?” Whether you are wondering if you should learn more about Infusionsoft, OR if you have clients that use it already but you don’t know what to do with it, I strongly encourage you to join Tina for this call, or at least check out her intro video at http://bit.ly/108la02

To help you understand why I so strongly want you to attend this call, I need to confess…

Over the years I have learned a LOT from Tina. She spots real trends before anyone else does. She can smell an effective, efficient and solid business program from miles (and miles!) away.

Years ago, Tina and I had a conversation about Infusionsoft – she suggested I check it out some more and learn how to effectively apply it to an online business. I resisted. I had experienced a rather confusing challenge with Infusionsoft a few weeks prior and I had written it off — I was not interested in learning anything more about it.

Several years later I am forced to dabble in Infusionsoft, and wish I had listened to Tina years ago … Imagine how efficient I would be in it now!

Do not make the same mistake. Check out the details here http://bit.ly/108la02

Did you know that in the next 12-18 months, 90% of all traffic on the Internet will be directed to videos?

That number seems crazy to me … but super exciting too. Because when I see these numbers, I see an increase in need. A need that the virtual support profession can help business owners with!

Can you see how this can seriously increase the revenues in your VA business in the upcoming months?

I love keeping up to speed on new ways VAs can build their business in key areas.  To learn more about this myself, AND to help Virtual Assistants across the globe learn more too, I asked Krizia, also know as Miss K, if she would host a call for the Virtually Successful community.  She agreed, so ..

I’d like to invite you to join me for a free call - The Recent YouTube Change That’s Driving Entrepreneurs Crazy And How That Affects VAs – scheduled for Tuesday, April 30th at 4pm Pacific (1pm Eastern) 

Click here to claim your spot.  

In the last year I’ve been working in a different market on a very cool project and video plus YouTube is the biggest key strategies we use to provide valuable content, attract attention and build the business.  That’s part of the reason I’m so excited about this call — I can see where it can help business owners in ALL industries – not just the ones you may be working with now (therefore hugely expanding your reach!)

Trust me  … you want to be on this call.  Open your calendar, enter this call into your April 30th, 4pm Eastern time slot and reserve your spot so you get all the details on how to join myself and Krizia on Tuesday, April 30th.  http://bit.ly/11BsYFu   

If you do not yet know Krizia (Miss K), you are about to meet an incredible lady. She is an Entrepreneur, Video Show Host, Speaker & International Author.

In just a couple of years of having a vision to first create an online beauty magazine and then a health magazine, she was able to sell both of them in May 2011 to American investors for several tens of thousands of dollars.

One of the most valuable assets during the sale was her YouTube channels that had over 200,000 views with a small handful of videos.  In other words, this lady knows what she’s talking about!

Here’s the link one more time - http://bit.ly/11BsYFu   — see you on Tuesday, April 30th at 4pm Eastern (1pm Pacific) for this great call.

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I don’t want to limit myself by working with a specific target market, and offering only specific services.

I think this is likely one of the biggest myths out there in the Virtual Assistant profession.

When something is wrong with your eye – do you visit your family doctor, or an eye doctor?

When you want to create a great looking website, do you prefer to work with someone who really gets you, what you’re doing and can transfer your vision into a hot design, or do you hire just any old person to take this on for you?

When you need help with the plumbing in your home – do you call the local plumber who specializes in residential plumbing or do you call the jack of all trades who might be able to help you … or create more of a mess?

I realize these examples may go to the extreme, but what I want to demonstrate for you is that people are attracted to professionals who are experts in a specific area rather than those who know a little bit of this and that. It’s true that sometimes that more ‘general’ person is just fine, but in many cases, the person that really knows the ins and outs of what you need is the person you prefer to spend your money on … and you’re even ok with spending a little more for their expertise and quality they provide.

Let’s bring this ‘lesson’ back to the VA industry.

Selecting a target market is not limiting. It is actually KEY to connecting with the people you most want to work with, and be able to make a connection to them – allowing them to feel confidence in you and your skill, and also that you understand them. Try being a ‘jill of all trades’ in the VA world and you will be very limited to your business growth potential.

Selecting an area to specialize in for that target market raises your level even more. It clearly demonstrates that you are up-to-date in the area, know the current trends, have answers to more of the questions, and you can make things happen.

Next week I am co-hosting a great teleclass, with Alexis Neely, on how you can tweak your current VA business so that you connect with a specific group of professionals (lawyers), in an area that they desperately need help with. Not only do they need you … they can’t build their practices without you … and they’re willing to pay you generously for it.

Come join Alexis and I for this call and learn how you can turn your business around, working with respectful professionals who will value you and your expertise.

Click here for all the details and to register.

Looking forward to having you join us.

In the last two weeks I received this question from a Paralegal:

Cindy, I’ve been a Paralegal for 25+ years. Is there an opportunity for me to work as a Virtual Assistant, from home, with this kind of background? I would really love to help a lawyer or two who really values me as part of their team.

and this similar question from a Legal Assistant:

I’m a new Mom. I have several years of experience as a legal assistant, but I’d like to work from home, rather than head back to my full-time job at the law firm. How can I work with lawyers, from my home business? I need to make sure it works financially for my family.

I love these kinds of questions! The answer to both of these is yes.

Just like business owners, every lawyer needs to market their law firm in order to find new clients and encourage growth. However, they often struggle with running the practice, taking care of their current clients, and staying on top of all the marketing strategies that will help them get in front of new leads and then following up with those prospects to schedule a time to meet with them, and help them further with their needs.

What a lawyer really needs is a Legal Marketing Coordinator. Someone who is able to help the lawyer with:

• researching potential places they can speak at
• supporting the lawyer to fully leverage a speaking opportunity
• following up with leads after the event, to schedule appointments with the lawyer
• implementing marketing strategies to ensure the lawyer stays connected with current clients and potential clients

This kind of role is a perfect option for anyone in the legal admin profession, because it allows you to add a financial option to your lifestyle and flexibility to your work day. There are thousands of lawyers who need part-time help in marketing areas that you can easily support from home.

If you’re even slightly intrigued on what it means to be able to transition from working at the law firm, to working a flexible schedule, with lawyers who value and respect you, and from your own home office, join me and Alexis Neely for a no-cost call on April 3rd. More details a link to register are at http://bit.ly/YvNgDQ

I hope you will join me!

Anyone that knows me knows that I am SUPER passionate about eCommerce. In fact, eCommerce is what I credit to my business filling with more clients than I could handle, within 9 months of opening my virtual doors.

So when I was asked the question “Cindy, what is eCommerce?”, I had to laugh because I realized I never had really answered that before – yet I have talked about it for years!

In this video, I encourage you to hear WHY VAs need to know about eCommerce – whether you decide to offer it to all your clients or not. If you are new to the VA industry and your goal is to work with online based business owners, this is a MUST.

Don’t know eCommerce? Join me for the eCommerce Intensive Training, starting on Monday, February 11.

Questions? Let me know by posting them below.

Referrals are one of the best ways to connect with new potential clients. In fact, referrals have been the top source of new clients for me over my 10 years of business.

The problem is, many of us are not giving our referral sources the right kind of info.

Check out this video and learn what you need to share with your referral sources in order for them to send you great business.

What did you take away from this video? What steps will you implement right away? Share your thoughts below.

Have you ever run into an ‘icky’ situation with one of your clients?

Where they were clearly disappointed with something you had done, or ‘words’ were exchanged via email.

If you haven’t … you will! We’re human and we make mistakes!

If you have … you know it’s not a pleasant experience.

No matter how big or small the icky situation may be – how you deal with it will determine your ongoing relationship with that client.

I’ll be honest, I’ve run into an icky situation a time or two over the last 10 years. And as much as it was not a great experience, I learned a great deal from it.

But at the time, I remember feeling insecure – that my client no longer trusted me. And even though I tried hard to be ultra careful – I seemed to screw up even more on silly things.   Can you relate?

Icky situations could seriously damage your client relationships. If you don’t deal with miscommunications or issues that pop up in your relationships, then you’re doomed to losing that client.

In this video, I share a few tips on how to deal with those icky situations instead. Be professional, take ownership when you should, and COMMUNICATE.

What kind of icky situations have you experienced in your business?  How did you resolve them?