Working Hours and Deadlines

Before you open your doors to clients you need to know what hours you are going to be working and how you are going to approach urgent deadline jobs/tasks.
I do not run an 8 to 5 business. Not many VAs and Transcriptionist do, we find, we can't do this because we need to be available should our clients need us for urgent work and deadlines. I run my business and work to suite my clients needs. My clients are very important to me and without them I want have this job, so it is important that I work the hours I do.
Clients have deadlines and often these deadlines can impact you with working after hours, weekends, public holidays etc. Its a good idea to decide your working procedures in the beginning, state your business open times, contact times on your website, brochure, in your contract, t & c's. If these details are stated a client viewing your website can see you don't work weekends and if they require this, they can then look elsewhere.
Before you quote a client for a job, contact that client and ask for as much information as possible about the job this included the deadline date and time. Then you know ahead of putting in your quote if you can take this job on or not.
A VA/Transcriptionists working hours are so important to clients.
Sometimes VAs//Transcriptionists can only work specific hours due to maybe having young children, other commitments etc., state this on your advertising material, it is always wise to let your clients know ahead of time of your working arrangements.
Telephone calls are another important item. I don't mind within reason when a client contact me, other VAs/Transcriptionists may only work business hours and want take calls outside of those hours, just make sure you specific your availability as it does affect deadlines.

 

+270117685028, +270828713452

amftyping@mweb.co.za  alison@amftyping.co.za

http://www.amftyping.co.za  

Skype: amftyping

Linked In:   http://za.linkedin.com/in/amftyping

 

Have you been virtually butt kicking yet?

By Dee Matheson

Just last week I was feeling sorry for myself because my Virtual Assistant business had come to a grinding halt. My ever understanding husband said that these things happen and I must not be so hard on myself. All I could think of was ‘thank goodness he still believes in me’.

As per usual my marketing coach, Francis van Wyk, was scheduled for our marketing mentor session and I was not looking forward to it because I was feeling down in the dumps and I had not done everything on the list that I was supposed to do. Well lo and behold, she kicked my butt virtually (via Skype) and told me to do something that we are all so scared of: Be Proactive. It’s not rocket science but boy does it work.

As I had already identified my target market, I started looking for contact details and information and composed my email marketing letter. I was rather sceptical about sending  it out because I was wondering whether they would even bother reading it, put it in the trash or send me rude emails back because I was wasting their precious time. Well that did not happen. No hit squad came to my virtual door and told me off. Instead the feedback has been phenomenal. There are so many people out there just waiting for someone to help them further their business goals but don’t know how to get into connect with them. By just using this very simple initiative it has opened up doors that I did not know were even there. Those that were not quite ready for my services at this moment agreed to regular informative emails from me which means I’m developing a database of potential clients. Exactly what Francis encourages: build up a funnel system so that when one client moves on, you’ve got others waiting in line.

This week I signed up two new clients and I’m in the process of signing up my third which came from my website and not even from my marketing email campaign. When I spoke to these new clients and those potential clients, I asked them what made them want to connect with me and they all said, “Your pro-activeness, because if you do that for your business, imagine what you can do for mine?”

Once again this just shows that putting those positive vibes out there into the universe, and I’m not an airy fairy type of person, and stop wishing for things to happen when you don’t even try yourself only bodes disappointment and eventually failure. That is such a pity because we all have skills, knowledge and know how that someone else does not have and needs.

I hope that this has inspired some of you to become more proactive and get out there and kick butt or at least try. Don’t give up. All that hard work you’ve already put in should not go to waste.

If you would like more information or connect with me, you can reach me via email on dmatheson@worldonline.co.za or visit my website: www.dfm-virtualassistant.co.za