VA Tips and Tricks Blogging Challenge 2014

A is for Absentmindedness

What is Absentmindedness? It is not easy to explain and not too difficult I hope.

Absentmindedness is the ability to forget something simple that you should know or remember to do, work or other related things. As work is what I do mostly as a VA it is where I forget simple things to do.

Ah! Another day starts what am I going to forget today, with absentmindedness always around you never know what is next. Will I forget my favourite hard space or is it something new, never a dull moment. This phenomenon (Absentmindedness) can strike at any time morning, afternoon or night, it is not picky. Just when you think you have everything under control, it strikes. How to spell this word, do this graph, I just did this type of graph last week. It just doesn’t want to print today; I forgot to put the printer on. I need to fax this page but forgot to plug the fax line in. Simple but absentmindedness creates chaos.

An example for a specific client I need to use a hard space and keep on forgetting how to do it. Easy it is, easy to forget. Especially when you are busy and under pressure. I know it is control shift spacebar, but not at the time.

That small thing called absentmindedness creates this panic to get onto the Internet and ask a VA friend to assist, make me look silly at times, but part of work, maybe it is part of Alzheimer’s or not, who knows.

Solution, make a note and save it for your absentminded moments.

 

Written 30/12/2013. © Copyright 2014 AMF Typing Services. All rights reserved.

 

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VA Tips and Tricks Blogging Challenge 2014

Looking forward to taking part in the VA Tips and Tricks Blogging Challenge for 2014. The aim of the challenge is to produce 2 articles a week starting from the letter A and invite other VAs to go and view our articles and leave comments. This will drive traffic to our blogs and therefore increase our marketing and advertising for our companies. It will also enable us to meet and network with our peers from our Industry.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vatipsblogging/ Thanks to everyone involved for setting this great challenge.

Virtual Assistant Rates

If you go to a Café and order a cup of coffee at R10 a cup, you simply pay for your coffee or you go to the Doctor for an appointment at a price of R180 per hour, you don’t tell the Doctor that you have only had 15 minutes and therefore would like the hourly rate deducted down, you simply accept the rate and leave when your appointment is over, you don’t quibble on the price, the same with your coffee you do not ask what it takes to get that coffee, you accept it as it is, coffee does not make itself, a person must use time and make a cup of coffee, boiling water, preparing the coffee, milk and sugar, you use electricity to boil the water it does not boil itself, but we accept the price of that cup of coffee with no complaint about the price. Time costs money.

But when it comes to typing and transcription, you certainly want to know exactly what you get for your money and you want it at the lowest price you can get.

Virtual Assistants and Transcriptionists are like every other business, we have our expenses. It is not just a case of doing your transcription for you, we need to use our listening skills, we have to type fast to keep up with the recording, our grammar and spelling skills need to be used, our sentence construction, punctuation, proofing skills, our concentration and time also costs us money, we use electricity to run our computers and to run our modem so that we have ADSL access to do the clients work. We need to pay for web hosting to have the website that you saw our details on when you were looking for a Virtual Assistant or Transcriptionist. We have costs so that is why we charge the rates that we do as we are like any other business, we have running costs. We cannot run for free or give of our services for free because it costs us to do the jobs we do. Our rates are based on what we need to earn to cover our costs, no business runs without having costs.

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

The bottom line, how do I work successfully with a Virtual Assistant and save money?

By Dee Matheson

Now at long last the decision has been made and you’ve found a Virtual Assistant to help you with all those tasks that you’ve had sleepless nights over but does this whole thing actually work? How are you going to save money?

Well think of it like this, what would you do if you hired an on-site employee? How would you start with them and what would you be paying them? Chances are you have a task list a mile long and you need someone to help you immediately and if you are looking for an experienced on-site person, you will very likely have to wait for them because they have a resignation period, you will have to pay an employment agency a percentage of that person’s annual salary and then there are all the overheads, such as medical aid, pension fund and office equipment, to name but a few. Just on this alone, a Virtual Assistant can save you a small fortune because she has already got all the office equipment in place and you don’t have to pay her for any additional overheads and she is very likely available immediately. These are the basics and one thing to remember when working with a Virtual Assistant, she also runs a business and that both of you should treat each other as equals striving for the same goal, to be successful.
All this is quite understandable but now how do you work with a Virtual Assistant? Here are some ideas that might help:

·       What is your budget for a Virtual Assistant? Determine how much time you can afford your Virtual Assistant for, keep in mind that a Virtual Assistant can get a lot more accomplished in an hour’s time than an on-site employee, however, do be realistic and don’t expect the impossible. 

·        Now that you have an idea on how much time you need your Virtual Assistant for, make a list of tasks you need completed in order of importance and allocate a realistic time to these tasks.

 

·        It is vital that you build a good relationship with your Virtual Assistant, she knows that you’re not made out of money, so be clear on what needs to be done and by when so that no time nor money is wasted.  Discuss all the main priorities with her so that she can understand what’s important to you and let her advise you on estimated time as she will very likely know best how long some tasks may take.  For example, if you need your Virtual Assistant to transcribe an interview or discussion, take into account how many people are talking, is there background noise which makes it hard to hear and are there any accents involved. All of this does take time and should be discussed and taken into account.

·        As a Virtual Assistant myself, I find it’s vital to keep my client’s updated all the time. Make arrangements with your Virtual Assistant to give you feedback on tasks as frequently as you would like to be briefed. Not only will you know how the tasks are progressing but you will see if there are any issues that need to be dealt with immediately or any room for improvement.

·        Once you have worked with your Virtual Assistant for a short period you will get a feel for how best to work together. So as time goes on, keep adding to your list of tasks and in no time at all your business will be running smoother and more efficiently than ever before.

·        As your Virtual Assistant is a business owner too, ask for her opinion on a topic or area you are looking for feedback on. Chances are that she will have some valuable information for you and if she does not, she might know someone who does. Virtual Assistants work with lots of other business owners in various industries giving them a wealth of information through their connections and at their fingertips, but remember the confidentiality clause. She might not always be able to give you direct links but can advise you on the way forward, tap into this resource, it’s waiting to help you.

 

·        As a business owner, the hardest thing for you will be to delegate tasks to someone you don’t know, that’s why it’s important to have a trial period with your Virtual Assistant to see if  you can work together and become a team.  I always work with my clients for a 2 month trial period at a fixed rate and negotiate a longer period on a retainer basis once the relationship has been established. It’s the same as employing someone on-site, they also have a trial period before they become permanent staff.

If you need help and are not sure what direction to go in, call me, Dee Matheson on +27 82 925 7757 or email me on dmatheson@worldonline.co.za , no obligation. I’m looking forward to helping you go to the next level with your business.

 

 

Tips

Here are some tips on how to be a Virtual Assistant/Business Owner:

 

Act professionally at all times

 

Have the determination to succeed.

Provide a Quality service to your clients at all times.

 

Speak to your clients on the same level; you are a business owner, not a PA speaking to a Boss. Be on the same level as your client’s; do not address them as Mr Jones etc address them as Peter etc. Use first names. This immediately brings you on the same level. If you address that client as Mr Jones, this is immediately putting the client on a level higher than you; they will assume that role and treat you as a PA/Secretary which you are not.

 

If you feel you can give the client good advice and ideas on the tasks they assign you, do so, there is no harm in doing this. Show the client you know what you are doing; you know what you are talking about. Be confident and assertive in your approach to your clients.

 

When you feel a deadline is not reachable, negotiate, you will be doing the work, you know how long it will take, give yourself plenty of time to do the work and be negotiable on a deadline that you can reach. It is up to you as a business owner to tell you client ‘this deadline is unreal’ explain what is involved within the job, a lot of clients have no idea how long a particular job will take. They will give you very unreasonable deadlines. Only you know what you are capable of and you know your limits. This is often a problem in Transcription, the clients do not know how long it actually takes to transcribe and often the deadlines are tight but its up to you, as you are doing the job to negotiate this with the client, not the client to set this deadline for you, simply explain what is involved.

 

Do not take on jobs you have no idea how to do, a client will quickly find out you can not do this job and they will not have confidence and trust in you again. Only take on the work that you have experience in doing, especially so when you are just starting out. If you take on a job that is new to you, let the client know it’s new to you, but that you are very willing to learn and try.

 

State your business hours, state if you want to be contacted after hours or weekends, have this visible on your website, in your brochure, part of your terms and conditions. If you do not do so, clients will and do take advantage and contact you out of hours; clients will expect the impossible from you. Be in charge; be in control of your business.

 

Have your prices/rates already set before you open your business. When a client contacts you, you need to be able to get back to them quickly with a quotation. Know how much you are going to charge for each service you are going to offer. You set the price, you can be negotiable if need be, but You, not the client sets the overall price of the job, after all you are a business owner.

 

It is not easy running a VA business but if you schedule your day and especially if you have small children things will be easier for you. This is an example of what I do, I start work around 7am when the kids/hubby leaves for school/work, I then work till around 1.30pm, have lunch, then its time for the kids to come home, I assist with homework, lunch for them and then return to work around 2:30/3pm and work till around 6pm. I will come back to work after the kids go to bed if I have urgent work. I work the hours I have to work, to get my work done. If you have a husband, get his support in helping with the children while you work.

 

Keeps logs of what you are doing, always know what work/tasks you have in at any one time, this is helpful when you need to priorities. Know how to prioritise your work. Know how long it will take you to complete tasks. I know I can type 20 to 30 pages of typing a day, but if that typing has in graphs, flow diagrams, then it will be less and I make sure my clients know this. Your clients must know what you are capable of so that they can judge when giving you work.

If you want to be a Virtual Assistant, most Vas are Business Owners around the world, take on this role. A lot of VA’s in South Africa are saying they are freelance contractors or independent contractors why I don’t know, if you are a VA and running a business, doing the work, doing your bookkeeping, marketing and networking etc, then surely that is running a business, not being an independent contractor, there is a difference as there is a difference between PA and VA, if you are working from a virtual location, running a business you are not a PA. A PA is someone who is employed and as far as I am aware a VA is not employed.  Know these differences before you open your business so that you do portray yourself as a business owner and your clients will pick up on this and treat you accordingly.

 

If you can use free software to do your job, there is no harm in doing this; Open Office is compatible with Microsoft Office.

 

Make sure you have good virus protection on your pc.

 

As a VA you need to keep regular backups of your work and keep each clients work separate in different folders so that the work is easy to find when required.

 Feel free to comment on any of these tips above, I am quite happy to discuss any issues further, if you need me to.

Written by Alison Fourie, AMF Typing Services cc, © Copyright 2001 Ck2001/083866/23.  All rights reserved.

How will you manage your business whilst on holiday?

By Dee Matheson

It’s that wonderful time of year again here in South Africa, winter has started, it’s cold in the morning and evening but during the day the weather on the Highveld is fantastic, blue skies and lots of sunshine. What more can you ask for? The kids are getting excited about the July holidays and all your plans are made for that vacation you’ve been saving so hard for. 

Now here’s the dilemma, what to do with your business while on that well deserved holiday? You can’t close the doors, you need the money and you also don’t want to let your clients down.  It’s only human to stress about this when you are supposed to have a relaxing time with your family. Some business owners have very understanding clients and communicate with them regularly and have created a good relationship when it comes to taking leave but what if you’re not that lucky and don’t have the backup support to allow you to take time off? Or do you make the fatal mistake of either not taking a holiday at all and disappointing the family or trying to work whilst away?

Here are some tips to help you enjoy your holiday this year:

·        Take care of the majority of work before you go away. Make sure whatever can be completed prior to departure is done and dusted and let your clients know that all the tasks or jobs taken aboard have been completed. Plan ahead and get help if you need it to get the job done.

·        Communicate with your regular clients or customers and let them know that you’ll be on leave and when you’ll be back. Don’t leave them in the dark because it’s Murphy’s law that when you’re not available, that’s when they want you the most.

·        Have a support system in place and if you don’t know of anyone, get yourself a Virtual Assistant to ‘run’ your business whilst you’re away. Let her have all the necessary emails, contact information and current work that’s not been finalised yet. She can be your go-to person and handle things for you and also liaise with clients on your behalf so that they don’t feel stranded. Currently I’m doing this for an influential client who is overseas and it’s working like a charm. My client still feels in control of her business even though she is not in this country.

·        Be available for any emergencies. Again, this is where your Virtual Assistant comes to the fore and she will be able to assess if there is any need to contact you.  She will very likely be quite capable of handling the situation herself and only contact you if the situation absolutely warrants it.  If you still feel it’s necessary while you’re away, set a time to speak to your Virtual Assistant and run through any important issues and the outcome thereof. She will be your right-hand person and has your business interest at heart. Remember, if your clients are kept satisfied, she will be happy too because she knows she will get paid and is pleasing her client, that is you, at the same time. There is no better reassurance than having a satisfied client and a job well done for both parties. 

·        And the last but not least point, RELAX and enjoy the time that you’re away. You have now done everything in your power to make sure that all your ducks are in a row. You deserve that much needed break!

If you need support and are looking for that perfect back up Virtual Assistant, contact Dee Matheson on dmatheson@worldonline.co.za or look at my website on www.dfm-virtualassistant.co.za

 

How will you manage your business whilst on holiday?

How will you manage your business whilst on holiday?

By Dee Matheson

It’s that wonderful time of year again here in South Africa, winter has started, it’s cold in the morning and evening but during the day the weather on the Highveld is fantastic, blue skies and lots of sunshine. What more can you ask for? The kids are getting excited about the July holidays and all your plans are made for that vacation you’ve been saving so hard for. 

Now here’s the dilemma, what to do with your business while on that well deserved holiday? You can’t close the doors, you need the money and you also don’t want to let your clients down.  It’s only human to stress about this when you are supposed to have a relaxing time with your family. Some business owners have very understanding clients and communicate with them regularly and have created a good relationship when it comes to taking leave but what if you’re not that lucky and don’t have the backup support to allow you to take time off? Or do you make the fatal mistake of either not taking a holiday at all and disappointing the family or trying to work whilst away?

Here are some tips to help you enjoy your holiday this year:

·         Take care of the majority of work before you go away. Make sure whatever can be completed prior to departure is done and dusted and let your clients know that all the tasks or jobs taken aboard have been completed. Plan ahead and get help if you need it to get the job done.

 

·         Communicate with your regular clients or customers and let them know that you’ll be on leave and when you’ll be back. Don’t leave them in the dark because it’s Murphy’s law that when you’re not available, that’s when they want you the most.

 

·         Have a support system in place and if you don’t know of anyone, get yourself a Virtual Assistant to ‘run’ your business whilst you’re away. Let her have all the necessary emails, contact information and current work that’s not been finalised yet. She can be your go-to person and handle things for you and also liaise with clients on your behalf so that they don’t feel stranded. Currently I’m doing this for an influential client who is overseas and it’s working like a charm. My client still feels in control of her business even though she is not in this country.

 

·         Be available for any emergencies. Again, this is where your Virtual Assistant comes to the fore and she will be able to assess if there is any need to contact you.  She will very likely be quite capable of handling the situation herself and only contact you if the situation absolutely warrants it.  If you still feel it’s necessary while you’re away, set a time to speak to your Virtual Assistant and run through any important issues and the outcome thereof. She will be your right-hand person and has your business interest at heart. Remember, if your clients are kept satisfied, she will be happy too because she knows she will get paid and is pleasing her client, that is you, at the same time. There is no better reassurance than having a satisfied client and a job well done for both parties.

 

·         And the last but not least point, RELAX and enjoy the time that you’re away. You have now done everything in your power to make sure that all your ducks are in a row. You deserve that much needed break!

If you need support and are looking for that perfect back up Virtual Assistant, contact Dee Matheson on dmatheson@worldonline.co.za or look at my website on www.dfm-virtualassistant.co.za

 

Social Media

Years ago when VAs started out working from home they used to advertise office administration, typing and transcription as their services, today there is many more services you can offer clients. One of these services is Social Media. It is important for every business no matter how big or small to be part of social media. Cell Phones, Tablets and IPads are all centred around Social Media, being part of it is part of doing business in the world today.

You have had to set up your own business and have to include Social Media in as part of your networking and marketing so why not offer this service to potential clients, especially to new businesses/entrepreneurs etc. You have learnt enough through doing this for your business to have the experience in it to offer it as a service.
You can offer it on a package basis or on an hourly rate. You can offer social media, or offer it in separate services like Twitter or Facebook etc. You can log into your clients twitter account on a daily basis or every other day and set up tweets ahead of time, interact on behalf of your client with like minded businesses on twitter, the same with Facebook, Linked In etc. You could offer a package for social medial including all 3 the most popular social media platforms which are Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.

Today a lot of company's/businesses networking is done by joining groups within Facebook, Linked In etc. Being part of forums online. You network and interact with people and build up friendships and relationships. Networking is not about selling your project, its about building relationships with likeminded people in the same business as you and maybe business can come from this.

It is a great service to offer clients as its a much in demand service today. People cannot do business today without belonging somehow to social media.