Amazing Line-Up of 42 Speakers in 1 Month… Are You Registered?
July 21, 2008
I HAD to blog this today because starting August 1, 2008, we’re featuring an amazing line-up of 42 speakers in one month (well, technically less than 1 month as we’re not including weekends!)
The Summer Speaker Series features speakers such as James Roche, Viki Viertel, Christina Merkley, Sheri McConnell, MaryPat Kavanagh, Amber Miller, Tara Kachaturoff, Pam Ivey, Lou Bortone, Lynn Scheurell, Allana Pratt, Kristi Pavlik, Alexis Neely, and SO many more.
Find out more and sign-up NOW (we start August 1!) at www.summerspeakerseries.com!
We’ve got two tracks… One for entrepreneurs and one for virtual assistants. You can also sign-up for both tracks and get the best of both worlds! We have seats only or seats and audio downloads so you don’t have to attend each call to learn all of the tips and tactics!
So, here’s the deal… Simply read through the Summer Speaker Series webpage and view the speaker line-up. If it interests you, scroll to the bottom where the big yellow box is and choose your package. Then, register your seat and prepare for an AMAZING month!
Find out more and sign-up NOW (we start August 1!) at www.summerspeakerseries.com!
You can get each event for $3.50 (at one of our package deals!)… You can’t beat that! We’re also giving away door prizes to those people who sign up so register NOW! Oh, and the first 100 people who register also get access to our special bonus track!
Find out more and sign-up NOW (we start August 1!) at www.summerspeakerseries.com!
So join me and my guests in the month of August. You will NOT be disappointed!
(P.S. - Don’t want to attend? Why not consider promoting the event? You can earn up to $60 per sign-up. See the page above, scroll to the bottom and click on ‘Affiliates’ for full details…)
Technorati Tags: Erin Blaskie, virtual assistant, virtual assistance, VA, virtual assistants, Summer Speaker Series, James Roche, Christina Merkley, Sheri McConnell, Viki Viertel, Carla Young, Amber Miller, Pam Ivey, Kristi Pavlik, MaryPat Kavanagh, Lou Bortone, Tara Kachaturoff, Lynn Scheurell, Charly Leetham, Allana Pratt, Kathie Thomas, Debbie LaChusa, Wendy Weiss, Jody Gabourie, Janet Foust, Rebecca Zwar, Julie Maloney, Alexis Neely, Terri Z, Allison Nazarian, Donna Gunter, Diana Ennen, Michele PW, Alicia Smith, Carol Deckert, Mari Smith, Erik S. Olson, Blog Squad, The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Denise Wakeman, Dr. Sally Witt, Sally Witt, Mary-Lou Ashton, Kristen Beireis, speaker summit, speaker series
Get More Clients: Learn How to Talk About What You Do
July 18, 2008
You know how business coaches are always telling you to perfect your “elevator pitch”? That 30-second description of who you are, what you do and how you benefit your clients and customers? Well, DO IT! 
It’s important to know exactly why someone will benefit from working with you and hiring you on as their virtual assistant before you go off and network or market your business. The thing is, if you don’t know how to explain what you do, how is anyone going to grow interest in your business?
Because of the nature of our industry, virtual assistance is picking up steam in terms of how well known we are and people are getting an education on what a virtual assistant is and isn’t but it’s still up to you to convey a great message to someone in a short amount of time.
Here’s an example:
I am a virtual assistant. I work with small business owners, coaches, speakers and internet marketers to streamline their operations and grow their presence on the web through internet marketing, social networking and other current marketing methods.
While that may not suit you per say, it’s important to hone in on your benefit to people rather than just hmm’ing and haa’ing over this mystic world of virtual assistance we’re in.
If you’ve honed in on a message, what is it? Share it below in the comments!
Technorati Tags: The VA Coach, The Virtual Assistant Coach, The Virtual Assistance Coach, virtual assistant, virtual assistance, get more clients, elevator pitch, VA, Erin Blaskie
Are You Pro-Active With Your Client Work?
July 17, 2008
One common thread I see amongst really successful virtual assistants is there ability to be pro-active. They encourage their clients to delegate and outsource and they create ideas around their client’s businesses in order to ramp up their own billable hours and get their clients relying more heavily on them.
So, the question is - how pro-active are you?
Being pro-active means:
- Going through your open client projects and making sure you are up-to-date and then going ten steps ahead to see what else you can do for your client
- Doing things that make logical sense to a project but might be things that your client didn’t think of at first
- Thinking outside of the box and offering up new project and task ideas to your clients
- Doing things that your client hasn’t held your hand through
Do you currently do things in your virtual assistance business that is pro-active? If so, I’d love to hear about it!
Technorati Tags: The VA Coach, The Virtual Assistant Coach, VA Coach, virtual assistant coach, virtual assistant, virtual assistance, VA, Erin Blaskie, pro-active, client, client work
Stop the Flow of E-mail People!
July 16, 2008
This is a short post but an important reminder. With the influx of e-mail in everyone’s inboxes, it’s super difficult to manage it all. So, here are some short reminders regarding e-mail.
- Not everything requires a response. If you’re just writing back to say ‘Thanks!’, don’t bother. :) I mean that in the nicest way possible! It’s not required and just causes the person on the other end to go into e-mail overwhelm.
- When setting appointments, be concise and clear. If someone is trying to schedule something with you, tell them an exact time, exact date and say, “If this works, just write back ‘confirmed’ and I’ll call you. Otherwise, please let me know two or three times that you have open and I’ll match that up with my schedule.” Or, use a self-scheduling system like mine at http://www.bsetc.ca/schedule/
- If you’ve e-mailed someone once and they haven’t replied, don’t e-mail them a thousand times. Instead, look up their assistant’s e-mail address, an alternate address on their website, a phone number and use another means of communication.
Help me stop the flow of e-mail. There is far too much of it floating around cyber-space!
Technorati Tags: The VA Coach, The Virtual Assistant Coach, Erin Blaskie, virtual assistant, virtual assistance, VA Coach, VA, e-mail, e-mail management, email
Get in the Face of Your Ideal Client at Least Once per Day
July 15, 2008
One of the questions I am asked most often by my coaching clients is, “How do I get more clients?“ This can be an easy answer or a difficult answer depending on you. If you’re the type of person who likes a small amount of work to do, you’ll receive a small return. If you are willing to spend the time, you’ll receive a higher return. The way that I answer this question easily for both groups is like this: get out there and in the face of your ideal client at LEAST once per day. Every day. No exceptions.
Here is a short list of ideas around this:
- Join Facebook and look up groups that contain your ideal clients. Real estate VA? Then join some real estate groups and give advice. The trick here is not to come across as pushy or ’selly’ but rather just build relationships and showcase your expertise.
- Sign up for a free Twitter account and tweet about the things you do. Using Twitter can be an amazing tool to further showcase your talents, expertise and what you are up to. When people see this and have a need for it, you can partner with them.
- Join some industry-specific forums or message boards. Again, look for the forums and message boards where your ideal clients hang out and join in the conversation! Just remember, it’s all about relationship-building and creating win-win scenarios.
- Write articles and press releases often and submit those. While this isn’t a daily thing, having these things on the web will generate traffic regularly thus increasing your reach.
I also have a short document on how to get clients. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail to info@thevacoach.com and I’ll send it over - free of charge.
Technorati Tags: virtual assistant, virtual assistance, va coach, virtual assistant coach, Erin Blaskie, BSETC, finding clients, getting clients, how do I find clients for my virtual assistance business
Featured on ABCNews.com!
July 15, 2008
The VA Coach was mentioned in an article on ABCNews.com! Check it out by clicking through this link.
Here’s an excerpt:
Virtual Assistant
When it comes to the skill set of virtual assistants, anything goes. In the past, I’ve hired virtual assistants to help proofread and publicize my books, return my e-mail and phone messages, even update my blog. But other VAs dabble in bookkeeping, database management, web design, transcription and any other support service that you can think of.
“Rather than seek out a VA training program, find courses that focus on the specific skills you would like to develop and sell services in,” said Christine Durst, co-founder and CEO of Staffcentrix, a virtual assistant training firm based in Woodstock, Conn.
Your community college is a great place to find these classes. Additional resources that can help: AssistU, The 2-Second Commute and The Virtual Assistant Coach.
Technorati Tags: Virtual assistant, virtual assistance, virtual assistant coach, va coach, Erin Blaskie, BSETC, ABC News, ABCNews.com
Announcing the New Group Coaching Program from the VA Coach: How to Build and Grow a Multi-VA Practice 4-Week Group Coaching Program
July 7, 2008
Have you been giving some thought to the multi-VA practice?
Do you want to be involved in your VA business but work a little bit less?
Would you like to earn extra money for every hour that someone else is working?
Say hello to the multi-VA practice. This business model allows us as virtual assistants to expand our businesses, service more clients, work less and earn more. Working less and earning more is something I think we’re all after!
This four-week group coaching program is designed to give you all of the tools, knowledge and support to grow your business and expand into a multi-VA practice. Delivered in the evening, you can easily make this program a part of your weekly routine.
Take me to the information and registration page!
All calls are one hour in length and there are two calls per week. The calls are recorded and each of the calls are part content (aka The VA Coach talking “at” you) and part mastermind (aka you being involved and the call being interactive).
You’ll also receive action items around building your team, resources to make this process easier and quicker and access to an interactive learning environment so you can make your experience that much better!
Plus (if what we’ve discussed isn’t good enough!) you’ll have lifetime access to this program so if we change it or modify it in any way, you can come back and take it again!
Take me to the information and registration page!
Here’s what this course includes:
- The steps to take to begin the process of building your team
- How to talk to your existing and potential clients about having a team
- Documentation you need to have in place to protect you and your business
- How to find your VA sub-contractors
- Warning signs and red flags when hiring team members
- Systems to use to effectively manage your team
- Client and sub-contractor relationship systems
- Ways to profit from this business model
Take me to the information and registration page!
Here are just some of the bonus items you’ll receive:
- Resources and documentation examples that you can use and implement in your business immediately.
- Access to the information collected on VA sub-contractors during the “So You Think You Can Sub?” auditions and access to future auditions.
- Audio downloads that feature even more content around building a team and growing your multi-VA practice.
- One hour coaching session with The VA Coach to make sure you get your team built.
You can receive all of the above for only $199!
Take me to the information and registration page!
Join today and start the process of building a multi-VA practice. It’s rewarding, enriching and will allow you to work on other projects to diversify your business portfolio.
I hope to see you there!
Technorati Tags: Erin Blaskie, BSETC, The VA Coach, virtual assistant, virtual assistance, virtual assistants, multi-virtual assistant, multi-VA, multi-VA firm, multi-VA practice, team of virtual assistants, VA, VAs, group coaching program
Time Management Secrets with Viki Viertel
June 24, 2008
Time management survival is something we ALL deal with on a daily basis. It’s no easy task… especially for the entrepreneur. We juggle more things than the professional jugglers do in the circus and we’re supposed to maintain composure while doing so!
Viki Viertel, amazing entrepreneur and time management guru, has mastered this art like no other. She does what other people find impossible. She runs her life, a full career, hours on a gruelling sound stage and more…
Tomorrow, June 25, at 2PM Eastern (1PM Central, Noon Mountain and 11AM Pacific), we are going to be hosting another Virtual Assistant Mastermind teleseminar!
This teleseminar features Viki Viertel who is the founder and owner of The Business Buddha (www.thebusinessbuddha.com) and Digital Buddha Studios (www.digitalbuddhastudios.com).
Come to this teleseminar to learn:
- How to find more time in your day, week, month and year!
- The best practices you need to instil into your life today
- What to eliminate and what to keep
- And much, much more!
Join us tomorrow at 2PM Eastern for this exciting call! There are three ways to join…
(1) Purchase a seat in the teleseminar for only $24.95! (That’s amazing value for a full hour with Viki Viertel! She charges hundreds for personal coaching…)
http://virtualassistantmastermind.com/speakerseries.html
(2) Become a Speaker Series Member. For only $24.95 per month, you can get access to 2+ teleseminars with some amazing speakers including Joan Stewart, Penny C. Sansevieri, Debbie LaChusa, Alexis Martin Neely and more!
http://virtualassistantmastermind.com/memberinfo.html#speaker
(3) Become a full-time member. You can join the Virtual Assistant Mastermind and have access to the speaker series, recordings and past events, and much, much more!
http://virtualassistantmastermind.com/memberinfo.html
So, I hope you’ll come out and support Viki and the Virtual Assistant Mastermind tomorrow! Find out full details here:
http://virtualassistantmastermind.com/speakerseries.html
To your virtual success!
Technorati Tags: Erin Blaskie, BSETC, Business Services ETC, virtual assistant, virtual assistance, Viki Viertel, The Business Buddha, Digital Buddha Studios, time management, time management guru, time management secrets, time management expert
Working With Clients Who Have Had Negative Experiences Prior to You
June 19, 2008
Have you ever been doing a potential client call and the client says something along the lines of, “This will be my fifth VA! My previous VA experiences weren’t so good and I’m just hoping that you’ll be better…”? If so, you aren’t alone. It happens… Clients who have had negative experiences with a virtual assistant show up at your door already peeved with their past experience and if they do, I suggest you run for the hills.
Here’s why…
Imagine that you just purchased a new pair of shoes (I’m using shoes here because I l-o-v-e shoes) and you get them home, put them on, go out dancing and the heels break - your support system trashed. Not just one but two heels break leaving you walking super awkwardly down the street to go home… Early.
Attempt two. You purchase the same pair of shoes in an attempt to give the brand the opportunity to redeem themselves. You go out, this time to your best friend’s wedding - something super important - and a half hour into the reception, the toe of the shoe falls off. (Editor’s note: not sure how that would happen but needed a variation from the heels… haha) You realize that the shoe style just can’t be passed off as a peep-toe shoe so you leave your friend’s wedding out of embarassment and sheer frustration.
So, now you’ve decided to give it ONE LAST SHOT… You’re angry, frustrated and at your wit’s end. You’ve given this brand TWO CHANCES and they failed miserably both times. Even though this new pair of shoes is completely new, it doesn’t matter. You’ve lost faith, you’ve lost hope and you certainly aren’t about to give the brand a fair shot. No way. They’ve wronged you and now they’ve got something to prove.
Stop there… Does that sound familiar?
If you’ve experienced this from the VA end, you know that regardless of what happens and what YOU do to change that person’s perspective, it won’t matter. You’ll enter a client relationship where you’re walking on egg shells and they are sitting back just waiting (and I’m sure a part of their brain is hoping) that you’ll screw up so that they can say, “Ah ha! I was right!”
If you are the client who has done this, I encourage you to re-evaluate your thoughts a bit. The thing is, every single service provider (and this goes for any industry) is different. Not all are the same and if one VA doesn’t fit, another will. It really boils down to you, your ability to overcome experiences and your ability to leave your baggage behind.
So, to my fellow virtual assistants, if you’ve heard people talk about looking for “red flags” in a potential client call, that is one. A BIG one.
Technorati Tags: Virtual assistant, virtual assistance, potential clients, red flags, Erin Blaskie, The VA Coach, www.thevacoach.com, VA
Teleseminar with Janet Barclay Today!
June 19, 2008
This afternoon, at 3PM Eastern (2PM Central, 1PM Mountain and Noon Pacific), we are going to be hosting another Virtual Assistant Mastermind teleseminar!
This teleseminar features Janet Barclay who is a Master Virtual Assistant, the Founder and General Manager of Organized Assistant, and Co-Author of “Maximizing Your Time with Microsoft Outlook 2003.”
If you are anything like me, organizing yourself and your computer can be overwhelming at first. You like at all of the electronic files you have, e-mail you’ve got and folders upon folders and you’re just not sure what to do with them.
Today, Janet is going to be covering tips and techniques to organize your e-mail and other electronic files and she’ll help you discover how your computer can enhance, rather than hinder, your productivity!