Maintaining a Professional Image While Working at Home

One of the benefits of a home office is never having to wear a scratchy wool suit or pantyhose (unless you want to). The danger is that it’s easy to let that professional image slide if you spend the workday sitting on your couch wearing yoga pants and channel surfing in between conference calls. Follow these tips to maintain a professional image while working at home:

Stick to a schedule. True, working from home allows you to set your own schedule and gives you the flexibility to travel, take care of children, or otherwise tend to your personal life. But if clients never know when they’ll be able to reach you or if you sometimes sleep ‘til noon because you stayed up late watching movies, that can jeopardize your professional reputation. Your work hours will depend on the nature of your business and when you work best, but once you get into a schedule, try to follow it. And let your regular clients or customers know what those hours are. Being self-disciplined with your time means customers or clients can count on you and makes it easier to get work done.

Mind your social media use. Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be excellent tools for promoting your business and keeping in touch with old friends or colleagues. But if you get too personal or casual online, it can have an adverse effect on your business. Remember, anything you post online is public. Even if your settings are supposedly private, it’s easy for one of your contacts to take a screenshot or retweet something they find funny and/or offensive. Be friendly, but put on a professional face and always ask yourself how potential customers or clients might react to something you’ve posted.

Manage your incoming phone calls. If you use your cell phone for business and personal calls, remember to answer calls from unfamiliar numbers in a professional manner. Resist the urge to answer if you’re in a noisy bar or next to a screaming child. In fact, if you have young children, you should set up a separate phone line for your business and make sure you’re the only person who answers it.

Set up a separate workspace. Even if it’s a converted closet or a corner of your living room, having a space devoted to work helps you get into a business mindset that you’ll project to clients or customers. Having a designated workspace also helps you navigate issues of work/life balance. When you’re at your desk, it’s time to work. When you’re sitting on the couch watching TV, it’s time to relax.

Get out of the house when you have to. Sometimes it’s hard to feel like a professional when you’re surrounded by laundry that needs to be folded or toys that need to be put away. In those cases, it makes sense to work somewhere else, at least part of the time. It’s also smart to have a place outside of your home for meetings. Co working spaces often let you rent conference space by the hour or the day. You could also partner with another small business to share meeting or office space.

The bottom line? Maintain a professional mindset and create some separation (physically and mentally) between your business and your personal life.

© 2010 Ali International

Self-made millionaire entrepreneur and Inc. 500-ranked CEO Ali Brown teaches women around the world how to start and grow profitable businesses that make a positive impact. Get her FREE weekly articles and advice at http://www.alibrown.com/

Your Spouse Does What?

If you are like many small business owners, you try not to miss an opportunity to network with others. Did you know that some of your best referrals could come from your spouse, directly or indirectly sharing your business information with others? But if you are like Jennifer Harmon, you may need to train your spouse on what to say.

Darrell Harmon, of People Smarts, often uses examples from home in his business training sessions to explain how crucial conversations and crucial confrontations can be handled. Darrell used to say, “My wife does Pampered Chef.” Well yes, that is Jennifer’s business, and she has been a successful consultant for the past 13 years.

But here are the phrases Jennifer asked her husband to use to create an interest in her business:

“My wife goes into homes and teaches cooking skills.”
“My wife teaches women meal planning and cooking tips.”
“My wife shares with other women how to bring the family back around the table.”

The results – increased sales!

Have you been overlooking the opportunity to have your spouse or other family members network for you?

Bev McCrostie, M.Ed.
Virtual Assistant Certificate
Red Deer College
Bev.mccrostie@rdc.ab.ca
www.virtualassist.ca

Networking

Yikes! I am becoming my mother.

Last Friday I attended the Startup Princess Annual Conference for Women Entrepreneurs in Salt Lake City, Utah. During Heather Bailey’s Keynote address ( heatherbaileydesign.com), she asked if anyone had a tissue. I quickly reached into my bag and pulled out a package of Kleenex.

While Heather might have appreciated the opportunity to wipe away her tears (she had an inspiring message for women entrepreneurs that touched everyone’s heart), I had one of those “oh, boy” moments. Exactly when did I start loading into my bag:  a mending kit, hand cream, Tylenol, whiteboard markers, toothpaste, AA batteries,  3 rulers, 2 jumpsticks, a handful of mints – to name just a few. Do I need all those things? Well, you just never know when they might come in handy.

But that’s not my only resemblance to my mother. My sisters tease me that just like mom, I can strike up a conversation with virtual strangers. My response is, “Have you never heard of networking?!” What better way to connect with other women entrepreneurs than striking up conversations with the conference attendees. I came away with new contacts and ideas for reaching other markets.

Networking doesn’t have to be just at face-to-face events where you hand out and collect business cards, trying out your various elevator speeches to see which are the most effective. Networking is also being seen online with a blog, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It’s writing articles, commenting on other’s blogs, and sponsoring local and online events. For a small dollar amount, you can get the word out about your unique business offering. 

So yes, I do talk to strangers and I do have a spare (clean) Kleenex in my bag – just in case.

- Bev McCrostie, Coordinator for the VA Certificate Program is on sabbatical in Utah.  She will be sharing her insights along the way.

VA: Volunteer Assistant?

I am the proverbial volunteer – I can and so I do.  Often it is for my community or for an organization I am associated with; it is as a volunteer that I expend much time and energy.  Initially this was all good.  I had time.  I had nominal aspirations to “be my own boss”.  I learned a lot as a volunteer, or was able to put newly acquired skills to work, deepening the skill base and learning even more.  My portfolio of projects grew.  My reputation (at least within the organizations I helped) grew.  But this is where I think it ends.
The other side of this is volunteering as part of the business plan.  I can hear the gasps of shock through the ether.  Again, it gave me a forum to expand my skills, work like a professional, but ultimately with no financial reward.  I have been grappling with this and justifying it as a method of “advertising”.  It has developed into a string of negatives for me:  volunteering demands time, energy, imagination, and resources.

And despite the optimistic premise, it has yet to land a real client.  All it ultimately does is set up more situations where my talent/time/creative energy are all greatly appreciated, but no one wants to pay me for the work I do.

So this is where that ends too. I am slowly but surely disconnecting myself from my various community volunteer obligations (you know something is amiss when “volunteer” and “obligation” are strongly connected).  And I have promised myself never to take on another “volunteer” client project no matter how exciting it is, or great the exposure to other potential clients, unless reciprocity is guaranteed in some fashion.  I remember reading somewhere during my VA classes at Red Deer College, that you gain credibility by charging for what you do, and by charging appropriately.  Pro bono work is encouraged in the context of “value added” service to existing clients or in lieu of advertising or some other tangible service (read barter). 

The reason for taking on a volunteer project must be rationalized and justified, as not only will your professional life suffer so will your personal life depending on when you work on the volunteer projects.  The pros of volunteering (at the community level or for potential clients) include reinforcing many skills that are taught in the VA program (what comes to mind in particular are desktop publishing, document formatting, spreadsheet skills, and web design, in addition to office management) and building up your portfolio of projects.  The con of volunteering is the tremendous loss of time and creative energy for no monetary compensation.  .  While initially there was great pride in a job well done – improving or creating something that works – now there is just fatigue and little joy. 

I don’t plan to quit volunteering all together – for that would be to deny who I am.  But I will be much more diligent in analyzing my overall goals and needs in my determination of what I can and what I should not do.

Suzanne Welsh

The Power of Video Marketing…

…for your Virtual Assistance Business

Recently, I ran a webinar event for my VAClassroom Members titled: “Marketing your VA Business in a Web 2.0 World“. We spent some time discussing the power of Video Marketing and the sheer potential it has for rapidly increasing website traffic and improving search listings.

I mentioned to the group that I had recently noticed that very few Virtual Assistants actually have included video on their websites nor have submitted videos to YouTube. Now, I am sure some of you have, but I still think you would make up the minority at this point.

I posed the question during the webinar, “Why are most Virtual Assistants not including Video in their marketing efforts?” Does it have to do with simply not having the right equipment to produce the videos or is there a “fear factor” involved here? Is there a hesitation to jump in front of the camera for fear of looking silly or not presenting yourself very well? Would you fall into this category?

I have produced many YouTube Videos in my home office, backyard, park, coffee shop, hotel room and I have to say that I always feel a little weird initially when doing the videos, but thanks to the editing power of tools such as Sony Vegas Movie Studio, I am able to clear my stutters and stammers and actually produce a quality video. Creating videos is kind of like public speaking -  the more you do it, the more natural it becomes. In the first couple videos, you might feel like a “deer caught in headlights”, but it gets easier!

The bottom line here is that Video marketing is way too powerful and effective to not include in your overall marketing game plan.

Here are 5 compelling reasons for adding Video Marketing to your current promotional strategies:

1.    Videos offer an innovative medium to present the selling benefits of your business in a way that brings out your personality, top-notch skills and abilities.

2.    Videos become a mini digital marketing message for your VA business as you syndicate it through targeted channels in YouTube as well as other Social Network sites such as your Facebook Business Profile. Videos are quickly becoming the web’s fastest means of transmitting information and content! I have created a number of YouTube videos for our training center, VAClassroom and I have been super pleased with the targeted traffic we have received.

3.    Videos bring “YOU” to the forefront. They get you out from behind your website and allow prospective clients to learn more about you and assess whether you are the type of person they would like work with. It is a resume “in action”!

4.    Videos allow you to engage prospective clients in a personalized and creative way that compliments your existing website content. As mentioned, I have seen very few Virtual Assistance sites that offer a personalized video introduction. This could be a powerful addition to your website.

5.    Videos are an easy “calling card” to pass to prospective businesses you would like to work with. You can simply drop them an email with your contact information and YouTube Link to your viral video. As a client, I would much rather watch a two-minute video than read through a long email or content-heavy website. Videos can give the “straight goods” on who you are and how you help take a client’s business to the next level.

In conclusion, here are four quick pointers for creating effective business videos:

1.    Be YOURSELF! It is essential not to over-professionalize yourself so that you come across as a robot devoid of all personality. Be honest with who you are and what you bring to the table. I have watched many YouTube videos and the ones that always catch my eye are those that are more casual and “real” as opposed to stuffy and corporate-like. We are virtual workers for goodness sake – save the dry videos for the “corporate zombies”!

2.    Keep your marketing videos relatively short and concise (under two or three minutes). Most Internet Business owners have large workloads and tons of competing priorities. They likely don’t have a lot of time to watch lengthy videos, so quick and snappy is the key!

3.    Be creative and try to “stand out from the pack”. If I was to review videos from Virtual Assistants I was considering hiring, I would be looking for something memorable. If a VA is simply reciting the skills and services already listed on the website, then I might quickly lose interest and move on.

4.    Do Video-Based Cold Calls. I would be pro-active and brainstorm a list of business owners you might want to approach. Send an introductory email with a link to your website and YouTube Video. This approach beats mail-outs and template emails because you are sending a customized video that is quickly and easily viewable. Plus, you are “speaking their language” as many of these business owners are using videos for their own business as well!

As you probably can tell, I am very passionate about Video marketing primarily due to the profound impact it has had on my traffic and search listings. There is no better time to incorporate Video into your overall marketing strategy then right now. Lights, Camera, Action!

Craig Cannings is an experienced Internet Entrepreneur and Marketer who co-founded VAClassroom, a niche training center for Virtual Assistants that offers practical and in-demand skills training programs. Their flagship course, the Internet Marketing VA Training Program equips Virtual Assistants with niche Internet marketing skills that businesses are seeking today. Also, VAClassroom has just released a new Social Media Marketing Specialist Program in 2009.

Professional Virtual Author’s Assistant Training

Professional Virtual Author’s Assistant Training and Certification Program

Regular Course cost: $633.00 

RDC Graduates cost with discount: $519.00

To receive this discount contact michelle.jamison@rdc.ab.ca

For futher details click here

Thinking About the Unthinkable

I had to think the unthinkable last week.  What would happen if I had an accident that prevented me from working ever again?  I know, not a very nice thought, in fact it’s rather morbid, but as a business owner that solely depends on my ability to work to pay the bills….well it’s a something I had to face and plan for.

It’s not as if I have never thought about the subject, but as quickly as I’ve opened that door, I close it. Not a smart way to handle it, but it has never been a topic I’ve been truly comfortable with.  I’ve never been one to dwell on the “unthinkable.”  I’d say I’m your typical “take each day as it comes” kinda gal. And I’ve always been fine with that.

Yet, this shifted during a meeting with my insurance agent and I had no choice but to answer the question “What do you have planned if an unforeseen accident prevented you from working?”

Well, geezz… I don’t know (can we change the subject?).  The wheel in my mind began spinning and all those scenarios began playing in my mind and honestly —I didn’t have an answer.   I had no clue what would happen to my business, my home, my life, if I could no longer work.   I hadn’t prepared for that.  I mean, I have life insurance, so my family will have no worries when I drop dead…but be alive and not able to work…is that even possible for me…I’m sure that will never happen!

In a very tactful manner, my insurance agent assured me, that yes, although I may believe that I’m exempt from this possibility …Not so, this could very well happen to me as it happens to thousands of small business owners every year.   Every year business owners are faced with unexpected life altering moments.   Not only being faced with the impact an accident will have on them physically and the time and focus it will take them to get better, but how that accident will impact their business, their livelihood.

Talk about a slap to the face!   I was not at all prepared to hear that!

A huge reality check for me and a question I now have to have an answer to.  So I’m taking the steps now to put in place a plan.  A plan that will take care of my business, my home, my family if the unthinkable happens.  Between critical illness insurance and disability insurance

I have a lot to think about but the good thing is….I’m actually thinking about it.   Not simply closing the door.

The fact is as service providers, we depend on ourselves to get the work done.  Our livelihood depends on us being fit to do the job.

So, as uncomfortable the thought is — if the unthinkable happens –do you have a plan?

Written by:
Michelle Jamison
www.mjva.ca

Childproof that Office

As a mother of a 2 year old, I found out the hard away about what it means to have a “childproof office”.  At two, my daughter is at the height of curiosity; her little hands can find their way into the smallest of areas. To her, a computer keyboard resembles a piano, any piece of paper lying on the desk is fair game and needs a little red crayon,  even the garbage basket can become a little too tempting for my little munchkin to explore.

It was becoming a growing concern, I came to realize very quickly (when I walked into my office to find her under my desk with my computer power cord wrapped around her arm shouting “pull, pull” as she was yanking it from the wall) that it was time to take childproofing a little more seriously.

Now I do have childcare and for the most part my office is off limits, however in some cases having my daughter with me while I work is unavoidable and quite honestly often I enjoy the company.   After all one of the reason why I became a VA was to have more time with my family.

So I began the childproofing process, I read a few articles, did a little research and came up with my plan of action.

1. Create a distraction. I wanted to ensure she had plenty of things to keep her occupied besides the “shiny” stapler.  I put together a box of toys that are only for the office.  Since she doesn’t play in my office too much, these toys are a new discovery every time she’s there.
2. Give her, her own keyboard. She loves my computer keyboard and quite honestly what child wouldn’t. Instead of having her type away on mine and then having to figure out how to get rid of all those error messages, I found an old keyboard not in use and allow her to play with that.  She loves it!
3. Outlet covers. Why are electrical outlets so attractive to a 2 year old? Well they are, at least to my 2 year old. I placed outlet covers on any outlet in my office that did not have something in it.
4. Get rid of the wire. For the most part my office is a wireless environment. However I can’t get rid of 100% of the wires.  I neatly tied them up with cable ties and made them a little less noticeable.  Out of sight, out of mind!
5. Lid the Garbage. I found a cheap little garbage with a lid on it. Not the most convenient for me when I have to throw something out, but worth the 2 extra seconds it takes to take the lid off in order to avoid my daughter picking out crumbled paper and chewing on it.
6. Put the paper away. I have to admit I do not run a totally paperless office (I’m working on it though) so I have managed to become a little more aware of the amount of paper I have in my office and what I’m using.  I now try to file everything that isn’t “nailed” down.
7. Little items, big problems. It’s amazing to me how even the littlest items can be so interesting to a 2 year old.  Again, I’ve been more conscious of loose staples, elastics, tacks, paper clips and appropriately store them out of little hands reach.  Desk drawers with childproof latches are great for this.  If you lack drawer space, Tupperware containers make great storage for little items.

So as you can see my plan didn’t take too long to implement, the cost was very minimal, and all worth it to spend a little more time in the day with my little girl.  Of course, she was right about one thing, a little splash of red crayon can make a huge difference.

Written by:
Michelle Jamison
www.mjva.ca

Procrastination – Strategies that worked for me!

I have to admit, some days I am a procrastinator, not every day, but some days. In the past I was a much bigger procrastinator then what I am today. If I didn’t like to do something I would just keep putting it off until I finally got tired of seeing it on my “to do” list after a few weeks, “bite the bullet” and finally get it done. Once it was done, I would have a huge feeling of accomplishment and wonder why I just didn’t take care of it sooner.

My procrastination was never about client work as those were tasks I always loved to do; it was always about “my stuff”, certain projects I had to do for myself or for my business. For instance, tax time was always a huge source of procrastination for me, getting my paperwork and electronic files together to bring to the accountant were one of those items I always seemed to have left for the last possible moment.

Now as I mentioned, I’ve gotten much better over the years and have learned a few strategies to help me get through those moments when procrastination tries to creep in. Maybe they’ll work for you too!

1. Break the task down into smaller, manageable pieces. Large projects can be a little overwhelming and can trigger the “procrastination gremlin”. Break your larger project into smaller pieces, and work for shorter periods.
2. Get the hardest or the easiest over with first. I have always preferred to tackle the most difficult pieces first to get it off my plate, however other’s work much better by taking on the easiest pieces, building momentum then working on the most difficult.  Whatever works best for you is the way to go.
3. Have someone hold you accountable. Share the details and goals of your project with your Coach, a co-worker or a friend who is willing to hold you accountable for getting the work done.  Have them send you weekly check in emails to discuss your progress.  My Coach has been an amazing source of support during these times.
4. Reward yourself. This has to be my favourite strategy.   I don’t think we reward ourselves enough for a “good job done”.  For me, a reward is a source of motivation, it does not have to be anything elaborate, it could be just taking a few hours off earlier from work.  If a reward would motivate you, then treat yourself to something that really gets your gears in motion.

The one thing I realized about procrastination is that putting things off till later eventually rolled into the “now”.   So there really isn’t a later.

Written by:
Michelle Jamison
www.mjva.ca

Building Community

I have to honestly say that the Virtual Assistant Profession has to be one of the most supportive professions there is.  The feeling of community is one of the reasons why I love being a VA.  Being a part of a community, whether it is a person-to person community or a virtual community, for me is really the “heart” of being a Virtual Assistant.

As an instructor for Red Deer Colleges’ Virtual Assistant Certificate Program where I teach marketing, I am sometimes asked the question, “What does building community have to do with building a business, where is the connection?”   So, I’d like to share with you what I share with my students:

Building Community is about Building Relationships
Building relationships is key to any business’s success.  By being a part of a community, you are building much-needed relationships to help your business grow.

Building Community supports Referral Generation
By being a part of a community, you are opening yourself up to possibilities of referrals from colleagues.  If you build those relationships and build the trust within your community, others will be comfortable referring your services.

Building Community increases Knowledge
Knowledge sharing is a huge benefit of building community. It’s about sharing opinions, ideas thoughts and different perspectives.  It provides a venue to ask questions, and give answers.  Learn from others who “have been there, done that!”

Building Community adds Credibility
By being an active participant in your community and let your voice be heard. Everyone has something to contribute, get involved and become a leader in your field.

Building Community keeps us Sane
At times we feel very isolated from the rest of the world sitting alone in our home office.  By being part of a community, you are surrounded by others who deal with the same issues and experiences.  Extend yourself to your community.

The above is an article based on the foundations of the book The Virtual Assistants Guide to Marketing by Michelle Jamison.

Michelle is owner and operator of MJVA (www.mjva.ca).  While managing her company, Michelle is also an instructor for Red Deer College’s Virtual Assistant Certificate Program, where she teaches, Marketing, Starting a VA Business and Office Management. She is the author of The Virtual Assistants Guide to Marketing which is the basis for the MJVA Strategic Marketing Package, a unique offering for Virtual Assistants who need one-on-one support with marketing their business.

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