(Add to Favorites | View All Articles | Resource Directory)
|
|
|
The Virtual Assistant
As a small business owner, outsourcing work to Virtual Assistants is fast becoming a popular and intelligent decision. The business owner saves enormous amounts of money by cutting the costs of offices and equipment overhead as well as expensive benefits packages. The 'Virtual Office' creates an enormous amount of personal freedom and independence for both the small business owner and the virtual workers. The dedication and commitment that virtual workers demonstrate testifies to the satisfaction derived from a home office setting. Being on the cutting edge of this profession offers tremendous opportunity for technical savvy entrepreneurs to secure a viable and stable home business opportunity. A good business plan and well thought out marketing campaigns are crucial to the organized success of a Virtual Assistant in both securing enough clients and/or work to meet their budget goal as well as adequately being able to balance clients and deadlines. Virtual Assistant's actually would be well advised to embrace a business partner or utilize a team of trusted colleagues to entrust overflow work to. The standards of a good Virtual Assistant aren't easily met and establishing a virtual network of quality workers isn't an easy task. Any overflow work that you outsource must exemplify the same care and quality as your own or you stand the chance of alienating your clients. As the owner of a home business resource specifically geared toward professional mothers seeking home based work, I am often approached for advice on how to become a Virtual Assistant and also receive many inquiries about what skills are required to be successful in the field. To gain and retain clients, my main advice is to maintain your professionalism in all of your interactions with your client. As much as it is a leap for you to give up the 'security' of working in a corporate office, it is also a very new concept for business owners to outsource their work to a team of 'Virtual Workers' who they may likely never even see face-to-face. There is a great level of trust employed in this relationship and your professionalism in correspondence and phone calls will go a long way in securing their trust. Furthermore, I advise you to pay great attention to your accuracy and final product that you submit to your clients. Meet all of your deadlines, and know at least two days ahead of time if you are not going to be able to meet them. Communicate that to your client before the project is late and keep in communication on a daily basis from the beginning to the end of all projects with brief status reports. Make yourself easily accessible through email, telephone and instant messenger. You should have access to whatever instant messenger service your client prefers. The most popular are ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo. Be certain to set your instant messengers to save your history so that you can easily refer back to client request or comments without having to solicit the client to repeat what they already have said. A rule of thumb is to remain in communication with the client, but don't waste their time. The client should end their work day each day with a sense of real gratitude of the skills, organization and trustworthiness you bring to the table. They should know that you are available to converse with at almost any time but you do not bother them unless it is absolutely necessary. In the end the presence of a Virtual Assistant should prove to make the company more money because the owner and other business team members can focus on income producing areas of business that they otherwise wouldn't have as much time to do. The most common and I would say necessary tools for the job are the most current version of Microsoft Office. You should have and be comfortable using Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access. You should have either Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Frontpage and know the basics of HTML and ftp'ing files to and from servers. So much of a Virtual Assistant's work is based online that it really is crucial to have DSL or Cable internet access. You also want to have a good computer that you can rely on. There is so little expense in running a virtual office that I don't believe it is wise to cut corners with your computer, software and other office equipment. Having the latest technology on hand and continuing to acquire and master new skills will increase your desirability and worth in the eyes of your clients. It will also demonstrate your commitment to your career. When a client begins to trust you with important responsibilities and invests the time in training and familiarizing you with the procedures of their particular business, they need to be able to depend on you and to know that you are committed to your work. In short, with administrative skills and above average technical savvy, coupled with an organized and professional approach - a career as a Virtual Assistant is definitely a viable and rewarding option. About The Author Lori Redfield, owner of FreelanceMom.com, http://www.freelancemom.com is a Virtual Assistant, Freelance Designer and Internet entrepreneur. To sign up for her monthly newsletter, visit http://www.freelancemom.com/newsletter.htm
MORE RESOURCES: News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News 'Small Business Basics Series' begins in March Small Business Economy Continues To Grow Modestly Pair launch equity crowdfunding platform for small-biz owners - Crain's Detroit Business Decline of small business hurts recovery, jobs growth Fla. lawmakers propose small biz sales tax holiday - First Coast News Investors leading surge on small-biz loans - Insurance News Net GST red tape hurting business, economy |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Be Nice to Your Payroll Department Ok, so next to the taxman, your company payroll department might well be the most criticised people on the planet. Of course, when your pay is accurate and on time then you love the payroll people with a passion but when things go wrong it is a completely different matter. Start a Technical Writing Service Technical writing services are employed to explain the details of a topic in a way that is easily understood by the readers. In todays information age, technical writing jobs are increasingly common. Make Your Business More Profitable More sales and more profit. Isn't that what you want from your business? It's not hard to achieve if you follow these 4 simple tips. Successfully Adding a Service To Your Business There will come a time in your business where you feel ready to add another service offering. To make this successful, there are ten tips to consider before moving ahead. Reclaim Equipment Detailing Industry and NPDES, EPA, Storm Water Rules It behooves every professional mobile auto detailer to stay up with the reclaim equipment necessary to comply with the NPDES, EPA and storm water rules. Every company has a responsibility to not pollute the water supplies. How to Start Home Based Travel Businesses Home based travel businesses are no longer the wave of the future. Home travel businesses are the hot trend right now. How To Start a Small Business Not sure how to start a small business? This guide will offer you some useful tips on the basic requirements of starting a small business.Initially, there are two types of businesses available to you, Sole Trader or Partnership. How to Start a Paper Shredding Business Paper Shredding Business Opportunities are blossoming up everywhere because in recent years, privacy concerns and new policies have forced companies all over the country to invest in paper shredding services. Large corporations and small are in need of shredding services. Creating Time the Virtual Way Time. As a small business owner, it's the commodity you covet most but never seem to have enough of. Bogus Investor and Consumer Complaints and Consumer Misrepresentation Like most regulatory bodies in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission gets investor and consumer complaints. But how much of these are actually real? These agencies then act on such complaints and increase regulations. Small Businesses With Work Trucks; A Warning If you are a non-operator owner of many work trucks, you should keep your business credit card with you not leave it in one of the trucks. You should not issue them to employees without strict guidlines. Seven indispensible secrets to keep the cash flowing in Looking for ways to boost your cash flow? As a small business consultant, I make these recommendations to my cash strapped small business clients:1. Shoeboxes are for shoes, not business records. Wichita KS; Anything is Possible in Wichita Business Just when the entire state was kissing Wichita goodbye, economically speaking, they turn around their economy like a hammer-head stall. The BTK is caught and has gone away and the Aircraft Industry has decided to stay. Are you sure you are really making a profit? What's your job profitability? Do you know?Many business owners are unsure of their profitability at a company or job level. They "think" they are making money because they have a few dollars in their checking account. Common small-business marketing failures When you feel like you're always busy working on your business, but not getting where you want to go, it can be frustrating trying to figure out how to get your marketing on track. It can easily become a "not seeing the forest for the trees" feeling. Pressure Washing Aircraft Hangers at the Airport If you are looking for a way to own your own business using a pressure washer or expand your current pressure washing business you might consider cleaning Aircraft Hangers out at the airport. Why Wash Aircraft hangers? For one it can lead to much more work cleaning all sorts of things at airports which is an encapsulated market. How to Write a Credit Policy for Your Business The book, "Become the Squeaky Wheel," by New Hampshire author Michelle Dunn, says the different ways people use and extend credit makes or breaks your credit policy and bottom line, which could result in less or more sales and money for your business."Business owners all have different types of businesses but can all extend credit," explains Michelle Dunn. Write An Effective Job Proposal I am simply amazed at the problems some of my colleagues are experiencing regarding writing job proposals for customers. So often I hear that there has been some sort of disagreement between client and service provider, something that can and should be avoided before a project is started. Five Quick Ways to Speed Up Cash Flow At one point or another, almost every business runs short of cash. Whether due to normal fluctuations in demand or an unexpected decline in sales, cash shortfalls are the bane of every company, and are responsible for sleepless nights for many business owners. Low Cost or Highly Funded Start Up Many new ventures are preoccupied with all the money they are going to make, rather than how they are going to the about making it. Set realistic goals by setting realistic steps-discreet 'doable' actions, each of which connects to the next one in some logical progression.
|
| Home | Site Map | Privacy Statement | More Articles |
| © 2006 |