Networking: You must use it or lose out!

I am the secretary of a local NAWBO chapter and it is pretty sad how many people don’t show up at monthly meetings. It’s interesting to me the feedback that we receive as a board from the members. We are told things like “It really hasn’t helped my business” or “The programs aren’t for me I really only care about networking”.

It’s so interesting that during this past fall we had an equal amount of visitors (non-members) attending our programs as we had members. That meant that for those in attendance, they had an extraordinary opportunity to network and to meet other women in business. That meant that business cards were exchanged, deals were made, business was done!

Now let’s discuss networking. The first half-hour of each meeting and last half-hour (minimum) is always devoted to open networking. Now I am not a social butterfly. I am the wallflower type, but if you show up to enough of these meetings and learn who the regular attendees are, at least “Hi, I haven’t seen you before, what do you do?” is a pretty good conversation starter! “Have you tried the food here?” is another good one. People like to talk about themselves and food!

Now for those who stayed at home, their names and contact info was still on the website—but what could be better than that personal touch of shaking a hand and having a five minute conversation about your business, your husband and the kids—or lack of one—and really relating to other women in business who have been there before you. These are women who know what it’s like to be out there in the trenches trying to battle in that “man’s” world, battling for contracts and contacts and having to manage everything and everyone and keep it all together while still looking good in 3-inch heels!

So before you give up those memberships, consider whether you are giving your membership a “fair shake”. If you don’t use your benefits, you’ll definitely lose out!

Small Business Success or Failure: Don’t Give up

Ten years ago my husband and I started our “five-year plan” to become home owners. We’re still two years away from our goal.

Here is the difference between us and most people. We have not given up. This journey has been a difficult one. We’ve had a lot of challenges, and probably have many more before the final two years (we hope) are up. We could have “thrown in the towel” many times.

In the book “Think and Grow Rich” Napolean Hill says “When you make a plan, if that plan fails, make another plan. If that plan fails, make another plan.” It’s interesting that life has prepared me for that psychology. (So where is the rich part?) In my family, there was always a plan A, B, C… etc. It seemed that nothing ever went according to plan. We were constantly in a state of flux. So it seemed a natural thing for me to always have a backup.

I’ve recreated myself a few times. I never planned on becoming a VA. I did so because my husband and I were finally able to have a child and we knew that we would not be able to raise her on one income, and we also knew that we did not want to put her into child care. I’m so fortunate to have this business and my clients who I have actually become great friends with.

So just because your first vision doesn’t come true, never give up. How can you parlay your talents into a more suitable business venture and capitalize on new markets?

New Business Startup: Before You Go Into Debt Get Your “Ducks” In A Row

Ducks Quack

I work a lot with small businesses and a lot of my clients are ready to jump in with both feet. They want to do it all. Put up a website, pay for the auto-responder service, publish the newsletter—but the problem is that they have not done the research first that they really need to do or put the thought behind their products, services, and specialties, before spending money on services.

It’s very exciting going into business and it can be such an exhilarating experience coming home from a workshop or seminar with your head full of ideas. But before you get too far ahead of yourself, take a deep breath and just take a moment to STOP. (A good VA should be helping you find ways to save money, not spend more money—sometimes you do need to spend a little money for better results but sometimes it can really be a waste!)

You need to really think about your target audience. Who do you want to reach? What is your specialty? What is your niche? What can you offer that your competition can not? Then you need to work on building your list if you are going to sell something. One way is Google Ads or Pay-Per-Click but that gets very expensive. With proper SEO you can position yourself in Google’s search results so that you don’t need to have Pay-Per-Click to sell your products. Before you get too far in debt online, you can start by attending local networking events and start a low-cost blog (or a free one!) to share your ideas until you’re ready to sell your tangible products. This will allow you to have your contact information online in a place where people can find you and see your “methods” and your line of thought. Another way to gather contacts is of course through social networking. Developing online relationships with people who agree with your train of thought can be a great investment in the long run. Just be careful not to be constantly “selling” in social networking settings.

Once you have thought about who you want to target, once you have established a contact list through marketing locally, and once you have created a few products that you can sell, then you are ready to spend some money on fancy auto-responders, professional websites, and SEO.

After that, it all takes on a life of it’s own.

Happy quacking little ducks!

Virtual Assistants: A Few Quick Tips to Get You Started

1) Be where your business is
Networking is key. I suggest groups like NAWBO. They are not expensive to join and you will make up for it in the business you make. Make sure that you work on how you will present just what it is that you offer businesses. Do you help small businesses? Medium sized businesses? Are you geared towards a niche market? These are things to think about before you approach a networking event.

2) Make sure your marketing materials are up to date.
No one likes to see outdated artwork, sloppy graphics and ancient fonts. Also make sure that a trusted source proofs your materials to see if they make sense. Again, who is your target audience? Who are you appealing to? You won’t get everyone in the room so get your target audience.

3) Follow up, follow up, follow up!
If you’re a VA your target market doesn’t have the time to come looking for you! You must follow it up with them. On the other hand, there is such a thing as beating a dead horse. Let them know that you are available and interested and that you can assist them with their administrative needs, then let them decide that you are the right person for the job. Sometimes you have to allow the person to come to you at the right time and place. Once the word gets out that you are good at what you do, you will have more than enough referrals to keep your schedule full!

4) Treat your clients right and they will come back again and again.
They will also send their friends your way. If you give them great service, at a fair and reasonable rate, with a high work ethic, people will come to you. That’s the way the world works. I’m not saying that you have to be a martyr and slash prices and bend over backwards for your clients. I’m just saying treat people fairly and honestly and it all comes back to you in the end.

5) Make time for yourself.
This is the one I don’t do. I strained my back and my daughter has a stomach virus and I’m still working too hard, I’m not complaining. Life goes on. The quality of my work would be better if I would take 15 minutes for myself to sit and meditate or do yoga or eat chocolate in the morning before getting her out of bed. I probably would not have a strained back. I’m going to start doing that!