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APRIL 20, 2009
ISSN 1947-105X | Vol. 3, No. 16
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WORKING WITH VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS ISSUE
In This Issue:
From the Editor
I absolutely love the Virtual Assistance profession. I love being able
to help clients move forward in their business. Where they were once like
a hamster on a wheel desperately trying to keep up with everything by
themselves, they now have space to move around in their business and create,
build, grow--not to mention, think, for gosh sakes!
But we have to keep it real at the same time. Virtual Assistance is not
for everyone. The right ingredients--an alignment of understanding and
expectations--must be in place first. Carol D'Annunzio is here this week
with a wonderful guide for making sure you have both.
Yours in goodness and success!
Danielle Keister
Founder & CVO Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
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FEATURE ARTICLE -
Is the Virtual Assistant/Client Relationship Right for You?
 Virtual
Assistance is a fantastic solution for business owners seeking ongoing,
continuous, collaborative-style administrative support—as long as
the right understandings and expectations are in place. It's not the miracle
cure for everyone and every business. Indeed, there are some businesses
and clients that are not a good fit for the Virtual Assistance solution.
Today, I want to talk a little about those who are best suited to work
with a Virtual Assistant.
The Virtual Assistant and client dynamic works best if the client has
the following traits:
- Somewhat technically savvy. You don’t have
to be an expert on every program out there; but, you should at least
be proficient with email and have a basic understanding of the Internet.
You should also be willing to learn and grow in your computer knowledge
as needed.
- Able to communicate well. You will be in close contact
with your Virtual Assistant (usually through email) so it is important
to be able to state your expectations, deadlines, and other matters
clearly. If you are unable or unwilling to talk about your needs and
desires for your business, how will you expect your Virtual Assistant
to assist you effectively?
- Willing to let go. If you are controlling, arrogant
or have a strong need to micromanage, there is no way a Virtual Assistant
will be able to support you. She needs the freedom to do her work without
the constant “mother hen” or “big brother” over
her shoulder checking her work.
- Willing to trust. Along the same lines, the Virtual
Assistant/client partnership will prove to be difficult if you have
trust issues. Trust is essential when dealing with any relationship;
however, it is critical in virtual relationships. You are not there
to see her as she works, so you must be willing to believe that she
will do what she says she will.
- Willing to delegate. If you are always thinking that
you have to do this or that yourself, you will defeat the purpose of
partnering with a Virtual Assistant. There are many, many things that
you can pass on to a Virtual Assistant (or other expert, as the case
may be). If you aren’t sure if something can be delegated, just
ask. A top-notch Virtual Assistant will have her own systems for the
delegation process and will make suggestions on how she can support
you--listen!
- Willing to put systems in place. The Virtual Assistant/client
relationship does not work well if you are in a constant state of emergency/stress/chaos
and have constant urgent deadlines. Virtual Assistants aren’t
always readily available. They usually have more than one client and
need to organize their work so as to be the most efficient and effective
as possible. It is important for you to communicate well, give ample
time for turnaround when delegating projects, and allow your Virtual
Assistant to put systems in place.
- Respects and appreciates the partnership. If you
only view Virtual Assistants as employees or slave labor, the relationship
will not thrive. Virtual Assistants are business owners and experts
in administrative assisting. They are NOT low-end employees and should
not be treated as such.
RESOURCE: For more information about
how to successfully work with a Virtual Assistant, see the article "Working
with Virtual Assistants" from the VACOC Client's Guide to Virtual
Assistants.
 About
the Author: Carol D’Annunzio is the owner of Divine
Virtual Assistance, and with 18 years of administrative experience
under her belt, she is proud to be the backbone of her clients’
success. She provides expert administrative support to coaches and writers,
empowering them to take their businesses to the next level. To find out
how Carol can support you in your business, visit her website at http://www.divineva.com.
© Copyright 2009, The
Portable Business™. All U.S. and International rights
reserved. You are granted permission to republish this article only if
used in its entirety with this copyright notice, title, article content,
resource, author's bio and links left intact.
VACOC NEWS
New Service for Clients: Quickie Gigs
The VACOC has a new service for clients we call Quickie Gigs.
Here's the idea:
The core business of a Virtual Assistant is providing one-on-one, ongoing
administrative support to clients they work with in long-term, continuous
relationship. We always encourage clients to go that route because it's
where you are going to reap the most rewards in terms of value, continuity
and cost-effectiveness. However, if you have not yet found your right
Virtual Assistant or you are between Virtual Assistants, but still have
occasional tasks and projects you'd like completed, we can help you out!
Quickie Gigs is primarily for simple, straightforward
administrative tasks and projects that can generally be completed and
turned-around in few days with no fuss or muss. You fill out our online
form with the project specs and once the preliminary account set-up is
completed, we'll get to work right away.
Everything is simple! You sign only one contract (this will cover our
terms for one year in case you have other occasional projects that pop
up) and each project will be quoted on a flat fee basis (easier for you
to budget). For more information, be sure and check
out our Quickie Gigs page.
Let's Connect!
Reader Raves
 "I
really enjoyed Dawn Olinek’s article on Business
Vitality—A Web Presence that Counts. The information provided
is useful and insightful especially now that I’m re-creating my
own site. Dawn’s breakdown of the key components of layout, color
and content certainly has made it easy for me to focus on creating a site
that will be eye-catching and communicate with my clients. In fact, I’ve
outlined several different possibilities regarding my site using her insight
of layout, color and content which I am now looking forward to pulling
it altogether."
— Lu Sabal, LLsabalconsulting.
Hey! Send us your feedback. Did you find an article
insightful, helpful and informative? Have topic ideas you'd like to see
covered in future issues? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.
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NO-COST TELESEMINAR -
Defend Against Plagiarism in 3 Easy Steps: A Practical
Guide to Protecting Your Work on the Web
 Have
you ever had your content reused without permission? If so, you know how
frustrating it can be. Whether you are posting a blog, marketing copy
or images on your site, tracking your content on the Web is crucial to
Internet success.
If you've ever been a victim of plagiarism or want to know what
you can do should plagiarism ever happen to you, you'll want to join us
for our next no-cost VACOC Guest Expert Teleseminar on Thursday, May 21,
with plagiarism consultant Jonathan Bailey. In this teleseminar,
Jonathan will share with you the techniques and strategies he has used
to stop over 700 plagiarists of his own work and show you how to reduce
the time it takes to handle a case of plagiarism to under 15 minutes.
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SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD? Have
you been wondering what this administrative solution called Virtual Assistance
is all about? Not to worry! The Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
has written an online guide to answer all your questions: The
Client's Guide to Virtual Assistants.
TIRED OF WADING through
the thousands of Virtual Assistant sites on the Internet? Would you like
qualified, competent and reputable Virtual Assistants to come to you instead?
Simply submit your info to our Virtual
Assistant Partnership Center.
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Find a Qualified Virtual Assistant Today!
 You
don't have to live in overwhelm. You CAN get just the help you
need without having to hire in-house staff. Find
yourself a great Virtual Assistant today, and go from struggling
by yourself to getting things done and thriving on the road to success.
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| The Portable
Business™ (formerly The Gritty Business Buzz™) is a
weekly electronic newsletter from the Virtual Assistance Chamber
of Commerce™ It is produced by our Virtual Assistant members
especially for the gritty, resourceful, fiercely determined small
business owners and independent professionals they serve--YOU!
Published every Monday. Our records indicate that
you are subscribed to this newsletter. To change your subscription,
see link at end of email.
EDITOR: Danielle
Keister, The
Relief Virtual Assistance
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT:
Denise Shears, Shears
Virtual Advantage
HAVE TOPICS
YOU'D LIKE TO SEE COVERED IN FUTURE ISSUES? Let us know!
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us here.
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