|
| If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may view it online here |
 |
|
 |
|
JUNE 8, 2009 Don't forget to add "newsletter@virtualassistantnetworking.com" to your email friends list so you won't miss future issues! BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUEIn This Issue:
A Note from Danielle...There is a single culprit that most all problems and failures in Yours in goodness and success!
- FEATURE ARTICLE -Creating a Communication Plan
To be clear, I'm not talking about the occasional message or response that falls through the cracks; that happens to the best of us. What I'm talking about is establishing consciously-devised standards and policies for handling correspondence in your business. This includes being in the habit of making sure those who correspond with you know that their message was received. There is nothing more frustrating than sending someone a message, and then hearing nothing but crickets in response. If you've ever been on the receiving end, you know what I'm talking about. You're left wondering whether the recipient is taking whatever action might have been required, or if they even got the message at all. This kind of poor communication is not only an instant trust-killer, it creates extra work for the folks trying to correspond and work with you. It doesn't put you in a good light and definitely doesn't engender any confidence in your professional abilities. Don't do that to your clients and customers — or yourself, for that matter. Here's a quick checklist to improve your customer communications (and earn greater trust from your clients) today:
RESOURCE: Last issue we overviewed ClearContext. Another email management app that comes highly recommended is David Allen's Getting Things Done plugin for Outlook.
© Copyright 2009, The Portable Business™. All U.S. and International rights reserved. You may print this article for personal use or republish it online only if it is left unaltered and used in its entirety, including bylines, links, copyright notice, resource and author information. Contact the author for any other permission.
- VACOC NEWS -New Service for Clients: Quickie Gigs™
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
We Love Hearing From You!
|
|
 |
 |
Excellent
communication—not merely good or okay—is vitally important
in your business relationships, even more so when your mode of doing business
is entirely virtual. How well you communicate with prospects and clients
directly impacts the trust and confidence you instil in them. One aspect
of beyond-excellent communication is consistently following through in
your responses to emails and voicemails.
About
the Author: Danielle Keister is a business advisor and innovator
in the Virtual Assistance profession. An administrative professional of
20+ years and veteran Virtual Assistant of 12+ years, her logical, no-nonsense
approach to business development has gained her recognition as one of
the leaders in the field. She loves what she does and is passionate about
sharing her knowledge and know-how with the world. She’s all about
inspiring others to reach for their highest excellence. When not taking
care of clients in her own Virtual Assistant practice, 
The
VACOC has a new service for clients we call Quickie Gigs™.
Here's the idea:
"Your
[ezine] emails are great, keep'em coming"
Faced
with increasing competition from offshore and commodity service providers,
Virtual Assistants and other independent service providers must find ways
to work more connectively with clients and deliver more value while differentiating
themselves from the emerging competition. Join us at the next
no-cost VACOC Guest Expert Teleseminar on June 18 as Shahab Kaviani of
HyperOffice presents a specially guided tour of their fantastic
collaborative workspace software. Anyone interested in knowing how collaborative
workspaces work and how Virtual Assistants use this technology to make
working with clients virtually a snap is welcome to attend. 
