|
DECEMBER 7, 2009
ISSN 1947-105X | Vol. 3, No. 49
Don't forget to add "newsletter@virtualassistantnetworking.com"
to your email friends list so you won't miss future issues!
MARKETING & NETWORKING ISSUE
In This Issue:
A Note from Danielle...
Ooo, the holidays! I love all the sparkly lights and musical cheer. What
a perfect time of year for expressing our genuine thanks and gratitude
to wonderful clients and customers who honor us with their business. I
love giving experiences as a token of my appreciation to my clients, like
a night out for two at a posh restaurant or an annual zoo or museum membership.
As is our tradition, this issue of "Our Favorite Things" comes
from some of our fabulous Virtual Assistant members with their best business
gift-giving ideas and tips just for you.
Yours in goodness and success :)
 Danielle
Keister
Founder & Virtual Assistant Expert
Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
This
week I'm grateful for...
All my wonderful members who contribute and
participate and give back to the community that gives to them. Thanks,
guys!
We Love Hearing From You!
 Did
you like this issue? We sure would love to know if you find our
little ezine helpful in any way. Since we write this for you, your topic
ideas are always appreciated as well. Let us know!
-
FEATURE ARTICLE -
Holiday Gift Giving Ideas for Business
The holidays are here again! Are
you wracking your brain trying to think of something different to give
your most valued clients and customers this year? Then your eyeballs are
in the right place. Here is this year's list of "Our Favorite Things."
I’m a firm believer in “Pay It Forward,” and the holidays
are the perfect time for me to honor loved ones and clients with a gift
in their name that helps struggling families with sustainable sources
of food and income. My favorite way to do that is by purchasing gift cards
at Heifer
International. They provide livestock, bees and trees to rural
families around the world (including the US). In the case of livestock,
the families then give an offspring to another family, thus continuing
to “Pay It Forward.” The gift cards come in many denominations
to suit any budget. For instance, you can buy a share of an animal, which
Heifer combines with other shares. The recipient of the gift card won’t
know how much was spent, only that the gift is in their name. I have personal
knowledge of how much an entire community in rural Kenya was helped by
this program, so it has a special place in my heart. Beats a refrigerator
magnet every time! —Toni
McNulty, Virtual Assistant Toni
 A
gift I once got that I thought was really, really great and now give to
my clients is "The
Entertainment Guide." You know, the big blue book
that has coupons for all types of local businesses? Make sure to order
the book for the city/area where your client resides. It's the gift that
keeps on giving and is sure to be appreciated! Another of my favorite
gifts to give and receive is a calendar. I like these for two reasons:
1) you can brand the calendars with your name/company name, logo and even
a photo if you wish, which puts you in front of your customers all year
long, and 2) it's something to help your clients keep themselves organized,
which is priceless! A great source of personalized wall calendars for
the real estate crowd is By
Design Publishing —Marisa
Moleiro, VIP Assisting
 I
like to give (and receive!) bottles of bubbly at Christmas. It’s
somehow very festive and you can get some very nice drops at this time
of year without spending a fortune. It’s particularly good here
in Australia as it’s summer and very hot, and there’s nothing
lovelier than a cold champers on a hot evening! I know I always enjoy
any bottles given to me and think of that giver while I am enjoying it.
If I knew a client didn’t like bubbly, I’d give them a bottle
of red or white wine, or if they’re teetotollers, a luxury food
item/mini-hamper. —Lisa
Humphries, Freelance P
 I
have one client who used to live in my area, but moved across country.
I found out that there is a local Chicago delicacy (Italian beef) that
his family loves, but it is unavailable in his new location. So every
Christmas, I have Portillo's
send them a bunch of Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches, with all the
trimmings, ready to be heated and assembled. I also found a great new
resource for my other clients this year: iGourmet.com.
They offer a great variety of gift baskets to suit specific tastes and
budgets. Having those resources made the client gift-selection process
relatively easy and painless this year. —Kathy
Watkins, Turnkey Virtual Assistance
 The
holiday season is a great time of year to say ‘thank you’
to your clients! I like to remember my clients with a little something
they can use and hopefully when they do, they’ll think of ME! Last
year I sent my clients pens with my business name and phone number on
it. This year I switched it up a little. For the female clients, I found
a holiday ornament from OrnamentShop.com
that is a female ‘admin’ sitting at a desk with a computer
monitor. I have the ornament personalized with my client's name on the
monitor and my business name on the front of the desk. At the bottom of
the desk is a little bag, which has the imprint “thank you for your
business.” I should mention that I DO know that my clients do celebrate
the holiday before giving them this gift. Thinking this may not be enjoyed
by my male client, I happen to know his favorite college football team,
so I ordered a nice silver pen from SoonerPlanet.com
imprinted with his team’s name and logo on it.. —Libby
McIntyre, McIntyre Office Assistance
 One
of the ways I decide on gifts is to keep a running "wish list"
for my clients. During the year, as each mentions something that they
like or need, I write it down and then when the holiday season comes,
I can choose something from that list I know they'll love and appreciate.
When purchasing food gifts, keep in mind any food allergies the person
may have. It sounds like a no-brainer; however, a couple of years ago,
one of my clients received a large box of peanut brittle from a vendor—and
she is allergic to peanuts! Also, although I don't do it every year, I
often will make donations on behalf of my clients to their favorite charities.
I have also made simple gifts for my clients on occasion. My homemade
treats (such as cookies, breads and soup mixes) are popular. I usually
make these for local clients (when I have local clients) and actually
bring them to my client's office with lunch for a somewhat impromptu Christmas
party. —Carol
D'Annunzio, Divine Virtual Assistance
 One
of the sites I've used with success is GiftAnything.
Their tag line: "Give the gift of freedom of choice!" I like
it because the gift card can be redeemed at a variety of great retail
names and can be sent as an ecard as well. For tea lovers, Tea
Forte has a lovely packaging presentation to go with their delicious
teas in a unique tea filter/bag. I love to add accessories to the gift!
—Gloria
Luzier, Superior VA Solutions
 This
year I am promoting reusable items. I go to Office Depot or Staples and
get a Really
Useful Box (available in store only or at the Really Useful
Products online store). I have ordered about 15 lbs of winter flavored
(peppermint, cinnamon, vanilla, etc.) taffy from Candy
Kitchens and put the taffy in each box. Once they are done
eating the delicious candy, they have a box in which they can put paperclips,
rubber bands, pencils, etc. —Kyna
Baker, 5 Star Virtual Service
 Bet
you didn't know that chocolate can be an experience! Oh yes, indeedy.
When it's purchased from chocolate designer extraordinaire Christopher
Elbow, that is. For the chocolate lovers on my client roster,
this is one of my very favorite gifts to give. Each piece is literally
a deletictible work of art. Various collections, as well as other chocolatey
gifts, to choose from. They are the only source I've found for drinking
chocolate that comes anywhere close to the real European experience.—Danielle
Keister, The Relief Virtual Assistance
 About
the Author: Danielle Keister is an author, business advisor and
innovator in the Virtual Assistant profession. Through her organization,
the Virtual
Assistance Chamber of Commerce, she is passionate about helping
Virtual Assistants grow stronger, more financially successful practices
that lead them to greater personal happiness, freedom and client satisfaction.
An administrative professional of 20+ years and veteran Virtual Assistant
of 12+ years, her no-nonsense approach to business development has gained
her recognition as one of the leaders in the field.
© 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 -
Take the 2009 Annual Virtual Assistant Industry Survey
UPDATE 12/7/09: 740 participants
so far—only 260 to go! We're shooting for 1,000 so if you are a
VA, be sure and take the survey and keep those promotions going. They
really, really help. And if you are a client, please forward this email
to your Virtual Assistant. :)
Each year, the VACOC conducts an industry-wide survey with the purpose
of taking a representative, group snap-shot of those who are in the business
of providing ongoing administrative support. Virtual Assistants
who participate get the survey results report absolutely free!
Our goal this year is 1,000 participants. Judging from past years' surveys,
the report will be about 75-100 pages chockful of useful, fascinating,
eye-opening data. So don't delay—the sooner we hit the mark, the
sooner YOU get your copy!
Take
the survey >>
- 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 for simple, straightforward administrative
tasks and projects that can be completed and turned-around in a day or
so (24 to 48 hours) with no fuss, no muss. All you do is 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. Simple as that! For
more information, be sure and check
out our Quickie Gigs™ page.
Let's Connect
Marketplace
EmailCenterPro.com, brought to you by Palo Alto
Software, is the BEST web-based tool to enhance your business and help
you more efficiently answer your client’s email with a secure tool.
Analytics and collaboration tools help you increase your effectiveness.
Set-up in 15 minutes – IT knowledge not required.
NO-COST TRIAL.
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 Partnering Center.
 MAKE
25% IN AFFILIATE EARNINGS! Join the VACOC
Affiliate Program and earn extra money simply by referring
people to our website. Monthly payouts with no minimums required. Sign
Up Today!
Find a Virtual Assistant Today
 You
don't have to live in overwhelm! Find
yourself a great Virtual Assistant today, and go from struggling
by yourself to enjoying more time, freedom and success.
Subscribe and Forward to a Friend
Get this from a friend?
Subscribe
to this ezine and never miss another issue. And please do share
this ezine with people you think may enjoy it. Just forward it in its
entirety so that they can then sign up for themselves.
|
