Become A Successful Virtual Assistant Page 2

  Very few people you’ll meet truly know and understand what an EA does. Think about it. How often do people think all you do is schedule calendar appointments, make travel arrangements, and take minutes at meetings? If only, right? Telling someone you’re the “Jack or Jill of all things” still doesn’t help your cause because no one realizes what the “things” are unless they already have an EA. And if they have one, they don’t need you.

  When I started my VA business, I made the decision to hire a business coach. It was one of the best things I could have done as I entered the new world of virtual assistance. As I began working with my coach, she talked about niching down. What? You want me to do less and ask for more money? Turns out she was right.

  Executive assistants and virtual assistants are not and cannot be the same. What made you great in the office is exactly what will hold you back in the virtual world. Make no mistake, everything you know will provide great value to your VA business. However, you’ll provide the most value to yourself.

  Some of the fundamental differences between executive assistants and virtual assistants are:

  EAs support one person or one company with one mission. VAs support multiple clients, all with different missions and objectives.

  EAs are best when they can be all things to all people. VAs are best when they are specialized and serve as an expert to a select subset of people.

  EAs are paid based on their time. VAs are paid solely on their work. (It doesn’t matter if it takes you five minutes or five hours.)

  EAs are employees. VAs are business owners, entrepreneurs, and CEOs.

  Each VA is unique in his or her own way, just as each EA is unique. However, these four fundamental differences can hold back even the most seasoned executive assistant from true success as a virtual assistant.

  The heart of a VA remains the same as an EA. We are cut from the same cloth and have the same service-minded blood coursing through our veins. A true virtual assistant runs a business to serve, to do the right thing, to know when to break his or her own rules and go beyond the extra mile or to run ahead by five. All of us support those we are working for and with. We perform our work with the same intensity as if our own name was on the front door.

  Proud to Be a Virtual Assistant and Why It Matters

  Virtual assistance describes how we do things (virtually), not what we do. This is why some VAs change their title. Even I, at one point, thought it might be a good idea to no longer call myself a virtual assistant. However, changing our title would also change why and how we provide the service, and that detail is too important to leave out.

  In this age of remote working, people have come up with many different titles to describe to others what they do. You may be familiar with Online Entrepreneur, Digital Nomad, Freelancer, and others. None of those titles resonates with me, although I easily could put myself into any one of those categories. I still choose to call myself a virtual assistant because that is what I do. Let me share with you why it matters.

  I am first and foremost an assistant who serves my clients. Service is at the heart of what I do. It takes absolutely nothing away from who I am as a business owner and entrepreneur. Those who have never been an assistant tend to take great offense at being called an assistant because they feel the term is beneath them. If you are an assistant, it is a term of great pride knowing how you make a difference to those you help.

  As an assistant, your goal is to help whomever you’re working for reach their dreams and vision. You take it on as a personal mantra. You are inspired by another person’s divine leadership and are willing to go into battle with them because you believe so deeply in their cause. Yet, you choose to do your work behind the scenes. For the love of it. Not the fame.

  Speaking with current and potential clients lights a fire in me. If it doesn’t, then I know that person is not the right fit and I move on because I’m not the person who is going to help them get to the next level. That’s the great part of being a business owner. You get to choose who you work with. However, those clients whom I do connect with have inspired me to do my greatest work. They are excited to discover a virtual assistant who created her business to work with someone just like them.

  Today’s world of virtual assistance combines service, knowledge, and expertise with partnership and collaboration. It’s more than outsourcing tasks and to-do lists. The right VA is an extension of the client’s business, provides client-facing work, and creates calm. The right VA takes ideas and turns them into realities. We don’t offer the world yet another consultant—we offer our clients assistance in the areas they need it the most. We do the work.

  Want to Know What Clients Really Want? Soft Skills and Professionalism.

  I spend a lot of time connecting with virtual assistants and people who want to become virtual assistants. I can tell you there is only one thing I really care about when we have that first call—soft skills. Why? It’s what the client really wants. On a personal and professional level, I’m on a mission to weed out VAs without soft skills because they make it hard on the rest of us.

  Soft skills are character traits, social skills, attitude, and communication skills that help people perform their jobs well and succeed in their careers. When I tell you soft skills are important, I’m speaking the truth. When I tell you soft skills set you apart from the competition, I’m being serious. You can always improve on or learn new skills related to your work, but soft skills can’t be easily taught.

  The administrative profession has made great strides over the years. As we enter with force into the new era of virtual assistants, I’m constantly reminding clients not all virtual assistants are created equal. My goal is to promote the field of virtual assistance and all administrative professionals. Professionalism and soft skills go hand in hand.

  Being a virtual assistant also doesn’t exclude you from being professional. Many times when I speak with admins who are wondering if they should enter the virtual assistance profession, they express their concern about the number of virtual assistants already in the workforce. I assure them it’s all about quality, not quantity.

  We owe a level of professionalism to our clients. Depending on the type of clients and client communication tactics you have, this professionalism can vary. It doesn’t go away. Professionalism not only shows respect for your clients, it also allows you to charge more money. That’s right! Your attitude and demeanor are subtle in demanding it, but it makes the client feel confident in paying a higher rate.

  You can be yourself and be professional. I’m professional but not always formal. You won’t catch me wearing slacks or heels at home. I save that formality for when I meet with clients and potential clients in person. They are very likely to dress the same.

  If your clients are yogis, then it probably is professional for you to wear yoga pants when having face-to-face meetings with them. What isn’t professional is missing a phone call or appointment because you needed an extra Zen moment. If your clients are working mothers and you are one too, there are a lot of things you both can relate to, but it doesn’t excuse you from missing deadlines or being late for appointments because the kids are sick or a practice runs late.

  Let’s not forget first impressions—they matter! I’ve interviewed many VAs via phone and online chat and have been extremely disappointed in their level of professionalism. Gum smacking, talking while driving, being constantly interrupted, and not having a good internet connection are extremely unprofessional. This is not what I would expect or allow during an in-person interview. I don’t allow it virtually either.

  You don’t have to agree with or even like this, but it doesn’t make it less true. Being a virtual assistant doesn’t exclude you from being professional. You owe it to yourself, your clients, and your profession to set a good example. Plus, you reap the benefits!

  How to Climb a Mountain in Business

  “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”—Lao Tzu<
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  In June 2017, I went on a two-day hike along the Polish-Czech Friendship Trail, which runs along the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. It was exactly what I was looking for. Time to get away, clear my head, and exercise. What I gained was far greater.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised. When taken out of our everyday routines and put into new situations, our minds stop working on autopilot and start searching for patterns, things it can make sense of. We are forced to think more creatively.

  Traveling the world, I became accustomed to many things I once thought different, strange, and even abnormal. My new normal became packing up my life every month and heading to a different country. I tried to learn new words, eat new foods, find my way around and inevitably I got very lost. Every month I was faced with daily living challenges as simple as finding the grocery store. However, several months into my global travels, I no longer thought of it as challenging. Simply a part of my life.

  Hiking is something I enjoy very much. It’s not something I regularly do, so my brain was working creative overtime. As we climbed the mountains along the Friendship Trail, I began to see how the same fundamental principles applied in business. I’ve broken down these fundamental stages in business into eight steps. There is also a bonus section included along with the complimentary workbook. To make the journey more enjoyable and beneficial, you must enter into a certain frame of mind as you begin to take your first steps.

  Know your mile markers and when to follow new ones.

  There were several different color trails we could have taken on our hike along the Friendship Trail. Not only was finding our mile markers necessary so we didn’t get lost, they also served as a point of reference when it was time to depart from the path we were on.

  Think about some mile markers you can create for yourself, reminders you’re on the right track. You’ll also want to create markers to let you know when to start down a new path. These could be at specific celebrations, the number of clients you are serving, the number of virtual assistants in your network, or when something is not going in your favor. It is crucial to know when the path you’re on no longer will take you where you want to go.

  Take small steps when you don’t know where you’re going.

  As we trekked up the mountain, visibility levels dropped. Instead of being afraid, we took small steps and continued along our journey. Thanks to our mile markers, we knew we were on the right path. We just couldn’t see far down that path.

  Business can be scary when you can’t see into the future. Even when you know you’re on the right path, you still want answers and some kind of guarantee. Neither business nor life is designed that way. It’s not always about making great leaps. Plan to take the small steps needed to advance, and you will get to where you want to go.

  Plan to rest.

  We had not just one but two options for places to sleep the first night. Bound and determined to succeed on this hiking trip, the certainty of cold and rain did not deter us. We had a plan. When we got to the first resting place for the night, we talked as a group to determine if we felt good enough to go the rest of the way. Knowing we still had daylight ahead of us and calculating the pace, we agreed it was safe to keep going.

  As business owners, one of the things we forget to do is rest. I’m a huge offender. I’m great at planning vacations! However, when it comes to daily rest, my instinct is often to “power through” and get things done. This should be the exception and not the rule. Making plans to rest keeps you in top physical and emotional shape. Plain and simple, you can’t make good critical decisions for your business when you’re always running on empty. The last thing you want to do is get caught in a storm.

  It can be a blessing to not see what’s in front of you.

  During the hike, there were several times we experienced a complete whiteout. At one point on the trail, there was a small fence of sorts, a chain signaling not to go beyond that point. As we walked a bit further, it became painfully obvious. We had been hiking near a cliff! Even though we couldn’t immediately see it due to the whiteout, the cliff was there. Suddenly I felt a bit of fear and anxiety, an increased level of cautiousness I hadn’t felt before.

  There wasn’t a need for me to be more careful. It wasn’t even possible. Instinctively when I saw the fence, I moved to the opposite side of the trail. I was reminded that a lot of people aren’t scared of heights until they look down. Having blinders on in business can be good. Keep your head up and look forward. When you can’t see too far in front of you, consider it a blessing. No need to play the “what if” game. Don’t be afraid of what you can’t see and don’t assume it’s all bad.

  You’re always closer than you think.

  When we were hiking, I pointed to a house off in the distance on top of a big mountain. People looked like ants going up and down the mountain. As I turned to my hiking partners to point it out (as if they didn’t see it already), one of them said, “That’s where we’re headed.” I laughed. I thought he was joking. In my mind, it would take forever to get there. Before I knew it, we were at the house looking down at where we were just hiking.

  What you’re working toward may seem far, far away. When you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you will get there. It’s not as far away as it seems.

  Stop to capture and celebrate the moment.

  I’m terrible at remembering to take photos. My hiking partners often stopped me and said, “Melissa, take a picture.” I was about to walk by an amazing view without realizing how far we had come and without celebrating the beauty of where we were. Sure, it wasn’t the final destination. However, these are the opportunities to find joy in the journey.

  Capture each moment of building your business. Journal. Keep track of where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going. Truly celebrate all you’ve accomplished and how far you have come. Don’t wait until you reach the top of your mountain. Find the joy in your business journey. I’ve created this workbook to help you along the way.

  The journey is better when shared.

  Without a doubt, this hike would not have been the same without my partners. The cold, the rain, the wind all made it very uncomfortable at times. Our creepy little hotel that reminded me of The Shining would have been awful without them. There would not have been laughter over meals. No one would have been there to help me help myself. It’s called the Friendship Trail for good reason. The happiest people on the trail were those who weren’t alone. We were able to pool our resources and strengths together. We physically and mentally lightened the load for one another.

  No matter what type of virtual assistant business you have, you weren’t meant to go at it alone. Whether you hire a coach, join an online group, or form a mastermind, share your journey with others. It will make the bad times seem not so bad, and they’ll go by quicker. The great times will be celebrated by those invested in you and by those who want nothing more than for you to reach your dreams.

  I choose not to do life or business alone. Sure, I could have traveled the world on my own. But why? Our little hiking group created better memories and left little to chance. My business is far too important for me to go at it alone and make costly mistakes along the way. I share it with a business coach, a mastermind group, colleagues, family, and friends.

  In business, we all have mountains to climb and obstacles to overcome. Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s go deeper. It’s time to prepare you for your own journey! Make sure you have completed the preliminary steps and download the workbook to get the most out of this book.

  CHAPTER 1

  Step 1: Creating Your Ideal Client Avatar (and Knowing How to Use It!)

  What is an avatar? In the simplest terms, it is the most accurate picture of your ideal client—key word, “ideal.” The biggest hurdle in getting your first client isn’t that you’re not targeting enough people, it’s that you are targeting too many. When I ask VAs or aspiring VAs who their ideal clie
nt is, most don’t have one. Or their term is very general. Your avatar should be so specific you could name the person and recognize them walking down the street. It’s like your inner circle. A secret club.

  When you have an ideal client and can easily describe not only what they do, what they need, and how you can support them, it paints the same picture in someone else’s mind. Now each time someone meets your ideal client, they’ll immediately let you know or refer you to that person. That’s the power of having an ideal client.

  Another reason to create your ideal client avatar is because it answers the most asked question among VAs—“Where do I find my clients?” Now you’ll know where to find them. Once you know who the person is, you’ll know where they hang out in person and online. Are they on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter? Are they part of private forums or groups? Will you have to go offline and meet people in person? Finding clients is as simple as going to where they are.

  Beginning by creating the list of services you’ll offer is the tail wagging the dog. The process of choosing your services first is just plain backwards. Whoever is going to be paying you has to have a say in the matter. Let’s not forget that one of the most commonly asked questions among VAs—only second to “Where do I find clients?”—is “How do I get rid of this client?”