Proactive VAs are VAs that strategically seek ways to help their client’s business grow because of an invested interest in their business.
~ Tawnya Sutherland, VAnetworking.com ~

Monday Morning MotiVAtor – Motivating Proactive VAs to Success!

“Have no fear of perfection-you’ll never reach it.”

~Salvador Dali~

I have been talking a lot lately about perfectionism because I think it is a valuable lesson. Many of us are perfectionists by nature, but were you aware that perfectionism is a form of procrastination? When you await to finish something because it isn’t “perfect” you are actually procastinating it’s completion. Here is a little tidbit … perfection is an illusion … we will never be “perfect” so be willing to accept close!! Take a chance and see how “close to perfection” can take you. I am not saying that you shouldn’t put everything into each and everything you do, but don’t let the fact you don’t feel it is perfect just yet stop you from reaping the rewards of your labours!!

Are you a ProActive VA? Choose to be one starting today!!

Proactive VAs are those that don’t wait for permission from others before moving forward.

When you have an idea and you act on it to gain rewards for yourself and your clients this is when you are truly proactive. Sometimes chances are given to us and if we wait to long the opportunity is gone. Proactive VAs are those that when opportunity knocks they open the door. Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith … if you see something good take a chance!!

Accountability – Something to do for your VA Business this week

Do you have a clear cut time for business and a clear cut time for family? Many of us allow those lines to become “fuzzy” and we forget that family time should be family time and vice versa. How can we expect our families to respect our work time when we don’t respect their family time. My eleven year old son reminded me the other day that I too have allowed these lines to become fuzzy over the past few weeks. It is an easy trap to fall into and one that has a very slippery slope … give in just once and you will find it harder and harder. I challenge each of you to figure out time in each week that will be dedicated solely to family and then I challenge you to take that time and promise yourself not to think about work!! It is going to be harder than you think but I have faith in you!!

Mastermind Discussions – What you Missed at the Forum

Breaking Bad Habits – what bad habits are you having problems breaking?

Conferences – Why or Why Not?

To get in on the conversation

Upcoming Seminars – VAinsiders only

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 – 7pm EDT – ProActive VA Series – Internet Marketing
Topic to be Determined
with Craig Cannings and Tawnya Sutherland

Friday, April 9, 2010 – 2pm EDT – ProActive VA Series – Thriving Business Accountability
Contingency Planning – Other Considerations
with Yvonne Weld

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 – 2pm EDT – ProActive VA Series – Advanced Getting Clients
Referral Programs
with Tawnya Sutherland and Yvonne Weld

http://www.vanetworking.com/vaseminar

Be sure to login in to the VAinsider Club Only seminar room. Please use your full name [first and last name] as username and the password that you receive in an email on the day of the seminar. Please note that if you do not use your full name we will have no choice, but to boot you as we need to make sure that only VAinsiders can access these seminars.

RFPs Submitted this past week

Login to Forum to view

RFP – SubmittedMarch 8, 2010 – Speaking Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 8, 2010 – Internet Marketing, Website Maintenance
RFP – Submitted March 9, 2010 – Subcontracting – Various Admin Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 10, 2010 – Various Admin Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 10, 2010 – Subcontraction – Wordpress Assistance

Be sure to follow us on Twitter #VAinsider as we tweet these RFPs immediately after they are posted.

Make sure that you are putting your best foot forward when responding to RFPs. A quick email with “I am interested in your RFP” just won’t cut it in today’s competitive market. Make sure your response lets the potential client know exactly what you can do for them and why you are the best person for the contract!!

Here are some great references from our own VAnetworking forum on answering RFPs:

Inspirational

How to get email from RFP

How to respond to RFPs

Also, remember that we have a resource book on responding to RFPs available for free in the NEW VAinsider area.

Finally, for a daily listing, be sure to subscribe to this link.

To your success,

Yvonne Weld
VAinsider President

• Virtual News You Can Use NOW
• VAinsider Club MotiVAtor
• eSEMINAR SCHEDULE – Mark your calendars!
• HOT Topics at the forum this past week
• Virtual Weekender FREEBIE

VIRTUAL NEWS YOU CAN USE

1) ECOMMERCE SKILLS! Virtual Assistants who want to work with great clients, build a fantastic business and generate revenue SHOULD have ecommerce skills in their toolbelt.

In case you haven’t already heard, my friends Cindy Greenway and Tina Forsyth are running another Ecommerce Specialty Program, starting March 23rd.

If you want to truly help your clients and become an asset to the ecommerce side of their business then this is a workshop you won’t want to miss.

For just a few more days, you can take advantage of the early bird rate for this program (save $200).  The comprehensive 12 session, 6 week program, includes training in various areas related to ecommerce — with comprehensive training in the most common shopping cart used by our clients, as well as instruction in other areas that impact the ecommerce cycle of a business — customer service, blogs, product development, just to name a few.

Take my word for it, you don’t want to miss out on this ecommerce virtual assistant hotskills program

You owe it to yourself to take this training, master these skills and confidently tell your current and potential clients that you DO have what it takes to help them build their business,  manage the shopping cart, implement autoresponders, send broadcasts, support the sale of products, create an opt-in,  and manage so many other things that relate to the ecommerce (aka growth) of their business.

Take a look at what we’ll cover in this ecommerce program

2) We held a VAcommentator contest this past month and I want to congratulate the winners who are listed at our contest page located here.

3) If you are an affiliate marketer or are interested in learning about affiliate marketing, check out my new virtual assistant affiliate training blog.

I’m a super affiliate who sells other people’s products online through my websites, blog posts, email lists, social networking sites (you name it, and I’m probably an affiliate for it!). A large portion of my revenue stream comes from affiliate marketing. There is nothing better than waking up in the morning after hanging out with your family all night watching movies to find an email from Paypal that says “You’ve Got Money!”

I now have enough of my own products so you can be an affiliate for me. AND boy do I know how to make money as an affiliate marketer.  I’m going to give you all my trade secrets so you can make a passive affiliate income for yourself!

Each week I’ll be supplying you with unique and strategic ways to promote our products at VAnetworking.com to your networks.

I look forward to sending you a big fat $$$ affiliate payment this month so…

Sign up today our Virtual Assistant Affiliate Training Site.

4) Don’t forget: The NEW Social Marketing 2010 Program is now open for registrations. Make sure you reserve your seat today!

If you want to supercharge your virtual professional career by offering the most sought-after skills that small-business marketers are demanding today…Become a Social Media Marketing Specialist and get the certificate to prove it -> Guaranteed!

Discover the training that will have ideal clients banging down your doors in 2010, begging for your proven expertise and assistance!

Reserve your seat today!

VAinsider Club MotiVAtor

You only have twenty four hours in a day so are you using every hour valuably? What is the most important thing you must do right now? Allow yourself to only focus on that one thing and you will find that all twenty four hours are more enjoyable for you and you are able to enjoy life more!!

Your VAinsider Club membership starts at only $7/mth. Not much to pay nowadays to help your business get the upper hand in the virtual service world.

What are you waiting for? Become a VAinsider Club Member (Starting at $7/month).

eSEMINAR SCHEDULE – Mark your calendars!

Get up to date information on our 2010 upcoming speakers at our eSeminars help educate, inform and entertain Virtual Assistants and online Virtual Achievers worldwide.

REGISTER HERE to learn more

Upcoming Seminar Schedule:
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

WEDNESDAY (All Members) ~ Don’t miss our next  F R E E  VAnetworking eSeminar this coming Wednesday at 6PM EST to help educate, inform and entertain Virtual Assistants and online Virtual Achievers worldwide.  Following at 7PM EST will be our social VAjot evening.

Date: March 17th, 2010 at 6PM EST

Topic: Social Media State of the Union 2010 – Success Strategies for Growing Your VA Business Faster Than Ever!

Presented by: Craig Cannings

Topic Summary: Craig Cannings from VAClassroom will unpack 10 key Social Media trends that will shape your business in 2010. You will learn some new Social Media Success Strategies to help grow your client and income opportunities this year and beyond!

REGISTER here to receive your password the day before the event.  If you are already registered, you’ll receive speaker info automatically.

VAinsider Internet Marketing Proactive VA Series:
– - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 7PM EST

Topic: Social Media and SEO – A Match Made In Web Heaven!

Description: In this session, Craig Cannings will talk about the important, “game-changing” role that Social Media will play with your SEO activities and Search Listings in 2010. Craig will review some different social media strategies for boosting your search listings for your targeted keywords.

VAinsider Club Members ONLY!  Become one today

HOT TOPICS AT FORUM THIS PAST WEEK:

Are VAs more Right or Left brained? – POLL

http://www.vanetworking.com/forum/VAs-Left-brained-P-t20233.html

Hourly, Retainer or Project Rates?

http://www.vanetworking.com/forum/Hourly-Retainer-Project-t20266.html

Call answering … I need help

http://www.vanetworking.com/forum/Call-answering-t20197.html

For VAinsider Club Members Only:
Unhappy Clients. How do you handle same?

http://www.vanetworking.com/forum/Unhappy-Clients-t20201.html

The Virtual Assistant Social Networking Forum is FREE to Join! What are you waiting for?

WEEKEND FREEBIE:

Get Em@il Results!  How to actually produce profits by using the power of email marketing.

Here’s a Special  F R E E  Report by Jimmy D. Brown on how to get your list members to buy from you. Learn how to make more money from any size list.  Enjoy!

Download Get Em@il Results! here:

Until next week…

To Your Virtual Success,

Tawnya Sutherland, CIMBS
Founder of The Leading Virtual Assistant Networking Forum Since 2003 www.VAnetworking.com

It’s not an option anymore … Virtual Assistants who want to work with great clients, build a fantastic business and generate revenue MUST have ecommerce skills in their toolbelt.

In case you haven’t already heard, my friends Cindy Greenway and Tina Forsyth are running another Ecommerce Specialty Program, starting March 23^rd.

This program really isn’t optional.

No online based business can exist without ecommerce.

No traditional small business, as they transition to having (and needing) an online presence, can exist without ecommerce.

A Virtual Assistant who doesn’t understand and isn’t able to educate, implement and manage the ecommerce side of a business will not build a long-lasting, successful VA business.

It used to be a specialty …. But now it’s a required skill.

At one time you could literally leave your office job, set up a website and office, attract and start working with great clients in a relatively short time.   This isn’t the case anymore.

But now, as our clients raise their expectations and need for specific skills, it’s not good enough to just know the basics.

For just a few more days, you can take advantage of the early bird rate for this program (save $200).  The comprehensive 12 session, 6 week program, includes training in various areas related to ecommerce — with comprehensive training in the most common shopping cart used by our clients, as well as instruction in other areas that impact the ecommerce cycle of a business – customer service, blogs, product development, just to name a few.

Take my word for it, you don’t want to miss out on this ecommerce training program

You owe it to yourself to take this training, master these skills and confidently tell your current and potential clients that you DO have what it takes to help them build their business,  manage the shopping cart, implement autoresponders, send broadcasts, support the sale of products, create an opt-in,  and manage so many other things that relate to the ecommerce (aka growth) of their business.

Take a look at what we’ll cover in this ecommerce training program

Will you be in the program starting March 23^rd?

Proactive VAs are VAs that strategically seek ways to help their client’s business grow because of an invested interest in their business.
~ Tawnya Sutherland, VAnetworking.com ~

Monday Morning MotiVAtor – Motivating Proactive VAs to Success!

If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things.
~Vincent Van Gogh~

I feel like I am repeating myself over and over, but this point is something that needs to be given consideration as you build your Virtual Assistant business. Perhaps the most important thing you can do for your business is to niche yourself. Niche yourself by service or by client, but pick one thing and become the expert. There is nothing worse than someone that tries to be everything to everyone … this makes it very difficult to stand out. It is quite easy at times to become a jack of all trades and master of none. Today I encourage you to work on becoming a master … become the expert that everyone refers to.

Are you a ProActive VA? Choose to be one starting today!!

Proactive VAs recognize bad habits and work to replace them with good.

Everyone has bad habits, but the person that is able to recognize their bad habits and work on them will be truly proactive in their business. Did you know it can take about a month to break a bad habit and it needs to be done consciously before it can become an unconscious thing. Pick one bad habit that you have and make a conscious effort to change it. Perhaps you get easily wrapped up in emails, perhaps you spend too much time on twitter, perhaps you forget to take breaks throughout the day. Find that one thing and work hard at changing it and creating a new better habit.

Accountability – Something to do for your VA Business this week

Tomorrow we will be having a class on elevator speeches and I believe this is an important tool for each and every one of us. Many of us believe that we don’t network in person so we don’t need to have an elevator speech, but if you are in business you absolutely need an effective elevator speech. When you are first approached by a potential client you need to know how and what to say. Whether you believe it or not this is your elevator speech and can mean the difference between landing the client and them going elsewhere. Take some time for your business this week and attend the seminar and then work on your speech until it is “perfect”. If you can’t attend the seminar make sure that you listen to it sometime in the next month. For the booster members who won’t have access to this seminar take some time to work on your elevator speech this month making sure to keep this one thing in mind … answer the question why should I care?

Mastermind Discussions – What you Missed at the Forum

This week at the forum we started some great mastermind discussions on the following topics:

- handling unhappy clients
- tips for choosing a business name

We would love to hear what you have to say on these topics. To get in on the conversation

Upcoming Seminars – VAinsiders only

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 – 2pm EDT – ProActive VA Series – Advanced Getting Clients
Elevator Speeches
with Tawnya Sutherland and Yvonne Weld

Friday, March 12, 2010 – 2pm EDT – ProActive VA Series – Thriving Business Accountability
Contingency Planning – Technological Considerations
with Yvonne Weld

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 – 7pm EDT – ProActive VA Series – Internet Marketing
Topic to be Determined
with Craig Cannings and Tawnya Sutherland

http://www.vanetworking.com/seminars/

Be sure to login in to the VAinsider Club Only seminar room. Please use your full name [first and last name] as username and the password that you receive in an email on the day of the seminar. Please note that if you do not use your full name we will have no choice, but to boot you as we need to make sure that only VAinsiders can access these seminars.

RFPs Submitted this past week

Login to Forum to view

RFP – Submitted March 1, 2010 – Various Admin Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 1, 2010 – Various Admin Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 2, 2010 – Aweber Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 4, 2010 – Subcontracting – Wordpress / Squeeze Page
RFP – Submitted March 5, 2010 – Subcontracting – Various Tasks
RFP – Submitted March 5, 2010 – Online Product Launch manager
RFP – Submitted March 5, 2010 – Newsletter Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 7, 2010 – Marketing / Website / Blog Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 7, 2010 – On-site (Tyson Corner, VA) Event Assistance
RFP – Submitted March 8, 2010 – Speaking Assistance

Be sure to follow us on Twitter #VAinsider as we tweet these RFPs immediately after they are posted.

Make sure that you are putting your best foot forward when responding to RFPs. A quick email with “I am interested in your RFP” just won’t cut it in today’s competitive market. Make sure your response lets the potential client know exactly what you can do for them and why you are the best person for the contract!!

Here are some great references from our own VAnetworking forum on answering RFPs:

Inspirational

How to get email from RFP

• Virtual News You Can Use NOW
• VAinsider Club MotiVAtor
• eSEMINAR SCHEDULE – Mark your calendars!
• HOT Topics at the forum this past week
• Virtual Weekender FREEBIE

VIRTUAL NEWS YOU CAN USE

1) The NEW Social Marketing 2010 Program is now open for registrations.  Make sure you reserve your seat today!

If you want to supercharge your virtual professional career by offering the most sought-after skills that small-business marketers are demanding today…

Become a Social Media Marketing Specialist and get the certificate to prove it -> Guaranteed!

Discover the training that will have ideal clients banging down your doors in 2010, begging for your proven expertise and assistance!

Reserve your seat today!

2) I love my Computer Guy (and no I’m not leaving my partner, Arnold, HA!) but without Michael Van Ert on my tech team, I was having all kinds of computer troubles this past year. He rocks! My business has been up and running smoothly ever since he came on board. AND, he can make your business rock for too! My Computer Guy has an informative and free monthly newsletter that gives you news about what’s happening in the computer world that I find very informative as well as tips and reviews in the tech world.

PLUS for a limited time only, you can download for free his new ebook  here “How to Make Your PC Run Faster” (valued at $27) today!

3) Looking to start up your Virtual Assistant business quickly and easily? Check out my blog for up to date information related to VA start ups.  From tips and tactics to training resources, you’ll find it all here in one easy stop online.

Download my  F R E E  VA Startup Checklist too here.

4) BE SAFE with insurance for your virtual business. Look no further than our NEW protection plan for both Virtual Assistants and work at home entrepreneurs.  Put together with the VA in mind, you’ll find nothing else on this planet as affordable and perfectly adapted to the work at home business. From equipment coverage to liability coverage (even identify theft for those working online), we’ve thought of everything to include in this insurance package for you.

Get your free business insurance consultation by clicking here.

5) Want to know how to get the edge YOU need to secure more clients? Get VAcertified!

A VAcertified.com seal on your website shows clients and potential clients that you have met the standards and values as set out by an international panel of professionals. Business owners will feel secure that you not only have the skills and professionalism to do the job, but that you are guided by an internal ethic that compels you to strive for optimal results.

You do it right. You do it on time. And you do it with pride. In other words, a VAcertifed.com seal of certification means you are the person they are looking for.

Become VA certified today!

VAinsider Club MotiVAtor

Listen to an audio book or read a book that gives you inspiration; whether it is a business book, a spiritual book or something else. When you open your mind to those things that give you inspiration you open yourself to being everything you can be and everything you are meant to achieve will be within your reach.

Your VAinsider Club membership starts at only $7/mth. Not much to pay nowadays to help your business get the upper hand in the virtual service world.

What are you waiting for? Become a VAinsider Club Member (Starting at $7/month).

eSEMINAR SCHEDULE – Mark your calendars!

Get up to date information on our 2010 upcoming speakers at our eSeminars help educate, inform and entertain Virtual Assistants and online Virtual Achievers worldwide.

REGISTER HERE to learn more

HOT TOPICS AT FORUM THIS PAST WEEK:

In need of help for Anti-virus, spyware,etc.

Web Development Extensions for Firefox

Probation Rates for my VA company

Folder Organization Recommendations, Paperless Office

The Virtual Assistant Social Networking Forum is FREE to Join! What are you waiting for?

WEEKEND FREEBIE:

I just got my hands on this blog setup checklist from Tech Based Training. It is very nicely outlined, covering many of the bases of a typical WordPress setup. Lynette Chandler, who is behind the training center has kindly allowed me to share the checklist so you can enjoy it too. Thanks Lynette!

But before you download the checklist, I want to encourage you to visit Tech Based Training today. They have some solid training to help VA’s (or any marketer) expand their skills into the tech arena. If you opt for the Pro option, you’ll get your training for less and also unlock the door to their growing library of checklists just like this one, and more.

Lynette has informed me that the Pro option is currently being offered with an introductory pricing. This WILL end on March 8th. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

And now, here is the download link for your  F R E E  Blog Setup Checklist.

Until next week…

To Your Virtual Success,

Tawnya Sutherland, CIMBS
Founder of The Leading Virtual Assistant Networking Forum Since 2003 www.VAnetworking.com