Davis Virtual Assistants

I responded to the sender and the bullet points of her message. She detests her daily commute, and some of her co-workers. (Been there, done that, AND bought the t-shirt.) She wants to return to school and doesn’t have the time to do so. (Well, she DOES have the time, she hasn’t MADE the time to achieve this goal.) She wants a greater level of independence and autonomy than she has now in Corporate Cubicle Land. (Girl, I could go on and on and on about this topic …)

Here’s how this lady impressed me:

1. She’s done a lot of research already on Virtual Assistance industry.

2. She dropped the “M” word on me: Money. Meaning, if she wanted to do the VA thing part-time to get her feet wet, she’s got substantial money in the bank to cover her living expenses.
3. She’s already scoped out my VA coaching competition and wasn’t impressed. It takes a lot to impress this Director of the Future, and this lady did just that with a well thought out and carefully worded e-mail message.

Here’s the thing, Sharks: I can’t give you what I’ve got. Correction, I WON’T give you what I’ve got. I’ve worked long and hard on the Davis Virtual Assistants empire. This business is my baby, and I love it and nurture it as such. Now, while I won’t give you what I’ve got, I will do the next best thing and school you as to how I achieved this high level of success.

Did I sign this lady as my next VA coaching client? Of course. She’s a prime candidate to launch a business in my industry. And we both know that with some guidance and direction, she too can have what I’ve got. Independence. 30-second commute. Less stress and more happiness.

Want to learn more about coaching for Virtual Assistants? If you’re really and truly ready for a different work life, call or e-mail and let’s discuss my VA coaching programs, and to see if we’re a good fit. If you want to work with an aggressive and progressive coach, and someone who will challenge you during the process, well, we might be a good fit. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a coach who’ll sugarcoat everything for you, you should probably continue looking elsewhere. Being in business for yourself is not for everyone, and I’ve told numerous VA wannabes as such.

The next step is yours …

Think the USPS sucks? Well, sometimes they do. We’ve all dealt with the attitude, the misdirected mail and other things. I’ve blogged about my horrible experiences with my Bronx mail carrier, including the time she broke my mailbox instead of ringing the doorbell to deliver a package. I miss parts of the Bronx, but I do not miss that particular mail carrier.

The USPS has climbed up the Customer Care ladder, ever since we moved upstate, and my mail carrier is absolutely superb. She always rings the doorbell and knocks on the door when she’s delivered a lot of mail. On those one or two times I wasn’t at home, she placed important-looking packages on the back porch. If I’m outside when she delivers the mail, we always chat for a minute or two before she continues her rounds.

Now, imagine my joy when I noticed my mail carrier actually paid for postage that was due on a letter which was sent to me from a DavisVA client in New Mexico. The postage due was only five cents, but that’s not the point. The point is that my kick ass mail carrier took it upon herself to pay that five cents for me, instead of sending the letter back to New Mexico.

Yes, I fully understand there’s a difference between the Bronx and upstate New York. I understand this fact of life and respect it fully. Still, my upstate mail carrier goes above and beyond the call of duty and I do so appreciate her time and effort.

If you’ve got a killer USPS mail carrier, let ‘em know how you feel about their service. Delivering the mail can be a thankless job, and I know they’d appreciate your kind words.

P.S. I left a “thank you” note and $.10 for my mail carrier in today’s mail.

Goodness, folks. I WAS having a good day. Got up this morning at 5:30a, fed the cats, had some breakfast, showered and started my day. Starting around 9:30a, my good day was shot, for I began to receive a series of telephone solicitations. One question to the folks who dialed my digits this morning: How did y’all get my supposedly unlisted home number?

Anyway, to avoid any confusion and to make my wishes known to all those boiler room operators out there:

No, I do not want …

1. A friendly DISH Network technician to come to my home.

2. To switch to VOIP.

3. Help with my site’s SEO.

Get it? Got it? Good. No more calls, telemarketers. You’re ticking me off today.

As Annie Zee says, “BE the dog!”

Sales Shape-up

Barry Farber’s article kills in its simplicity. Ten golden nuggets of wisdom which all business owners should implement and monitor.

I cover all of these same topics, as they relate to the Virtual Assistance industry, in my coaching programs for Virtual Assistants. Learn from me, a highly successful Virtual Assistant, just what it takes to make it in my industry. Call or e-mail to find out more about my VA coaching programs.

I wonder … will Greg Lemond retract his snarky comments?

Check it: Sleepy Kitty

When I moved upstate from The Bronx, there were numerous houses in my neighborhood which had not been occupied for years. (This bit of gossip came to me courtesy of the lady across the street, who’s lived in this town for 30+ years.) Nearly a year later, many of these houses have been upgraded and repaired, and numerous rental tenants have moved in.

What I noticed about the repairs on these houses is that the contractors performed a patch job on many of them. Case in point: The house next door was resided, except for the back of the house! Everything looks pretty and sexy from the front. But view the back of the structure and you’ll see old and peeling siding. I don’t get it! Or, the house directly across the street. Looking at it now, you’d never know that gorgeous dark red bricks live underneath the taupe-colored siding. You’d also never know about the number of windows and openings they covered up to install that siding. Every day, I watched the contractors work on this house and again, this was yet another patch job.

Too many business owners make the same “patch job” mistakes. Sure, everything LOOKS good on the outside. Everything is sexy and shiny, and the business owner puts up a good front for his/her clients. But when you peel back the layers of this sexiness, you see a foundation on the verge of crumbling.

Setting and maintaining a strong foundation is critical to your business. You’ve worked with the lawyer to ensure everything’s legal. Check. You’ve contracted the accountant to ensure your reporting procedures are in place and all monies are accounted for. Check. Your website and blog are live and attracting visitors. Check.

What’s missing in this foundation? If you responded “administrative support,” take the remainder of the day off! (For that Guppy in the back who responded “bricks,” sit down and write me a 500-word essay, double-spaced, on what it means to have a good foundation in business.)

When you’re ready to enhance and improve the foundation of your business, call me and find out how a virtual assistant can make everything sexy for you … behind the scenes.

Here’s what I’m spinning on iTunes today:

Journey
Aretha Franklin
Stevie Wonder
K.C. and The Sunshine Band (Yes, Disco is alive and kickin’ in my home office!)
Roseanne Cash
Prince
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Styx
Pat Benatar
Sheile E.
Stevie Nicks

What say you? What tuneage are YOU listening to today?

Truth is, just about every type of task can be outsourced to a virtual assistant. Obviously administrative tasks are on the top of the list of those things which can be outsourced. Still, don’t forget about marketing, public relations, copywriting and financial services, as well.

Also, do keep in mind that “virtual assistants” may also be categorized as virtual consultants or virtual professionals.

I think some business owners equate the word “virtual” with “lazy.” That’s a mistake! Virtual Assistants/Consultants/Professionals tend to work harder and longer than folks who work in Corporate Cubicle Land. Why? Well, those of us who work virtually don’t have the work handed to us. We must pound the virtual payment, every day, to ensure our livelihood.

So, there you are sitting in your office and wondering if you can outsource some of the administrative stuff to a virtual assistant. 99.9% of the time, the answer will be yes. Now, for the good part! Let’s talk about some of that stuff which you can outsource:

Blog Administration

We work with numerous clients to update their blogs, either daily, weekly or monthly. We’ve also got HTML coding skills, so we can make your blog look sharp and professional.

Voice Mail Management

Seems like everyone has a voice mail system these days, and you can trust Davis Virtual Assistants to manage your important telephone calls. We have clear speaking voices and we’re very professional on the phone. No more missed appointments!

craigslist Campaigns

It comes down to this, campers: If you’re NOT using craigslist, you’re missing a golden opportunity to market your business. (In other words, you’re a dork. Shame on you!) We’ve managed successful Craig’s List campaigns for years, both for advertising DavisVA.com and the businesses of many of our clients. We’ve got the skills to make your ads a success. DavisVA has been doing this for 6+ years, and we know and understand how to work within craigslist’s Terms of Services. Other folks simply cannot say the same …

Auto-responders and 1shoppingcart.com Management

1shoppingcart is an amazing resource! Work with Davis Virtual Assistants on setting up auto-responders, managing your products for sale and sending broadcasts to your subscribers.

Webinars

Work with DavisVA to present Webinars to your team. If your staff needs to learn how to HTML code or needs a refresher course in Microsoft Outlook, you’ve come to the right place. Live and interactive Webinars are the way to go to provide personalized training for your staff.

As you can see by this brief list of examples, technology plays an important role in the world of the professional Virtual Assistant. Technology allows me and my staff to cut through all the administrative clutter for our clients. We can do the same for you, as well.

Want to learn more? Of course you do! Update your calendar for tomorrow and contact me to discuss how Davis Virtual Assistants can alleviate your administrative burdens.

It’s a gorgeous morning here in upstate New York. Mother Nature must have had a super weekend, for she’s blessed us with bright blue skies and more important, coooooool temperatures. That M.N. … she’s my girl!

This week’s Killer Customer Care Award goes to the incomparable:

iStockphoto is my favorite spot on the web for royalty free images. It’s free to join, the site is easy to use and navigate, and their website is packed with high-quality images. The best part? Many of the images cost only $1. You read that correctly! One buck for a royalty free image to enhance your website, your blog or your e-newsletter. Amazing …

iStockphoto also gives us their “Free Image of the Week.” Download this image and it won’t count against your available credits. And speaking of credits, here’s yet another way the good folks at iStockphoto deliver Killer Customer Care: They send you periodic notices, via e-mail, when your credits are about to expire. A company after my heart!

Kudos to iStockphoto! Check ‘em out:

Here’s a wake up call to my fellow Virtual Assistants. Heed my words. If you don’t, I will continue to take your clients.

Yesterday I was called by two potential clients. And wouldn’t you know it — both are NOW clients of Davis Virtual Assistants. The first call came from a lovely lady in Florida who’s frustrated with her current VA provider. (A sad and all too common story in my industry.) She asked for references, which I provided willingly and gladly. She told me of all the VAs she contacted, I was the only one who answered the phone when she called. She left messages for everyone else. She inquired about our experience in three areas, two of which we can handle with no problems. The other area of tasking is something we haven’t done in about six months, and I was honest in telling her so. I also told her I don’t charge for a learning curve, and that I anticipate it would take approximately one hour for me to get up to speed on this task. While we were on the telephone, I e-mailed DavisVA’s 2006 rate sheet to her. Now, here’s the part I love! Even though my rates are slightly higher than those of her former Virtual Assistance provider, she’s willing to pay the higher rate because she knows she’ll receive the very best customer care from me and my staff. Later in the evening, I sent our Welcome Packet to her and in my eFax account this morning, I found the signed contracts.

Potential client #2 is a gentleman from Atlanta. We had an excellent conversation and he was even more thorough than the lady from Florida! Just like me, this man is a Geek and we hit it off immediately. He had been investigating my industry for the past two months (I love that!) and he feels he’s now ready to begin outsourcing. Here’s something else he did, which I appreciate very much. He tested me! Love it. During our conversation, we talked about all the technology he uses in his business, and then we segued into discussing Microsoft Outlook, which we both use extensively. He was having a problem with Outlook and within 15 minutes, I solved the “problem” for him. Mind you, he knows that I know that he was testing me. Frankly, that’s fine with me. I dig business owners who are SERIOUS about their business model and this testing proved that to me. He’s ready to outsource, he wants the best and he found the best in Davis Virtual Assistants. And yes, he’s the second client I signed yesterday.

To my fellow colleagues, especially the aspiring Virtual Assistants out there … learn from these two experiences. I am taking your clients, and will continue to do so, until you make a change in your practice. If you’re going to be a part of the industry, then you must make changes. Your customer care procedures are lacking or nonexistent, you’re advertising services which you cannot handle, or potential clients are not able to reach you via the telephone. All of these things, and so many more, will determine whether you remain in business.

When you’re ready to make changes and improve the health of your practice, contact me and let’s discuss my coaching programs for virtual assistants. Together, we can improve your business and get you back on track.