Davis Virtual Assistants

A superb good morning to all my Business Sharks! For all my Guppies, I want a 1,000 word essay on my virtual desk by 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern time today, telling me how you plan to play a bigger game and compete with all the Sharky competition in your world.

If I had a dime for every business owner who’s come through my pipeline telling me they were pressured into a 20-hour-a-month retainer by their new Virtual Assistant, I could have retired way back in 2001. Like the title of this post states, Don’t make me smack you in public and don’t you dare sign a retainer during your first month of outsourcing. Furthermore, don’t go all retainer on me until at least the third month of your partnership with your new Virtual Assistant. Why? Several reasons:

Do not allow yourself to be pressured or pushed around by VAs who have only their best interests at heart. Remember, this is your business and it’s your pocketbook. Act like the bad ass Big Kahuna you are, and keep your eye on the prize.

Want more helpful tips on interviewing and partnering with a Virtual Assistant? I’m releasing a new e-book called “Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk: The Virtual Assistant Interview Questions,” and you can be the first on your block to be notified when the e-book hits the streets! Drop your e-mail address in the subscription box located at the top right corner of this blog.

Good morning, Sharks!

Please allow me to direct your attention to a superb article written by Kelley Robertson, of the The Robertson Training Group, entitled, 10 Characteristics of Successful Salespeople. I really love this article! Even though the copyright is dated 2005, Kelley’s words continue to ring loud and clear to present day business.

Most appreciated is bullet point #1, “They are persistent.” Kelley goes on to tell us, “The most successful people in any industry have learned to face the obstacles that get in their way. They look for new solutions. They are tenacious. They refuse to give up.”

Let’s go over that last bit once more: They refuse to give up. Do you refuse to give up, even now during this tough and scary economic environment? I’ll tell you the same thing now I tell everyone who crosses my path: I refuse to go back to Corporate America. Absolutely refuse. One of the ways I’m continuing to keep this promise to myself, nearly 9 years into my own business, is by remembering that I am a superb salesperson. I love the game of it all, and I see parts of myself and my selling style in each of the 10 bullet points discussed in Kelley’s article.

Kelley’s bullet point #5 tells us, “Successful sales people are passionate.” It’s the passion and the love we have for our companies which continue to drive us. No matter the widgets you’re selling, or the services you’re offering, you started your business because you’re passionate about something. Don’t allow anyone nor anything to stand in your way, and keep on doing what you do.

I’m going to add bullet point #11 with “Salespeople have a support team.” When you’re in business, you can’t be successful at it all by your lonesome. It’s not physically and mentally possible to do so! Business owners, who are at their very core salespeople, must have a team in place to help them accomplish all of their goals. The widgets and the services need to be marketed, the bookkeeper needs to keep track of sales, the web team updates the site and makes it sexy, and your administrative team is in the background helping you make sense of it all and continuing to keep you on track. Salespeople continue to show passion and enthusiasm for the business, and their team feels that and wants to be part of it. Team-building is necessary to your success.

Riddle Me This: How does your team look on this day, Tuesday, November 18, 2008? Do you have qualified administrative support, or are you still functioning as the Chief Paper Pusher? If the latter, we need to talk today. Call me at 866.611.LORI, or contact this Virtual Assistant, and let’s chat. Tell me all about the widgets and services you offer, and I’ll show you how outsourcing can add value to your business.

A superb good morning to all my Killer Sharks, and a virtual shout out to all my Guppies who’ve finally pulled the trigger and decided to outsource! You’re stepping into Shark Land, and I applaud your decision to work with a qualified and professional Virtual Assistant company.

Don’t get your boxers in a bunch because of the title of this post. This is, and will forever remain, a PG blog. The “big O” I’m referencing today is all about how you’ll feel once you let go of the madness of handling your back office all by your lonesome.

I know how you’re feeling, as you open up your office to get your Monday started. You’re not feeling well, you’re stressed and you’re wondering how in the world are you going to get everything done today. As you focus on the administrative stuff, your mental energy has no room to focus on keeping your business in business. You’re not giving your clients enough face and phone time, you’re not planning you’re marketing activities, and you don’t have an administrative team in place. Have I struck a chord? Good. Read on …

You’ll get “the big O” feeling again about your business once you step into my world! The warm and soothing waters of Virtual Assistance are what you need to help restore your sanity, help you play a bigger game (and continue to snuff out the competition), and once again feel sexy about your business model.

It’s Monday, November 17, 2008. I’ve got faith in you, and I want to help you achieve your biggest, baddest and wildest dreams. The first step, my special business owners, is to reach out, connect with me and tell me how I may help you achieve your version of the big o.

The guilty pleasure and sheer power that is I Will Survive cannot be underestimated! Whether you’ve been dumped, kicked to the curb, fired, harassed by the manager who really shouldn’t be in that position, ignored by your favorite cat or [fill in the blank with your own pity party of 1 story], this song is here to make it all better. The girl up at bat at karaoke night blasting away at this song as her former lover walks through the doorway? Yup, we’ve all witnessed that insanity. The dudette or dude on the highway with the top popped and the dog in the backseat, singing offkey at the full capacity of their lungs? Been there, done that and bought the t-shirt! The old skool crowd (uh, that would be me) at the skating rink who squeal with delight at the piano intro? Awwww yeah, let’s give it up to those of us over 40!

You should change that stupid lock, and you should make them leave their key. Otherwise, they will be back to bother you. ‘Nuff said.

You can do it, and Miss Gloria and I have got your back.

Hey Mister DJ, me and the girlies are going roller skating tonight in Amsterdam. Get us in the mood for the rink and play me:

Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive

Good morning, campers!

Thrifty Thursday for November 13, 2008 includes a challenge, a call to action, and of course a very special discount.

The Challenge: Show me your business pain! What’s making that ulcer flare, and what’s keeping you awake at night? What are you focusing on that should be outsourced? Why aren’t you focusing on your money-making activities? Tell me about all the administrative stuff you hate to do … the same stuff which is best left to a very capable assistant.

What’s my business pain? Managing explosive growth and finding qualified Associates and Joint Venture partners to bring on board. It ain’t easy! Still, I’ve got a fantastic team supporting me and I adore, value and honor each and every one of them.

The Call to Action: Make an appointment with the Virtual Assistant! I can help you, but I’m not a mind reader. Schedule some phone time with me, right now, and I’ll show you how the “Business Pain Relievers” at Davis Virtual Assistants can make your business life better and easier, and how we can give you the precious gift of time.

The Very Special Discount: A whopping 12% discount on your December 2008 invoice on any virtual assistant service offered by Davis Virtual Assistants.

Thrifty Thursday 11/13/08 phone lines close at 6:00 PM Eastern next Wednesday, November 19, 2008. Talk to me …

^** This Thrifty Thursday discount may not be combined with any other offers or discounts offered by Davis Virtual Assistants. This discount may be claimed only by new Davis Virtual Assistants (DavisVA.com) clients.

A fine and gorgeous ‘Dacks good afternoon to all my Killer Sharks who are making it happen today! Plus a special tip of the hat to my Guppies who’ve jumped cannonball’d with joy into the warm waters of the Virtual Assistance industry. Carry on.

Let me put this out there, right now: I’m an easy audience. The most inconsequential things make me giggle out loud scores of times each day. No shame in my game! In this light, I want to touch upon one of my favorite series of commercials, that being the “Go Meat!” campaign from Hillshire Farm. (I’m also a huge fan of the boy band from FreeCreditReport.com and the AIG giggling babies.) I love each and every spot in the series, and my favorite has got to be the one in the video below. Why? Well, in my Veteran’s mind, the guy is calling cadence, which takes me back to my BASIC and AIT training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, which reminds me of the cool DI’s who understood that to keep us moving and motivated on 30-mile marches, you had damn well better give me some cadence I can wrap my head around.

My favorite DI was a super-tall drink of water who possessed one of the deepest voices I’ve ever heard. His gorgeous, funny, snarky and sometimes over the top delivery of cadence always made my day, even as we were grinding it out and this (sometimes evil!) DI was putting us through our paces. He took us to hell and back during the inferno-hot summer of 1984 in South Carolina, and I’m so glad he was part of my training experience. Remember those scenes in An Officer and a Gentlemen and Full Metal Jacket where those DI’s were bellowing “male” versions of cadence? Well, my DI in 1984 did the same thing for us Army babes … female style.

Now, I don’t know if the marketers behind these spots realize just how effective their efforts have been in planting “Hillshire Farm” in my brain. And, I don’t know if they realize they’re making me think of my Army days, more than 20 years ago. All I know is I dig these commercials and yes, you’ll find Hillshire Farm food stuffs in my freezer.

What say you? What are some of your favorite commercial spots, and why?

To all my fellow Veterans, to all of the first responders, to the firefighters who went into the burning house up the block last Christmas Eve to try and save D., to all the EMS crews, to the firefighters who went into my home in San Francisco when it was on fire, to the firefighters in Boonville, Indiana, when I was the tiniest of tax deductions, for saving my entire family from that frightening fire that destroyed our business and our home, to the medical staff who took care of dad before he passed away, to the medical staff who take care of Joe when he was very ill, to the Patriot Guard Riders, to everyone who serves, protects and defends … this one is for you.