Virtual Assistance Business Briefs » Working with clients

Pioneer Speaks to Women Business Owners About Imbalance of the Sexes

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:48:21 +0000

This is going to be a great NAWBO St. Louis meeting – and you get a FREE book with your registration – hope to see you there!

The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), St. Louis Chapter, is pleased to announce their January program featuring Susan Elliott, one of the first female programmers at IBM and later founder and chairman of SSE, a national firm recognized globally for application development, education and network infrastructure work.

Being held at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park on January 11, 2012, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, Elliott will share personal anecdotes and insights drawn from her 50-year career in the technology industry. Her just-published book, “Across the Divide: Navigating the Digital Revolution as a Woman, Entrepreneur, and CEO,” offers her global perspective of the ever-changing computing industry and the stark imbalance of the sexes still present in the technology workforce today.

Her story is of a woman who got in on the ground floor of the digital revolution and became one of its leaders. Her firm, SSE, is considered one of the fastest growing technology and education firms in America today. Elliott will share her compelling story with NAWBO St. Louis’ members and guests and there will be a book signing immediately following the event.

The National Association of Women Business Owners® (NAWBO®) is the voice of America’s 10.6 million women-owned businesses. Since 1975, NAWBO has helped women evolve their businesses by sharing resources and providing a single voice to shape economic and public policy.

On a local level, NAWBO Greater St. Louis members can access a variety of opportunities, products and services that will help their business achieve greater visibility, credibility, and profitability while building a strong network of other women-owned businesses in the region.

Admission is $40 for members and $50 for guests, which includes a catered lunch as well as a copy of Elliott’s book, compliments of the Greater St. Louis NAWBO Chapter. A $10 late fee will be added for registrations received after January 8, 2012.

For more information about Elliott and SSE, visit www.susanselliott.com. For further information or to register for the event, visit the NAWBO website at www.nawbostl.org, or contact them at (314) 954-8344, or info@nawbostl.org.

Pioneer Speaks to Women Business Owners About Imbalance of the Sexes is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: imbalance of the sexes, Missouri history museum, nawbo, nawbo st louis, susan elliott, woman business owners

Goals: Measuring Your Progress in 3 Easy Steps!

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:46:57 +0000

Let’s say you hop on a plane with your significant other for a long-anticipated vacation in Bermuda. Your pilot gives you the standard greeting at take-off, and you enjoy the rest of the flight munching peanuts, and watching a movie. Fifteen minutes before your scheduled landing, your pilot comes back on the intercom and says, “Sorry, folks. I forgot to check the navigation, so instead of landing in Bermuda, we’ll be landing in Iceland.”

Chances are, you’d be less than thrilled. Now you’re going to have to spend your precious vacation time booking a flight out of Iceland!

Funny how ridiculous that sounds when applied to this scenario. But many of us do the same thing with our business and personal goals all the time. We aim in the right direction, jump in, and then don’t look up again until we either get there (by some stroke of luck) or we are so far off course that we have to call the Coast Guard to save us.

One of the most motivating – and overlooked – elements of goal-setting is measuring your progress. Measuring your success on a regular basis may sound like extra work, but, as our flight scenario illustrates, it has very real concrete advantages:

Here’s my three-step approach to measuring progress:

Define Your Units of Measure.

If you’ve set your goal to be specific and measurable, the first step is to define your unit of measurement. If you want to lose weight, are you going to measure pounds lost, inches lost, or the size you can fit into?

If you want to grow your business, are you going to measure the number of customers, the number of products released, or the dollars coming in the door? If you’re having trouble deciding on units, return to your higher-level objective to see what your end desire is, and then select accordingly.

Set Your Schedule.

Once you’ve decided on your units, determine how often you’re going to measure your progress. Sometimes, more frequent measurement is better. But sometimes, checking in too frequently can actually discourage you. Figure out a realistic amount of time, based on your goal and your units of measurement, to see some change. Then schedule those check-ins on your calendar.

Evaluate.

On your appointed check-in times, do a brief evaluation of your progress. Get on your scale, check your sales, or look at your customer list. Then ask yourself if you’re making the progress you need to get the results you want.

If so, wonderful! If not, why not? If you haven’t lost an ounce, have you been changing your behavior to be more active and eat better? If you haven’t gained any customers, have you been advertising, marketing, or looking for joint venture partners?

Evaluating what you’ve done, or perhaps what you HAVEN’T done, will give you a good idea of what’s working and what’s not. Evaluating your progress will get and keep you motivated because you’ll actually be paying attention to the fruits of your labor.

If you’ve been taking the right steps, but aren’t seeing the results you desire. It may be a matter of having chosen the wrong goals.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, provides marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. For information about finding a VA, download her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or to learn why Social Media should be an important part of your marketing plan with her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com, or contact her at info@accbizsvsc.com

Goals: Measuring Your Progress in 3 Easy Steps! is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: Business Tips, goal setting, goal setting tips, how to measure goals, measuring goals, tips for setting goals

Six Mistakes We Make When Setting Goals (Part One)

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:38:26 +0000

In my experience, these are the main mistakes we make when setting goals.

Not realistic.

Sometimes, you set goals that are perfectly reasonable – until you set a timeline on them. For instance, losing 20 pounds. is great. Doing so by next Friday? Probably not very realistic.

I’ve found especially with new entrepreneurs, that they tend to overestimate the amount they can accomplish in a short period of time. Learning curves – particularly online – can be steep, and unexpected obstacles arise. Then, these setbacks cause you to get discouraged and abandon the whole project because your original estimates weren’t met.

Let me say this: things rarely go as planned – in business or in life. When setting your goals, build in some wiggle room that will allow you to handle unanticipated delays. In other words, expect the unexpected and plan for it.

Not challenging enough.

The converse of the unrealistic goal is setting goals that aren’t enough of a stretch. It may seem smart to set very low expectations, but in actuality it can undermine your motivation. What’s so great about running half a mile when you know you could easily run 10 times that much? It’s hard to be proud of your accomplishments when you know you could have done much better.

Not specific.

If your goal is not specific enough, you’re going to have trouble meeting it and being motivated by it. If your goal is a vague statement such as “lose weight,” you could lose half a pound and call it a day.

Is that satisfactory? Or, you could lose 20 pounds and feel disappointed. How do you know if you’ve achieved a goal if the goal is as vague as “lose weight?” If you’re not feeling motivated by your goal, try making your goal more specific.

Next week our final three mistakes. Meanwhile, share your thoughts and ideas about your goals by leaving a comment below.

Six Mistakes We Make When Setting Goals (Part One) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: goal setting mistakes, goal setting tips, marketing mistakes, setting goals, tips on setting goals

How to Set Attainable Goals

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:31:51 +0000

Unfortunately, not every goal is a good goal. Goal-setting is a skill which can be broken down into three easily defined, concrete steps:

Brainstorm your big objective.

What are you trying to accomplish professionally or personally? Create a new product line? Streamline a process? Outsource some of your tasks? At this step, we’re trying to get to your highest-level goal, so when you name something, ask yourself, “WHY?”

For instance, if you say, “I want to create a new information product,” then ask yourself, “Why?” You may answer, “So I can make money.” That may seem like a logical endpoint, but don’t stop there, go further.

Ask yourself “WHY” you want to make money and you’ll see that there are a variety of possible motivators. You may say you want to make more money so you can:

- Quit your day job.
- Take a vacation and pay cash.
- Pay off debt.
- Buy a new car.

Each one of these objectives is slightly different, and is going to result in a slightly different path to success. Knowing your “WHY” helps you determine your “HOW.”

Define your goal in specific language.

But that’s still not enough! In order to set an excellent goal, you need to know EXACTLY how much money you want to make.

Use losing weight as an example. Instead of the vague “I want to lose weight so I feel better,” say, “I want to lose 20 pounds in six months so I can fit into my new bathing suit, jeans, etc. The more specific and detailed you make your goal, the easier it is to visualize and measure your progress.

Here’s another example. Let’s say your goal is to outsource as much of your business as you can. Your “Why” is to save you time so you have the ability to create new products, ultimately make more money and quit your day job.

You may state a simple goal like “I want to outsource 50% of my tasks.” Outsourcing is a worthy objective, but it’s not a good goal. Because your real goal is to save time, you want to define your goal in terms of hours. A better goal would be, “I want to outsource enough work so I save myself 4 hours a day.” This goal is much more defined and specific – and related to your higher-level objective!

Set a time-frame for your goal.

What if your goal was to make $10,000 to pay off your credit card debt? Do you want that money by next year, next month, or by the time you retire? Each of those scenarios will result in very different strategies.

Putting a time-frame to a goal gives it an inherent sense of urgency, and helps us better attain our goals.

Goal-setting isn’t a scary, overwhelming, or extremely difficult task. In fact, it’s pretty simple when you break it down into steps. But it is still possible to make mistakes when creating and defining your goals. In the coming weeks we’ll discuss mistakes in goal-setting, and what you can do to avoid them.

How to Set Attainable Goals is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: attainable goals, goal setting, goal setting tips, Goals, tips on setting goals

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part Two)

Jeannine Clontz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:28:26 +0000

Last time we discussed the top five mistakes to avoid when marketing your business, here are the final five!

6. Your message isn’t clear. Always test it out on current clients, peers, or family/friends to be sure it’s not confusing or misses the point you’re trying to make.

7. Untimely message. If you’re looking to build some business during the holiday season, make sure you’re giving prospects enough time to respond. Don’t release your holiday special two weeks before the holiday, start building momentum at least two months in advance.

8. No call to action. If you’re not giving the prospect a reason to contact you, you’re missing the mark. Create a sense of urgency with a deadline, or something extra if they respond by this date; anything that engages them and asks them to do something more.

9. Not marketing to your current clients. We sometimes forget that our current clients may not know about new services or products we have available, or, perhaps they have someone to refer. Don’t leave them out of your regular marketing efforts.

10. Not managing/collecting results. How can you know if something you’re using is yielding a return on investment? You need to ask every single prospect how they found you; or build in something in your call to action that will tell you exactly how you connected. Keep track on a simple spreadsheet and check in periodically to get the biggest ROI for your marketing dollars.

So how many of my ten mistakes resonated with you? Two, four, none? Take steps now to correct these mistakes and you’ll start seeing more, better qualified, leads, connecting to your business.

Have a few challenges I missed – share them by leaving a comment below!

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part Two) is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: marketing mistakes, Marketing Tips, marketing your business

Customer Service Revival

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:05:09 +0000

I’ve decided to start my own ministry, and my first order of business will be a customer service revival. Will you join me?

Funny as that may seem, the exodus of customer service has been evolving for several years. The latest downturn in the economy has simply caused a bigger impact on customer service, I believe, due to lay- offs and cut backs in middle management and through the downsizing of staff in general, leaving remaining staffers overwhelmed and overloaded doing the job of many.

As independent contractors, and small business owners, we have a higher level of control over the results our clients experience through our work together, and the perception of our level of client care.

I’m still relatively picky about who I work with, meaning I totally understand my target market, and why matching our business personalities and acumen are so important. I find referring prospects to other providers that better fit their need, simply brings my level of service up a notch.

By not working with people who don’t share similar business strategies and standards, I minimize the number of service challenges that could or would be presented to me. Not that I mind being faced with a dilemma or two for its learning opportunities, but to me, it all reverts back to something I learned the hard way, when I first started my business.

“The customer is ALWAYS right!” Okay, I know, literally speaking, the customer isn’t always right, but sometimes no matter what I say, or how I say it, I may never be able to convince someone that what they’ve perceived as bad service, isn’t just that.

Even if the client is totally at fault, how I address the situation and solve it to some satisfaction makes all the difference. Knowing that I may never be able to satisfy someone, and understanding that I have no control over it, helps me to stay focused on the end result.

I have found that making sure that I only do business with those clients that fit my business model, alleviates a lot of these situations.

So let’s make a pact to revive customer service at all levels by establishing good client relations, increased service standards, and give our clients the best possible experience. I believe my business has grown in a more positive direction because of it, which allows me to continue to provide those services I am most passionate about doing.

Customer Service Revival is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: Business Tips, client care, customer service, customer service tips

Are You Like a Salmon When Looking for New Clients?

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:53:03 +0000

In my former life, I was a purchasing agent for a seafood company. This time of year reminds me of the salmon runs. During the summer months, many wild salmon species take the journey back to their birthplace to spawn and ultimately end their lives.

Their upstream journey is a challenging one, swimming against rugged rapids, leaping over rocky waterfalls, traversing fish ladders, avoiding fishermen nets, and staying clear of hungry bears. When they finally reach their natal stream they are ready to spawn. This is an amazing and focused journey calling them to do what comes naturally.

Some of us make such a journey to find new clients, or maintain those we currently enjoy. Nowadays we have to think outside the box with our marketing and face the challenges of competition, less disposable income, overcoming objections, and differentiating ourselves by creating benefits clients simply can’t live without.

On the flip side, I’m looking for the clients who are like the salmon – the clients who will go through the upstream battle to find the most professional support, the BEST level of service and technology to create the ‘can’t live without’ message that reaches that ideal client who helps them grow their business during tough economic times.

There are only a few ways to grow a business, no matter what the economic situation:

· Find new clients

· Sell more to current clients

· Raise prices

Finding new clients is probably the most expensive way to grow your business, but one that can certainly yield great results if you have the right plan and consistent implementation.

So where are you in the life cycle of my salmon story? Ready to look for those clients who are willing to swim upstream to get to your product or service? And are you willing to leap over rocky waterfalls and traverse rough waters to find the most professional support you need?

Whatever you decide, increase your marketing time and investment if you want to grow your business, or take a chance you’ll get left behind.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA). ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing support and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. Find the perfect VA by downloading her free 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or herFREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, send a request to: service@accbizsvcs.com. For more information visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com, or http://www.internetmarketingvirtualassistant.net

Are You Like a Salmon When Looking for New Clients? is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: business goals, business growth, Business Tips, find new clients, marketing, Marketing Tips

Why Reveal Your Prospect’s Objections?

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:22:41 +0000

One of the questions I ask during the prospect interview process is, “Have you ever worked with an independent contractor before?” – the response this elicits helps me to determine if there are any negative past experiences that might present itself as an objection throughout the interview process.

Objections are an important part of the process and create opportunities for you to understand the prospect better; helping you to respond to any objection in the most favorable way.

Once the objection is revealed, ask the prospect to give you more detail about the objection so that you’re sure to respond in a way that addresses their concerns. You may also want to ask them if this is the ONLY objection to moving forward.

This allows you to build a stronger relationship, and creates a certain rapport with the prospect to differentiate you from the rest of your competitors.

You may find that through the objection process the prospect reveals something that would indicate they are NOT the ideal client for your business. If so, don’t take this business and hope for the best, try and find another option for them. It’s just not worth it.

Go with your gut feeling about the prospect. If something seems wrong, it probably is. Most of all don’t fear prospect objections. Even if you don’t end up closing on this particular prospective client, It’s a great way to learn what keeps prospects from making the commitment to begin your work together.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA, EthicsChecked™, provides marketing and social media support, training and consulting to busy entrepreneurs. For information about finding a VA, download her FREE 10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA, or lto earn why Social Media should be an important part of your marketing plan with her FREE Report, Social Media Marketing Benefits, visit: http://www.accbizsvcs.com, or contact her at info@accbizsvsc.com

Why Reveal Your Prospect’s Objections? is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Tags: client objections, client problems, client tips, handle client objections, handle client problems, unethical client