When to Adapt and Change Your Goals. is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

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

Subscriber Respect Builds Trust in Email Marketing is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Small Business Marketing on Twitter is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

I talk to a lot of my clients about the entrepreneurial mindset and how important it is to running a profitable business that will be able to weather any economic storm, and I truly believe that attitude is a HUGE part of this mindset.

Seriously, if you’re playing the part of ‘chicken little’ and constantly saying that the sky is falling, you’re probably not going to get much of a response from me.  You’re probably not going to see much of me at all.

I believe that my attitude is connected to my body language, and my body language is connected to the sound of my voice, which is all connected to my success.  I used to think that I was perceptive about hearing things in people’s voices because I spent so many years in phone sales, but I now realize that it’s because I can feel and hear their attitude in their voices, or body language if we are in the same room.

My daughter and husband quite often hear me say, “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.”  Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don’t.  In the same way that I coach VAs to always have a smile on their face even when they answer the phone, having a positive attitude goes a long way in projecting the entrepreneurial mindset that will attract clients and prospects to your offerings, whatever they might be.

It’s true, people work with us because they ‘know, like, and trust’ us – our attitude plays into the ‘like’ aspect in a big way.  Don’t you want to be around people who are go-getters, people who are fun, those who have a positive outlook and are knowledgeable and well respected?  I know I do.

So if you want to play in the entrepreneurial sandbox, you’re going to have to think about checking in on your attitude and making sure that you’re bringing positive and valuable benefit to these relationships.  The end result will be amazing.  Just try it and see.

Jeannine Clontz, IVAA CVA, MVA,  EthicsChecked™, owner of Accurate Business Services is a Virtual Assistant (VA).  ABS provides ‘as needed’ marketing support to busy entrepreneurs.  Clontz is a writer, author, VA Coach, and speaker on business topics including business ethics.  For her free “10-Step Guide to Finding the Right VA”, or “Social Media Marketing Benefits” report, send a request to:  service@accbizsvcs.com. For more information visit:  http://www.accbizsvcs.com, www.VAbizcoach.com  or her book website http://www.entrepreneurialfreedom.com

We Need an Attitude Adjustment is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Research I’ve done indicates that Social Bookmarking will be the next big thing for businesses to be involved with to increase exposure and expand their reach.  So what is Social Bookmarking?  Wikipedia says:

Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata, typically in the form of tags that collectively and/or collaboratively become a folksonomy. Folksonomy is also called social tagging, “the process by which many users add metadata in the form of keywords to shared content”.

In a social bookmarking system, users save links to web pages that they want to remember and/or share. These bookmarks are usually public, and can be saved privately, shared only with specified people or groups, shared only inside certain networks, or another combination of public and private domains. The allowed people can usually view these bookmarks chronologically, by category or tags, or via a search engine.

Many social bookmarking services provide web feeds for their lists of bookmarks, including lists organized by tags. This allows subscribers to become aware of new bookmarks as they are saved, shared, and tagged by other users.

Here are the top 10-social bookmarking sites for you to consider:

·         Digg

·         Yahoo! Buzz

·         Stumble Upon

·         Reddit

·         Technorati

·         Del.icio.us

·         Kaboodle

·         Mixx

·         Propeller

·         Newsvine

As these services have matured and grown more popular, they have added extra features such as ratings and comments on bookmarks, the ability to import and export bookmarks from browsers, emailing of bookmarks, web annotation, and groups or other social network features.  In many cases, you are able to connect through a Facebook profile and minimize your need to re-enter and upload basic information.

Take some time to investigate several of these social bookmarking sites and get familiar with the next BIG thing in social network marketing.  By the time they become as popular as Twitter, Facebook, and the like, you’ll be ahead of the game.  Enjoy!

Social Bookmarking the Next BIG Thing is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Like just about everyone I know, there’s always something they’d like to do, but never seem to accomplish.  These projects are sometimes considered to be on the ‘back burner’.

For me, it’s been trying to write my second book.  While I’ve gotten away from my set time to write (how did that happen?), I continue to do research and add content when I can.  Over the past month, I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that has kept me from staying focused on completing this project.

I think I’ve lost my passion or desire to move this project forward.  I’ve let the recent downturn of the economy, keep me from staying positive about meeting and achieving my goals.

How could I possibly achieve my goals when the business forecast is so bleak?  Duh, why am I letting the media control my business?  I don’t for an instant care what they say, I have a strong and viable business helping entrepreneurs stay focused on their businesses, while providing them access to professional business services to keep their businesses on track and growing.

I’d be the first one to say that when I did my marketing program for 2009, it was a big change from those in the past.  I’ve changed the entire direction of my marketing to develop more opportunities online and through E-mail, to keep costs at bay.

Now I need to figure out how to ‘light a fire’ under myself, and my clients and prospects.  Let’s not let anything stand in the way of spreading the word about our products or services and how they can help others achieve their goals.  Let’s think outside the box and find new ways to share our insights and help each other be more successful.

I hope to inspire you to light your own fire and regain your passion to expand and grow your business.  I know I’m reenergized, I’ve lit my fire to recapture my passion….can’t you smell something burning?

Is Something Burning? is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

So how did I lose this daring bravado?  Why do I find myself steering clear of taking risks?  Isn’t it risk that got me into my own business? 

Recently, I asked my clients what more I could do to help them.  I wanted to find out what new challenges they might face in their businesses, to see if I couldn’t find some way to help them.

The common thread seemed to be that everyone feels downtrodden.  They’re taking on more of the workload, working longer hours, cutting back on expenses, and riding out the economic storm.

While I certainly understand and feel the economic pinch, maybe I haven’t lost that daring bravado after all.  I’m not waiting for the economy to bounce back; I’m getting creative about finding ways of reaching new clients, and developing new marketing strategies to educate potential clients on the benefits and value of working with a virtual professional.

I think I know a secret.   I might be one of a select few people who realizes that while everyone else is cutting back, this is probably the best time for me to jazz up and increase my marketing to stay top-of-mind.

So I challenge you to find that daring and take steps to keep your business going and growing.  Even if it’s just revamping your marketing materials or website, creating a new tag-line, attending a networking event, or starting that blog you’ve been wanting, now is the time to take action, get organized, consider options to increase productivity and workflow, and stay positive.  And should you need someone to discuss your challenges with, keep me in mind!

Am I Still Brave? is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs

Like just about everyone I know, there’s always something they’d like to do, but never seem to accomplish.  These projects are sometimes considered to be on the ‘back burner’.

For me, it’s been trying to write my second book.  While I’ve gotten away from my set time to write (how did that happen?), I continue to do research and add content when I can.  Over the past month, I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that has kept me from staying focused on completing this project.

I think I’ve lost my passion or desire to move this project forward.  I’ve let the recent downturn of the economy keep me from staying positive about meeting and achieving my goals.

How could I possibly achieve my goals when the business forecast is so bleak?  Duh, why am I letting the media control my business?  I don’t for an instant care what they say, I have a strong and viable business helping entrepreneurs stay focused on their businesses, while providing them access to as needed, professional business support services to keep their businesses on track and growing.

I’d be the first one to say that when I did my marketing program for 2008, it was a big change from those in the past.  I’ve changed the entire direction of my marketing to develop more opportunities online and through E-mail, like this blog, to keep costs at bay.

Now I need to figure out how to ‘light a fire’ under myself, and my clients and prospects.  Let’s not let anything stand in the way of spreading the word about our products or services and how they can help others achieve their goals.  Let’s think outside the box and find new ways to share our insights and help each other be more successful.

 I hope to inspire you to light your own fire and regain your passion to expand and grow your business.  I know I’m reenergized, I’ve lit my fire to recapture my passion….can’t you smell something burning?

Light A Fire is a post from: Virtual Assistance Business Briefs