Great Virtual Assistant Tools

Merry Christmas! Here are a few free "gifts" to enjoy and make your VA life a little bit easier.

I have recently found a tool that has helped me explain myself more effectively. It is called Jing.

Jing records what you are doing on your screen and it also records what you are saying. This allows you to show people what you mean when you say, "Move this here."

Another new thing I found online is 30Boxes. This is an online calendar, a lot like Google Calendar, but even better. You can do all the regular calendar things, but you can also add it to your website, personalize it and so much more.

One last little thing I found lately was a free talking head at Bravenet. These talking SitePals are a great way to tell your website visitors about new services, products, or sales.

Give the Gift of a Virtual Assistant

Recently a client of mine "gave me" as a gift to a charity that helps children in Africa. I thought this was an amazing thing to do.

Are you tired of giving gifts that just sit around collecting dust? Do you want to give a gift that really helps someone out? Do you have a friend or family member that needs help with their busy life or business? Why not "buy" them a virtual assistant as your gift this holiday? You could purchase one hour from us for only $25.00 to get them started or you could give them 5 hours for only $112.50.

If you know of an organization that needs some extra help, you could give some hours to them in the name of your family or friends. This way you know that your investment in the organization is going to good use and will have the satisfaction of helping those in need.

I am sure that whoever you give a virtual assistant to will thank you for this gift that will "keep on giving".

Can't Believe It's Been So Long!

I looked at my blog for the first time in quite a while and realized that I hadn't posted in months.

It has been a busy summer. Not only has my virtual assistant practice been busy, but my wife and I have opened a drop-in centre for local youth (http://thepostdrop-in.blogspot.com). With all of this and home-schooling, I haven't had the time to post.

I am making a resolution to post at least once a week, so keep coming back.

Getting Started as a Virtual Assistant

So you want to become a virtual assistant. You have done your research, written a business plan, and made the decision. Now what?

This is sometimes the hardest question that new virtual assistants face. A lot of new VAs get stuck on this and take a long time to get to the next step.

This is where the VA "Getting Started" Package comes in. We have come up with the ultimate VA "Getting Started" package for just this reason. We do most of the work for you! From the Website right down to the marketing and advertising. Along with getting your "web presence" set up for you, we are also including a training program to help you "Attract a Flood of Traffic" to your practice and 3 one-half hour personal guidance sessions.

With a total value of OVER $970.00, this package is a STEAL at only $495.00 $450.00 (limited time offer) Check out what you get:

WHAT YOU GET		Normal Cost
1	Website – created from your content from a customized template that matches your business.	$250.00
Up to 5	Email accounts Setup – you can have professional looking email addresses that come from your domain.	$25.00
1	Logo – based on your desires from one of the many templates we have to offer.	$75.00
1 year	Web hosting (Other packages available if you want to register for longer periods of time or if you need more space.)	$75.00
1 year	Domain Name registration (Other packages available if you want to register for longer periods of time.)	$15.00
Up to 7	Set up of your Networking accounts at Facebook, Alliance of Virtual Assistants, MySpace, LinkedIn, Ryze, Tagged, Twitter, XING, Squidoo, Technorati, etc.	$50.00
1	Blog – customized to match your website.	$125.00
1	Press Release - Announce your new web presence to the world with a professionally written press release submitted to your local press and free submission sites online.	$50.00
2	Google Analytics setup. This will keep you on top of who is visiting your site and your blog.	$25.00
1	Website submission to DMOZ and the most popular search engines online.	$50.00
1	“How to Attract A Flood of Clients” Course – a step-by-step training is set up in 5 weeks of daily exercises. All exercises are practical to help directly bring you more clients. Written by Alexander Kohl, MBA	$40.00
1	“7 Essential Keys for Responding to RFPs” – Written to assist Virtual Assistants in getting those jobs from the RFPs that you respond to.	$5.00
1	“Essential Article Marketing Secrets” – A “how to guide” to writing articles that get noticed.	$7.50
1	“Article Submitter” software. Helps to automate the process of submitting your articles.	$20.00
3	Months "Featured Member" status - you will be listed in the first 20 members at the Alliance of Virtual Assistants.	$30.00
3	Months "Box" Advertising - A 125X125 ad on the Alliance of Virtual Assistants.	$30.00
2	Article Review - I will review and edit your first 2 articles and offer suggestions for change and improvement if needed.	$25.00
3	½ hour Guidance Sessions with Darrell Williams – "I will spend the time to help guide you through maintaining your web presence and getting your VA practice off the ground."	$50.00
TOTAL VALUE		$972.50

We also can tailor this package to suit your needs. If you already have hosting, or a website, or don't need something on the list, we can substitute for something else or reduce the rate accordingly. We want to see you succeed in your new business!

Scams are Everywhere!

I recently responded to an ad in the local paper to conduct research survey from home. I went to the compny's website and filled out the form for more information. A few days later, I received an envelope in the mail from this company. Inside was a bank draft for $2,500.00, a letter explaining what to do with the bank draft and a customer survey to complete and send back.

I was supposed to cash the bank draft and go to my local Western Union office and send $2,100.00 to a certain person in Ontario and keep $200.00 for myself and pay the fees to Western Union. The first thing I noticed in the letter was that Western Union was miscapitalized in various ways throughout the letter. Then I noticed that the corporate logos at the bottom of the letter, from companies they supposedly have done reseaarch for, were all a little bit off. They looked real at first glance but when you looked closer, they were obvious fakes. My proofreading skills actually saved me from falling for this nasty scam.

I contacted the police and found out that a lot of local people had applied for this job and got the same response. One person actually cashed the bank draft and will be liable to the bank for $2500.00. These bank drafts are FAKE. They will get by the local teller, but when they get to the sorting office, they are found to be counterfeit and sent back.

The good news is that I did not cash the bank draft. I contacted the local television news department and they came and interviewed me today. I just don't want anyone else to fall for this scam. It comes in many different business names, but if you receive a bank draft or cheque in the mail and are asked to send some of it back, DO NOT CASH IT!