Virtual Assistants Deal With High Canadian Dollar

My latest Press Release:

The high Canadian dollar may be good news for some businesses online, but for others it is causing them to rethink their marketing plans to US customers and clients.

Virtual assistants are among the latter group. For years, Canadian VAs have been able to offer competitive rates to their US clients. Now with the dollar being so high against the American dollar, they are losing money and in some cases, clients. Some American clients are finding it more cost effective to find US-based virtual assistants.

This has lead many virtual assistants to take another look at how they market to prospective clients in the US. Some are marketing more to Canadian prospects and since the Canadian market for virtual assistants is smaller than of that in the US, this is making the Canadian virtual assistant industry more competitive. Some virtual assistants are lowering their prices in response to the surge in the Canadian dollar.

Darrell Williams, of Right-Hand-Man Virtual Assistant Services has decided to lower his basic rate from $30/hour to $25.00/hour so his American clients will be able to continue to pay the same amount for his services. Williams says, “I would rather lose a few dollars an hour than lose my clients in the US. It makes sense to me to take a small loss, temporarily, than to possibly lose clients while our dollar is high.”

The high Canadian dollar is also hard on virtual assistant organizations, trainers and coaches. One of the largest VA organizations, the Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA), which is based in Canada, is now losing about $120 each time they sell the Virtual Business Startup System to new virtual assistants in the US.

Virtual assistants are global service providers. What happens to the economy of their country, or that of the country where their clients are based, will affect their bottom line. It doesn’t mean they will be forced into financial ruin, but it does mean they have to change to meet the challenges of their global industry.

December Edition of the Carnival of Virtual Assistants

The last Carnival of Virtual Assistants, for 2007, will be hosted by Ruth Martin at "Leaf Notes" - the blog of Maplewood Virtual Assistance. You will be able to view the Carnival tomorrow.

In 2008, each Carnival of Virtual Assistants will have a theme. If you have any ideas for these themes, post a comment on this post.

Holiday Sale and New Virtual Assistant Rates!

HOLIDAY SALE
Pay for 5 hours and get 2 FREE!
Pay for 10 hours and get 4 FREE!
Pay for 15 or more hours and get 6 FREE!
(Offer valid until January 2, 2008)

Due to the high Canadian Dollar our basic rate is now only
$25.00(CAD) per hour.
(+6%GST for Canadian Clients)
Billed in 15 minute increments.

• 5 hour Package - $112.50 (10% Savings!)
• 10 hour Package - $225.00 (10% Savings!)
• 15 hour Package - $318.75 (15% Savings!)
• 20 hour Package - $400.00 (20% Savings!)

• We offer a 15% discount for non-profit organizations, home school families and organizations!
We accept cheques, cash, bank drafts,
and money orders.
We also accept credit cards through Paypal

We are #1 On Yahoo!

I couldn't figure out why I was getting so many referrals from Yahoo so I did a Yahoo search for "virtual assistant services" and the Right-Hand-Man Virtual Assistant Services website came in first!

I know that less people use Yahoo than Google, but it is still a great feeling to be #1. My goal is to be first on all the search engines, eventually. I think that we all need to work towards this goal.

If you need help with your search engine optimization (SEO) and internet marketing, why not contact us and we can put together a plan for you.

Proofreaders Wanted For Small Firm Lawyers?

I found this article and I thought I would share it. The author is telling lawyers that they need to have their work proofread. I feel it is important for any solo practitioner or SOHO business person to have their work proofread.

While even the most benign typo can be professionally embarrassing — small law firms rarely look to fill proofreading positions.
by Robert M. Unterberger, Esq.
lexisONE

"Wanted: Individual possessing excellent writing and grammatical skills for small law firm. Must be gifted working with all kinds of legal documents.

No, I've never seen a classified like this one. While lawyers recognize that spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and adherence to format are critical to their credibility — and that even the most benign typo can be professionally embarrassing — law firms of any size rarely look to fill proofreading positions."

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE.