Marketing the George Jefferson Way

Lately I have been watching the Jeffersons. I have noticed why George was successful. George Jefferson was a master marketer. He was always ready to tell anyone who would listen, and even those who wouldn't, about his dry-cleaning business.

Even my 10 year-old has mentioned that George gives his business card to everyone. Every time he has the opportunity he gives his "elevator speech" and makes sure people know he is the owner of the largest chain of dry-cleaners in the city. In one episode, he was bailing Weezie out of jail and he gave the guard a card and he even gave the prostitutes in the cell each one.

Any time he had the chance to be in the media, he took it; no matter how ridiculous the reason. He was always trying to get the attention of anyone with money that could further his enterprise.

How are you about spreading the word about your business? I know that I need to learn how to be more like George. I need to tell everyone about my business at every opportunity. I have been doing this well online, and now I am going to start giving this more of my attention in the "real" world.

What is your "elevator" speech? What do you tell people when they ask "What do you do for a living?" How are yoou involved in your community and how is this helping your business? Are you meeting with other business people on a regular basis?

VAnetworking Press Release and My Mistake

Virtual Assistant Networking Association 10,000 Member Milestone.

After writing this press release I learned that VAnetworking has almost 10,000 members, but only just under 8,000 are active members and have corrected this in the body of the press release. I have apologized to Tanwya Sutherland, the founder of VAnetworking for this mistake.

3rd Edition of the Carnival of Virtual Assistants

Kathie Thomas will be the host for the October edition of the Blog Carnival of Virtual Assistants.

You can see all of the great posts by clicking HERE. Kathie Thomas' blog is exactly what the title says, "The Blog About Our Industry". There is always so much information posted there for VAs and their clients. It is definitely a resource for you to add to your favourites.

Kathie has also been honoured recently by VANA (Virtual Assistant Networking Association) as having the VA Blog of the Week. A well deserved honour. VANA is another great resource with over 7,000 members who, through the VA forum, are more than willing to help you on your way as you get your virtual assistant business to the place you want it to be.

The 4th edition of the Blog Carnival of Virtual Assistants will be making its way back here in November. Let's make it the virtual assistant event of the month!

Carnival of Virtual Assistants - #1

Welcome to the first ever Carnival of Virtual Assistants. We will bring you great posts from the virtual assistant industry from around the globe. Enjoy and maybe next month your post will be here along with ours.

Tips for VA Clients:
Angela Wills presents StarVA - How to Know You're Getting Your Moneys Worth From Your VA posted at StarVA.com.

Website Design Tip:
Barbra Sundquist presents How to Write a Short Bio or "About Me" Page posted at Barbra Sundquist.

How can a Virtual Assistant Help Me?
Emma Walker presents How can a Virtual Assistant help me? posted at CKPA.

Tips for Women Who Lead Men:
Alvaro Fernandez presents Top Ten Tips for Women Who Lead Men posted at Brain Fitness Blog.

Some Business Success Myths:
Bhupendra Khanal presents Top 10 Mantra for Professional Success posted at Analytics Bhupe.

Gmail Productivity Tips:
The Free Geek presents The Enormous Gmail Productivity List posted at Free Geekery.

Internet Marketing Tips:
Praveen presents My Simple Trading System: A Free Guide Recommending Internet Marketing Resources posted at My Simple Trading System.

Don't forget to leave us your comments and suggestions to make the Carnival of Virtual Assistants even better next month!

I Won, Again!

I am the first winner of, and Tawnya Sutherland says, the inspiration for a new contest at the Virtual Assistants Network Association. It's called "Blogging for VANA" and it is going to be better than "bobbing for apples"!

From the VANA contest page:
Blog with VANA and you could win a month's worth of Bronze Advertising at VANA to help you with your business advertising. Everyone is welcome to play from Virtual Assistants to clients of Virtual Assistants! We will draw one new winner for every 10 entries we receive. If we receive 100 entries, we'll draw 10 winners!

So go over and check out my ad. It is posted right beside the contest details.

Thanks, again, VANA and Tawnya!

Virtual Assistant Networking Association VAccolade Award

I was overwhelmed today to be told that Right-Hand-Man Virtual Assistant Services was selected to receive the:


VAccolade Business Entrepreneur Award

The award is given to a member of VANA (there are over 6,000 members)who is nominated by one of their clients, business colleagues, or peers. They must have also met any combination of the following criteria:
1. Has been an important contributor to the forum (volunteer/advice/support/etc.)
2. His website demonstrates at least one of the following qualities in an outstanding way: a. Solid copywriting b. Usability c. Search engine friendly d. Excellent design e. Original content
3. Shows all around business savvy and good judgement
4. Demonstrates a strong USP
5. Upholds our VANA member ethics

I am honoured to be selected and proudly added the VAccolade banner to my website. Thank you VANA!

My First Press Release

The following is my first ever press release:
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Virtual Assistants In The News
The Virtual Assistant industry is catching the eye of the national media.

The Virtual Assistant industry is being highlighted in the national media once again. In the May issue of Reader's Digest, an article on ways to make extra money states, "If you've got word processing, transcription, bookkeeping, public relations or website design skills, you may want to try life as a virtual assistant." The article goes on to quote VA and author, Diana Ennen whose book, "Virtual Assistant -The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA", is a must-have manual for every Virtual Assistant.

In an upcoming episode of the "Today Show", another VA will be featured. A film crew will follow her through a "typical day" in the life of a Virtual Assistant.


"The Virtual Assistant industry is growing rapidly and having it noticed by the press will only help its growth. People will learn what a VA is and either want to become one or hire one."


The Virtual Assistant industry has been featured in national publications in the past. TIME, Businessweek, The Christian Science Monitor, and USA Today have all published articles about Virtual Assistants.


According to Darrell Williams, owner of Right-Hand-Man Virtual Assistant Services, "The more exposure the Virtual Assistant industry gets, the better. Explaining the concept of a VA to potential clients is half the battle. National press exposure makes this so much easier."


For more information on Virtual Assistants and what they can do for you, visit www.righthandmanva.com.

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You're a Virtual Assistant? What's That?

When I tell people that I am a Virtual Assistant, they look at me like I have 2 heads. I then try to explain that a Virtual Assistant is like an Administrative Assistant working from home. Then they kind of snicker.
I am trying not to say "work at home". When people hear this they think of someone sitting in their pajamas, watching the soaps, and working at the same time. Now this may be true of some people, I am pretty sure it is not the norm. When I work at home I still have to get up and get dressed and go to work. I just don't have as far to go.
The next question they have is, "Well, what exactly do you do?" This is where I have the most problem. I tell them that the clients I have had in the past have had me doing everything from formatting books for printing to sending e-mails. Some people still don't get it. They seem to have in their minds a picture of Homer Simpson from the episode where he gained so much weight that he HAD to stay home and work.

Well, I am still working on my "definition" of a Virtual Assistant that I can quickly and easily give to people when I want them to understand what I do. It's great the industry is getting coverage in magazines such as "Reader's Digest", in newspapers and TV news. It will definitely make it easier to explain as people become more aware of what a Virtual Assistant is.

Who Uses a Virtual Assistant?

What types of businesses use a Virtual Assistant?
The list is longer than you might think.

Realtors
Coaches
Artists
Musicians
Actors
Home-based Businesses
Lawyers
Chiropractors
Doctors
Salespeople
Authors
Property Managers
Students
Accountants
Hairdressers
Non-Profit Organizations

There are so many more. Do you use a Virtual Assistant?
Please leave a comment telling us what line of business you are in.
Are you a VA? Leave a comment with a list of the types of businesses
your clients are a part of.

7 Reasons Your Non-Profit Needs a Virtual Assistant

Having worked in non-profit organizations in three different countries, I have seen the benefits and drawbacks of non-profits hiring full-time Administrative support staff. There are many different reasons why a Virtual Assistant would be a better choice for non-profits and I have come up with these seven.

1) Cost – Virtual assistants cost less than their in-house counterparts. With lunch breaks, coffee breaks, telephone calls and personal conversations, most in-house employees work less than 28 hours per week. Costs such as benefits, training, office setup, etc. also cost the organization money that it doesn’t always have.

2) Loyalty – This can be a great thing to have from an employee, but can be a costly thing to have as an employer. When things get tight, as they always do in non-profits, we are less likely to lay off staff. This is great and the probably the right thing to do, but it does cost. Hiring a loyal Virtual Assistant when needed is better than having to lay people of when needed.

3) Expertise – I have seen it time and again. People are hired because they like to “help out” and have been volunteering for a long time – not necessarily because they have the skills and expertise that the position requires.

4) Perspective – Having a Virtual Assistant that supports the ideals of your organization, but is not actually involved gives you an outsider’s point of view. This can come in handy when decisions have to be made and it’s hard to see the forest from the trees.

5) Timing – There are always busier times in non-profit organizations. Why not hire a Virtual Assistant to create your quarterly newsletter, organize and mail out your yearly donation receipts, or create the posters and mail out the thank you cards for your annual fundraising drive.

6) Volunteers – Volunteers are the backbone of the non-profit organization, but volunteers only have so much time and ability to “donate” to your organization. Having a cost effective, dedicated alternative for administrative tasks is a great way to avoid “volunteer burnout”.

7) Networking – Non-profits need networking like any other business, if not more. A good Virtual Assistant is another way of networking for your particular cause. They are members of organizations and associations and have contacts that you may never be able to reach on your own. They may even have other clients who are willing to donate their time or resources to your organization.

Think about these seven points and really look at how your non-profit organization can benefit from a Virtual Assistant. Then when you are ready to hire one, do some research and find one that fits with your organization. Find one that shares the same values and will partner with your organization for its success.