Editor: Kathie M. Thomas
So sorry that there has been no new post here for awhile. Many of you are new to this list and perhaps new to the industry and you may not know it, but some months ago my husband and I lost one of our daughters quite suddenly.
I was blown away by the response from the Virtual Assistant community and really appreciated it. But it has taken me a long time to really start gettting things back together again and I’ve only just recently begun to feel like I can actually go out and physically meet people face-to-face again. I feel more comfortable in my office where I don’t see a lot of people.
Anyway, I’m hoping to get back to producing this newsletter on a regular basis.
Thank you to everyone who has subscribed - it was great to see you all join us! Please do feel free to forward this newsletter and invite others to subscribe as well. Let’s all join together to make this a wonderful contribution to our industry as a whole. It is you, the reader, who will help this grow if you participate as mentioned below.
Your dues for this free newsletter is to submit two tips a quarter. As the tips increase we hope to send this newsletter out every two weeks. This is a newsletter for the Virtual Assistant Industry by Virtual Assistants so we look forward to your contributions and it will be the contributions that keep this newsletter happening.
| Tips - Technology, Resources, Sales & Marketing |
Do you have tips you can share with the VA industry regarding technology, resources, sales & marketing, PR and other areas? Share your tips here, maximum 250 words (the shorter the better), with just your name and email address. No URLs or other promotional wording please.
Outlook Tip -
Does you inbox grow so full and long that you have difficulty in finding the email you saw a moment ago? If you use the Rules Wizard it really will help you a great deal.
Create folders for your main topics and also for your clients. Then as each email comes in, right-click on the email, choose ‘Create Rule’ and then follow the prompts. You’ll be able to place your emails into the correct folders and even forward them on to others as needed. it becomes almost a fully automated system.
I know when I see a folder that is bolded with a number next to it in brackets it means there is unread mail in the box. It also means it keeps my inbox to a minimum with unfiltered email only.
Tips For Your VA Business -
- Be prepared to investigate new tools or programs as they become available to get a quick idea on how they work and what their value could be to your or your clients.
Accepting invitations to social networks - Kathie M. Thomas, A Clayton’s Secretary
Social and business networks seem to be exploding on the web and it is easy to get gripped by the excitement of these. But stop and think for a minute. Some simple questions will help you determine whether you should be accepting every invitation that comes your way:
- What is the aim of the network that you’ve been invited to? Is it for business or for social experience and will membership benefit you in some way?
- How well do you know the person who invited you?
- Just how many networks can you join and be effective in? Inviting everyone you know to each and every network can be time consuming and others will wonder whether you’re genuine about your commitment before jumping to the next one.
- Will the network you’ve just joined want access to your whole address book on your computer and do you want that to happen?
Many unsuspecting innocents accept an invitation and next thing they know they have unwittingly sent out invitations to their whole database. It is worth exploring the system first and ask questions of the person who invited you - what has been their experience and have they found it beneficial? If in doubt, don’t accept and in fact, just ignore - often the invitations time out, although you may get some prompting reminders for a short period of time.
| Requests for Information and Advice |
Do you want to know how to do something or where to find something? Why not ask here and we’ll compile a list of answers to send out in an issue in the following month.
Question: Should my rates be showing on my website? Shy VA.
What is your answer to this question? Please give us your answer at our Comments section - please include the question that you are answering.
Virtual Assistant Conferences
There are three main events (that I know of) for the Virtual Assistant community each year.
Once has just been completed and that’s the IVAA Summit. The feedback I’ve heard is excellent and is an event worth planning to attend so bookmark the site and watch for it in 2010.
OIVAC (Online International Virtual Assistants Convention) is on this month and is entirely virtual. That means you don’t have to leave your home, catch a plane, book accommodation or pay for meals in order to attend the event. With many speakers from several countries and events that cater to all timezones this event is definitely worth attending. The fourth year running, it is a great event!
FoVA (Forum on Virtual Assistance) is in its second year and will be held at the Marriott, Niagara Falls, Canada. With full day workshops leading up to the conference there will be many Virtual Assistant Industry leaders in attendance sharing of their wisdom, knowledge and experiences. An event not to be missed there is still time to get your booking in with low cost venues available nearby. This one is a must if you are in a position to travel to Canada.
| Topic of the Month (TOTM) |
This month’s topic is Running Your Business during difficult times, or perhaps a new business. Share your tips here for this topic. Please put ‘Topic of the Month’ in your subject and send to the Editor.
| Services and Products |
Do you have a service or product that you’ve found excellent for your business and would like to tell others? Share the details here.
Want to add your Virtual Assistant Blog to our blogroll? Send the Blog address and name to us here. Please note: Your blog should be active, i.e. has regular posts added to it and is updated at least on a monthly basis.
Motivational Quote
Self-initiated learning, once begun, develops its own momentum.
– Ray Hartjen
A word from the editor.
The goal for VANetwork News is to provide you with useful information for the Virtual Assistant industry. Postings will be edited and checked carefully to ensure they meet our guidelines.
VANN is not affiliated with any particular VA network or forum, but rather is for the VA industry as a whole.
VANN is not a place where VAs promote themselves or their services, but where they can learn about things of value to them in their industry.
Send comments or suggestions.
Quick notes:
- If a poster was requesting information please respond direct to them, and not via the Editor.
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About your editors:
Carmen MacDougall is an internationally renowned corporate and VA coach and trainer. Carmen, is one of the industry’s leading authorities, author and speaker on What it Takes to be a Remarkable VA. She has personally trained over 600 VAs across the UK, Europe and the Far East, is the Business Development Manager and VA Trainer for the International Association of Virtual Assistants (IAVA.org.uk) and is also the president and founder of the National VA Conference & Awards now in it’s 2nd year (19th April 2008, UK).
Jeannine Clontz, a 10-year veteran of the industry, holds numerous industry designations and is an author and professional speaker on business topics and business ethics. She shares her expertise and knowledge in her co-authored book, Entrepreneurial Freedom: How to Start and Grow A Profitable Virtual Assistance Practice and is an avid volunteer and mentors aspiring VAs. Jeannine is also a past-president of the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) and continues to volunteer in many aspects with the Association. She has been nominated for and achieved numerous awards.
Kathie M. Thomas pioneered the Virtual Assistant industry in Australia in 1996 and is also a VA Coach & Trainer. She has written 3 books for the industry and mentored hundreds of women worldwide. Kathie is an active member of the OIVAC steering committee and participates in many VA forums. She is also a member of National Speakers Association of Australia (NSAA), International Association of Coaches (IAC) and the Australian Institute of Office Professionals (AIOP).
Copyright 2009, VANetwork News. Other than your own copy, permission must be granted for reprinting of any item in this newsletter.