Finally we reach Number One of my Top Ten countdown. This one is Keep on Learning!

I’m a firm believer in continuing professional development for Virtual Assistants. Whether you study a formal qualification, or take a few short courses, or listen to a webinar, attend a virtual or live VA conference (like AVAC) or undertake online learning from other VA’s or coaches – keep on learning about the VA industry and related industries. For example, I am studying Communications at university level as I find it invaluable for learning complementary skills for my Virtual Assistant practice. Things change so quickly in our industry given it is technology based, and I believe that we should never stop this process of learning and acquiring knowledge. This will benefit not only your clients but also you and your business.

There are a number of fantastic Virtual Assistant training providers which I can refer you to. Please drop me a line at info@netsecretary.com.au or leave me a comment.

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We are almost at the end of the Top 10 countdown of the most useful things I have learned being a VA. Number two on my list is Clients are Gold.

This one should be fairly self explanatory. After all, clients are a VA’s bread and butter. They pay our bills and keep our businesses running and therefore our livelihoods. But it is amazing how many VA’s I have come across who still don’t get this. Subcontracting to another VA is a prime example.

These are my tips for happy clients = happy VA practice!

• Always make time for your clients and give them personalised attention.
• Try to always add value to what you are providing to clients.
• The client is always right and even when they are wrong, they can still be made to feel they are ‘right’.
• Respect your clients time.
• Find reliable subcontractors who look after your clients to the same standards that you expect, or be prepared to check their work so the quality is consistent
• Remember your clients at Christmas, anniversaries and thank them in a meaningful way if they refer other clients to you.

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Life’s been pretty busy and so has the Net Secretary practice so therefore there’s been a  lull in finishing this Top 10. Today is Number Three.

My number three most valuable tip is to join one or two online VA networks. I belong to three currently and I think I’ve found the ‘right’ ones for me. VA networks are well worth the investment for a number of reasons.

VA networks help combat the isolation of being a solo entrepreneur working from home as your fellow VA colleagues are in the same boat. It does often feel like a chat around the water cooler as we share experiences with each other in a virtual way.

I also find networks invaluable if I need to outsource any of my work during peak periods.

VA networks are also a great resource for computer issues, software problems, reviews of technology and a myriad of other things.

Many networks also have learning opportunities for new and experienced VAs. These are fantastic as they are specific to our industry and you can learn from more experienced VAs so that you do things in perhaps a more efficient and knowledgeable way. I believe that we never stop learning and I really enjoy the month webinars provided by AVBN (one network I belong to) as I learn so much about new technology and other useful topics relevant to my practice.

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The Number Four item on my list is subcontracting is not a dirty word.

Subcontracting is a great training opportunity for new and aspiring VAs. When I first began my Virtual Assistant practice almost five years ago, I had 18 years of administration and PA experience but it does not prepare you for running your own business as a VA. I started off by subcontracting to other VAs, mainly transcription, and this experience was invaluable. It allowed me to ‘try on’ being a business owner, learn about business practices and procedures from more experienced VAs as well as fine tune my knowledge of what is expected with transcription. It allowed me to earn some money while working out what I wanted to do with my website and my marketing. Subbing is invaluable and I still do it to this day if work is a bit slow or I feel like a change. There is always something new to be learned and gained from being a subcontractor.

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Number Five is to have a professional and usable website to promote your VA business. It makes sense that potential clients find a Virtual Assistant on the Internet because our industry is virtual, and as such we need to make sure we have a  website that not only promotes our own Virtual Assistance practice but the VA industry as a whole. VA’s are still a relatively new concept in some sectors of the market and the onus is on us to establish the difference between an offshore VA and a professional partnering VA, and demonstrate value for money. Most importantly, learn all you can about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and use it to full advantage on your website and blog. SEO is a continual process of tweaking keywords and keeping your web and blog content current and fresh. There are many fantastic books on SEO out there but my favourite is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Growing Your Business with Google by Dave Taylor. Don’t let the title put you off – it is a great, easy to understand book and Dave Taylor really knows his stuff. I also subscribe to his newsletter which is full of geek-friendly tips and discussion on the latest technologies.

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At number six of the Top 10 Most Valuable Things I’ve Learned Being a VA is knowing what forms of marketing and advertising work.

I think over the years I have tried every form of advertising for Net Secretary  – newspapers, Yellow Pages, directories etc – and I know now what works best for me. Word of mouth and search engine optimisation of my website are THE best ways to attract new customers. Being a Virtual Assistant, it naturally follows that the majority of my enquiries are virtual.

This also gets back to choosing who I want to work with, not just being all things to all people. I still do the one-off jobs but I prefer to work with longer term clients so that I can learn about their business and their needs.
These days I also have the confidence to say ‘no’ to pushy Yellow Pages sales staff as I know what works best for me and my business and where my clients have found me.

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My number seven most valuable thing I’ve learned is know what you are worth.

My rates are something I have researched and gone over with a fine tooth comb to make sure they cover all my expenses (super, insurance, running costs of the business etc), is on par with my experience and skill set and still enables me to make a living. I am in business to earn a living, not to be a charity. Nobody questions an electrician, the plumber or even your hairdresser – they are just accepted as their rate.

If any prospective client questions my rates (which thankfully is very rare) than I know that they are not the type of client I want to work with. As a professional VA, I know what I am worth and when I realised this, it made all the difference in attracting the type of clients I love to work with.

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Number 8 of the Top Ten Things I’ve Learned Being a VA is especially appropriate for this time of year, being the last day of the financial year in Australia. It probably applies to every small business and that is, to invest in a good bookkeeping programme and to keep one’s own books up to date. I use Quickbooks and find it intuitive, powerful and easy to use.  I once let my books slip behind by a couple of months and it was a nightmare and time consuming to catch up. Never again. I always make sure I set aside time once a week (usually on Friday) to do my books and make sure everything is up to date. This little bit of regular maintenance is huge peace of mind and my business and I are thankful every day!

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Number Nine on my list is I am not an employee, I am an independent business owner.

This was a tricky one to grasp when I first started Net Secretary almost five years ago. I had just come from being an employee in the corporate sector and still had that "employee mentality" – if the boss said jump, my response was ‘how high?’  I made quite a few mistakes in those early days, bowing to pressure from clients on when and how they wanted things done, not trusting my own professional judgement or having the confidence to say "no".

It is extremely liberating once this concept has been grasped and I am now comfortable with the fact I am a business owner, just as my clients are, and I deserve to be treated with the same level of professional respect as I treat them.

I have realistic boundaries – for example, no weekend work or evening work unless we are appropriately compensated and it is mutually agreed, not expected. For the most part I choose my clients and who I want to work with, not the other way around.

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I’ve going to share with you my Top 10 Valuable lessons I’ve learned since opening Net Secretary and becoming a Virtual Assistant. I continue to learn new things every day in my business but these are the 10 most valuable lessons that help define my business. Today I start at Number 10.

Number 10 – You can’t be all things to all people

Net Secretary provides a core range of virtual assistance services to a regular group of clients in select industries. We do what we are experts at and what provides the best service to our clients. We do not provide bookkeeping services nor legal or medical transcription or related legal/medical services. We do not do telemarketing or cold calling. We are not experts in these fields and nor do we want to be. There are plenty of other niche service providers out there that offer these services. Our niche is transcription, copywriting, web design/updates and all general admin and virtual assistant services. We strive to be the best at what we are good at. We do not aspire to be ‘jack of all trades’ and master of none.

Stay tuned for Number 9…

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