Many virtual assistants struggle with managing their time. Some work all day, and since the office is at home, they can work all night completing projects, looking for new clients, researching virtual tools, using social networking sites… Sometimes this time in front of the computer pays off, but for many, it’s time spent without much to show for it.

Others find that their focus is pulled in other directions. Laundry needs to get done, they don’t want to miss Oprah, they spend an hour talking with the neighbor who was outside walking the dog… Next thing they know, the day is almost over and little work was done to grow their business or assist their clients to the best of their ability.

If you have difficulty with time management, chunk your day. Schedule your day so you complete what is needed. If you need to spend time following up with new business leads, schedule it on your calendar for an hour chunk. Need to complete a project for one of your clients?...

You are thinking about becoming a virtual assistant but don’t know if you have the right software and equipment? Here are the basics:

• Computer with high speed internet
• MS Office software
• Printer
• Fax capabilities (either e-fax capability or a physical fax machine will do)
• Unlimited long distance calling, preferably from a dedicated home phone line
• Hands-free devise for your phone to make it easy to talk and type
• Anti virus program for your computer
• A backup storage system for electronic files (external hard drive, or my favorite – an automatic backup program like mozy.com, ibackup.com, or carbonite.com)
• A quiet and comfortable place to work

Anything else will depend on the services you are offering and the clients you will be assisting. The basics listed above should be enough to get you started.

Visit ZAMZAR to convert one type of document to another type, even without owning the software! This is useful for converting PDFs back into Word or vice versa.
Poof – and it’s done!

New virtual assistants who are not extremely tech savvy will struggle with the decision of building a website or going without. Start-up budgets are often low and if a skill isn’t building websites, finding a designer or building a site can be daunting.

Today, having a web presence is important. Even if a potential client meets you at a networking event or hears about you through a referral, chances are they will want to visit your website before deciding to work with you. You are a business owner and need a professional business presence.

So what are easy, cost effective options for building a website? There are many, but let’s look at two:

1. WordPress allows you to build a website with little to no HTML knowledge. There are templates you can choose – some free, some for a fee – and you can make the websites as fancy or basic as you want. The backend gives you a lot of website statistics (how many visitors per day, who has linked to your site, etc.). 
2. ...

One of the more popular requests VAs get from their clients is to help schedule appointments. This can be a tricky and time consuming project if you need to find a day and time that works with multiple people. Here’s a website that will make finding the perfect meeting time easier than ever: TimeBridge

TimeBridge is a web-based application that makes scheduling and leading meetings incredibly Timebridge also helps you follow up after your meeting. As the Timebridge Team says, “Think of us as your calendar-wrangling, agenda-making, note-taking, team-motivating, secret weapon in the battle against workplace inefficiency.”

You can choose from two account types: Free and Plus. The Plus account is far less expensive than you would think, and both accounts offer the option of using Timebrige’s conference call and webinar services.

A backbone of any business these days is a website, especially home-based or virtual businesses since there is not a physical location for people to get information. If you are like most new virtual assistants, you are deciding what your business name will be, and will soon be purchasing a domain name that matches.

My favorite place to buy domain names is GoDaddy. The prices are low, and it really is a one stop shopping experience. In addition to getting your web address, you can get web hosting, assistance building your website, your email addresses set up, you can add an e-commerce store to your website, and just about anything else website related you can dream up. There customer service and tech support are top notch, and you can expect a call now and then from a representative who noticed you are paying for a service that you are not using. It’s rare a company calls you to say you are spending too much with them these days, but that’s what you can expect with ...

Virtual assistants have the ability to choose who they want to work with. In the beginning, many will work with anyone who comes their way in order to generate income, get experience, and establish themselves, but the virtual assistants who are most fulfilled are the ones working with clients who bring them joy. You are not an employee anymore and do not need to work with Jane or Joe just because they are down the hall.

During each interview I ask virtual assistants who their ideal clients are. Many new virtual assistants don’t know how to answer this question. Do you? Take a minute right now and see if you can verbalize who your ideal client is. If you are taking part in the VA Quickstart program, there is a section that walks you through identifying your ideal client.

Why is this important? Working with your ideal clients will allow you to work from a place of joy and strength. You will have the skills they need, you will be performing duties you enjoy, and your work styles...

Looking for a great tool to help you organize your business and clients, and just be more efficient in general? Smartsheet may be your answer. They have created an online program that feels like Excel, but allows you to do so much more.
 
You can access your Smartsheet anywhere, use it as a collaboration space with your clients, and personalize the look, feel and functions of your files as much as you want.
 
To get a better feel for what is offered, check out some VA-specific starter templates at http://www.smartsheet.com/assistantmatch. The basic account is free.
 
The founder of Smartsheet led a webinar for VA Quickstart Network members recently, and we were all impressed with how in-tune they are with virtual assistants, and how easily Smartsheet can increase efficiency for a VA. Experience it for yourself!

How you present yourself to potential clients can make or break a relationship. First impressions are always important, and in a virtual world, those impressions are often phone and email.

If you are promoting yourself as a professional service provider, have your email address reflect the same. Having a business domain name as your email address is best ([email protected]) but if you do not have a website yet, at least have a professional email address. [email protected] or [email protected] may be descriptive of you in your everyday life, but for clients it is better to have a business address.

So what’s more professional? Use something like [email protected] or [email protected] until you have a domain purchased for your business. Stay away from aol addresses, or an email address that you may have to change if you move or change internet providers.

I know this may seem minor to people, and there may be questions of if an email address is...