Take Charge of the Delegation Process (and Make More Money, Too!)

Presented by Danielle Keister, VACOC Founder

DATE: Thursday, April 16, 2009
TIME: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST
DURATION: 60 minutes (call in 10 min. early to secure your seat)
COST: FREE!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? This class is just for Virtual Assistants. Any Virtual Assistant who wants to take charge of the delegation process, better support clients and who have purchased my Activity & Time Analysis Tool (GDE-37) or are interested in it should plan to attend. Invite your Virtual Assistant buddies! If you know some folks who would like to attend, feel free to copy and paste the contents on this page, and post invitations on the forums, listservs and groups you participate in.

Many clients (maybe even most) struggle when it comes to delegation. When they hire a Virtual Assistant, they expect her to be the expert and to guide them in this process. But many Virtual Assistants aren't taking that proactive, professional role in their own businesses. In the process, not only are they creating a burden on their own clients and not supporting them as fully and professionally as they could, but they are also missing out on opportunities to make more money.

When I created my Activity & Time Analysis Tool (GDE-37), it was to devise a more methodical, "scientific" process for documenting and analyzing where clients were spending their time, how that time was either productively adding to or detracting from their business, as well as what efforts were creating positive returns or negative energy drains. The data is automatically translated into charts which allows the tool to provide clients with a visual snapshot of the business, which is often fantastically eye-opening to them in a way that no other print-out can be. Armed with this information, you are better able to pinpoint support needs, identify problem areas and make more purposeful, meaningful recommendations about where you can get started working together.

Instead of flying blind or passively waiting around to be told what to do (while the client is probably waiting for you to inform them!), you could be taking charge of your role as the administrative expert and identifying exactly what the best level of support is for new or existing clients. This also puts you in the driver's seat when it comes to getting more work from clients and increasing your revenue.

With this call, I want to help Virtual Assistants better understand how they can take on their role as the administrative expert and use this tool to their advantage to provide clients with the professional leadership and guidance they are desperately craving from Virtual Assistants. We'll cover:

• Filling your role as the administrative expert
• Taking charge of the delegation process
• How leading your own processes actually helps clients
• All the various ways you can utilize the tool with clients
• How to use the tool and make recommendations
• How you can use the tool to make more money with clients

I'll also be giving away one free Activity & Time Analysis Tool (a $67 value) to one lucky person on the call so be sure to attend. If you're a Virtual Assistant and you want to learn more about taking charge of the delegation process, if you've purchased the Activity & Time Analysis Tool already and want to know how to better utilize it, or if you are interested in the tool and want to learn more about how it can help you in your practice, this call is for you!

REGISTER TODAY!

Until next time,

Denise
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Another great VACOC Monthly Guest Expert Teleseminar

Assert Yourself Today!

Presented by Nancy Stampahar, SilverLiningSolutions.com

DATE: Thursday, March 19, 2009
TIME: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST
DURATION: 60 minutes (call in 10 min. early to secure your seat)
COST: FREE!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? This class is open to all Virtual Assistants, small/boutique business owners, solo professionals, solopreneurs and independent professionals. Invite your business buddies! If you know some folks who would like to attend, feel free to copy and paste the contents on this page, and post invitations on the forums, listservs and groups you participate in.

Can you say "no?" Can you set boundaries and ask for what you need? Do you speak up in meetings? Do you let people yell at you? When you are served a cold meal in a restaurant, do you return it or eat the cold food you are paying for? Are your clients treating you like an employee or a collaborative business partner?

If you want to make money and gain respect, you can not be a walk-all-over doormat or a pushy jerk. You must become an assertiveness communicator, which is powerful and free of worry and judgment.

To succeed, you must become empowered to assert yourself with confidence and communication that is appropriate, effective and mostly, respectful. Join us for the "Assert Yourself Today!" teleseminar and learn how to:

• Realize the differences between passive, assertive and aggressive communication styles.
• Learn how to say "no" without feeling guilty.
• Deliver constructive feedback with the Fact, Impact, Future performance improvement technique.
• Take control of your life.

When you stand up for yourself and express your honest thoughts, feelings and needs in direct, appropriate ways, you can have win-win results and a whole lotta respect for yourself and from others. Start asserting yourself today by registering for the call at the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce.

About Nancy Stampahar

Nancy Stampahar (Pittsburgh, PA) is a sought-after organizational development consultant, trainer and speaker, with a degree in human resource management, and is the author of "Peace, Love and Lemonade: A Recipe to Make Your Life Sweeter." Stampahar solely owns and directs Silver Lining Solutions®, a consulting, training and speaking firm that specializes in adversity and change management, assertiveness and conflict resolution, empowerment, leadership and supervisory development, sales and team building.

Nancy Stampahar is passionate. She practices what she speaks. True to her company’s name, she believes in silver linings and the possibilities found in every day. Nancy is a resilient individual whose life experiences have shaped her into a wellspring of positive energy, compassion and achievement. She has found her calling and is continually helping people discover the abundance of opportunities within themselves and in the worlds around them.

Visit: www.silverliningsolutions.com and www.peaceloveandlemonade.com

Until next time,

Denise
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VACOC Monthly Guest Expert Teleseminar Series:

How to NOT Undersell Yourself in a Down Economy

Presented by Mikelann Valterra, Women's Earning Institute

DATE: Thursday, November 20, 2008
TIME: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST
DURATION: 60 minutes (call in 10 min. early to secure your seat)
COST: FREE!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? This class is open to all Virtual Assistants, small/boutique business owners, solo professionals, solopreneurs and independent professionals. Invite your business buddies! If you know some folks who would like to attend, feel free to copy and paste the contents on this page, and post invitations on the forums, listservs and groups you participate in.

Has the economy got you down? Do you worry you won't earn enough, but you find yourself giving away free time and discounting your services in other ways? Author Mikelann Valterra, directory of the Women's Earning Institute, focuses on empowering women to earn their worth—even in a down economy.

In this powerful teleclass, Mikelann explores the psychology of why even successful business women undersell themselves and what to do about it. Women who "underearn" deal with complex emotional issues around making money. Mikelann will look at the emotional and financial cost of discounting yourself and your services, and the message you convey when you suppress your fees. She will talk about how to protect your time as well as what people really want to buy from you. She will also explore the hard notion that not everyone should be able to afford you and how this translates when the economy is down. Lastly, she'll discuss ways to feel great charging your full fee.

Learn:

• How and why women under-price themselves;
  
  
• How getting in touch with "resentment" can make you more money;
  
  
• How to avoid discounting yourself;
  
  
• How to protect your time;
  
  
• How to charge your full fee and feel great about it!

... and much, much more!

Be sure to register today to reserve your spot and get your burning questions answered!

REGISTER TODAY!

About Mikelann Valterra

Mikelann Valterra is the founder and director of the Women's Earning Institute and the author of the book, "Why Women Earn Less: How to Make What You're Really Worth," and the workbook, "How to Set and Raise Your Rates." As a specialist in earning issues, she speaks and consults widely on how to overcome self-sabotaging beliefs about money. From KOMO News 4 to the Washington Post, she talks about transforming one's relationship to money, and how women can earn at their potential. To subscribe to the free monthly "Earn Your Worth" e-newsletter, go to http://www.womenearning.com.

Until next time,

Denise
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VA Survey press release

Virtual Assistants flock to participate in the 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey

Frustrated by inaccurate media portrayals and industry outsiders miseducating their marketplace, Virtual Assistants head in droves to partake in the third annual Virtual Assistant Industry Survey.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Denise Shears

Phone: 888.439.4845

Email: denise@shearsvirtual.com

Website: http://www.shearsvirtual.com

Beaverton, Michigan, August 7, 2008—Virtual Assistants are fed up. They've had it with inaccurate media portrayals and reporters who don't get the facts right. They're sick of exploitive industry outsiders who don't understand the Virtual Assistance business misinforming their marketplace. They're tired of constantly having to explain the difference between an employee and an independent service provider. And they're having their say about it all by participating in this year's third annual Virtual Assistant Industry Survey.

Every August marks the time of year when Virtual Assistants can contribute to the statistics and body of knowledge that is improving the industry's understanding of itself and the education of its market. Sponsored by the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, over 10,000 Virtual Assistants from around the globe are invited to participate. Created by Virtual Assistants (the folks who know the industry best!), the Virtual Assistant Industry Survey is the most comprehensive and in-depth survey in the Virtual Assistant profession. With 101 questions, the survey includes detailed cross-sectional data that represents every area of the industry. It offers unprecedented information about individual and business demographics, market data, and services. Other survey topics include:

• Education, experience and credentials
• Employees and subcontractors
• Clients and target markets
• Hours and services
• Pricing and income
• Training and continuing education
• Marketing and networking
• Success, profitability and entrepreneurship
• Standards, Ethics and Educating the Public

Denise Shears, a Virtual Legal Assistant in Michigan, and owner of Shears Virtual Advantage at http://www.shearsvirtual.com, made haste to be included in the survey. “I participated because I believe that the business industry needs to be informed correctly as to just what a Virtual Assistant is and what we do for our clients. This survey will help to show that VA’s are not just fly by night businesses run by stay-at-home moms, but that we are also business owners who have upper level administrative experience in our past and who truly enjoy helping clients succeed.”, states Denise Shears.

"Thousands of writers, reporters, and journalists have access to the Virtual Assistant Industry Survey. It gives them all the information they need to write the articles and profiles that more accurately portray our profession and educate our marketplace. That's why it is so very important that every Virtual Assistant take a moment to participate," stresses Danielle Keister, founder of the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce.

The 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey is open to all professional Virtual Assistants. A copy of the 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey Report will be provided at no charge to every participating Virtual Assistant at the end of the survey period. Virtual Assistants can participate by visiting http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/survey.htm

ABOUT THE VACOC: The Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce is a professional association committed to empowering business-minded Virtual Assistants to grow smarter, more successful practices and providing business owners with free tools and resources to connect with reputable, qualified Virtual Assistant professionals. To learn more about Virtual Assistance and its professional providers, visit the VACOC website at http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com

2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey

It's officially here, the 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey over at the VACOC. Here's more info courtesy of Danielle Keister, founder of VACOC, via her blog.

Get Thee to the 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey

The 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey is underway and if you are a Virtual Assistant, you are personally invited and encouraged to participate!

Every August marks the time of year when Virtual Assistants can contribute to the statistics and body of knowledge that is improving the industry's understanding of itself and the education of its market. Sponsored by the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, over 10,000 Virtual Assistants from around the world are invited to participate.

Created by Virtual Assistants (the folks who know the industry best!), the Virtual Assistant Industry Survey is the most comprehensive and in-depth survey in the Virtual Assistant profession. With 101 questions, the survey includes detailed cross-sectional data that offers unprecedented information about individual and business demographics, market data and services. Other survey topics include:

• Education, experience and credentials
• Employees and subcontractors
• Clients and target markets
• Hours and services
• Pricing and income
• Training and continuing education
• Marketing and networking
• Success, profitability and entrepreneurship
• Standards, Ethics and Educating the Public

This year's survey focuses on how the media portrays our industry, what they're getting wrong and what they're getting right, our qualification standards and the issues that give a black-eye to the profession. Our collective voices can be heard and have a very real impact on properly educating those who work with us and write about us. That's why it's so very important that each and every Virtual Assistant take a moment to participate, be counted and have their say.

The 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey is open to all professional Virtual Assistants. A copy of the 2008 Virtual Assistant Industry Survey Report will be provided at no charge to every participating Virtual Assistant at the end of the survey period August 31.

You Can Help Spread the Word!

By participating, each and every one of us makes a difference in shaping our industry. You can help us in the effort of giving every Virtual Assistant a voice by helping spread the word. Hey, it's a great excuse for a blog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn post, and if you belong to other Virtual Assistant forums and listservs, please tell everyone you can.

Feel free to copy and paste text and graphics as you like from any of these sources:

Office Press Release:
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/releases/2008/080208.htm

Gritty VA Blog Post:
http://www.grittyva.com/the_gritty_virtual_assist/2008/08/get-thee-to-the.html

Survey Page:
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/survey.htm

Until next time.

Denise