Holistic Business

Ay-yi-yi. What a winter it’s been.

I feel like I’ve been in a fog since January. I have been in a fog, don’t even need to think about it.

After taking a good hard look at the rut I had gotten myself into, and making some changes to my habits, schedule, exercise (or lack of), and eating rituals (irregular and not enough) - I feel like a new person.

I know next winter I’m going to have to be careful with this and not slip back into spending days in dark dreary rooms and look into getting more Vitamin D.

Anyway, this blog has been hanging over my head like the long lost aunt you never write to but have in your thoughts.

I’m glad to have finally made this (what feels like) first post and will be back with more regularity (not too hard to do)!

Namaste ~ ~ ~

This free teleseminar is being sponsored by the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce.

As usual, it’s going to be great, enlightening, and more than definitely worth your cost of time.

Our guest expert this month is Jim Logan, Marketing Consultant.

Several things we’ll discuss:

• The three things your prospective clients consciously or subconsciously think about when deciding whether or not to purchase your services;
• The most important thing to highlight when describing your service;
• Why the least valuable thing you have to offer your customer is your time;
• How to increase your hourly rate without billing by the hour;
• How to differentiate your service from your competition and attract your ideal client

This seminar is being sponsored by the VACOC, but is not only open to Virtual Assistants - it’s for any independent service provider.

For more information or to register: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/teleclass-registration.htm

So, sign up and give your holistic business a shot in the arm - hope to “see” you there!

Namaste ~ ~ ~

Technorati Tags: Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce, Jim Logan, Virtual Assistants, holistic business

I shake my head an awful lot thinking, “it must be me”.

My 17-year old stepdaughter lost her cell phone. Most likely in the Newark International Airport. Yea, right - gone. Called and had the number shut off - no big deal. Maybe it will turn up in her bags . . .

Ten days later upon her return, off we go to the cell phone store. Well, she’s had a phone for a few years and is really, really careful - so last upgrade I did not go for the insurance. Ouch! Unless you are signing up for a new service agreement, the phones start around $200. Ouch!

Well, the young man waiting on us was looking at the account and noticed the phone that my 14-year old stepson has is insured.

Get this - he tells me to call the insurance department, hands me a card with their number on it, and report the insured phone missing. Then for just $50 they’ll send me a replacement.

WHAT??? But that’s not the phone that is lost. His reply - oh, don’t worry about it - people do it all the time.

Well, if that’s true it’s a crying shame. My mother’s voice actually played in my head at one point asking if everyone was jumping off a bridge would I do it too?

So, we had a discussion about ethics, honesty, and integrity and I hope the kids got something out of it. I explained that I didn’t really care if I was one in one thousand people who wouldn’t do that. It was not a matter of “getting caught” either. I’ll be the first one to complain about feeling as though I’m getting ripped off right and left (and I’m really pissed at Cingular right now for blocking calls to free conferencing numbers) but that still does not make it right in my book.

Is it me? Am I odd? Would you have done it?

P.S. We ended up finding someone selling the same model phone she lost on eBay for $50 and all ended well.

Technorati Tags: ethics, honesty, integrity

If you read my other time management tip here, don’t feel like you’ve been tricked.

This is NOT Tip 2.

I really think Tip 1 is important enough to warrant some expounding.

Basically - admit you are powerless over time.

What I mean by this is that no matter what you do, there is still only going to be 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 52 weeks in a year - deal with it.

I think the phrase “I didn’t have time” is a copout and not really owning our feeling and actions.

We DO have time - just not enough to do everything we’d like.

So - admit it and move on.

When it comes to our business - time is money. You should be able to easily put a price tag on every minute of your time. Some of that time is actually providing whatever service it is for your clients. For me in my Virtual Assistant practice (and hopefully for you too), that’s the easy one. That’s the priority, that’s what I will ALWAYS have time for. It’s a promise that I made firstly to myself and secondly to my clients.

It’s the other areas that blur. Marketing, research, continued education, keeping up with new technology, writing, networking, contact management, article submission, blogging, etc. All of these things fall into one of 4 categories:

1. I enjoy it and always make time for it.
2. I enjoy it but don’t always make time for it.
3. I don’t enjoy it and begrudgingly make time for it.
4. I don’t enjoy it and usually never get to it.

The first one is a keeper. These are the things you should not outsource to an Administrative Support Professional or give up because if you enjoy it and make the time, chances are good that you excel at it. Don’t mess with something that is not broken.

The next 3 - these are the ones that scream for attention.

Tip 2 will deal with how to better manage these 3 categories. (Hint: by finding ways to deal with 3 and 4, you’ll be able to move tasks in category 2 up a notch!)

Stay tuned, and in the meantime, keep note of what category your tasks fall into for you.

That’s the first step!

Technorati Tags: time management, Virtual Assistant, Marketing, research, networking, contact management, article submission, Administrative Support Professional