Many people settle for administrator positions after failing to find employment in the field that they graduated in. It is very frustrating after spending all of that time and money furthering your education just to start back at the bottom. Another thing that sucks about a lot of these positions is that they are under paid and overworked and that is just a fact about these kinds of jobs. But there are ways to turn a regular administration position into one that you can not only control your hours but that allows you to build off of it and build up your income.
The Internet makes it possible for us to not only build our own brand but gives us the tools to research how to do it, without spending a dine. So regardless of your strengths and weaknesses you can easily create a path that allows you to play off of those strengths and tip toe around your those weaknesses. So instead of putting forth all of your effort into something your are kind of good at why not jump into the parts where you excel and offer your services there?
Check out these 4 tips below by author, Lisa Morosky, to become a successful virtual assistant, just in time for summer:
1. FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH WHAT WEB WORKING AND BEING A VA IS AND ENTAILS. There are definitely pros to being a virtual assistant (creating your own schedule, for example), and there are definitely cons (like needing to be plugged in constantly). Do your research and connect with and interview VAs (the Virtual Assistant Forums is a good place to get in touch with virtual assistants and research the industry).
2. CREATE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN. What you’re really doing is creating a roadmap and organizing your thoughts. Some things to include in your plan are:
• Your ideal client. Who (specifically) are you going to be catering your business to?
• Your target market. For what segment of the population are your services best suited?
• Your brand. What do you want people to think of you? How do you want to make them feel about you and your business?
• Your services. What services are you going to offer? How much are you going to charge?
• Your marketing plan. How are you going to market your services?
• Your business goals. Make them S.M.A.R.T. What do you want to achieve and how?
• Your business policies. What rules will you and your clients follow?
• Your schedule. How will you manage your time?3. ACQUIRE THE TOOLS YOU NEED AND GET SET UP OFFLINE AND ONLINE. Figure out what tools you need to get started and make sure you have them. Things like a reliable Internet connection, a computer, and an email account are must-haves. But maybe you also need Skype, a way to share and store files (like Dropbox), PayPal, project management software, etc.
4. FOCUS ON GETTING YOUR FIRST CLIENT, AND MAKE A PLAN FOR HOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET, KEEP, AND WORK WITH CLIENTS GOING FORWARD. What offline methods can you use to get new clients? What about online methods? How will you encourage referrals? How can you go above and beyond for clients and keep them happy?
By providing solutions that will make your client's lives easier you will become a successful virtual assistant or VA so don't dwell on where you will take your business. As your business grows all you have to focus on is where this business can take you! Just make sure to build up your social networks and get out there with eye catching profiles that showcase talents that would make you an asset.
Besides LinkedIn, what other social networks do you feel are most beneficial to have in the virtual assistant industry?
Article Source: The Art of Simple
Image Source: Rogier Mulder on Flickr
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