I’m starting some new features this week, one being Tuesday Tips where I hope to help you move forward with your business. My tips may be technical, as in how to do something, and they may just be something I’ve learned along the way how it all relates to each other. I would love feedback if a tip resonates with you or if it’s something you’d like to know more about!

Without further ado, today’s tip…

That thing on your to-do list that you keep putting off? Do it FIRST.

Most of the time when we commit to doing something, we do so for a number of reasons:

• It’s a project we see as beneficial to us; it has a means to an end. Whether the reason is that it’s something that fuels our creativity, something we love to do, something we need to put dinner on the table, we have a specific reason for justifying why we took on this particular task.
• The person we are doing this “something” for is someone we really want to work with because we want to have or already have some kind of relationship with them.

But  sometimes that task gets left on our to-do list. We stare at it in the hopes that maybe, if we stare at it hard enough, it’ll just get itself done. We avoid and procrastinate, and sometimes even beat ourselves up for not just doing it when we should be asking ourselves, “If I wanted this task so much, why am I avoiding it?”

There are a couple things that I have let slide lately. Now, it’s not because I can’t do them. And it’s not because I’m lazy since while I’ve avoided these things, I’ve worked on other things. The reason? Simply: fear. The fact that I let myself believe I needed to wait until I had a huge chunk of time open to work on it. Or a case of the “what ifs”… what if I’m not good at what I said I’d do, or worse, what if I fail?

It’s all simply fear, which is commonly defined as “False Events Appearing Real.” And when you feel the kind of fear and doubt that holds you back from something, it’s your cue to do that thing first and give it 200%. Do it however works best for you, whether that’s sitting down and getting it all done at once, or breaking it up into smaller chunks and taking breaks to keep yourself focused.

When you feel the brick wall of fear creeping up, how do you handle it? Do you have any tactics or strategies to help you get past it? I’d love your feedback!

Seth Godin posted a short blog that was the last in a series of wake-up calls I’ve been receiving lately. He blogged about making a decision, any decision, rather than just sitting there doing nothing. In it he said:

It doesn’t have to be a wise decision or a perfect one. Just make one.

Is there a blog post you’ve been meaning to write, or a connection you’ve been meaning to make on Twitter or Facebook… anything that you’ve been stalling on because “it hasn’t felt right” or “I don’t know if it’s the right decision?”

It’s all about taking risk, something else Godin blogged about in his post yesterday: Apparent risk and actual risk. When you make a decision, any decision, you are taking a risk. Even if you decide not to decide, Godin points out you’re still making the decision not to decide. You’re taking the risk of not making a decision that could propel you forward and instead, staying in the safe place of indecision and avoiding all of those outcomes that your brain tells you could happen, even though the chances are slim they actually will.

What decision can you make today that you’ve been putting off?

For me, it’s to get my rear in gear and blog. I offer blog writing services, so it’s best to put my money where my mouth is, right? I love writing blog posts for others, so why haven’t I been doing it for myself? While there are a number of reasons, it all boiled down to: I didn’t make the decision to take the time to start. So I’m deciding to start and do it in a big way. I’m making the decision to blog as often as I possibly can, preferably every day, on topics related to the services I provide, what I’m learning and anything else that I find interesting and relevant to my readers, and that blogging is a priority in my day and my business.  Is it really a risk? In a way because I’m putting myself out there and some people may not agree or like what I post, but it’s a good risk to take because of the people I will reach (which is another point of a blog). And by telling you about my decision, that makes me accountable to everyone who reads this (so hold my feet to the fire, people!).

What decision will you make today that you have been avoiding? Let me know! After all, the more people you tell, the more likely you will be to follow through, so tell the world!

Even though Virtual Assistants have been around for a while, we’re still a relatively new concept for many business owners. I posted a question on Twitter a little while back asking people what questions they would ask if they could ask a VA anything. The responses I received made me realize that even though there is a lot of information about Virtual Assistants floating around, a lot of people still have questions. Here are answers to some of those questions:

How is a Virtual Assistant different from a temp or part-time employee?
It really boils down to two things: pay and staying power. Working with a VA means you pay only for the time you need from them. For instance, if you only need 10 hours a month, a VA can easily do that. Whereas with a temp or part-time employee, most likely they want to work for more than 10 hours a month, so you either have to find more for them to do (which takes up more of your time) or they’re sitting there twiddling their thumbs on your dime.

As far as staying power, VAs are business owners rather than employees and work with you on a “contract basis.” This means that, after an initial chat session where the two of you have gotten together to sort through your needs, how the VA can help and all the details in between, you sign a contract with them agreeing to the terms you discussed and work can begin. Because VAs are business owners, they also have a vested interest in your business and work to get to know your business through and through, rather than just being the person to hand work off to.

How can a VA actually ‘get my business’ like I do?
Rather than being like an employee who just shows up for work, a Virtual Assistant takes the time to learn about you and your business even before your first consultation. During that consultation, rather than just asking about what you need done (although they’ll ask that, too), a VA will (or should) ask about the goals of your business, the people you serve, why you started your business, and what your vision is for the future. As a fellow business owner, they’re fully vested in your business because the more successful you are, the more successful they are. It’s a win-win situation!

What are the top 5 things I should consider turning over to a VA since I’ve never used one?
Every business owner is going to need different tasks done to enable growth in their business, and every VA specializes in a different area to help. Nevertheless, there does seem to be a few “most-requested” services. Here are 5 of the top services I see being requested most right now:

1. Social Media Services – With the rise in popularity of social media sites, business owners are discovering the benefits of expanding their network and reach by joining these sites. However, finding the time to get everything set up and learning how to effectively use each site isn’t something that a lot of business owners have. Enter a VA who can not only set up your profiles on these sites, but also set up strategies for getting the most out of each site.
2. Writing Services – People hate to write. Personally, I love it, but I talk to a lot of people who say they would rather do just about anything than sit down and write something. Finding a great VA who provides copywriting services *ahem* (yes, a shameless plug) can do wonders for your business. The VA will make sure whatever material you need them to write, whether it be their website copy, articles, blog posts, press releases, you name it and they will produce amazing materials that will help you promote your business even more.
3. Bookkeeping – Bookkeeping is something that, although you can do it on your own to a small extent, is really something that should be done by someone who has been trained to do it. Otherwise, things may get missed, costing you money in the end. A VA specializing in bookkeeping can be a godsend, keeping your finances organized and your budget on the right track!
4. Website maintenance – You’ve got a great website, but you’re not sure of how to update the information on it or add things to it. A VA can take care of updating your content, maintaining your shopping cart, posting your blogs or taking care of tweaking any glitches that come up. That way, you know you’re always making the best first impression to your visitors that you can.
5. Finally, Internet Marketing Services – Are you sure that you’re including the right keywords in your materials to target your ideal audience? Or do you need help getting your email marketing campaign out consistently and on schedule? A VA can help with this, too. From setting up autoresponders to researching keywords or just about anything else on the Internet, they can make sure you have all the information and tools at your disposal to effectively grow your business.

These questions are just the tip of the iceberg amid all the information about Virtual Assistants, and I will answer more questions in future blog posts. In the meantime, I’d love to have feedback on whether these Q&As were helpful and to know if you have anymore questions. Just leave me a little comment below and let me know – I’ll answer each one personally and may feature them in future blog posts as well!

I have been working hard on getting my website content just right. I want to put my best foot forward in order for people not just to know the services I provide, but who I am and what I’m good at, too. I want my first impression to be a good one.

There is a video out there of Danyl Johnson from The X Factor in England. I’m sure many of you have seen it, but if you haven’t, let me give you a little background.

Danyl went on The X Factor and auditioned in front of four judges, including the infamous Simon Cowell, to pursue his dream of singing. He’s a teacher by day, and says his students were the ones who encouraged him to follow his passion and try out for the show.

The result? Danyl blew the judges away, getting a standing ovation from all of them, including Simon Cowell. They all were ready to hire him on the spot, with Simon even saying that out of the eight or nine years he’s had the job, that was the best first audition he had ever seen.

What about you? On your website, are you giving the best first audition that you can? How are you presenting yourself to potential clients?

• Are you telling them about the benefits of working with you? And I’m not just talking about the generic benefits that everyone in your industry lists (for example, VAs reducing workloads, website designers creating awesome websites, coaches making your life better). How are you personally going to make their life better? And what is it going to cost them if they don’t work with you?

• Are you giving them a taste of who you are and what it is like working with you? Do you put some of your personality into your site? I’m finding more and more that the more of yourself you put into a site, the more it ups your “know, like and trust” factor because people begin to get to know you. Are you letting them in or putting up what I call “the professional wall” (the corporate-speak that all businesses use to try to convey their message, which tends to mask the company’s personality)?

• Are you leaving them standing at their desks applauding, ready to work with you? Do you have clear calls to action that lead them in the direction you want them to go? If not, they may just be reading and moving on to the next guy.

Putting your best foot forward on your website will make the best first impression possible. You’ll have a great first audition with your prospective clients, and you’ll find more and more giving you a standing ovation and telling you they’re ready to sign with you.

Oh, and if you haven’t seen Danyl Johnson’s video yet, here it is – I recommend watching it. Not only can this guy sing, but he looks like he’s been performing for years. A natural entertainer.