–Be willing to give it time to work. Networking effectively is does not happen instantly. It’s a process of building trust and rapport and developing professional relationships- and even some friendships. For me, it took about six months of regular Tweeting to consistently generate a significant number of prospects through Twitter. Your experience may be different, but if you’re expecting this to be an instant business builder, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment.

–Carefully choose who you follow. Those who follow you or are considering doing so can easily check to see who you follow. Be true to yourself but realize that those you follow may have an impact on how others perceive you professionally. I often follow those who are either experts in my field or are people who I think might one day be interested in my services (or know someone else who would be).

–Show your stuff. No, not your body parts- that’s the last thing you should do. Establish yourself as an expert in your field. Post links to information that your target market might find helpful. ReTweet others’ Tweets that are informative or helpful in your area of expertise. Always give credit to your source- plagiarizers are not well-received on Twitter, or anywhere for that matter. No matter what you do, don’t repeatedly post only advertisements for your services. While the occasional shameless plug is usually not a problem, constantly Tweeting your own advertisements will most likely result in either losing followers or being ignored by those who do follow you.

–Stay focused. Remember the reason you’re Tweeting. Keep the majority of your tweets related to business-related issues and topics. Use your best judgement to determine what is appropriate to post and what isn’t. Make sure to honestly portray yourself in the best professional light possible.

The reason? When you offer too many services, it’s sometimes hard for prospective clients to understand the value of your services. Being able to do “whatever” does not always present you as the solution that you need to convey that you are. Instead of a Jack or Jill of all trades, many small business owners are looking for an expert to assist them with a very specific task.

Years ago, I started off offering every service I could imagine in the administrative support field. While I did manage to gain a decent clientele, I noticed that prospects sometimes seemed lost in trying to understand exactly how they would use my services. I could make suggestions, but I didn’t know exactly what their particular challenges and goals were so although they were interested in the idea of having a Virtual Assistant, they just didn’t know how they would implement using one. The big problem: they were exploring a notion, not looking for a solution to a well-defined need.

It wasn’t until several years ago when I decided to offer one service and one service only that I began to understand that less was more. I decided to offer paralegal services in a very specific discipline of law. It was what I knew most about- and what I really loved to do. I had no idea how it would affect my virtual assistant business, but I wanted to focus my business where my heart was.

Because I know my field well and market only one service, prospects who contact me have already identified a very specific need in their practice and know that there is a chance that I could be part of that solution. Not only did I acquire new clients much faster but I was also able to charge more (although I believe in keeping my rates very reasonable) than one would charge for general secretarial work because I have a very specialized skill set. I had found my niche.

If you’re wondering what your niche should be, my suggestion is to ask yourself the following questions:

-What kind of projects/tasks do I REALLY enjoy?
-What areas do I consider myself an expert in?
-What areas am I most willing to further develop my skills and knowledge?

It probably won’t take long to determine what a suitable niche would be for you. It could be nearly anything. Here are just a few examples of successful Virtual Assistant niches that I have encountered over the years (obviously, these were not my niches, but certain other VAs seemed to have good success specializing in these areas)

-Digital Audio Transcription
-Email Newsletters
-Accounting/Bookkeeping
-Podcast Management
-Desktop Publishing
-Website Maintenance
-Website Creation
-SEO
-Writing

Have you found yours? Want to find yours? Feel free to leave a comment.

1. OpenOffice – A free open source alternative to Microsoft Office that includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and database applications. It’s also largely compatible with Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc and allows you to save your documents in MS Office formats. Try it- you’ll be impressed. www.OpenOffice.org

2. Freedcamp – Freedcamp is a free webhosted project management application. Collaborate with your clients and keep all of your projects organized and flowing. Similar to paid applications such as Base Camp, Freedcamp is feature-rich. Sign up for your free account at www.freedcamp.com.

3. StatCounter – Track your webstats free (and invisibly if you wish) with StatCounter. You can see visitor activity on your site, track where your traffic comes from and how long your visitors stay on your site. All you do is cut and paste simple code. Get your free account at www.StatCounter.com.

4. Primo PDF – You will probably use PDFs a lot in the course of running a Virtual Assistant service. Primo PDF is a free utility that allows you to convert nearly any document that you want as a PDF. Configured as a printer, you simple click print and then select Primo PDF as your printer. Choose from settings that make your document appropriately sized for web publishing, ebooks, print, etc. www.PrimoPDF.com

5. GIMP – GIMP is another feature-rich program that allows you to edit photos and create graphics. In my opionion, it is well-worth the bit of a learning curve (plenty of support is offered online through their website. Download your free copy of GIMP at www.gimp.org.

6. Dropbox – Access your documents from any computer and share those documents with others while always having access to the most current copy of that document. You have complete control over whether you share your documents or not as well as who you share them with. This is one application that you will probably use heavily with your clients. Dropbox offers a FREE 2 GB account (which holds an awful lot of documents). You can also get additional free space when others you refer sign up for a free account, too. For instance, you can sign up for your FREE 2 GB account by clicking here (my affiliate referral link) and see for yourself how easy it is to refer others and build up your free Dropbox space up to a limit of 8 GB! Please note that I receive no monetary compensation whatsoever for Dropbox referrals who sign up for any of their accounts.

7. LogMeIn – Remotely access your computer from anywhere that you have internet access. You can also use this to access your clients’ computers if they want you to work on their workstation(s) remotely. Why pay for similar programs like GoToMyPC when you can use LogMeIn for free? You can add several computers to the list of computers that you can access. I especially like their layered security measures. www.logmein.com

8. Express Scribe – Express Scribe is free digital transcription software. If you plan to get into digital audio transcription (which is in high demand, I might add), this is definitely an asset. You can use it with OR without foot pedals and it has a multitude of options to help you efficiently manage and transcribe your digital audio files. Learn more and download it free here.

9. 7-Zip – 7-Zip allows you to compress large files into .zip files (and other formats as well). You can also use it to extract the files from .zip and other compressed documents. If your Virtual Assistant business is anything like mine, you can plan on using this software on a daily basis. You can download your free version of this open source software at www.7-zip.org.

10. YouSendIt – Sending large files is made simple by YouSendIt. Your free account will allow you to send one large file at a time to your recipient, who will be emailed a link to download the file. Easy and convenient with an optional destkop application and Outlook plugin, sening large files becomes a breeze. You can get your free account at www.YouSendIt.com.

I have many other free applications that I regularly use and love. I plan to share those in the days ahead, so be sure to subscribe to The Virtual Assistant Connection blog and never miss a new post!

Now more than ever, small businesses are in need of competent professionals who can get their important projects done on time- and correctly the first time. The fact that they only pay for work done is sure to be an attractive aspect for working with a Virtual Assistant.

Now is the PERFECT time to get your name out to your target market. Two strategies that I recommend are calling/visiting prospects to introduce yourself and sending postcards via http://www.VerticalResponse.com. You can design your own postcard and send it for about one dollar a piece. Incredible!

VAs have forged their own online community- one that you’ll want to be part of if you’re going to give your business the best possible advantage. Virtual Assistants are, by nature, supportive people (go figure!) and not just when their pocketbooks benefit from their contributions. In general – and to a surprising degree- they are more than happy to offer advice and save newer VAs from learning some of the toughest lessons the hard way. VAs also like to pool their knowledge and share helpful resources, understanding that by strengthening the industry itself, they all benefit.

A great way to connect with other Virtual Assistants is to join a forum made for VAs by VAs. Personally, I like <a href=”http://www.virtualassistantforums.com/. It’s free to join and offers a tremendous amount of information, resources and support.

VAs also frequently work with each other, either assisting with overflow work or teaming up on larger projects that they wouldn’t be able to take on by themselves. They also refer prospects to each other, if a task is beyond their area of expertise. Of course, to use this strategy with your own business, it helps not to be a stranger to other VAs. They’ll want to feel familiar with you and trust your work ethic before teaming up or referring their own clients to you.

So get to know your out-of-office mates. You’re certain to benefit from the experience, and you’ll probably make some great friends in the process!

Will the slowing economy hurt your Virtual Assistant business?

My short answer is no. But if you’d like to know how I arrive it, please read on.

In a slower economy, more than ever, small businesses and entrepreneurs need to become more value-centric. Every dollar counts and has to deliver maximum benefit.

Well, that is what being a Virtual Assistant has always been about. VAs provide excellent value by providing expert support and billing the client only for the time spent doing so. For many small businesses, teaming with a Virtual Assistant can save them a ton of money over the prospect of hiring an employee (who may not even be as qualified as a VA) and incurring the additional costs of payroll taxes, sick time, vacation pay, office space and equipment allocation, and then some.

If you have been reluctant to market your VA business because the economy hasn’t been so great, it’s high time you start doing so. Small businesses still need expert support and exceptional value, two things that have been the hallmark of the VA industry since its inception.

I was talking just the other day to a prospect. He said he was very impressed during our initial consultation but that he was also considering another VA whom he had been speaking with whose rates were lower than mine. He said he’d let me know in the next few days whom he had chosen.

When I had first gone into business years ago, hearing this would have prompted me to immediately try to beat her rates. Instead, I followed up with an email thanking him for the opportunity to discuss his administrative support needs. I acknowledged that I am not the cheapest VA out there but that my focus is on providing exemplary quality and service to my clients. I take a personal stake in their success and if he chose me to provide VA services, he would receive that same treatment. I attached a copy of my contract for his consideration and two days later, he returned it to me signed.

I am not saying that it’s always wrong to compete on your rates. But the sooner you realize that there will ALWAYS be someone who is cheaper than you are, the better off you and your business will be. So if there will always be someone who is willing to do what you do for less, you can’t compete on that level unless you are looking to become an administrative support charity instead of a business. And what would the point be then?

What you must do is compete on a different level- one that should matter to your client even more than price. Quality and value. Start selling your prospects on that notion and you’ll become an indispensable part of their businesses. Instead of providing cut rate services, you will be offering your clients a true partner in their success — someone they can depend on to get the job done correctly and on time every time.

The services of a competent Virtual Assistant will often pay for themselves in terms of increased opportunities created for their clients by allowing them to effectively leverage their time and focus on growing their businesses. Believe me, once they experience working with a professional VA who can make their administrative headaches a thing of the past, they’ll be happy that they decided to pay a little more to get an experienced Virtual Assistant.

Set your rates honestly and stick to them. If you have a prospect who seems disproportionately focused on price, chances are they will become a Pandora’s Box of constant complaints, issues and conflict as a client.

ClientSpot is different because it was developed specifically with Virtual Assistants and freelancers in mind. It allows you to handle multiple remote clients effectively, not to mention almost effortlessly. In addition, it provides great value to your clients by providing them with a single place to assign tasks, upload and download files, discuss projects, and monitor progress.

“I think what makes ClientSpot unique is that it’s really focused on the needs of virtual assistants. For example, a major focus has been making sure the system is easy enough for clients to use without getting overwhelmed. We’ve also added features like tracking retainer hours based on feedback from VAs,” says Dave Churchville of ClientSpot.

If storage or security is a concern to you — as it is to all VAs — you will be thrilled to know that they have generous file storage allotments included in their cost-effective plans as well as the option to enable SSL for all communications. It’s one way that they enable you to further safeguard your clients’ sensitive information.

Another impressive thing about ClientSpot is that they really listen to the feedback they get. They are always in search of ways to make their application even more indispensable to busy Virtual Assistants and their clients. In fact, when you email them, someone actually gets back to you promptly- and not by generic form emails. Yes, real professional contact from a software development company that really cares about its customers!

Now you are probably wishing I would hurry up with the rest of this post so you can try it out for yourself. Oh, did I mention that you can set up a free account to see why I am raving over this software? Simply go to http://www.myclientspot.com.

You can also see a short demo video (with sound) at http://www.myclientspot.com/tour/.