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Over the past three years I’ve used a number of different organisational tools both online and printed to best organise my time to my client’s advantage. Basecamp, Google Docs, Client Spot, Central Desktop and more. While each of these software packages made communicating with my team easier, it still made seeing the bigger picture difficult for me and that’s when I realised I needed to once again, change my systems. I’m a very visual person and what I was using just wasn’t cutting it or the Aussie dollar made it too expensive for my budget.

Three years ago I started with my humble notebook but then again, I only had 1 – 2 clients at the time. Task management and tracking was easy and there was no chance of anything falling through ‘the cracks’.

These days I have anywhere from 9 to 15  clients who all regularly use our services and I am yet to find a software package that fits all my needs. There have been a few that were very close but in the end they all lacked that certain something that made it perfect.

Currently I’m using a spreadsheet with a sheet for each client. My current system is far from perfect but I’m interested in hearing how others manage their client tasks and projects? Do you give your clients access and if so do they use it? Do you just use Outlook to manage everything?

There are times in our business where we need a cheerleader, someone who can see our vision, gets excited on our behalf and supports our ideas. Someone who isn’t judgmental or has a hidden agenda. For some of us, our cheerleaders are our significant others, children, close friends. For others it can be our business coach, colleagues or even clients.

Regardless of where your cheerleaders come from, treasure them close to you. There are going to be times where you’ll need their support and understanding. Not everyone in your life will understand your vision and reasons why you want to own your own business. Cheerleaders do!

Go hug or thank one of your cheerleaders today and let them know how much their support means to you. I know I will!

Time and time again, I hear stories of friends, clients, acquaintances and strangers all being taken for a ride simply because they possess ethics and manage their businesses accordingly.

Be it someone purchasing a domain and arguing with international trademark lawyers about it, saying that the international trademark doesn’t apply in Australia or someone purchasing the graphics and designs for websites and passing those websites off as their own, all these people have something in common. A severe lack of conscience and ethics.

This is really bad for the Internet in general on so many levels. As a service provider who comes in AFTER an experience such as the ones above, it makes my task so much harder. I have to go all out to convince them that not all online businesses are like that. That there are actually people making an honest living from the Internet. These business owners are scarred in a way and never approach dealing on/through the Internet the same.

I’m not saying that I’m perfect and that I never make mistakes with my clients. I do. The difference is that when I do make a mistake, I own up to it and try to do my damnest to appease that client.

Many of the Virtual Assistant organisations that I belong to have a code of ethics. I’m proud to say that I abide by them to the fullest and that I also have my own code of ethics.

So for those of you that have been taken for a ride by unscrupulous Internet business owners, contact me today!! I’d love to show you what working with an ethical Virtual Assistant is like.

When I first began my business I made a mistake. I forgot to set my boundaries and as a result my client would fax/phone me at all times of the day with ‘urgent’ requests. Everything had to be done NOW and that meant putting down my newborn bub or my toddler or my older son who wanted my attention, to do their work. I would become easily stressed and I felt that I had no time to be with my kids even though they are the reason why I decided to start working from home.

As time went by and I started to market my business, I of course started signing up new clients. My main client still didn’t understand why I wasn’t at their beck and call AND still didn’t understand what and why I was becoming stressful. They knew I had a newborn, after all they hired me despite my 34 week pregnant belly and they knew I had older children but this seemed to have no bearing on the situation for them. They had a need and I fulfilled that need. Only thing is, they were encroaching on my family time.

Eventually as I became busier and started thinking about becoming a multi-VA business, the decision had to be made. What was I going to do about the situation?

I began by reflecting on why it wasn’t working. How did the situation make me feel and how did that effect my business overall? Not setting clear boundaries with this client was holding back my growth and ability to take on new clients. It became clear that they had to be fired as a client and that is exactly what I did, despite the fact that I would be losing out on 15 hours a week billing time. A big chunk of change in anyone’s eyes.

I credit attending the Business Mums Network Conference in 2007 with making me sit up, take notice and make the decision to fire my first client. Since then I’ve gone from strength to strength. I’ve added people to my team and together we rock!! I also finally sat down and decided exactly what my boundaries were. Did I want to be constantly bombarded with chats via Skype? No I did not. Did I want to be constantly answering emails? No I did not. Did I even want to answer my own office phone? No I did not. I hired an in-house Virtual Assistant to help ME get my ‘stuff’ done and I lay down the law with my clients.

I no longer ‘chat’ on Skype unless it is something to do with my current task. I have Beckie to answer the phone and screen calls for me. The office is closed on Fridays to allow me some time to breath. I book in phone conferences in advance and try to get them done all on the one day. I return and make calls in a blocks of time instead of sporadic throughout the day and the side benefits of setting my boundaries is that I am becoming more productive in my work day.

So what did my existing client’s think? “About time, we were wondering when you would stop running yourself ragged”. I even get chastised for answering emails on a Friday or on the weekend by my clients. The amount of emails that come through are minimal because clients know to use Basecamp instead. I’m less stressed and my family loves it!

Moral to the story boys and girls is to make sure you figure out what your boundaries are. Figure out what is acceptable and not acceptable in your business. Make sure you lay down the ground rules and then stick to them. Not only will you be less stressed trying to meet everyone’s needs but your clients will thank you too.

I’ve been hanging out and lurking about with the wonderful community at VAF and when I read that Tess was looking for moderators for the forum, I couldn’t help myself. I offered myself up and she accepted. I am now moderating the General Client Relations Board. So why did I offer in the first place?

To be truthful, if it wasn’t for forums like VAF, I wouldn’t be where I am today in my Virtual Assistance business. I joined as many forums as I could in the beginning to soak up and learn as much as I could about becoming a professional VA. I attended webinars, read e-books and searched back through the forums for the information I needed. Today my business astounds me. I have an inhouse employee and 6 others on my team who assist regularly with client projects. I still have a lot to learn about managing a virtual team but I am loving my business, my team and my clients and where we are today.  If I can pay it forward, then I will.

Over the weekend I received an email from a potential client asking me about my services. GREAT! What was even better was that they came through my IVAA.org listing. Perfect!!

So why this post?

In talking with this potential client she told me that she had emailed 4 other VAs in Australia from the same directory and I was the only to respond to her. I was stunned. How often do we get a hot lead like this through our websites?

So my question is, if you receive an email from a potential client, how quickly should you answer it?

I believe that even if your client roster is full you need to answer the email and let them know. Who knows, maybe you know another VA who’d be perfect for that potential client and in making the connection for them your VA friend will thank you and the potential client will remember your willingness to help them find someone else. So when it comes time for them to refer a friend, who are they going to send them to?

Business to me is about building relationships. Relationships between your and your clients. Relationships between you and your colleagues including other VAs. Relationships between you and your suppliers. You need these relationships to be able to manage and grow your business.

Educating the wider business community about the value and professionalism of Virtual Assistants happens on an ongoing basis and I still get a blank look when I tell people I am a Virtual Assistant. It’s important that we treat our email habits as professionally as possible. Especially if you are like me and communicate mainly by email.

Through wooing a potential client this week, the subject of rates came up in our discussion as it often does. But the difference with this potential client is that he questioned my rates and why aren’t I cheaper?

To start with it really ‘threw me’ off balance. I’ve never had to justify my rates to anyone before because the majority of my clients come through referrals these days. It made me question myself and how I do business.

But it was a good question. Why am I Kylie Short, owner of Tilda Virtual Services worth the hourly rate that I charge?

I’m going to tell the truth here because we’re all friends right? I charge the rate that I charge because I’m darn good at what I do. I’m an expert in all things Administrative and I have the qualifications and experience to back it all up. I’m a perfectionist with a mean research streak and I love to learn. In fact I can’t help it. I NEED to learn.

Just because I’m virtual doesn’t mean I’m worth any less per hour then the business down the street with a shop front. Unlike most business owners I’ve calculated my break even point. I’ve calculated a budget for the rest of this financial year (in Australia the financial year runs from July to June) and I know what profit I want to make per hour so I can afford new technology, software and training for my team, which ultimately benefits YOU. I have ongoing expenses because I am a professional business owner with REAL overheads and REAL payroll to cover each week.

It may seem like I am ranting but surprisingly I’m not. Quite frankly questioning my rates because I’m virtual does not surprise me at all. I’ve been told that the ’4 Hour Work Week’ by Tim Ferris is a great read and that yes he does mention Virtual Assistants on two pages. Two whole pages where he discusses outsourcing your business and personal life to Virtual Assistants in India. Two questions I’m going to leave you with is:

1. Is your Virtual Assistant a professional, qualified business owner dedicated to getting to know you and your business?
2. Does their rate reflect the cost of living for their country/region?

If you can answer yes to both these questions and your VA is charging less then I do then good for you. Otherwise cough up because I don’t negotiate. My rate is my rate. Take it or leave it.

When I began my business, it was easy to be productive and to maintain contact with my clients. Reaching deadlines was never a problem and everyone was happy. Since then, I had another baby and my business has grown very quickly.

In the face of it all, it would be easy to lose productivity and get caught up in answering emails, returning phone calls, marketing and networking but I still need to get these things done. I still need to market my business and build my brand even though I am just about full.

So what should I do?

For me, the increase in stress levels just about did me in. I don’t like to turn anyone away, especially if they have a need and so I found myself taking on work and promising to have it done quickly. For me, I’ve always tried to under promise and over deliver, but when you are doing this for EVERYONE, something has to give. That something for me was sleep which of course caused stress.

To maintain my productivity I’ve implemented a couple of strategies that I will share with you now.

Firstly, I’ve hired myself an in-house assistant and her name is Beckie. I’ve only had her for 3 days but gosh can she work. She shows initative, completes work quickly and at a high level of quality and the best thing is, she’s completed tasks that I’ve had on my to-do list since the start. Things like creating and sending a client feedback form or tidying up my contacts. Beckie is an absolute star and I can already see big things for her. I have big plans for Beckie and together we will be tackling some huge projects that are near and dear to me.

Secondly, I’ve added three Virtual Assistants to my team. Laurie Dart, Lisa Callsen and Deirdre Shockley are all highly qualified administrative professionals and each have their own niche or speciality. I decided to become a multi-VA business simply because I don’t like to turn anyone away and although I may act like a ‘know it all’ at times, I DON’T know it all. Between the four of us WE DO!

Tilda Virtual Services can now provide a holistic approach to each client’s needs. This has been a goal for me since the beginning of my business and now after 18 months it has come to fruition.

Remaining productive is something we all need to address at various stages of the business life cycle. Whether you are in the startup phase or in the business growth phase like I am, how you deal with it and plan for productivity can often mean the difference between keeping those great clients and losing them. I plan to keep ALL my clients and growing the number of Virtual Assistants I call Associates. I want to connect clients to solutions and I can now do this without stress and without leaving anyone behind.

I’ve also begun using Basecamp again. I started using it a few months ago and none of my clients seemed to get into it. That has all changed now! My team are based in the States and to access important information about each client we needed a collaborative space in which to do it. Basecamp helps us to do this while reducing the number of emails I get daily. So how do you remain productive? Can you outsource your administration too? I have to say that being on the ‘other side of the fence’ is definitely an eye opener and I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner!

I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.

You receive an email or a phone call inquiring about your business and how you can help them. They’re excited to have found you and in most cases have already read your website. They know the benefits of using a (please circle) Virtual Assistant/Freelancer/Website Designer/Graphic Designer and they are ready to talk to you about how you can help them realise their dreams and goals. They are ready to sign the dotted line.

Just like courting a new lover you answer phone calls and emails straight away because you’re just so excited to be working with this new client. You want to build a relationship quickly but steadily and so you make yourself more available then you would tend to normally.

After a while, you start to ease back on the gas. You are still enjoying every moment of working together but the rest of your clients are feeling left out and perhaps even jealous.

You start to feel torn between your new client and your existing clients. You definitely have enough time to go around but how do you make them all feel just as equally important as each other? How do you keep that new relationship “glow”?

C’mon, I know I’m not the only one to have done it. And this is where I’m going to get a little preachy with you. You need to continue making each client feel like they are the most important one you have. To do this you need what I call a “Communications Plan”.

A Communications Plan is simply having a system in which you maintain contact with your clients, especially the ones you aren’t working with on a daily basis. If you don’t maintain contact and communicate with your clients, how will you know when they need you? How will you know they are satisfied with their current level of service? How will you know if you are seeing the ‘real’ them and they are seeing the ‘real’ you? And finally, how will you know if your working relationship is a good fit for both parties?

Your Communications Plan can be made up of various strategies including:

• Weekly emails
• Weekly/Fortnightly or Monthly teleconference or online meetings
• Monthly “Clients Only” newsletters
• Handwritten notes or cards
• The possibilities are endless…..

The key here is to being regular and consistent. Your client may be extremely busy and is still learning how to use a Virtual Assistant. If you don’t keep in regular contact, how will you know when that client is finally ready to hand over some of their to do list to you?

I for one will be working on my Communications Plan as I’ve been a bit lax these last few weeks. Having a Communications Plan is how I plan to make each of my clients feel as important as each other.

Do you have a Communications Plan in place already and if so, have you recorded it somewhere to remind you? What system do you use to keep in touch with your client base and why have you chosen to use it? I would love to hear your thoughts!