Do Honest People Deserve A Reward?

In this day in age it seems that it’s harder to find honest people that aren’t trying to rip you off. I’ve always believed in being honest especially when it concerns money.  So when an honest person brings a mistake to my attention I am very grateful.

For example one day while shopping at a department store, the clerk was giving me some money back from my purchases and she gave me $5 extra. I could have easily pocketed it and thought that’s her problem. Instead I quickly told her of the mistake and gave her the money back.

The other day I had an affiliate purchase one of my products but had used her affiliate link, which then gave her a commission on her own purchase. I do not allow this in my program. Before I was even aware of the issue  the affiliate had sent me an email saying that she thought she may have accidentally used her link to make the purchase. I must say I was a little surprised that it was brought to my attention but she had stated that she was sorry and wanted to make sure that our accounting system corrected the error.

How did I reply to her? Well, I emailed her back and thanked her for her honesty and told her to KEEP the commission. Yep, that’s right I let her have the commission because she is an honest person and didn’t intentionally try to "rip me off".

So, in my opinion, I think that the honest people out their deserve a reward every now and then.

 

 

 

A Virtual Assistant Needs a Website That Sells

One of the most essential and first tools you should consider getting when beginning you Virtual Assistant business is a website.  Your website is your virtual ‘home’, and should be an important part of your marketing plan.  Your potential clients will want to know as much about you as they can find out before speaking to you in person. 

While it’s true a large amount of your client base will come from referrals, you can be sure they’ll ask for a website address when considering margin contact.
 
As you design your site (or have someone design it for you), put yourself into the position of a potential client.  What would someone want to know about you, your business and your services?  Make sure you provide full contact information that’s easy to find - you’d be amazed how many people build a great site but leave no way to be contacted.
 
Your website will need a few key components that potential clients will be on the lookout for:
 
Contact Info:
As mentioned previously this should be easy to find so when people want to hire your services, they can!
 
Services:
Virtual Assistants provide a wide range of services so when people come to your website they will want to know what services you can provide.  Have a clear, detailed list of what you are proficient at and explain the details if not obvious.
 
Rates:
This is a personal preference.  Many VAs post there rates wile many others do not.  Of course this may be a benefit for when someone is price shopping, but if you prefer to charge on a project-by-project basis (as I do) this may not work for you.
 
Portfolio:
If you do any web design or graphics work a portfolio is a must.  People want to see examples of your work before paying you to do something for them.  If you do things like sales letters and ghostwriting , having a portfolio of completed work is also a very good idea.
 
About You :
Your clients are not only buying your services, they are buying into a relationship with YOU.  Let them know who you are and why you can be trusted to hold a portion of their business in your hands.
 
Policies and Privacy:
With all the privacy and internet safety issue out there you want to assure your visitors that their information is safe with you and always will be.  Spell out your policies on collecting email addresses, collecting payments, work confidentiality, etc.
 
Testimonials:
Ok, so you’ve got up a great website with everything mentioned previously.  Does that mean your visitors will trust you? Probably not.  You see, they have no way of knowing what quality your work is or even if you’re a real professional running an actual business.  Testimonials help to prove your credibility by showing that you have satisfied clients who are happy to sing your praises.
 
Now that you’ve learned some of the essential elements of a Virtual Assistant’s website, go back and have a look at your website (if you have one) and see if you are missing anything.  If you don’t have a website yet then print this article out and use it as a checklist while your site is being developed to make sure you have used every advantage to create a site that sells your services!

Once you have your virtual assistant website up now you’ll need to go out and find your first clients!  Visit Online VA Profits today to grab your 24 Hour VA Profits Special Report.

Put Customer Followup On Auto Pilot

One of the best online tool ever created is the sequential auto responder. It helps you automate so much of the tedious stuff like following up. The down side is, most of us use the auto responder to follow up with prospects. Chasing leads. But, what about your customer list? They’ve already spent money with you. It’s a much more valuable list than the others. Here’s what you can put in your follow up messages. [Read more]

How to Increase Traffic to your Website for Free

Stay clear of websites that make you huge promises and claim to bring large amounts of targeted traffic to your website. They will always ask you for a fee and you usually never get customers from the traffic they promise. Increasing your traffic does not have to be costly for you. You can build up your own traffic for free if you follow these simple steps. [Read more]

Building Traffic with Blogging

Look to your blog when you want to drive traffic to your website. Blogs are a traffic building tool and can be an excellent way to be in touch with your target audience. Build a relationship with your target market by inviting them to visit your website. [Read more]

Exercise While At Your Desk

I came across this piece of equipment a few weeks back and was very intriqued by it. I will admit that I do not get enough exercise and spending several hours a day in front of my computer isn’t helping my butt, hips and thighs any either. LOL

During the July 4th holiday I came across the OSIM IGallop again in another magazine and thought that I would go ahead and take the plunge and purchase one. My idea is to use it while I’m working at the computer during the day. I’m not sure how my plan will work as I have yet to receive the IGallop, but if it does what a great way to get some exercise while working at the desk huh?

I’ll keep you all posted once I receive this cool piece of equipment.