Posts Tagged ‘ virtual assistant moms ’

10 Ways To Keep Your New Client Happy

June 29, 2011

You got the VA client; now what? How do you keep that client happy and coming back for more projects? Other than doing a good job (obviously), there are many things you can do to show them that you were the right gal (or guy) for the job. Turn work in on time. Heck, turn it in early. Everyone likes to turn on their computer in the morning and see an email that a project is completed. It’s a great way to start the day. Don’t make excuses. We touched on this a little bit here but it really is lame to come up with excuses when you are a grown up. The dog ate my homework line didn’t work in grade school and it certainly doesn’t work when you run a VA business. Over deliver. The current business catch phrase is, “meet and exceed your client’s expectations”. As cheesy as that phrase is, it’s true. Seriously. Blow them out of the water with how amazing you are. If you are personally familiar with their topic or field, don’t be afraid to speak up and make a suggestion. I once had a client marketing snow globes but he kept calling

How To Deal With “The Comments”

June 28, 2011

Whether you are a virtual assistant, a writer or any other type of wahm (or wah dad), you have heard the occasional “comment”. You know the ones. We’ve all heard them. “Can you do fill-in-the-blank for me because you’re at home and I have to work?” “It must be nice to be home all day with your kids.” “How is that little internet thing going.” “You just play around online all day.” Sometimes, it goes in one ear and out the other. Sometimes, it gets under our skin. The problem is that people like that are just never going to get it. With friends and family, you can just politely change the subject instead of trying to explain what it is that you do all day for the millionth time. With strangers, you can think up some witty reply. Maybe “I can’t do fill-in-the-blank because it will interfere with my nap” or, how about the popular, “I invented the internet. It’s going pretty good.” Sarcasm aside. The problem can be either avoided completely or nipped in the bud before you go postal in your own living room. But, what do you do if a client has that perspective? Unfortunately, I

Are you a virtual assistant mom who blogs?

January 4, 2011

If you have a blog, and are a virtual assistant and a mom, then we’d love to run your blog feed here on Virtual Assistant Moms. The way it works is we insert your RSS feed, and it will automatically display a portion of your blog. Readers will need to click read more to read the entire blog, which will then take them to your blog. Requirements: Must be a self hosted WordPress blog that you own. You must blog at least once a week. Topics do not have to be directly Virtual Assistant in nature, but VA mom readers must relate to you as a mom and a Virtual Assistant. In other words, the blog cannot be about another niche, it must be related to being a mom, and working from home as a VA, or just about being a mom and working from home. It can’t be about selling widgets. If you are interested in having your blog featured all of 2011, please contact us, or post below. We need your name, and your blog feed url. Someone will get back with you if you are approved. Space is limited, so act fast!

Balancing summer vacation and work as a VA

July 5, 2010

Sometimes it can be very difficult to work at all during summer vacation if you’re used to your children being in school. But there are a few things you can do. 1) You can work while the children are sleeping As a virtual assistant many of the tasks you do can be done during “off” hours while your children are sleeping. If you establish a bedtime of 8 or 8:30 pm that can give you a few hours at night to get work done. By keeping the kids extra busy and in motion all day long you can be assured they will fall asleep at night. Get some black out curtains for their room and a fan or other white noise maker to help them sleep better. And don’t forget nap time! 2) Get a Mother’s Helper During the summer there are plenty of teenagers who would love to have a job helping you out. You might be surprised at how inexpensive this option is. The teenager can keep the children entertained and supervised during working hours so that you can keep up your normal pace. 3) Outsource Believe it or not, you can outsource some of your work. I

Getting back on track

March 22, 2010

After you’ve been ill you find that you’re better and it’s time to get back on track. Where to start? The first thing to do is to contact your clients and contacts and let them know you’re going to be going back work. Ask if they have updated tasks, or if you should begin where you left off. If no one contacts you with updated tasks then start where you left off. Give yourself time to get back into the grove and do not push yourself too hard otherwise you’ll find yourself back in the same pickle you were in when you got sick. Often being sick is a sign that your body simply needs rest. Make sure that you are giving yourself that time each day to rest, to recoup, to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and snacks. Make sure you’re taking time for yourself and your family. Yes,there will be some days on occasion where deadlines make it impossible to reach all those goals. However, you should not be running on “deadline mode” continuously. Figure out a schedule and try to stick to it as much as you can. Jill Florio from http://www.jillflorio.com gave me the tip to