How can you keep up with everyone?
It’s no secret, I have a Facebook account, but I have no earthly idea what to do with it. I have a MySpace account as well, and I have no problem navigating that.
And I hear all about how MySpace is “stealing” Facebook’s applications, but the reality is still that I know how to use them on MySpace and not on Facebook.
Social networking isn’t just MySpace and Facebook anymore. With new sites popping up all over such as Joe Popular, Shoutlife, and Twitter, how can you keep up?
What happens when clients are on one networking site and you’re not? When does joining all of these groups become detrimental to your business because it’s sucking up all your time? Are these sites really adding to the value of your business? Do you NEED an account everywhere?
Here’s the problem that I see; the trap that I fall into.
Someone tells me of a new site and I just HAVE to check it out. I like new. I like innovative. I like to be the first to try something. So I sign up. I fiddle with the site. Two hours later when I’ve done everything that I can within the new site, I do one of two things… I either decide that it’s a waste of time or I tell all my friends and colleagues about it so that they can go and waste two hours of their time setting it up, if they listen to me about another site.. again.
And then what normally happens? Within two months, I can’t even remember my username and password for the site, let alone that that site exists or how to get there.
So how do you determine which sites are beneficial for your business?
First, I would see where the majority of your client base is. If it’s a new site, traffic is low and chances are, you’ll be doing the marketing for your circle… scrap it. Wait it out and see if it takes off.
Secondly, evaluate the sites that you currently belong to. How many of them can you attribute business success to? Have you been contacted through them, made sales through them, received new subscribers through them? If the answer is no for all of the above, place that site on the backburner and focus your attention on the sites that have proven successful for you.
I can’t tell you which sites these are. Some have phenominal success with Facebook but none with MySpace. Others see success with LinkedIn but not with the aforementioned.
Finally, set goals for your social and online networking efforts. What do you want to see happen through your networking time? Is it more clients? Is it recognition? Is it sales? Only you can answer that question, but once you do, set goals to go with it and then strive to achieve that goal.
Online networking is a very powerful and effective venture for most virtual assistants, but it can be a huge time waster as well.
Happy Networking.
Until next time…
Heather
Karen McGreevey - March Revolutionary Business of the Month
The Revolution would like to publicly congratulate Karen McGreevey of Konceptuality for winning Revolutionary Business of the Month for March!
Karen has been a member of the Rev since its beginning back in April 2006. She is an awesome support base for many members and is one of the biggest cheerleaders of virtual assistance that we know.
Congratulations Karen!!
Here is what our membership had to say about Karen:
Diamond in the rough… that’s how I would describe Karen. From the moment I first met her, she stood out and all over when and how we opened the Rev. Had she not been vocal at that point, I never would’ve gotten to know her as I have, and that would’ve been my loss. Karen has not only taken her business from nothing and made it work for her, but she stretches outside of her comfort zone to tackle new opportunities. She never lets not knowing how to do something stop her as with her most recent venture. While it’s taken a little longer than we first anticipated, she’s still working on completing her goal of an eBook. Not once has she given up and she’s been given every opportunity to do so. In addition to working on her own business, Karen has continually cheered all the rest of us on and has become the cheerleader of the group, complete with avatar to boot. She is more than deserving of this award based simply on her attitude in life as it is truly revolutionary, however, when you couple it with her thirst for learning, her ability in doing, she exceeds everything revolutionary means. I am truly grateful to have her in my corner.
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Karen is an astute business owner and all around go getter. She is the biggest cheerleader in the Rev and has a heart of gold. Karen is getting ready to release her first ebook, so soon it will be our turn to cheer her on. If there is one person who deserves the honor during the month of March, it’s Karen.
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Karen always has a positive attitude and is always there to cheer us on. It’s so nice when you post something in the Rev and you go back to find a post from Karen cheering you on. You know she is always there listening and routing for you.
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Karen is so positive and helpful all the time. She offers a lot of valuable information and is always there to help others. She’s a big asset to the VA community.
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It’s great to have a “cheerleader” like Karen on our side!
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Karen is encouraging and motivating to her fellow Rev members, and her high level of professionalism shines through in all her posts.
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She’s a creative force to be reckoned with, and we’re lucky to have her in our midst.
Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make
Life is like a road. There are long and short roads, smooth and rocky roads, crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.
Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?
There are no guarantees.
You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent. There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.
Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.
Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.
Take the risk: decide.
Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life. But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:
Get as many information as you can about your situation.
You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.
Identify and create options.
What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.
Weigh the pros and cons of every option.
Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.
Trust yourself and make that decision.
Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight. So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.
Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.
The Food Network - For Business?
I am a devout fan of the Food Network. I love it. Deep down inside there is a chef just dying to get out. Sadly, my television rests on the pre-school show stations these days, but late in the evening I get my fix.
One of my favorite chefs on the Food Network is Gordon Ramsay. Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, if you’re not familiar with the show, features a different failing restaurant each episode. Ramsay comes in, examines the way the restaurant is run - from the cleanliness of the kitchen to the abilities of the wait staff and everything in between. He identifies where the problems are and helps the restaurant to turn around.
I think everyone in business should watch this show. There is always a great lesson than can be applied to any business, not just a restaurant.
The last episode I saw featured a restaurant that had a carvery set up for the twenty years prior. The first-time restaurateur who had recently taken the restaurant over was advertising two-for-one deals (2 meals for $10) in the papers and the only people that went to the restaurant had white hair and walkers. The restaurant was losing thousands of dollars a month. It was in a breathtaking building, but the menu was tired and the food was actually kind of disgustingly unsanitary.
First of all, Ramsay pointed out to the restaurant owner that when he looked at his dining room, half the people there were eating for free. He went on and on (the restaurant was very troubled) but his advice was falling on deaf ears. He told them they had to do away with the carvery and try something new. He had scoped out the neighborhood and saw that the area was missing a good grill. He proposed that this restaurant basically niche itself and become the “go-to grill”, if you will.
The owner was distraught and resistant to the idea. He thought the community would miss their carvery. His customers would be disappointed. Ramsay pointed out that he needed to breathe some fresh life into the business. It was so frustrating to watch this. The viewer knows the grill would work. Come on, it’s Gordon Ramsay. But the staff was not wanting any part of it. Even though they were losing money every day, they did not want to change what they were doing. They became very set in their ways and afraid to change. They did make the changes Ramsay suggested (reluctantly) and it was extremely popular (of course). The restaurant was making a comeback.
I came away from that show with a handful of lessons:
- No matter how pretty your building (branding) is, when it comes down to it, you need the food (services) to make people come back and tell their friends.
- Niche-ing is important.
- If something is not working in your business - don’t be so defensive. Even though you love your business, if it’s not making you money, be open to change.
I love to find a business lesson in my entertainment.
Oh…at the end of the episode, when they revisited the restaurant after Ramsay did his thing, they had revived the carvery on the weekends. Can you imagine?
Networking & Making Friends
I’m really looking forward to May!
May is not only when we start getting warmer weather (which I’m sooooo looking forward too), but it’s also a time when I’ll be going to two events.
I’ll be attending the Forum on Virtual Assistance Conference, which will be a face-to-face event. I will be able to go to Canada, see individuals that I’ve already met, and also meet some new individuals that I’ve only dealt with virtually. It’ll be a great time of learning also.
I’ll also be attending the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (OIVAC), which will be held online. This will be a chance for me to learn, get to “see” individuals that I deal virtually, and I’ll also be able to “see” new people.
I’m so excited that I’ll be in attendance for both of these events - not only for the reasons I just mentioned - but also to make new friends from all over the world.
Are you attending one of these events or another event? I’d love to hear where you’re going, what you’re doing, what you’re excited about when you attend the event or anything else.
Networking events are great for learning and meeting new people. They’re also great for letting others know what you do and who you are.
Get out there and start networking! It’s fun!!!
Just the 4-1-1
All right now.
So you got that phone call…THE PHONE CALL. You know the one…the preliminary call from someone who just happened upon your Web site. Someone who thinks you can help her (or him) take care of the overload that’s frequently causing them a major Excedrin headache number 409.
Now what? After you jump up and down a bit and excitedly scream and holler (good cheers) at your potential good fortune, what comes next?
Actually, before you even get to this place, before you wonder what you’ll say when you respond to the call, think about what you’re looking for in a client. Perhaps you’ll consider personality-type characteristics and work habits, things that will blend with or complement your personality and work ethic.
Or, maybe you’re someone who will just jump off the bridge to do things with the hope a life jacket will magically appear on your way down; a “life jacket” in the form of a rescue from a colleague or some really great software.
Think about this
Just because you get the call, it doesn’t mean you have to accept the client. After all (aside from the obvious$), you got into this business mostly because you wanted to do something you loved, and if you end up working with someone who doesn’t reasonably share your philosophies or your work ethic, someone who pulls you down, someone who makes it hard for you to remain in a happy place, the life may be whooshed out of you so that it’s no longer rewarding or fun. And you end up not getting anything done!
It’s well-known that for the most part when we do something we love, we’re more inclined to excel. We’re more focused and passionate, and we’re likely to attract like-minded individuals sooner and in greater numbers.
Taking the call
So then the next step you take will be as varied and as many as the readers to this post. You may even decide to just wing it. However, you might consider the following:
Although the prospect will be interviewing you, it is important to realize you’ll be on a highway that goes both ways in that you’ll be an interviewer, as well as an interviewee. Thus, if the prospect presents a picture without roses, you may decide “no thanks” is the best option.
And being in a position of choice, where you keep such things in mind, will help put the consultation and the outcome into perspective so you don’t end up getting burned.
Running a Business is no Joke!!
Today is April Fool’s Day and many of us are thinking up ways to pull pranks on our loved ones, and taking time from the hustle and bustle of running a thriving business can be a nice release. So this got me to thinking about ways that we can bring the “fun” back into running a business. Let’s face it, running a successful business can be hard work and if we don’t reward ourselves it can be very exhausting. Here are just a few ideas I came up with, but I would love to hear some of the ways you are bringing fun into your business:
- Reward yourself with time off for good behavior!! Taking a little time to treat yourself can make it so much easier to deal with the requirements of running a thriving business. Perhaps daily, you give yourself a chance to watch your favorite TV show or maybe weekly you take time off to take your child(ren) to the movies. Whatever your reward it is important to give yourself a little you time!!
- Take some time to visit the forums to keep up with what is going on in your industry and with your colleagues. I love to “pop into” the REV to see what is going on with all my friends and what they (and their businesses) have been up to.
- Take on a “fun” project or a “fun” client that you normally wouldn’t think of working on or with. Just a couple of months ago I took on a research project for a client. This client was a bed and breakfast that was hosting a golf tournament and she wanted to make the event interesting and fun so it was my job to come up with ideas to make it a truly “golf” dinner and activity filled evening. For dinner we came up with calling the punch bowl the “Water Hazard”, the dips the “sand traps” and we placed a green tablecloth on the table and called the table the green. We prepared a game for at night that was similar to Pictionary that utilized various golf terms. Although I wouldn’t normally provide these services I can say that it was one of the projects I have had the most fun being a part of (I almost felt guilty charging for the time)!!
So what other ways are you putting fun into your business? I would love to hear some of your ideas.
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