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A Note To GMB Subscribers

Dear {First Name},

My sister told me that this summer was a total wash-up in New York; it rained all the time.

For me out here in the Seattle area, it's been sunny and hot -- too hot. Now for some of you that might be the norm. But in Seattle the heat broke a few records. I mean, this is a place with very little air-conditioning. People ski -- not swim! Grass is green -- not brown.

Even with two fans on almost 24/7, working was intolerable. So I decided to finish my online Microsoft Outlook training. The training I listened to was about creating multiple calendars, using the contacts feature to the fullest and a few other topics that I needed some updated skills using.

If you're in need of some Microsoft Office Training, I highly recommend that you start at the Microsoft site. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/default.aspx It's a great online resource for the basics and then some.

Upwards and onwards,

Maria Marsala,
Strategic Business Advisor, Systems Expert, Author, Speaker and former Wall Street trader

Where's Maria Now? Upcoming Distant Learning Events Make More Money: The Ultimate Guide to Setting and Raising Your Rates 6 spaces left Chances are that you're making this most common and costly pricing mistake. There is a 99.9% chance that you've drastically under-priced your services and products. This mistake has cost you a ton of money. Just changing the way you price your services will make all the difference in your life and your business. Never will you under-earn again. Examples: CW was making $70 per hour in May 09. Now she's making $125 per hour. MW was making around $30 per hour, now she's up to $60, she created a new price structure with two plans for her clients to choose from and a first session that her new clients will pay for (she was giving it away for free). TR was making $45 per hour, now she's getting $85 per hour and she has a business model with employees and consultants she enjoys managing. NO went from $750 a project to $3500 for the same project! KK and TK went from $20 per hour to $90 per hour. Even one of my multi-million dollar clients increased her base rate $50 per hour and started charging for changes clients wanted after they signed a contract. And so on.. and so on Will you be next? Click here to learn more. Start your week off right! Get more focused. Set better priorities. Next program starting in September. 12-1:30pm PST/3-4:30pm EST Join your peers and grow your business! Click on the graphic and learn more today

Strategic Business & Marketing Tip

Today, Discover How Can A Virtual Assistant Help You Grow Your Business More Quickly

by Maria Marsala

The term Virtual Assistant (VA) was coined sometime in the 1990's. I first heard the term used by Thomas Leonard, founder of Coach U. The first VA I knew, Staci Brice attended Coach U with me in the 1990's. And like me, she worked for Thomas Leonard. Staci started the first VA school, Assist U, now one of the many VA schools in existence today.

The VA profession was to online businesses what executive assistants or personal assistants were to corporate America. And since its inception, the industry has grown to keep up with all the home-based business models.

If I had to describe a VA, I would say it was like having your own executive assistant in the outer office, except you don't have an outer office! It may be best described as a consultant who could perform administrative, accounting, and marketing tasks away from a clients' offices.

It's not surprising that the VA industry has grown to be so encompassing. Home business owners of all sizes, from solo to micro-businesses to small businesses making millions of dollars out of their second bedrooms, can use help, daily.

VA Positives

Hire a VA to do the work you don't enjoy doing, don't have time to do right, and whatever work that's holding you back from doing what you love to do the most.

In most cases (check your state and federal government guidelines on employees) a VA is not your employee instead they are a consultant you hire to work "x" number of hours a month or on a project. They become part of your virtual team. Remember: consultants can be fired without the HR headaches of an if the relationship doesn't work out

If you live in a town or city where the residential codes won't allow you to have employees, you CAN hire a VA! On the other hand, you can also choose to hire a VA who lives in your community so that she/he can do tasks at your office when needed, too, like filing, or getting you ready for a speaking engagement or updating your database with business card information.

Each VA has a different skill-set to provide you and like every hiring, it's imperative to create a job description. Also consider creating a wish list of tasks you want your VA to do now or in the future is extremely important in creating your Virtual Team.

You purchase a VA's time on a retainer basis, hiring them for a certain amount of hours a month. Most Vas will allow you to test drive them for a short time of 1-3 hours.

VA Negatives

There are some Vas that profess to do it all. And like other business owners, if they are doing it all, without their own staff, well, you know the saying, no-one can do it all really well. Nor does every VA like everything they do.

For Vas working on their own, there are just so many clients they can handle. I've seen Vas that took on too many clients and couldn't keep up with their work load. On the other end of the scale, I've worked with a few Vas that lost their one and only client and were left out in the cold.

Some VA's work individually and others may be part of a VA company. VA companies work differently. Sometimes the company owner "manages the project" by dishing out the work, then checking it before it's sent to you. Other times the owner will have, you work with different Vas in their pool. You need to determine your boundaries and do what you feel is best for your company.

Vas are people too, and you may not get along with every VA. Try to find a VA who understands you and how you like to work. It's not only OK to shop around you should shop around.

Hiring a VA

Below is a list of things to consider when hiring a VA:

1. It is quite likely a VA will not live near their clients; although some do live in the same city or state.

2. A VA will work with you when you need extra help even though you might not know how long you need that help. But expect to pay more for "per-hour" hires, than you would pay them on a retainer basis. Rush fees may also apply.

3. A VA might be the missing link in your business, and can be your eyes or ears on the Internet, even doing that time-consuming social networking for your company.

4. A VA can act as a sounding board for your ideas or plans.

5. They can coordinate your work flow, and your schedule.

6. A VA is an independent contractor, consultant, and a business owner, too. Most likely you'll need a W-9 form from them, and will be sending them a 1099 at year end.

7. You'll be charged extra for things that will cost them money, such as long distance phone calls they make for you, mailings, software, supplies, stamps etc. You'd expect that from a regular employee though.

8. Expect to sign a written agreement with your VA on the tasks they'll perform and time they'll spend on your work.

9. Vas may specialize in certain areas or they may generalize. They could be former CPA's, web designers, coaches, executive assistants, personal assistants or they may specialize in the type of client, preferring to work for real estate agents only or specifically for attorneys, etc.

10. A VA's hourly rates range from $25 to $175 per hour, depending on the services they are hired to perform. That may sound expensive, but remember, you are only paying for the time worked on a specific job. You are not paying for vacation time, sick leave, or employee taxes.

Hire a VA to be on your Virtual Team today and start focusing on the rest of your business.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE? If you want me to change anything before you print it, you must ask for permission. And you are welcome to use it anytime in its entirety, with the following author/copyright information:

©2009 Maria Marsala, Strategic Business Advisor, Speaker, Author and founder of Elevating Your Business, helps high-achieving women who own professional service businesses to increase the value of their company by improving its systems, profitability, and performance. Will you be next? Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com today!

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