It is my firm belief that while many small business owners will partner with virtual assistants, a good majority are missing the mark by not looking to the virtual assistant industry as a prime audience for buying, selling and as a referring market.

This is a huge, missed opportunity for business owners with product and services to sell.

My primary function as a virtual assistant is to assist small business owners with the online promotion of products and services. However, I often receive ‘raised virtual eyebrows’ when I suggest to clients that we promote not only to the client’s specified market but to the virtual assistant industry as well.

And here’s why virtual assistants should be targeted by small business owners:

1)  Most virtual assistants work with more than one client.  When making product or services suggestions to a client, the possibility of multiple sales increases.

2) Virtual assistants are trusted sources for their clients.  When a client asks, “What kind of project management software should I buy?” VAs are a KEY-influencer; nearly 100% of the time a client will take the VA’s word for the recommendation. It’s an easy sell. The VA’s word is golden.

3)  VAs are loyal buyers.  When setting up a client account, chances are the VA has had a thorough consultation with the client. Since VAs have made a number of purchases for their own clients, recommendations for good products will repeat themselves. Ask a VA for a favorite stock image company and chances are the sale will perpetuate from client to client.

4)  VAs are well-connected to other VAs. VAs depend upon peer recommendations for products.  It is not uncommon for a VA to ask other VAs for product recommendations.  One good referral of a particular product on a forum or a blog can be seen by many VAs so the potential for passive income (for the seller) increases.

5)  VAs use products over and over so they know the ins and outs of software and devices.  They test beta sites and they use their own time to self-train and test.  This expert-status is extremely valuable to the promotion and the evaluation of a product. Most small business owners with products to sell under-utilize the expertise of a virtual assistant as product testers.

6)  VAs write recommendations, evaluations and reviews; and they are good at it!  These are often posted to forums, blogs and websites.  In fact, there are categories on forums and blogs specifically designated for VA recommendation and reviews.  These written testimonials are a valuable resource for business owners touting product.  VAs want content for their sites and businesses want the publicity. It’s a win-win situation to work together.

 Here’s what you can do to get your product into a virtual assistant’s capable hands:

1) Visit forum sites such as Virtual Assistants Forums and check the directory for VAs who are writers.  If you have a ‘how-to’ coaching product, scan the directory for VAs who work with coaches.  Contact a few VAs and ask if they would like to evaluate your product in exchange for a product review. Offer to coach a VA in exchange for a product review.

2)  Offer virtual assistants a free copy of your product in exchange for an ad in your newsletter or on your website.  Offer to send referrals to the virtual assistant in exchange for referrals from other VAs for purchase of the product.

3)  Offer to demonstrate your product for virtual assistants by way of a free webinar or teleclass.  If you are a coach who teaches a class such as The Power of Pinning, offer the VA a free or reduced entry ticket in return for a testimonial and referrals for her own business. If you are launching a new coaching program, create a contest just for virtual assistants and offer a free or reduced entry to that class.  Ask VAs to leave an email address in exchange for an entry into the contest. The winner receives free coaching and you can now nurture a new market through email.

4) Target virtual assistants with your affiliate program. If you have an affiliate program already set up for product, create an affiliate link just for virtual assistants.  Offer a higher percentage of return for the recommendation of your product to their clients.  Write a blog post explaining why VAs would consider the recommendation of your product.  Create a marketing campaign geared toward VAs encouraging them to sign up for tips and tricks when using your product.

5)  New VAs are always looking for ways to build testimonials and a client base. Many new VAs have years of traditional job experience but little online reputation. Offer to mentor a new VA in exchange for use of your product or service.  Look for new VAs on LinkedIn and on Facebook groups. Ask the  VA to write a recommendation and promote this on social media.

6)  Mentor a new VA or ask a seasoned VA if she can offer reduced priced services for you in exchange for use of a program.  VAs want to learn real estate programs such as Top Producer and Sales Force and will spend the time learning on their own time through the use of tutorials and manuals. I once had a client take a chance on me where I learned 1shoppingcart and Aweber in exchange for services rendered.

On a personal note, I have sent hundreds of dollars of business to companies such as istockphoto.com, Aweber, Themeforest , Hostgator and Elegant Themes  and Amazon (direct links to books).  I refer new VAs seeking a great resource for getting started to VAF’s Become a Virtual Assistant and to Mari Smith’s Extreme Fanbase Growth .

So think about the virtual assistant industry as an important segment of your market.  Include VAs in your marketing strategy and build life-long, important affiliations.

2) Thou shall be tolerant when viewing a $4.00 an hour overseas virtual assistant advertisement. Plenty of work is available for all VAs at every rate.  Establish yourself as an expert and you will attract those clients willing to pay your rate.

3) Thou shall be patient when applying for a VA position through a Request for Proposal (RFP) particularly when the potential client (PC) never acknowledges the submission. Follow-up once with a PC and then move on. Early signs of poor communication may be a red flag that the client may become difficult later on.

4)  Thou shall not believe thyself to be an employee of the client. If the client treats you as an employee, set the record straight immediately. If this explanation does not change the relationship, then terminate that relationship. As difficult as it may appear to lose the income, there is nothing worse than feeling miserable having been labeled as subordinate. You are a business owner and you are in business to partner with clients. You are not an employee. You set the rules.

4) Thou shall take not plagiarize another virtual assistant’s website. Period.

5) Thou shall join an industry-related forum such as Virtual Assistant Forums  and participate frequently to help others.

6) If thou finds that thee does not have any clients, this is the time to look up and forward and NOT down and out. Use this slow period to redo a website, create a blog, and engage in social media discussions or better still…

7) …volunteer your services. There is no better means to gaining experience and exposure than to offer your time to other virtual assistants and/or non-profits while expecting no reward in return.

8) Thou shall set a goal that thee will, in 2012, do the work thee only truly LIKES to do. For new VAs, if you are  performing uninteresting client work, as only a primary means to ‘pay the bills’, use this time to garner testimonials and referrals from those clients.  So do your best work!  Your goal is to eventually take on only the work you will enjoy.  This may mean ‘biting the bullet’ at start-up and accepting work that is not interesting but always do so with a positive attitude knowing in the end you will eventually accept projects that are enjoyable.

9)  Thou shall hang a sign above thy computer with the name of the target market thee wishes to reach.  Remind yourself daily that your blog posts, your social media posts, and your discussions will be geared toward the interest and the needs of that particular market. Your client base will increase.

10)   Thou shall ask for help. There is no shame in asking another VA to assist, however, first do the legwork yourself. Check Google, YouTube and industry sites for answers.  If you just want other VAs to tell you what to do, you will never learn. Clients want to partner with VAs who are willing to dive in deep, find the answers and make then offer well-researched suggestions. This is how VAs build long-term, trusting relationships with clients.

Have a great year in 2012!

You are welcome to use this article in any of your own publications provided you copy the following into the article: “Janine Gregor, MSM is a social media and internet marketing virtual assistant. In business since 2006, she helps speakers, authors and coaches promote brands, products and services using modern-day technology coupled with old-school writing and relationship marketing techniques. Her website and blog are located at www.YourVirualWizard.com and www.YourVirtualWizardBlog.com.”

©Janine Gregor, MSM, 2012. All rights reserved.

If you are a blogger as I am, you are thinking about a topic for your next blog while you are grilling in your yard, watching fireworks with  your family or relaxing poolside this Fourth of July.

Always thinking of that next blogging topic no matter what day or night it may be…that’s the way we think…

So you may ask, “What does this celebration of America’s independence have to do with social media and blogging?”

And my answer is this…write a blog post about the eventful day. Post social comments which reflect the holiday. Many people will read, comment and participate in posts which are written about a holiday.

It’s simple. As we approach holidays, people tend to use search engines keying in words specific to that t holiday.  Users will search for recipes, anecdotes, events and activities revolving around that holiday. So if you want to increase traffic to your social media and blog sites:

*use the holiday names in your blog posts
*schedule those posts before and during said holidays
*provide quality holiday-centered information

Facebook now allows users to preschedule Facebook posts so have your posts ready to be released before, during and after the holiday. So you can still grill your favorite burger while your holiday posts automatically at a set day and time.  Nice!

If you are a virtual assistant, you may post a photo of beautiful fireworks accompanied by a piece of trivia about the Fourth of July. Ask people what they are doing for the holiday and ask them to post back on your Facebook page with a photo.

Write a blog about the Fourth of July and include a little trivia.  Use the holiday names as keywords in your title, your subtitle and the first few lines of your post.  These will be picked up by the search engines and generate traffic back to the blog post from the search engines.

The next American holiday approaching will be Labor Day. Write a post and see how much more traffic you can generate for your sites.

“I write a paragraph and don’t know what else to say.”

“I don’t have anything new to say that has not been previously written.”

Do you find yourself thinking any of the above scenarios?

First you need to know that you do have something to say.  It may have already been discussed on someone else’s blog or article but not always from the same viewpoint or written in the same style as your own. If you believe you have a story to tell, you will find that story.

#1 – Check your Send box. By far the most material for blogs and articles comes directly from my Send email box.  I answer questions from clients and potential clients nearly daily.  Half the battle has been won because you already know what it is that others may want to know.  So check your Send box and see if you can find a topic that might spur a thought which can lead to an article or blog post. Elaborate on your answer and create 350 words from that entry.

#2 – Take a survey.  www.Surveymonkey.com is free to set-up a survey whereby you can ask your subscribers (if you have an email list) or your colleagues, family or friends to take the survey and find out what it is they want to know.  Once the survey questions are designed in Surveymonkey.com, you receive a link which can be posted to your website, blog or your can include in an email.  Just ask a few questions about topics people want to know more about and if you can offer a free consultation or a free e-book or tips page, all the better.

3 – Sign up for other people’s newsletters.  But do this sparingly because it can become overwhelming. I like to subscribe to blogging experts, real estate professionals and other virtual assistant newsletters. This offers a great source of information and let’s me know what it is people in my target field are interested in reading.  Tip: Create a separate email just for newsletters such as a gmail or yahoo account. This way your business email does not flood with newsletters and email marketing.

4 – Find a forum related to your industry and participate in the discussion.  There are many forums out there for nearly every business and there are forums on LinkedIn and Facebook which also offer a means to find material.

5 – Create Google Alerts for topics you want to know more about.  You will receive a myriad of blog posts, articles and comments in your Inbox which are specific to your needs.  Use that gmail or yahoo box for your Google Alerts as well. You can receive alerts daily or weekly depending upon your preference.  If you find that an alert you have set up is not suitable to good material, click the delete button and keyword other topics.  A good way to find good Google Alerts is to run a key word list from Google’s own keyword tool https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

6 – Go to the Library. As basic as this may sound, there is no other place I have found which one of the best sources for materia.  Find an hour a month to go to the library and peruse the periodicals.  Here I can find real estate news for my real estate articles, small business news for my blog and newspaper articles from papers I do not subscribe to at home.  I also find local news and small papers in my area which prove helpful to reach local customers.  Further, I just find the library to be a relaxing atmosphere so much more gets done without a phone ringing or hearing the ding that an email has come in.

7 – If you are a virtual assistant, ask your clients for publications.  I received a box of real estate magazines from a realtor once which kept me in writing material topics for months. Ask your clients to send you e-newsletters they receive from the varying organizations many real estate professionals are members. Many of my blog posts for real estate are generated from Realtor.org for example.

8 -   Write from personal experience. If you have a tale to tell about your interaction with a client use this as a means for discussion.

9 – Create a videoblog instead of a written blog post.  You can use Camtasia Studio for free for 30 days and with this program you can explain ‘how you did something’ in video format.  http://www.techsmith.com/download/camtasiatrial.asp Or try your hand with Windows Movie Maker or Powerpoint to make a slide presentation.

10 – Create an audio and post this to your blog. You can use Audacity for free http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Topics to consider would be “how-to’s” or ‘the benefits of doing something in particular vs something else.

11 – Take a picture and write about it.  If you see something funny or peculiar, this often can trigger good material. Posting a photo adds a nice visual and can drive your point home.

12 – If you are a real estate professional, and have not already, create a Rainmaker account on ActiveRain and then sign on for their daily webcast of popular posts.  On days when you just can not find something to write about, comment someone’s blog post. But there are many great topics discussed on ActiveRain and ideas which regularly prove useful.  If you are a real estate virtual assistant, you can open an account on ActiveRain as well and post your blog there and/comment others’ discussions.

13 – Recycle an older blog post or article and add something new to it.

14 – Take a webinar course through Hubspot and then write about what you learned.  Sign-up for their webinar notifications and be informed when a topic comes about that may be of interest to you.

15 – Ask a question and then answer it yourself.  An example might be, “What marketing tools have I used in the past 6 months which have helped to increase my client base?”

16 – Use a new hardware or software product and write a product review. Even if you sign on for a free trial, use the product for a specified period of time and take notes on the things you liked or disliked.

17 – List 5 things you like about your job and create 5 paragraphs about each item.  It’s Ok to break down the likes into small increments. For example, if you are a coach, 5 things you may like about your job are:  marketing your business, writing an ebook, coaching new clients, running a teleseminar, speaking in small groups. Then take each item and elaborate about each.  What is it that you like about marketing? Is one type of marketing which you find to be the most challenging?  If so, why? If you like writing an ebook then discuss the process of writing and why you like it. Has the process been inspiring in some way? And so on.

18 – What is the funniest thing that has happened to you while on the job? Write about this and encourage your readers to tell their own tale.

19 – If you could write a book, what would that topic be about and why? If you could meet someone in the past, present or future, who would that be and why?  Try to make it business-related so you can reach your audience.

20 – If none of these tips work and you are completely tapped out for ideas, email me.  I will see if I can help you come up with a topic.

1. What is your personality type? Are you a “Type A” that works well with other “Type A” personalities or do you need a more laid back person to work with? Or are you relaxed and need a “Type A” personality to keep you on track, on time and organized? Think about what type of person energizes you and consider a VA that compliments that.

2. What is your communication style? Are you a quiet person who doesn’t like to talk every day? Or are you better served by a daily or weekly phone call to connect? If you are chatty, don’t partner with a VA that prefers to be less-than-chatty. Neither one of you will be happy.

3. How often do you like to communicate? Do you like to email 5 times a day, once a day, once a week? How much communication do you want from your VA? Do you like to chat on the phone? Do you hate the phone and prefer email? It’s important to find a VA that matches that style. Trust me; you don’t want to receive 20 emails a day from an “in touch” VA if you prefer less but more focused communication.

4. What kind of commitment do you want? Do you have a ton of on-going projects and want a retainer agreement where you and your VA commit to a predetermined amount of hours per month? Or at this point in time do you have small projects that you need minimal help with? Save yourself time and determine this up front so you can skip the websites that claim they don’t offer project work or vice versa.

5. How involved do you want your VA to be in your business? Do you want her to brainstorm marketing ideas with you, rehash your business plan? Or do you have a preference for someone who will simply submit your work on time and keep your business admin tasks completed? Don’t partner with a VA that has involvement in mind or you’ll find yourself unhappy. Likewise, don’t ask a VA whose preference is to simply complete projects and email them to you to collaborate on an advertising campaign.

6. What kind of work style do you prefer? Do you prefer a more structured work style? Do you like pre-determined meeting times? Or can a spur-of-the moment phone call work for you? You’ll be much happier to partner with a VA that has the same work style as yourself.

7. How important it is for you “click” with your VA? Ideally, we all click to a degree with the professionals we hire, such as our accountant, lawyer, etc because we want to give our money to someone we trust and like. However, it’s crucial to really click and connect with your VA because she’ll become a partner in your business. Depending on your arrangement and needs, you could expect to talk with her daily. Some people prefer to have the expertise the VA offers and can manage without a personal connection and other business owners need the connection first and realize the VA can learn the skills necessary. Think about what would work best for you.

8. What kind of importance do you give certifications and associations? Do you want your VA to have a long list of official certifications or belong to a list of associations? If that’s important to you, there are many VAs who hold several certifications and belong to many associations. Not holding a certification doesn’t mean a VA isn’t qualified and professional but it might be something you want to consider.

9. Do you mind if your VA subcontracts to other virtual assistants? Many VAs make it a common practice to subcontract work out, but if she does, you should know that be ok with it. Do you prefer just one person to work on your projects? Do you care if other people manage your projects so long as your VA gives it the final approval before sending it on to you?

10. And last, but certainly not, least – do you trust your gut? Easier said than done when you start your VA search as there are now thousands of qualified, professional VAs running businesses. But once you talk to someone, communicate with them several times, get the responses you are looking for – then see what your gut tells you and go with it. You’ll be on your way to a successful relationship with your new virtual assistant.

Just a few simple questions can prevent a lot of misunderstanding and wasted time. Take your time with your VA search. If it works out perfectly, you’ll have a partnership that will benefit your business for years to come.

From TopPageInformationListing.info

Do you thank potential clients and customers EVEN IF they do not purchase your services or products?

What medium do you use to show your appreciation…letter, handwritten card, email, postcard, tweets, etc.?

Email is my primary method of communication. I monitor several email Inboxes boxes, which quickly fill-up with marketing messages faster than I can hit the delete button.

Email Marketers use numerous tactics to increase their chances that I will open their email promotions. But the practice has backfired as many of these email marketing ploys have ended up in my delete box.

You see, marketing messages do not excite me anymore. It’s just too much hype.

I have been over-marketed and I am tired.

There was a time when I was motivated to read an article entitled, “9 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid…” or “Killer Marketing Methods You Can’t Afford to Pass Up” or “Smokin’ Hot Tips”.

But then EVERYONE started with ‘killer-this’ and ‘deadly-that’. By mid-year, every CD, eBook or Teleseminar was “Smokin’ Hot” and ‘Chock-full” of something or other. (I exaggerate to make a point.)

And so the thrill was gone.

Just tell it like it is.

Squeeze Pages Gone Wild

Squeeze pages or marketing pages no longer intrigue me. I once thought these sites were rather clever with their colorful fonts, lots of white space, enthusiastic text, ‘…if you click this button now you will receive direct to your Inbox, “10 Killer Tips (yep, ‘killer tips’, gag!) Which Will Make You Six Figures Richer in Six Months”.

And that was fine for a while, until I began to loathe the term ‘Six Figures’. Nearly every email marketer was using this self-despised term which I coined as ‘snake oil’ sales promotions.

The ‘six figure’ phrase preys upon the vulnerable so it is a shady term in my marketing book

I am not saying that creating ‘six-figure’ financial goals is wrong or that making ‘six figures’ does not happen for entrepreneurs. Many, many folks have made six-figure-plus fortunes.

But the term is overused. And when the promotional verbiage is no longer a unique selling tool, the credibility factor decreases.

It would be my wish that Marketers could be truthful and use a definite, realistic dollar amount claim instead of using an imaginary, general term which conjures up nothing more in my mind than ambiguity.

But the reality is this…consumers do not want the truth. They want to believe they can make ‘six figures’. And who is to say that someone will more likely open an email that states, “Make $50 More Per Week” versus “Make Six Figures in 12 months”?

And those contentious squeeze pages!

These are Marketing Emails which contain miles and miles of text with no clickable way ‘out of the website mire’ EXCEPT to buy the product or sign-up for a newsletter loaded with more self-promoting ads.

I feel trapped when I click on a squeeze page. But I know that they are a valuable tool for Marketers and if one is to make ‘six figures’ then marketers will employ every online tactic available.

Oh, no…not another Hover Ad!

Hovering ads over text on site pages are Everywhere! My knee jerk reaction is to click the X to remove these messages.

At one time, hovering ads were ‘polite’ and clever marketing ploys. Hover ads would appear in the corner of the viewing screen and quickly fade away. Now, a hover ad comes at me as if to pop out of the screen and wrap its beady little corners around my face.

It takes several minutes to find the X to close these gigantic ads, which are ever more hidden in the background colors. Hover ads refuse to ‘go away’ quietly.

I am reminded of one instance where I clicked on an article link and was taken to a website. Without warning, an ENORMOUS pop-up ad came out at me which can only be described as ‘shocking’. It took me several minutes to find the X to close the ad that I totally forgot why I even came to that page! I did, however, find the X to close out the entire site all together so nothing was accomplished for that marketer.

As a marketing virtual assistant, I know that if a hovering message appears 100 times a day prompting one individual to sign on, this may mean another online sale for the advertiser. But how many others are turned away with such ‘in yer face’ ads?

What’s In Your Email Subject Title?

Getting the recipient to open an email message is the most important objective in email marketing. If the receiver does not open the message, then nothing within that message will be read. So Marketers create email message titles which must insight a user to open.

But some of these marketing message titles simply border on vagueness and possible deception.

Earlier this year I read an article entitled, “Why No Business Should Be Involved In Online Social Networking”. The title was a great hook but the article was really about businesses being involved in social marketing and not necessarily social networking. After reading the article, the difference between the two terms was not significant. Many readers voiced a negative opinion to the author about the vague title more so than the contents of the article.

This backfired for the author.

So as I begin a new work year, I surmise that reading junk email marketing will find a smaller place in my work day.

I’m watching more videos now and listening to podcasts while I work. I am also signing on for more teleseminars and viewing more PowerPoint presentations. This is how I am receiving my marketing information and I feel more in control of how I spend my time.

I dislike discussing politics outside of my own circle because it just brings out such viciousness in people. Although I’m a long way from Arizona this horrific political event felt so close to my heart. Ever since 9/11, terroristic activities within our own country just seem so personal now.

I am ashamed at how volatile the political language in this country has developed.

During this past Florida state election, I was nauseated with the way politicians beat on each other; spewing venomous names and telling lies or half-truths about their opponent’s personal lives.

For the first time since coming of age to vote, I thought about not casting my ballot in the state election.

When someone commits a terrible act, such as the case in Arizona our media gives these evil individuals major press time personifying the glory that the perpetrators typically desire. TV and radio commentators fight with each other on-air while all of this is captured on YouTube and played continuously in a loop on the internet.

And this same venue plays out in the virtual business world as well.

When business owners have been ‘burned’ by a virtual assistant, many of the comments I read are cruel. These shafted business owners, although entitled to their opinion, certainly cannot justify similar political name calling in their business posts.

I have had my share of clients who have ‘burned’ me but I have not gone on record publicly chastising their businesses or marring their name.

The premise seems to be that if you don’t like someone, it’s OK to publicly reprimand an individual in any way possible.

As a virtual assistant, I write something every day. I think about what I write and I give great thought about who will be the recipient of what I say. I do not want to offend anyone. My presentation is all that I can regulate.

I cannot control what people say about me but I can control what I say about others.

The old adage, ‘sticks and stones….’ is wrong! Names do hurt and they fire-up those who do not think rationally. The Arizona terrorist is an angry, mentally deficient young man. His own posts give us reason to believe he was heavily influenced by the vicious diatribe between our elected officials.

Our current, dark political atmosphere is not to blame for this man’s behavior just as playing violent video games cannot be blamed for the Columbine massacre. But these influences help mold behavior; particularly for those with a sick mind.

In business and in politics, NOW is the time to reflect on how we communicate with each other. Gone are the days when it took a full day for news to reach us in today’s newspaper when we had time to reflect and discuss events with each other. Editorial comments were, well, edited…and for good reason.

The unedited internet has brought us all closer together but in many ways it has also created a divide.

There is no time to wipe-up a messy blog written in a tirade about someone who might have offended us. With a push of the ‘send’ button, these often insensitive comments have already gone out to be posted on someone’s site, somewhere in the world to be read on someone else’s computer screen.

They cannot be taken back.

Words create moods. They also affect behavior. Think about what we say and write about each other. Someone just may misinterpret and act in ways which may shock us.

Janine Gregor

I shake my head in dismay.

Clients want the help…they seek the assistance of a virtual assistant but some fail to recognize that good relationships take work.

I emphasize the need for communication in the consultation call. I include an entire page in my Welcome Packet explaining the importance of communication but after a week of working with new clients, old habits die hard.

The Scenario

It is Monday morning and I am ready to work. But I can’t. The client has not responded to last week’s email asking for an updated service list. The client has not responded to questions regarding last week’s work so even that effort remains unfinished.

So I put in a phone call but the client is not available.

Tuesday morning…still no response. This time I am asking if something is wrong. That happens. One of my clients fell off a ladder and I didn’t hear from her for several weeks.

Finally on Wednesday afternoon I receive a reply to last week’s emails but some of the questions were left unanswered. By now, I’ve ventured onto other client work and am engrossed because these clients are responding and thus they receive priority attention.

So I reschedule my work for Thursday to play ‘catch-up’ for the client who has now decided to respond with several apologies and excuses as to why my communication has gone unanswered.

I write a quick aggravated-infused email and then decide not to send it in the annoyed tone in which it was written. (A tip I learned years ago…write out how you feel and then hit delete.)

(Sometimes a client may sign on late in the week and we finally begin to get caught up on last week’s work but alas we are in the middle of an important discussion and I receive, “I am signing off for the rest of today and I won’t be back in my office until Monday.” )

Yes, that did happened…but I digress…

Friday I send out another email and put in another call to discuss the problem(s). I receive no response thus the following incommunicado-cycle begins again for the following week.

This has to stop. Something must be done. Shall I cut the client loose? It crosses my mind several times.

Here’s what I do:

• I ask to speak to the client and make myself available after hours if needed to rectify the situation.
• I explain in that call how difficult it is for me to efficiently book client time while ‘left in the lurch’ without the proper responses. I need to make the client see that I am business owner myself and that my time is valuable too. I say this in the call (nicely).
• I ask the client what we can do better to ensure that I receive the information in a timely manner. Although I prefer to receive service-related work requests the week before so I can plan accordingly for the following week, if Sunday afternoon is the only time she can answer my emails, then I can work with that.
• I set up a shared calendar so I can see when the client is available. (I do that for everyone now.) But again, this is part of the communication process and has to be maintained by the client.
• I summarize and confirm the discussion in a written email.

In some cases, this method solves the problem. But in other cases, we have a few ‘good’ weeks and the non-responsive cycle begins all over again.

Nothing is fail-proof; either you want to work with a virtual assistant or you do not.

I understand that some clients have full time jobs. But if a client is on a tight schedule for communicating with their virtual assistant, then some effort needs to be made BECAUSE I cannot do the work alone.

I’m here to partner with a business owner and like all collaborations good communication is key to success. Without an exchange of ideas, I am unproductive.

When I am ineffective, the client is wasting my time and their money.

I am here to help the business owner succeed. If they do not realize my purpose, I turn them loose.

It happens.

Ms. Sandberg states, “If you want to know what people like us will do tomorrow, look at what teenagers are doing today.”  She continues, “… that only 11 percent of teenagers send daily emails while text messages and posts on social networking sites have become the norm.”

This is quite a monumental prediction…

Email is THE communication mode that I use for my virtual assistant business.  I also conduct personal correspondence through email.  This medium, of course is not the same as a phone call or a face-to-face meeting rather, it is the next form of communication in which I can create a meaningful message from afar to be re-read, sorted and acted upon. I could not conduct business through text messages nor could I tell my friend Julia about my weekend in 140 words or less.

So I am not sure I buy Ms. Sandberg’s forecast of the demise of email.

But then I noticed a news item on BizReport, Ben & Jerry’s drop email in favor of social media marketing announcing the decision to drop its email campaign and newsletters in favor of text messages, social networking posts and use of an iPhone app called ‘Scoop of Happiness’.

Hubspot also posted on the Ben & Jerry’s decision remarking, “This is the first major corporation to completely discontinue email marketing, a mainstay of internet marketing since the 90′s, for other internet channels. Ben & Jerry’s customers had indicated that they disliked the email despite loving the brand, which means that it wasn’t building the positive relationship that the famously brand-conscious ice cream company wanted.”

Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/6217/Ben-Jerry-s-Drops-Email-Marketing-In-Favor-of-Social-Media.aspx#ixzz0uAMPBiFX

Let it be known, I received both reports via email! I must have missed it on the social networking sites.

I still do not buy it…

Email and social network marketing have always worked together.

Diverse audiences receiving the same message…this is a marketer’s dream!  Although many marketers use Twitter and Facebook for posting messages, it is easy for a recipient to miss a Tweet or a Facebook  post. Volumes of information are passed through social media at any given moment that it is impossible to read everything on the social sites. And for this reason, email picks up where Twitter and Facebook may wane.

An email can sit in an Inbox until the user is ready to open it.

Email can be flagged for future use or downloaded at anytime in the case of a coupon or sale announcement. This is not the case with Twitter or Facebook.  Links to sites where pages can be downloaded and printed are offered on the social sites but this can be a hassle to ‘get to’ particularly if the marketer requires the use of a coupon; ultimately depending upon the use of a computer and a printer. While mobile coupon applications such as Groupon may be the wave of the future, the cost is still prohibitive for small business retailers.

Social sites create the buzz while emails promote the details.

There is no getting around the fact that if a marketer sends an email which the recipient wants to read, email is the bonafide tool to securing uninterrupted message-reading time. While the social sites are certainly significant in the promotion of marketing information, user attention spans are much shorter. This leaves retention of details at risk.   Pertinent marketing information is more likely to be overlooked or scanned without fully grasping the entire message.  Emails can be re-read while social marketing messages move to the bottom of the page as other messages take their place.

Ben and Jerry’s brand does not need email…but not every brand is as ubiquitous

It is true that a quality product like Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream does not need an email to remind me to purchase their brand.  Just walking past the ice cream case and seeing the adorable cartons sells itself.  Think Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey and the shopping cart traverses on its own…

But for small business owners who do not have the same brand recognition, email in conjunction with social sites and texting is still the best way to reach a captive audience.

Certainly food for thought…anyone have a spoon?  I’ll send an email.