Small Biz Sanity

How to get a great testimonial...

This is one of those things I heard through the grapevine...UK-based coach Ankhara Hunte passed along this gem about getting great testimonials from clients--and I love it because it takes the potential "writers block" factor out when they're trying to come up w/ the perfect paragraph to describe what you've done for them. 

Basically, ask your client to complete three sentences:

1. "Before receiving your services...(fill in the blank)"

2. "After receiving your services...(fill in the blank)"

3. "If a friend was thinking of purchasing your services I'd tell them...(fill in the blank)"

This creates a vivid before-and-after picture of exactly what your services do for your clients, and it allows others to see results and what it can potentially do for them, as well.  No matter what service you offer, it's a great testimonial tool, IMO.

Is the Internet the end-all be-all...

...when it comes to marketing your business? 

And I mean this on a personal level, as well--a bit of introspection, if you will.    If you're like me, you come up with a million-and-one ideas throughout the day.  While you're trying to develop them online, it's so easy to get brain overload and burnt out--there are so many websites & related links that grab your attention & sidetrack you...by the end of the day, my brain is usually fried when I log off.

So, here's what I've begun doing--I get off the Internet.  I take a break, do some chores, spend time with my daughter, run some errands, work out--whatever.  It might sound counterintuitive--how can you market online if you're not online?  But in order to stay on the right path & remain focused, your mind needs to stay fresh.   I've learned to stay online just enough to do certain tasks--check & send specific emails, research a potential client, write an article or blog entry, Tweet a little--and then get off.  And while I'm off, I come up with new ideas & to-do tasks--so when I do get back online, I'm focused once again on another set of specific tasks.  I'm not just meandering around the Internet aimlessly--I'm working in shorter, smarter bursts.

So, I dunno...that's what works for me, I find.  Hopefully I can stay with this, because I do believe that less is more if it's done right.

That being said, folks--here's the question:  What systems do you have in place to stay focused on your small biz tasks?

An exercise in frustration? Not necessarily!

One of my favorite Web-surfing pastimes isn't so much reading various other blogs--it's the comments that follow the entries and the always-interesting insights within.   Recently I read an article about tips on working with a virtual assistant, and a commenter posted a sentiment I've heard over & over from business owners who've worked with VAs--her frustration with VA/client communication issues. 

The way she resolved it, though, really rings true--she got clear on her own goals and what she wanted.  To me this really rang as a true "a-ha" moment (although not my own, lol).  How can you tell someone else what you want & how to help you if you don't know what that is?

So, for all you business owners seriously contemplating working with a virtual assistant, take some time to make a list of all the things you need help with.  What are the things you really need to get done, nagging away at you--but you never find the time to do?  Whether it's research, organization, personal errands, event planning, etc.--it's something a VA can help you with.   Once your list is complete, you may see that most of the items fall into one or two specific categories.  You might want to look for a virtual assistant that specializes in these areas.  Google "virtual assistant+the specialty" for VAs that are listed under that niche.

Once you've done your search & contacted several VAs that you're interested in, check out their personalities & work styles.  So many people underestimate this that it's not even funny--but actually clicking with the VA that's partnering with you to further your business is important, to say the least!  Are you laid-back or rigid?  Last-minute or way in advance?  Fun, or serious?  Attracted to opposites, or do you need a "work twin?"  These are all things to consider when searching for the right VA.

When you finally begin your VA/client relationship, make sure you clearly define tasks & to-dos.  It's great to talk on the phone when able (live contact always lends that added "human" element), but follow up via email with detailed instructions whenever possible, so that your VA can go back & refer to them when needed.  Last but not least, make sure you & your VA have discussed a clear deadline--and whether it can be met. 

What communication methods have helped you while working with your VA?

What a way to use a VA: Blog Brainstorming

Here's a tip on how you can utilize your virtual assistant's services, taken from a task I recently did for one of my clients:  In the ongoing search for blog ideas, she & I sat down together for an intense brainstorming session.  On my end, I scoured various industry resources for blog entry ideas, and ran them by her.  We picked the one she liked the most, and from there I did a "mini-interview"--asking her questions about the topic and taking notes as she shared her thoughts & expertise.

Based on your VA's writing background (and the amount of time you have), he or she can edit/proofread & post your blog post after you write it--or, they can ghostwrite & post it for you. 

Either way, another blog entry gets posted--whereas otherwise, your blog might have gone stale because you didn't have time to do it yourself! 

Your niche: Have you found it yet?

 

Ah, the process of finding one's niche. You hear about it all the time--yet it's easy to wonder, "Wouldn't staying 'general' help me reach a wider audience?" This is what I thought, also--and I've since realized (the hard way, lol) that it actually works the other way around.  It's a finely-tuned, targeted approach that brings in the business. 

So, how do you go about finding your niche? It has a lot to  reflecting on what your passion and expertise are, and determining who exactly wants what you have to offer.  This following article I came across by Herman Drost breaks it down.

Niche Marketing - How to Find Your Perfect Niche Market
 © Herman Drost

If you don't find a niche market for the product or service
you offer, you will most probably fail. Most newcomers who
wish to do business on the Internet often market to
everyone they can find with the expectation that everyone
will do business with them. This is the same as throwing
mud against the wall and hoping some of it will stick. They
have not yet found their niche market.

What is niche marketing?

A niche market is composed of individuals and businesses
that have similar interests and needs, which can be readily
identified and that can be easily targeted and reached.

Finding a niche for your business means finding a great
product or service for a highly targeted audience.

Here's the process to find your niche business:

1. Find a niche product or service you are passionate about
- this will greatly improve your chances of being
successful. Why? Because it's the only way you're going to
be able to devote the kind of time and effort to create a
meaningful web site, build up the right traffic, generate
worthwhile income, and enjoy what you're doing.

2. Choose a niche product or service you are knowledgeable
about - reflect on what skills, hobbies or products you
know the most about. If you don't have the knowledge yet,
then choose a niche product that you would love to promote,
then spend the necessary time to research it, so you can
eventually become an expert in your marketing niche.

3. Define your niche market - do the necessary research to
see if there is a market for your niche product. To create
a profitable business for your niche product, you need to
ask yourself these questions:

a) Is there sufficient demand for it? - if you choose a
field that is too broad it may be hard to stand out from
the competition ie camping equipment is your niche product.
Well, unless you are a large corporation such as Sports
Authority (a large retail store in my town), you won't
stand out from the crowd. However, a more highly targeted
niche product could be Coleman Camping Equipment.

b) Keyword research - use keyword tools such as the
overture suggestion tool or wordtracker  to how many people
are searching each month on keywords related to your niche
product.

Here's an example:

According to overture (at the time of writing this
article), the keyword phrase "camping equipment" was
searched 76164 times in one month. If you do a search on
Google.com for camping equipment you will find 1,610,000
web sites show up - heck, that's too competitive.

However "coleman camping equipment" generated 1242 searches
in one month according to overture. Google.com shows 93,200
competing websites. That's much better though still somewhat
competitive.

Tip: Notice how not many web sites (even the top ones),
don't have "coleman camping equipment" in their titles.
This is just one way to create a high ranking on the search
engines for your newly targeted web site. This will then
provide lots of targeted traffic to your site.

c) Take a survey – you may already have products or
services that you selling to your customers. If so, ask
questions within your survey about what product/service
would help your customers business. If it can help them
save time by gaining more knowledge or automating tasks,
you could have a winner.

d) Create Your Own Unique Selling Position (USP) - study
your competition to find out what they emphasize about the
product which makes them stand out from the crowd. Then
decide on something that will make your business unique
from the others. It could be something unique about the
product (ie discount coleman camping equipment) or you
could choose a more highly defined target market
(ie boyscout organizations and clubs throughout the USA).

4. Build and promote your web site - to develop a
profitable web site for your niche product you need to
create a number of informative pages that will not only
attract visitors from the search engines, but inform and
move them to purchase from your site.

Read my article, "How to Create a Web Site That Sells"

Niche marketing is the key to developing a profitable
business that will make you stand out from the crowd. By
doing the necessary research and building an informative
web site, you will become an expert in your niche marketing
field.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Herman Drost is the author of the new ebook
"101 Highly Effective Strategies to Promote Your Web Site"
a powerful guide for attracting 1000s of visitors to your web site.

Subscribe to his “Marketing Tips” newsletter for more original
articles at: subscribe@isitebuild.com. Read more of his
in-depth articles at: www.isitebuild.com/articles

Tips for a Successful Trade Show...

As a small business owner, you've probably looked into attending a trade show or two.  But since many of us are on tight budgets, you might have been daunted by not just some trade shows' admission fees, but also how you'd display your business info & takeaways.

Well, there are some inexpensive, creative ways you can do this--and this article that I've posted below from About.com (written by virtual assistant Janice Byer) tells you how.

Tips for a Successful Trade Show by Janice Byer

As small business owners, especially those in the start up phase, preparing for a trade show can be a very scary and frustrating time. What do we take for our trade show display and how do we present it?

You first need to find out the specifics of the trade show you are registered for or considering exhibiting in. If necessary, contact the organizers of the event and get details on the type of visitors that the show attracts and the layout of the area you will have to display your business.

Be sure to find out the size of the trade show display table you will have, whether there is wall space for your company sign, if there are electrical outlets available, and anything else that may or may not be included (i.e. a table cloth, etc.).

Once the show space specifics have been established, then you can move on to deciding what to take and how you can ‘show your stuff’. The following are just a few ideas to help you get ready for that all important trade show. (Note: most of these trade show display ideas are based on being in the service industry but will work for products industry companies as well.)

1) If the trade show display table you have does not include a tablecloth, be sure to get one that complements your display and represents your company’s image and colour scheme (without being overpowering). Even if a tablecloth is supplied, bring your own or something to add some depth to your table (i.e. a table runner). Your table will definitely stand out in a crowd.

2) If your trade show display space will allow, erect a stand-alone presentation board. On the board, you can show how clients can benefit by using your services. Be creative and make it stand out. Include pictures, if possible, and be sure your company name and logo are more than obvious.

3) If there is wall space, but your budget is minimal, use your trusty desktop publishing software to create a template of your company name. Use the template, along with bristle board, cardboard, or foam core to make a sign that you can put up on the wall behind your trade show display.

4) Arrange your trade show display table in levels. Put the larger items at the rear, shorter items in front of those, and even shorter items in front of those.

5) Develop a PowerPoint presentation to display on your table (if an electrical outlet is within reach of your booth). You can make it on your desktop computer and transfer it to a laptop, which you can rent or borrow if you don’t already have one. Your visitors will find this visually appealing and it will draw in their attention.

Continue on to the next page to read more trade show tips, including ideas for trade show giveaways that are sure to make yours one of the most popular trade show booths at the show.

Here are more trade show tips to help your trade show booth draw attention at the show and help people remember you afterwards.

Have plenty of trade show giveaways, such as business cards, brochures, pens, magnets, and anything else that has your company name and/or logo on it. Most people who attend trade shows are expecting to take home some goodies. And be sure to use display racks for showing your flyers, specials, brochures, and such.

Offer something a little different as a trade show giveaway… FOOD. I displayed at the "Bridges to Better Business" trade show in Brampton and included a basket of Girl Guide cookies on my table. They were a big hit; I wish I had brought more. If you can, package your food in a way that will allow you to have your company contact information on it.

Offer Gift Certificates for some of your services as a trade show giveaway. There’s nothing better than getting a deal and when they ‘cash in’ their certificate, they will see how valuable your services are and will come back for more.

Have a draw for a prize. Offer a prize that in some way complements your business if possible, and appeals to anyone. Have visitors and entrants sign a guestbook, fill in a ticket, or drop their business cards into a fish bowl or gift bag. The great thing about this trade show giveaway is that you can then use this information at a later date to make a follow up contact.

Have a portfolio of your work available as part of your trade show display. Print off some of your best projects, put them into plastic sheet protectors, and arrange them in a binder. Then lay out the binder where visitors can flip through the pages.

If the trade show will be on for an extended length of time, be sure to have assistance in manning your trade show booth so you can take a break. If you don’t have the option of having someone take over for a bit, be sure to put up a note that tells people how long you will be gone or when you will be back.

Most importantly, be friendly and inviting. Say "Hi" to those that turn and look toward you or your trade show booth. Strike up a conversation and be sure to have a short introductory speech ready. And… have fun!

Janice Byer is a certified Master Virtual Assistant and owner of Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services.

What mompreneurs are reading...

More and more, moms are staying home with the kids and building thriving businesses.  And why not?  There are tons of great resources not only online, but between the pages of a slew of books on "mompreneurship" and work/life balance.  And in this economy, one of the smartest moves one can make is to explore starting a business (if you haven't already).   Here are some picks that small biz mamas can add to their resource library:

Stop Spinning Plates: How to Lose Your Balance and Become a Thriving Mother by Susan Guiher and Mary Mc Henry:  For the woman who has too many plates in the air...and wishes to create a thriving life and business.

16 Weeks to Your Dream Business : A Weekly Planner for Entrepreneurial Women by Michelle Briody: Whether it's selling products you love, or creating a service you know people need, business startup experts Nada Jones and Michelle Briody will take you step-by-step through the process of making your business aspirations a reality.

Mompreneurs: A Mother's Practical Step by Step Guide to Work at Home Success by by Patricia Cobe and Ellen H. Parlapiano:  Good tips on writing a business plan, getting a loan, setting fees, creating office space, and finding the right mix of child care.  Also includes inspiring tales of mothers whose businesses are now household names. 

Motherhood to Otherhood: Step Up to a New You by Julia Roberts: Life coach Julia Roberts (the other Julia Roberts) shows women how to apply lessons learned in pregnancy to launch another brand new life--their own.

My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire by Michelle Goodman: Tired of clocking in and losing out? Want to pursue creative, fulfilling work on your own time and also make a living in the process? My So-Called Freelance Life is a how-to guidebook for women who want to avoid the daily grind and turn their freelance dreams into reality. Michelle Goodman, author of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide and self-proclaimed former “wage slave,” offers tips, advice, how-to’s, and everything else a woman needs to pursue a freelance career.

 

Connecting with other virtual assistants

One of the big questions I'm often asked by newbie virtual assistants is, "How can I connect with other VAs?"  (Actually, the number one question is, "How can I get more clients?" lol--but the former isn't far behind.) 

Anyway, here are some great sites where virtual assistants can connect with each other, discuss various issues in the VA industry, and/or just take an e-coffee break. (To find others, you can also do a Google search on "virtual assistant message board" or "virtual assistant forum.")  Peruse & utilize!

Virtual Assistant Forums

Virtual Assistant Networking Forum (VANF)

VirtualAssistants (Yahoo! Groups)

The Virtual Assistant Network (Yahoo! Group)

Meetup.com (you can do a search on "virtual assistants" and your zip code to see if there are any VAs meeting up in your area.)

Virtual Assistant Job Forum (Indeed.com)

iVillage.com's Virtual Assistant message board

Mompreneurs Online Forums

Contracts & agreements. They're nice.

I was on the phone earlier this afternoon with one of my graphic designer chicas--who's dealing with a small snafu at the moment.  She'd began working on a project for a client--one of those "I need it yesterday and I'll pay you extra...now rushhurryrushrush"-type situations.  She didn't mind doing the rush job, as she had room in her schedule to do so.   But instead of submitting her usual contract/agreement (which includes project terms, fees & her standard policies) to the client, my girlfriend typed up an abbreviated email that just stated the project's basics.   Seemed like an okay idea at the time--the client wrote back that she agreed to & understood everything, and they were off to the races.

Are you doing THIS? Something to consider...

You're good at what you do.  You know this--and I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that's the case, as well. ;-)  But do your current & prospective clients know that?  They're the ones who need the memo.   How are you constantly establishing yourself as an expert in your field or niche?

A great & easy way to do this is to post tips on your website, blog, newsletter or in your email signature.  A "Resources" page on your website is a good idea, as well--featuring tried & true products, services & software that you've used in your business.  

Oh--and while you're at it, why not make some money, as well?  For all the products that you've used & like, Google "(product name)+affiliate program", sign up as a product affiliate and use your affiliate link whenever you post a link mentioning it on your site(s).  That way, you're sharing your expertise, passing the word on about products/services you & your clients enjoy--and you're creating an additional income stream.  Yay.