by VA Connect | Jan 21, 2020 | Virtual Assistant
When I started out as Virtual Assistant the only thing I could think of was how to keep my clients. Many times I wondered if they saw my value, understood my mindset, appreciated the multiple hours not billed for. I was just happy to have work, not recognising my feeling of unworthiness. Now being more wise, older, more balance conscious with a mindful spirit, a lot has changed for me when working with clients. I realised I am good in what I do, and I do add value, that is why my business is still thriving. These days I feel confident to raise my opinion or speak out when I do not agree (in a respectful manner). I can help you, sometimes it just takes 3 easy (and I mean, easy) steps:
Remember that people differ
As a virtual assistant people think that we sit in front of a computer and do not talk, see or meet with clients. Some weeks it felt like I have had more “personal” meetings with my clients than I ever had when I worked in corporate. These meetings can be draining and stressful when you start out. But as time go on, short weekly update meetings, schedule planning and strategizing will leave you with more time to focus on the job to be done.
- Before your meeting, write down pointers to keep you on track, keep it short, and raise any concerns you have had that week.
- We all see and experience problems differently. Remember to focus when an issue is raised and try to stay open minded. At first, I got frustrated when my client’s suppliers could not understand me. Now being more open to the language barrier and time difference I know when to contact them, and remember it is for them just as difficult as it is for me.
- If you feel you need to discuss certain issues with your client more, then bring that up and keep discussing it until a mutual agreement is reached.
Remember you know what you are doing, it is not about what you are saying, but about HOW, WHY and WHEN. These days you do not need to study Human Relations to be an effective communicator or understand people, you can just google and find online courses that can help you right now. Only a few of many:
Pluralsight
Udemy
Skillsportal
Stop Multitasking, start Batching
Early on I was multitasking so much, I sometimes called my clients by the other client’s name. Earth please swallow me. I was stretched thin, making mistakes, working crazy hours and got very near to burnout. During one December some of my clients went on vacation the same time and I could focus on one wanting something done urgently. I could focus on the project for a few hours and got the job done smoothly. When the others returned, I was in a routine of focusing on one client’s projects for the first 2-4 hours of the day, that I had no other choice as to leave the other projects for later. After the first 3 hours, I started to work on the other client’s projects, and guess what, I got that done quicker than I thought. Realizing that I should focus on the one client, and not try to multitask multiple clients at the same time, made me suggest time frames to my clients that I am available to them. This made them conscious of when to call, text or email, not being annoyed if I did not respond out of those hours. Now I group my similar tasks in batches and can get through the projects quicker. This helped my clients to eventually batch their tasks better. Yes, sometimes something is urgent and its needs my time now, but then I can focus, and reschedule my time around that.
Let me train you in my skillset to make your life easier
You may be the CEO of your business, but you appointed me for my skills to make your life easier. Please allow me to modernize, edit, update and change your logistic process my way. I know what I am doing. And after that (and usually this process takes a few months to tweak and get correct), let me train one of your people/you to work and understand the system. Nothing is as frustrating as having to communicate mundane answers when the system is put up in such a way for you to easily access and understand it. Especially after a long day, and I just want to spend time with my family, I am not going to give attention to something that can wait till tomorrow when I have energy.
In conclusion
It all boils down to respect. We differ and all have bad days, but we can still work together to get through it whole and happy. Talk to me, work smarter and remember I can help you in a way that makes your life easier. I believe both our chapters will be interesting, sometimes stressful, but all the time respectful. Then the outcome will be faster, smarter and hopefully profitable for us both.
by WP-Dev | Jan 21, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
The most influential and successful people in the business world are – reading. To quote one of my favourite investors of all times, Warren Buffett, ‘the key to success is reading, as much as 500 pages per day (yikes!)’ According to Buffett knowledge builds up like compound interest over time. Makes sense if you think about it a bit doesn’t it? Someone like Bill Gates, for example, reads about 50 books per year according to the Business Insider South Africa. Now to be honest with you I’m an avid reader, however this year I’ve got a lot going on so I decided my reading strategy will entail reading a selection of just four books. One for each quarter of this year. I’d rather read less than the average Bill Gates and take the time to implement the knowledge which I’ve gained than reading 50 books without implementing anything useful in my business.
These Titles Made It Successfully onto My Reading List
#What Makes Them Great? 50 Ways to Become the Industry Leader
By Douglas Kruger
Now to be honest this was my first purchase for my collection this year. So far, I haven’t been disappointed. I’m sure you’ve also wondered what the differentiating factor between the icons of a specific industry and those that are just ‘good’ at what they do might be. Well, I certainly have. That’s one of the reasons I find Kruger’s book so helpful as it gives 50 practical tips on how to achieve just that!
#How to Win Friends & Influence People in the Digital Age
By Dale Carnegie, Brent Cole
Some of you or maybe all of you might have come across this book before. You might already know Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends & Influence People released in 1936. released in 1936. Yes, you read it right the first time… Since its release, it has sold over 15 million copies and has recently been adapted for the digital age. Now a book that endures the test of time certainly merits making my list.
#Beginner’s Pluck – Build Your Life of Purpose and Impact Now
By Liz Bohannon
In her book Beginner’s Pluck, Liz wants the reader to, ‘rethink everything you’ve been told about finding your passion and following your dreams’. Liz clarifies a whole lot in her book about the emphasis placed on finding your passion and instead focusses on the reality of building your passion and purpose as she puts it ‘actively, day-by-day’.
#Find Your Way – Unleash Your Power and Highest Potential
By Carly Fiorina
I recently listened to a leadership podcast interview with Carly Fiorina. Like most South Africans I’d never heard of her before then. However, her journey from secretary to becoming the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company sounded remarkable and I adding her book to my 2020 must-read list was a no-brainer.
Bringing it together
Dear reader, from experience I have seen first-hand what consistent reading, gaining knowledge and expanding your horizons can achieve for our personal and professional lives. I know that reading doesn’t necessarily come naturally to everyone, but I really want to encourage you to give it a try before reaching for the audio versions of the book. For the simple – in an era where communication is turning more digital by the second, it is imperative that we improve our reading comprehension and communication skills. I believe without a doubt that effective communication will serve us well while we actively grow our business’.
by WP-Dev | Jan 16, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
First of all we have to understand what motivation is. It’s a reason for acting in a particular way something that pushes us to do things that we believe we can’t do or goals that looks hard to achieve.
Most times when we want to accomplish a goal we need a willingness to help us improve our habits and get results. This is where motivation counts.
So what does motivation mean? It means finding drive and direction from within. It means finding an activity that keeps you engaged and putting effort into it. People who are motivated desire to do things, they desire to make a difference rather than sit and wait for things to happen.
Knowing how to stay motivated can be tough sometimes. Often people say that we are procrastinating or not getting the outcomes that we want. We might even have had some misfortune and our motivation levels drop. With all the things that demand out attention, it can be difficult to stay motivated or focused to achieve the outcome that we are working towards.
Do things that will keep you motivated and make this a priority in your life. You must motivate yourself every day and find things in your life that will allow you to get to the place that you want to be in.
Simple tips on how to increase motivation
- Remember to be clear on your outcome and to focus on what that will mean to you once you achieve it.
- When you don’t feel like doing what needs to be done, “Just do it.” You will feel better once you have ticked off that box.
- Reframe negative self-talk and thoughts.
- Celebrate yourself along the way.
- Use positive empowering language
- Smile and be happy. There is a feedback loop, which basically means, your mood will follow what you are doing with your face.
- Tackle challenges in bite sized chunks.
- Take joy in what you do. “If you enjoy what you do, you never have to work a single day in your life.”
- Learn to meditate. Meditation can be as simple as smelling the roses, feeling the wind on your face, experiencing compassion, or simply being.
- Do things that are in line with your values and build you as a person.
- Tackle the task in manageable size pieces that build on success, competence and confidence.
- Be prepared to step outside your comfort zone. Growth only happens on the other side. Before you know it, things you never thought you could do will become possible.
- Make motivation a new habit, your new best friend.
Starting out can be tough, but with discipline and consistency you will eventually reach a point where staying motivated only requires minimal daily maintenance, learning to make the right choices at the right time.
Staying motivated is first and foremost in finding your purpose to achieve your goals. Be sure to have clearly laid out plans and you will be well on your way to creating achievable goals to keep you motivated throughout the year.
Conclusion
Motivation is a deliberate state of mind. We can choose to be motivated and our actions can help us to stay motivated.
by WP-Dev | Jan 14, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
The person that influenced me most in life played a very unconventional role. It goes without saying that you look up to your parents and they are your biggest influencers. But from a business perspective it was one of my employers who showed me what was possible with hard work and determination.
As I’ve mentioned before I’m very good at reading people. So when used in a work environment you can hit it off with pretty much anyone. This particular lady was a very determined, I’m not taking nonsense from no one, strong woman. When I went for the interview one of the current employees passed me in the waiting room and asked me if I was waiting for B. I told him that I was here for an interview for the new receptionist position. His eyes widened and he said, “Good luck…” In a ‘she’ll eat you alive sweetheart’ type of way.
Cutting to the chase, I eventually got the job and became good ‘friends’ with B, my new boss. I knew how to stay on her good side and leveraged every opportunity to learn from her. She was a successful business woman but as all stories in life, it didn’t start out that way. She started from very humble beginnings and worked and worked to get on top.
Here is what I’ve learnt from her:
Do everything to the best of your ability
We once had a function for our clients’ secretaries and she went all out with wine and cheese and awesome entertainment. She didn’t need to impress anybody as they were already clients but she showed how much she valued their business by treating the ladies to a very special day.
Things first have to be really bad before it gets good
There were difficult days were I just chatted to her about our life struggles in general and she would tell me about how bad they had it before it became good. How she used to drive from medical practice to medical practice and sold stationery to the doctors for an income. Today she is selling them IT solutions and support and she’s killing it.
The importance of constructive feedback
Look, if she wasn’t happy about how you handled her client, she won’t sugar coat and tell you straight. Luckily I very rarely experienced that side of her but it was only because she was so passionate about keeping her clients happy and giving them the best customer service possible, after all it was her name at stake as she personally knew each and every client. Even though she could get really upset, you could still take her words to heart and learn from it because she built her business up from nothing and knew it better than any of us.
What I most admired about her was that she didn’t sit back when things started going good. No, she knew that any day something could happen and it could all be gone. Still to this day she works just as hard as her staff in making sure new clients are coming in and that current clients are happy.
As an exercise I’ve created a dream board of my best life, without even noticing that it very closely resembled the life of B. Guess she was much more influential to me than I thought.
by WP-Dev | Jan 9, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
With all the negative news in the media, and there is a lot of it – it is easy to become despondent, hopeless, fearful, angry, frustrated… the list could go on. One episode of Carte Blanche and you are guaranteed to see something to add to the gloom feeling a Sunday night can bring.
#ImStaying Facebook Group
While flipping through Facebook a few weeks ago, an old colleague had invited me to the #I’m Staying group. I was curious. I am sure all members have at some point in the lives been tempted or have seriously considered immigrating. We all have friends or family that have taken the leap and packed their bags for greener pastures.
Positive change
I was pleasantly surprised at the positive stories people were sharing. Some real lump in the throat moments that make one feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And there it was, the ember of hope in my heart, that South African people, can change this country! I believe that the Cape Town real estate entrepreneur Jarette Petzer hoped it would achieve. It now has 416,627 members and counting.
Politicians and the media love bad news. It sells, and we certainly give them enough to keep them going. The page is fostering compassion and connections between South Africans from all backgrounds. But as in life, there are always people who disagree. Instead of seeing the positive aspects, they only see the negative, claiming the group is extremely elitist, catering to a privileged white minority. I really hope that the camp of people feeling this way are the minority and that the group continues to grow – with members from all over our beautiful rainbow nation. The positive stories posted by members are being posted daily and in abundance by people of all ages, across all cultures who share a deep love for South Africa. For some, this group has been a life changer. Some have been truly despondent, and do not have any option but to #Stay!
Hope for the future
While people spend those few moments a day reading and seeing the good news it really does give one hope, and we can all do with some hope. Hope will overflow into our own lives, to the people we interact with daily – our colleagues, our children, our neighbours and friends. It has a huge spinoff effect. You never know how a random act of kindness, or a few kind words could impact someone’s life, it could change their life forever. And it is not only happening on SA soil, there are stories of South Africans all across the world! How amazing that it can reach all corners and impact the lives of those people around them too.
We can’t change what the politicians and negative people are doing to our country, but we sure can change our attitudes and focus on the good that there is around us. Try it, and see how it works for you, maybe you’ll be sharing your moment on #I’m Staying next!
“And as we let your own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same” – Nelson Mandela.
“It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it” – Nelson Mandela
“I believe that in the end that it is kindness and accommodation that are all the catalysts for real change” – Nelson Mandela
“Three things in Human Life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind” – Mother Teresa
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless” – Mother Teresa
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person” – Mother Teresa
by WP-Dev | Jan 8, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
What exactly is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is described as a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings and thoughts in the here and now. When we become more aware of our own mind, we become more aware of those around us. When we start to become more present and apply mindfulness to our everyday lives, we can begin to see the benefits.
Awareness
Mindfulness is an extreme sense of awareness. We can observe our thoughts and actions along with the feelings and emotions of others.
Practice
Like a muscle, mindfulness is something that we must practice all the time. Times in which we do not believe that we need to practice are the most important. It is easy to be mindful when the world around us is calm. We must exercise sincerely in these times so that when the world around us becomes chaotic, we can remain in this internal place of stillness.
Be Here Now
The present moment is the only moment that we have. If you are continually dwelling on the past or the future, you cannot pay attention to what is. Being out of the now will affect the quality of your life.
Simple ways to bring mindfulness into our daily routines
Eating
It’s said that we eat with our eyes first. When bringing mindful awareness to eating this is undoubtedly true. We see our food before consuming it. Notice the colors on your plate. Become aware of the smell of your food. Feel the temperature of the food as it warms or cools your plate. Take the opportunity to experience tasting your food fully.
Walking
As you walk, notice the sensation of the air on your face and arms. Feel the ground beneath your feet with every step you take. Tune into the sounds around you. Simply become aware of how it feels to place one foot in front of the other.
Breathing
As you breathe in, notice the cooling sensation as the air moves up and into your nostrils. Feel the air fill and expand your lungs. In that split second before you breathe out notice how the breath is held in your body. As you breathe out, recognize the sensations in your body as your ribs contract. Breathing mindfully not only increases awareness but is a tool to reduce anxiety and stress in the present moment. The next time you are stressed out try to take a few mindful breaths to bring tension levels down.
Showering
Every time you take a shower, visualize washing away your stress and anxiety. Concentrate on the feel of the water touching your skin. Envision the power of the water washing away your negative thoughts. Let it all go down the drain, you’ll start feeling lighter and much clearer.
Conclusion
The more you practice mindfulness, the more you will understand how your thoughts, feelings or sensations influence each other, as well as your mood and the way in which you respond to the world.
