VA Business Coaching Blog » Marketing Plans

Are Your Business and Marketing Plans in Place for 2012 – Do Your Contracts Protect Your Business?

Jeannine Clontz — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:29:47 +0000

One of the most significant commonalities among my coaching clients is that most of them do not have a real, live, business and marketing plan in writing to make themselves accountable to growing a profitable Virtual Assistant practice. Not to mention that many either don’t use, or don’t have enough to protect themselves in a contract or agreement with their current clients.

I know, it seems like it’s just too much work to do something formal, or maybe you just don’t know where to start. Won’t your clients have a contract for you to sign if you needed to worry about one?

That’s what I used to think, too. But I found out the hard way, after three to four years in business, that not having these plans in place simply meant I was inconsistent with my marketing and the way I ran my business. I had no goals, so no way to determine whether or not I was creating a profitable business, and I lost a whole lot of money because I didn’t have a contact in place that protected me from non-payment, client project copy errors, and a whole lot more.

What I’ve learned over the past 14-years is that you don’t really need to have this long, drawn out business or marketing plan; that it needed to be updated at least once a year; and I spent the time and money in having an attorney help me create a contract that protected me, and the client, while allowing me not to have to be too concerned with additional E&O insurance, that can be extremely costly.

Want to find out how you can have these documents in place for your business? No matter if you work with hourly rates, retainers, or packages, you still need to have this vital information available to yourself, and your clients, to help grow a more profitable and stable business.

Mark your calendars now for my new Virtual Assistant Inner Track Program teleseminar on Thursday, January 19th, and join me for a special session about Contracts – Forms – Business & Marketing Plans!

Sounds like just the basics, but this information will help you to re-invent your business and set yourself up to grow in 2012 and beyond. Here’s some of what I will be sharing:

Determine what contracts and forms will work best for your type of VA practice, and where you can find information to help kick-start yours.
Why you even need a business plan, and how simple and easy it can be.
What a marketing plan should include and how you can easily establish one with much of the information you are probably already using like your ideal client profile, mission statement, niche, and specific products/services (or use this time to establish those, too!).
How to create the ‘call to action’ necessary to make your marketing efforts trackable and provide the biggest return on investment.
The reality about how often and how many times you need to reach your target market before a sale can happen.
How and when to update your business and marketing plans.
And much more!

Plan to be on the call in January to ask me any questions you have about how to set your business up for success in 2012 with the use of contracts, forms, and your business and marketing plans.

And in February, join me for an in-depth look at Pricing/Rates, Retainers, Packages and Projects! Packages are the latest rage in the VA industry – have you taken the plunge? Find out how to create the rates that you’ll need in order to establish your packages, when you might need to quote rates, are retainers obsolete, and so much more in this interactive session coming on February 16, 2012!

Mark your calendars now and join me on Thursday, January 19th, beginning at 3:00 PM Eastern.

You’ll also be able to ask me all those burning questions about what challenges you’re facing in your business and client relationships during this 90-minute session, as well as whatever you need to know to effectively use contracts, forms, and a business and marketing plan in your business, to organize and grow your VA practice!

Submit your application for the 1-month trial and enjoy this session, at no cost to you…visit: http://www.VAbizcoach.com now to find out more and register to participate.

I hope you will register now and mark your calendars to participate LIVE!

You will not want to miss this session, so register TODAY for your 1-month trial membership in Jeannine’s Virtual Assistance Inner Track group coaching program. Go here for more details and to apply for this program: http://vabizcoach.com/inner-track.html

The industry is booming right now, you need to differentiate yourself from the thousands of other VAs who may be vying for the same piece of business you are…now is the BEST time for you to make an investment in yourself, and your business to stay current with marketing trends, and be accountable to yourself for building the business you’ve always dreamed of.

Mark your calendars now for this interactive session, Thursday, January 19th 2011 beginning at 3:00 p.m. EASTERN. To find out more about our upcoming monthly schedule go to http://vabizcoach.com/teleseminars.html

You also get a recording of the session – so you can check back anytime you need a refresher. But there’s more… here’s what you’ll receive during the trial program:

One month’s direct access to my monthly teleseminar sessions for VAs discussing in detail the topics as outlined above;
One month of direct access to ask me any question you want on how to successfully take your business to the next level. This Q&A session will take place at the end of each month’s teleconference call and questions are not limited to the monthly topic;
An audio recording of each month’s teleconference sent to you by email;
A highlight of each month’s teleconference sent to you via email;
Direct access to call me during my special monthly call-in times. I’ve set aside two hours each month for my Inner Track members to reserve telephone coaching appointments with me. If you reserve an appointment with me, we’ll work together on your business for 10-minutes. This is on a first-come first-served basis for Inner Track members who take action every month and reserve appointments with me immediately. Members who wait may find that they’ve all previously been taken by other members.

After your first teleseminar you can call or E-mail me at anytime (at least 10-days before the next call) if you no longer want to continue your membership in the program. And, if you continue in the program after your first month, your credit card will be billed just $47 monthly, for each month you remain in the program. There’s no long-term contractual agreement to stay in the program for any amount of time, but I know you’ll want to if you’re really ready to focus on improving and helping you be accountable to growing your business.

And there’s still more! Once you are a paying member of Jeannine’s Virtual Assistance Inner Track, you will also receive access to these additional bonuses to create explosive business results:

Access to our Online Community which includes coaching lessons, resources/information about growing your practice, audios/videos, a discussion group listserve, and fresh information every month (Priceless)
Two free reports to continue to expand your business knowledge ($75 value)
30-minute one-on-one coaching session ($75 value)
And more…

The information contained in this program is so powerful that I’m totally confident of how completely you can transform your business if you use this detailed information. That’s why I’m letting you test drive the program for FREE, so you’ll be completely convinced of what the program will do to transform your business.

Don’t miss it! Registration is required – go to: http://vabizcoach.com/inner-track.html

The VA Inside Track is a group coaching concept like no other. It’s a fresh perspective on how to positively grow the business you’ve always wanted to have. We inspire and motivate you to do what’s needed to stay accountable to yourself and to the growth and profitability of your business. It’s like business know-how on steroids!

This group coaching program is for Virtual Assistants (VAs) who are ready to take action in their business and have a desire to move their business forward and be more profitable and successful. Our teleseminars do not include any sales pitches nor do they encourage you to purchase an upgrade, participate in any other cost-based program, or just give you vague and incomplete information like so many of those FREE teleseminars do.

Isn’t it time you made an investment in making your business more profitable? Take the plunge, give us a try: http://vabizcoach.com/

You may have even attended online or local business training classes but left feeling like something was missing, like no one else was developing a business quite like yours.

I believe a Virtual Assistant’s business is not like a traditional small or medium-sized business and so many of those classes are geared towards businesses with employees or those not run from a home-base, as many Virtual Assistance practices are.

The Virtual Assistance Inner Track is designed specifically for a VA practice from someone who has been in the trenches for more than 14-years.

I’m extremely confident you’ll realize that through applying just one or two of the many new ideas you’ll be learning in this program, you’ll begin making a lot more money as a Virtual Assistant. Just one additional client or transaction with a current client over the next 12 months because of your membership in the program will pay for your membership many times over. It’s a valuable investment in your future and your business.

Don’t wait, dip your toes in the water and try us on for size! Register TODAY!!! (http://vabizcoach.com/inner-track.html) so you won’t miss our exciting January session to kick-start your business in 2012!

Now is the BEST time to get the knowledge and resources you need to propel your business and become more profitable. Make this important investment in yourself and the well-being of your business. You’ll be glad you did.

Hope you can join us!

Sign up NOW so you won’t miss that ah-ha moment that could make 2012 your best year ever. http://vabizcoach.com/inner-track.html.

Are Your Business and Marketing Plans in Place for 2012 – Do Your Contracts Protect Your Business? is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

On Your Mark…Get Set…GROW! New VA Coaching Program – Get Your FREE Trial!

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:05:56 +0000

Ready to take charge of your business for success in 2012? Consider my new group coaching program starting in January!

Are you stuck? Do you feel like you’re missing something in moving your business forward?

If you’re like most VA professionals (or prospective VAs), you’re very good at what you do; however, you haven’t mastered the business aspects that can take your business to the next level. What’s missing; what’s not your strong suit; what can you do NOW to make sure that you’re in a strong and growing business for years to come?

Before we go any further, let’s agree that you’ve done nothing wrong; that you started this business because you had superior talents to offer prospective clients; and that you just need to find the knowledge and establish a system that will provide the results that haven’t been a part of your success, no matter what you do or try.

There is a solution…there is help. What if you could start making more money without working so hard; without having to design your business a certain way, but were able to get real solutions to growing your practice to fit your dream business model?

There’s certainly no ‘one-size-fits-all’ option for a VA practice, and you shouldn’t have to work with VA teams, donate hours of your time to your coach’s clients that the coach gets paid handsomely for, or work with third world country providers in order to make more money and model your business based on someone else’s ‘system’. Whatever your reason for wanting your own business, you can have a business on your terms, and in record time.

Are you ready to take the steps you need to lead the life you deserve?

Ever wonder why some VAs seem to have an easier time of things?

Do you still get overwhelmed when considering a price increase?

Are you still charging the same rates as you did 3-years ago?

Have you considered packages, the latest thing in VA programs, but don’t know where to start?

What consistent marketing are you using and how successful is it?

If this sounds like you, then my Virtual Assistance Inner Track program may be the perfect fit to increase your success in 2012! And I’ll even let you try the program for one month FREE!

Try a one-month free trial inmy Virtual Assistance Inner Track program that provides everything you need to take the steps necessary to build the business of your dreams and lead the life you’ve always imagined! Here’s what you’ll receive during the trial program:

· One month’s direct access to my monthly teleseminar sessions for VAs, discussing in detail the topics as outlined on our home page at http://www.VAbizcoach.com ;

· One month of direct access to ask me any question you want on how to successfully take your business to the next level. This Q&A session will take place at the end of each month’s teleconference call;

· An audio recording of each month’s teleconference sent to you by email;

· A highlight of each month’s teleconference sent to you via email;

· Direct access to call me during my special monthly call-in times. I’ve set aside two hours each month for my Inner Track members to reserve telephone coaching appointments with me. If you reserve an appointment with me, we’ll work together on your business in a private coaching session. This is on a first-come first-served basis for Inner Track members who take action every month and reserve appointments with me immediately. Members who wait may find that they’ve all previously been taken by other members.

Check out our monthly topics at: http://www.VAbizcoach.com and find more information about the free trial and on-going program. Live sessions are held the Third Thursday of every month beginning at 3:00 PM Eastern!

Once you become a member of Jeannine’s Virtual Assistance Inner Track, you will also receive access to these additional bonuses to create explosive business results:

· Access to our Online Community which includes coaching lessons, resources/information about growing your practice, audios/videos, a discussion group listserve, and fresh information every month (Priceless)

· Two free reports to continue to expand your business knowledge ($75 value)

· 30-minute one-on-one coaching session ($75 value)

· And more…

This is not like anything else you’ve been exposed to, no matter whose coaching program you’ve tried. Put my more than 14-years of business experience in the VA industry to work for YOU!

Visit http://vabizcoach.com/inner-track.html to find out more and apply for your FREE trial. After your FREE trial you can call or E-mail Jeannine at anytime (at least 10-days before the next call) if you no longer want to continue your membership in the program. And, if you continue in the program after your free trial, your credit card will be billed just $47 monthly, for each month you remain in the program.

There’s no long-term contractual agreement to stay in the program for any amount of time, but I know you’ll want to if you’re really ready to focus on improving and being accountable to growing your business.

Don’t wait any longer to re-invent your business and increase your success in 2012! You have nothing to lose by giving us a try. Visit: http://www.VAbizcoach.com and take the plunge. You’ll be so glad you did.

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com ; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

On Your Mark…Get Set…GROW! New VA Coaching Program – Get Your FREE Trial! is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

Second Edition of Entrepreneurial Freedom: How to Start and Grow A Profitable Virtual Assistance Practice RELEASED at 20% off!

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:10:45 +0000

We are pleased to announce that the Second Edition of Entrepreneurial Freedom: How to Start and Grow a Profitable Virtual Assistance Practice –paperback, as well as, the Companion Workbook have been released.

“When the First Edition was released in 2005, Social Media was just beginning to come on the scene and taking shape as a viable and reasonably priced option for marketing a small business, like a VA practice, said Jeannine Clontz, Co-Author. That, plus a host of new and improved options for running a home-based business had come of age and caused us to believe the timing was right to expand the book into these important areas.”

To kick-start sales of the Second Edition, authors Clontz and Hidden are offering a 20% discount for all paperback sales of the book and companion workbook.

Get your copies here:

Entrepreneurial Freedom – Paperback - https://www.createspace.com/3614006

Discount code: J7S85URA

Entrepreneurial Freedom – Companion Workbook - https://www.createspace.com/3656289

Discount Code: mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#1F497D;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">J7S85URA

COMING SOON! In the next few weeks we will be releasing an eBook and Kindle version of Entrepreneurial Freedom – stay tuned!

Business Essentials For a Virtual Assistance Practice – a 10-week in-depth training program!

If you’re just getting your business started, or frustrated with the slow growth you’re experiencing, let Entrepreneurial Freedom help grow your business in the right direction.

Our next training class utilizing the book and workbook will begin on October 19^th (to accommodate the IVAA Online Summit – then switching to Thursdays beginning October 27th) and end December 29^th (We will not meet on Thanksgiving Day) – find out more and reserve your spot at: http://vabizcoach.com/starters.html Please note, the cost of your book and workbook for the class are included in the price of the program.

Are you ready to take the plunge?
Are you ready to create the business of your dreams?
Read on…

The Business Essentials for a Virtual Assistance Practice program, is a ten-week course (60-90-minutes per week) designed to take you step-by-step through the process of starting or growing your VA practice. Utilizing the companion workbook, you’ll quickly see how it will allow you to formulate your ideas, plans, and dreams.

Beyond the scope of knowledge covered in each Chapter, you’ll also have access to the results of our VA survey, sample documents and contracts. Everything you’ll need to get your small business off the ground and growing in the right direction.

Each week we will go in-depth covering all the information in each Chapter, assist you in developing your workbooks, and there will even be two sessions completely devoted to Q&A.

BUT THERE’S MORE!
Here’s what I Promise You This WILL Be

This is a hands-on, no-pitch, “Get ‘er Done” Program

This is going to be a very different kind of program than you may be accustomed to. It’s going to be “all Jeannine, all the time.” There will NOT be a parade of people trying to sell you piles of stuff. This is NOT a case where the program is a ‘come on’ so you’ll buy something else. It’s going to be high-content, focused content, where you’ll get everything you need to get your business going and get out of your own way in getting there.

This program is geared ONLY toward entrepreneurs and solopreneurs working together, laughing together and growing together. I will help you create breakthroughs and teach you how to setup and grow a profitable VA practice while you will create amazing relationships and networking opportunities that will help build your confidence and build a business where you can make more money and have more time off to enjoy it all.

Because isn’t that what this is all about? Isn’t that WHY you want to be, or are in business for yourself? If you don’t see a way to have money, time and freedom right now, you may as well go back and get a corporate job.

Find out more and sign-up TODAY! http://vabizcoach.com/starters.html

Second Edition of Entrepreneurial Freedom: How to Start and Grow A Profitable Virtual Assistance Practice RELEASED at 20% off! is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

What I Learned About Marketing From Sea Turtles!

Jeannine Clontz — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:01:56 +0000

I recently watched the plight of newly hatched sea turtles, slowly and methodically making their way to the ocean. They faced all sorts of outside forces that turned hundreds of hatchlings into a mere 30-40 living specimens who actually made it to the ocean.

Once there, they quickly learn how to manage life around their sea-based predators and are even now believed to stay on course and return to their original nesting grounds 30-50 years later, with the use of magnetic fields.

It’s really fascinating to consider that this creature is able to survive such slim odds of making it to the ocean, and then finds itself traveling thousands of miles in a lifetime, based on magnetic maps in their heads.

I’ve found that in marketing my coaching business, or even when I’m helping one of my coaching clients market their own, taking things slowly and methodically is really the most beneficial way of establishing the long-term relationship that leads to good qualified leads and ideal clients for all of us.

While there may be hundreds of other competitors navigating the same marketing waters, what I believe differentiates us, is the consistency and completely mapped out marketing plan that is focused on the right target market for our specific business; a plan that builds rapport, establishes our expertise, and provides prospects and clients with viable, trackable, and profitable solutions to grow their businesses on multiple levels.

I’ve been pleased to see that people are finally realizing that they need to get back on track with their marketing; but still somewhat befuddled that they do it without a marketing plan in place. This makes it extremely difficult to be held accountable to implementing the plan, whether it’s you personally doing the implementation, in-house staff, or virtual professionals.

It’s difficult for you to track your results if you don’t have a clear picture of your marketing initiatives, when they’re being implemented and having something in place to track their results. Even something as simple as asking a prospect, ‘how did you hear about us’, would be helpful, but is usually not consistently requested of a new client.

So I encourage you to be one of those living specimens that makes it through the sea of competitors by creating a simple marketing plan using the latest technologies to improve your consistency and productivity while gaining ideal clients who will be best served by what you have to offer.

Times are tough, the economy is starting to rebound, making now the best time for you to re-invent your approach to marketing your business.

If you would be interested in discussing how we might be able to assist you please feel free to contact us for a complimentary consultation to discover what options are available to bring more qualified leads to your business.

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com ; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

What I Learned About Marketing From Sea Turtles! is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part Two)

Jeannine Clontz — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:56:53 +0000

Last time we discussed the top five mistakes to avoid when marketing your business, here are the final five!

6. Your message isn’t clear. Always test it out on current clients, peers, or family/friends to be sure it’s not confusing or misses the point you’re trying to make.

7. Untimely message. If you’re looking to build some business during the holiday season, make sure you’re giving prospects enough time to respond. Don’t release your holiday special two weeks before the holiday, start building momentum at least two months in advance.

8. No call to action. If you’re not giving the prospect a reason to contact you, you’re missing the mark. Create a sense of urgency with a deadline, or something extra if they respond by this date; anything that engages them and asks them to do something more.

9. Not marketing to your current clients. We sometimes forget that our current clients may not know about new services or products we have available, or, perhaps they have someone to refer. Don’t leave them out of your regular marketing efforts.

10. Not managing/collecting results. How can you know if something you’re using is yielding a return on investment? You need to ask every single prospect how they found you; or build in something in your call to action that will tell you exactly how you connected. Keep track on a simple spreadsheet and check in periodically to get the biggest ROI for your marketing dollars.

So how many of my ten mistakes resonated with you? Two, four, none? Take steps now to correct these mistakes and you’ll start seeing more, better qualified, leads, connecting to your business.

Have a few challenges I missed – share them by leaving a comment below!

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com ; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part Two) is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part One)

Jeannine Clontz — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:30:56 +0000

Without marketing your business could stagnate, or even worse, close. Identifying and correcting some basic marketing mistakes will help you to promote and grow your business.

Here are my Top Ten Marketing Mistakes

1. Your message is too general. While some of you may think that EVERYONE could use your product or service, if you take a step back, you’ll probably notice some common thread to many of the clients you currently serve. Maybe they’re in the same industry, or have a similar problem you’re able to solve. Whatever it is, establishing a target market will help you focus your message on those most likely to respond favorably.

2. Using only one medium. If you’re only marketing on the Internet, you may be missing an entire segment of prospect. Consider all your marketing options and mix it up to see if you get better results.

3. Changing something that IS working. Sometimes we get bored with our marketing and decide it’s just time for a change. If you have something that is yielding good returns, don’t change it – instead add something new.

4. Being inconsistent. Nothing says unreliable faster than sending out a ‘monthly’ newsletter in January and then not publishing the next issue until May. Be prepared and plan to be consistent with your marketing. Don’t set yourself up to fail.

5. Spammy message. Don’t come across like a snake oil salesman, make sure your message speaks to your prospect’s pain, but don’t overdo it.

Next week we’ll share the final five mistakes to avoid – meanwhile, check these out and make sure you change your system to avoid these pitfalls.

Have a few I may have missed – share your marketing challenges by leaving a comment below!

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com ; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

Top Ten Marketing Mistakes to Avoid (Part One) is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

Six Misakes We Make When Setting Goals (Part One)

Jeannine Clontz — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:49:09 +0000

In my experience, these are the main mistakes we make when setting goals.

Not realistic.

Sometimes, you set goals that are perfectly reasonable – until you set a timeline on them. For instance, losing 20 pounds. is great. Doing so by next Friday? Probably not very realistic.

I’ve found especially with new entrepreneurs, that they tend to overestimate the amount they can accomplish in a short period of time. Learning curves – particularly online – can be steep, and unexpected obstacles arise. Then, these setbacks cause you to get discouraged and abandon the whole project because your original estimates weren’t met.

Let me say this: things rarely go as planned – in business or in life. When setting your goals, build in some wiggle room that will allow you to handle unanticipated delays. In other words, expect the unexpected and plan for it.

Not challenging enough.

The converse of the unrealistic goal is setting goals that aren’t enough of a stretch. It may seem smart to set very low expectations, but in actuality it can undermine your motivation. What’s so great about running half a mile when you know you could easily run 10 times that much? It’s hard to be proud of your accomplishments when you know you could have done much better.

Not specific.

If your goal is not specific enough, you’re going to have trouble meeting it and being motivated by it. If your goal is a vague statement such as “lose weight,” you could lose half a pound and call it a day.

Is that satisfactory? Or, you could lose 20 pounds and feel disappointed. How do you know if you’ve achieved a goal if the goal is as vague as “lose weight?” If you’re not feeling motivated by your goal, try making your goal more specific.

Next week our final three mistakes. Meanwhile, share your thoughts and ideas about your goals by leaving a comment below.

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com ; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

Six Misakes We Make When Setting Goals (Part One) is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

How to Set Attainable Goals

Jeannine Clontz — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:53:03 +0000

Unfortunately, not every goal is a good goal. Goal-setting is a skill which can be broken down into three easily defined, concrete steps:

Brainstorm your big objective.

What are you trying to accomplish professionally or personally? Create a new product line? Streamline a process? Outsource some of your tasks? At this step, we’re trying to get to your highest-level goal, so when you name something, ask yourself, “WHY?”

For instance, if you say, “I want to create a new information product,” then ask yourself, “Why?” You may answer, “So I can make money.” That may seem like a logical endpoint, but don’t stop there, go further.

Ask yourself “WHY” you want to make money and you’ll see that there are a variety of possible motivators. You may say you want to make more money so you can:

- Quit your day job.
- Take a vacation and pay cash.
- Pay off debt.
- Buy a new car.

Each one of these objectives is slightly different, and is going to result in a slightly different path to success. Knowing your “WHY” helps you determine your “HOW.”

Define your goal in specific language.

But that’s still not enough! In order to set an excellent goal, you need to know EXACTLY how much money you want to make.

Use losing weight as an example. Instead of the vague “I want to lose weight so I feel better,” say, “I want to lose 20 pounds in six months so I can fit into my new bathing suit, jeans, etc. The more specific and detailed you make your goal, the easier it is to visualize and measure your progress.

Here’s another example. Let’s say your goal is to outsource as much of your business as you can. Your “Why” is to save you time so you have the ability to create new products, ultimately make more money and quit your day job.

You may state a simple goal like “I want to outsource 50% of my tasks.” Outsourcing is a worthy objective, but it’s not a good goal. Because your real goal is to save time, you want to define your goal in terms of hours. A better goal would be, “I want to outsource enough work so I save myself 4 hours a day.” This goal is much more defined and specific – and related to your higher-level objective!

Set a time-frame for your goal.

What if your goal was to make $10,000 to pay off your credit card debt? Do you want that money by next year, next month, or by the time you retire? Each of those scenarios will result in very different strategies.

Putting a time-frame to a goal gives it an inherent sense of urgency, and helps us better attain our goals.

Goal-setting isn’t a scary, overwhelming, or extremely difficult task. In fact, it’s pretty simple when you break it down into steps. But it is still possible to make mistakes when creating and defining your goals. In the coming weeks we’ll discuss mistakes in goal-setting, and what you can do to avoid them.

Ready to take the plunge? Join us for my Get Goaling program and we’ll keep you accountable and setting and achieving your goals to make 2011 your best year EVER – visit: http://www.VAbizcoach.com for more.

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com ; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

How to Set Attainable Goals is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

Creating a Simple Marketing Plan

Jeannine Clontz — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 19:06:59 +0000

Many of you broke into a sweat after reading the title, didn’t you? Most Virtual Assistants I work with don’t have a plan because they believe it’s too hard, too time consuming, or they just don’t know where to start.

Creating a good marketing plan doesn’t have to be overwhelming, or costly, but it will save you time and help you achieve your goals.

Start by identifying:

· Who is your ideal client?

· What do I have to spend?

· Where can I reach my ideal client?

Establish your ideal client profile by looking at your current clients and who can afford to buy your product or service? Then identify the best ways to reach them.

Your marketing budget should minimally be 10-15% of your yearly sales. Start simple, and make changes monthly or quarterly as you begin to see results. Be realistic and flexible. Having a budget will allow you to visualize and expand upon your program throughout the year.

The plan itself will have a number of options to consider. Here is a list of some marketing aspects to consider in your plan.

Print advertising (including Yellow Pages)
Direct Mail
Email (include eZines and Blogs)
Networking (Chamber participation/membership)
Sponsorship
Trade Shows
Article Writing
Speaking
Referrals
Social Media

While some of these items will have little to no cost, including them in your marketing plan will help you stay on track and implement each segment as needed.

When putting together the actual marketing piece, remember to include a ‘call to action’. It could be a coupon in a direct mail piece, or a ‘free’ offer at the end of a speaking engagement. Just make sure you have different calls to action in each piece so that tracking success will be a breeze.

Check in quarterly to see how each segment is performing and make adjustments as necessary throughout the year to make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your marketing buck!

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com ; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

Creating a Simple Marketing Plan is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog

3 Tips for Crafting an Effective Tweetable Message

Jeannine Clontz — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:17:34 +0000

Few social networks sum up public discourse more effectively than Twitter. Thanks to its short-form nature and enormous audience, a single topic of discussion can often evolve into a completely natural case study for marketers. Be it immense disapproval or the immense success of a single principle, Twitter offers a unique look into conversation.

But how can you make that conversation happen? While it’s very difficult to create conversation out of nothing, particularly for a product or service that’s just uninteresting, it’s very easy to optimize a discussion so that it spreads throughout the social media landscape like wildfire.

Apply these three tactics to your next Twitter promotion, and learn what a bit of creative copywriting can do to your social media ROI.

1) Learn to love the ‘…’

Add an ellipsis to the end of your tweets and you stand to experience a twenty percent increase in click-through traffic. This timeless tweak has been used by performance marketers for decades, both online and off.

2) Use numbers, instructions, and summaries.

Numbers catch the eye. Instructions can increase involvement. Summaries attract users looking for information, particularly those that want to understand more about a particular topic. These Twitter tricks were all mastered by copywriters years ago, and they’re still just as effective as ever. Use them and you’ll see an increase in traffic.

3) Get people scared, even if there’s nothing to be afraid of.

In order to increase the amount of time that readers spend thinking about your product, it’s important to project a situation in which it isn’t present. If you want to increase sales of your pest removal product, remind readers about the dangers of bed bugs – all at 11:30PM.

Got an investment to pitch? Scare people by reminding them that others could get ahead of them if they choose not to leap at the opportunity. People respond to fear, even if it’s minute and fairly inconsequential. Use ‘fear words’ in your tweets to draw in readers, and use your additional content to make them familiar with your brand, your company, and your product’s advantages.

Jeannine Clontz, provides professional business coaching to established and start-up virtual assistants (VA’s). Learn more about Time Management for Virtual Assistants by downloading her FREE report “A Fresh Look at Time Management for Virtual Assistants”, or request her FREE audio CD “What’s Holding Back my Business Success?”, and more by visiting: http://www.VAbizcoach.com ; or contact her at: coach@VAbizcoach.com.

3 Tips for Crafting an Effective Tweetable Message is a post from: VA Business Coaching Blog