Virtual Personal Assistant

Information for the Virtual Personal Assistant. Providing you with the most up-to-date information possible.

Anything from software, hardware, best books, the many resources available. 

If there is anything you can think you want to know about Virtual Personal Assistant. We can  research it for you.  
Street Smarts Vs Book Smarts
I was reading about Assist U which is an educational eye opener to how you can make money doing Virtual Assisting. I really feel that Assist U is a great service to new Virtual Assistants. They seem to also be able to offer a very University type experience and approach with almost the same price.

Assist U also goes as far as offering you payment plans to assist in affording what they have to offer. Anyone can put up a pretty graphic site and blogs to match. However, we are on the web to make money. I just feel that, when making the decision to be a Virtual Assistant paying that high a price is just not for me.

It has to be easier than this and less expensive. In a field that there is very little competition. Software and skills, it is what it is. You can obtain everything you need to accomplish in this profession without the price it takes to go through 20 weeks of Assist U.

I will give it to them for offering their service and being bold enough to ask that enormous price. They also seem to specifically subscribe to the Admin Assist genre. You can literally do alot of services to help your client that will match your skill set to many different job oriented task.
 
It is very simply taking inventory of your skills, doing what is necessary to make sure you can honestly offer skills that match what your clients needs and also be willing to learn new skills to broaden you client base.

You can bring street smarts and book smarts to the table. You really need a little of both to accomplish the art of doing business online and off. There is nothing wrong with Stacy Brice wanting to retire early. We all do, anyone from anywhere should be able to accomplish anything. This world since history began has always had the have and have nots. We need to focus on everyone having the opportunity to retire early, have time with your family, and provide a service or product that really does change lives for the better.

In my opinion, Assist U falls a little short of providing that to everyone. They do give you the opportunity, however, it does come at a price.
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Posted by Pamela Harper at 2/13/2007 9:24 AM | View Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Remote helping 101
To be a virtual assistant is to help anyone anywhere at the time you are needed. Your laptop, desktop, cellphone, printer. Software that goes where you go. Today is the day to be on the move helping and saving money. Building someone else's business and your own as well.

Helping others and helping yourself is as old as time itself. The icing on the cake is liking what you do . There is nothing like seeing the smile on someone's face that you saved time and money. Accomplish a job they just didn't have time to do.

Virtual Assisting well, we all should be doing some form of virtual assisting. Local assisting is just as important. I read an article by Hal Plotkin from Inc.com. I really enjoyed the quote from one of his articles where David Goldsmith was letting us know how he feels about virtual assistants.

Virtual assistants offer several advantages over temporary or part-time workers. Beyond the obvious-no payroll taxes, no workers' comp, no temp-agency commission-virtual assistants tend to be more cost efficient, charging by the hour. Mr Goldsmith stated his virtual assistant charges $50.00 an hour but discounts that rate to $35.00 if the clients fork over a $525 monthly retainer. I said to myself how ingenious.

Mr Goldsmith went on to say, The pay arrangement, plus the distance, tends to clarify the relationship, making it less of a management challenge. " If I have an on-site employee, I've got to be prepared to deal  with that person when he or she shows up. It's a job, managing an employee.

Let us Virtual Assistants make your work life easier.
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Posted by Pamela Harper at 2/11/2007 8:59 PM | View Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Industry Qualifiers

Real Estate Agents/Realtors  
                                   
Entertainment Industry

Physicians     
                                                        
Marketing Consultant 

Independent Professionals   
                                   
Web-based businesses

Contractors  
                                                          
Start-up or Small Businesses

Executives
                                                             
Telecommuters

Consultants  
                                                         
Attorneys                                                                          

 Virtual Assistant vs. Employee

No employee-related taxes, paperwork, insurance, or benefits.

No extra office space or equipment costs.

You only pay for "Time on Task" or by project.

The ability to stay on schedule.

Extra staff during seasonal or peak activity time.

Support on as needed basis, with fast turn around time.

Weekend and evening assistance available

Take all this into consideration and what do you have. I tell you what you have. You have a win-win working environment for almost any situation. Money being made and Money being saved on both sides.

Don't even get me started on concierge skills. So it's necessary to think what you are paying now in employee's and all that entails.

If you even have a service like this in your area. What are you waiting for? Outsource the extra duties to a Virtual Assistant who can give you expertise. 

I am just getting started.
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Posted by Pamela Harper at 2/6/2007 9:05 PM | View Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
Tools of the Trade

What do you think you would need to offer services as a Virtual Assistant? Well, to most I think office skills and experience. Today Virtual Assistants bring alot of knowledge to the table when offering up services to save you time and money.
 
You can work at home or out of an office. You also can be very mobile hence Virtual being the objective. It will also enable you to go global and help someone in other countries.

So what do we have in the way of Tools of the Trade:

   1. Office skills
   2. Office equipment(computer,fax,copier,phone,etc.)
   3. Software Knowledge(Word,Excel,Powerpoint,conferencing,to name a few)
   4. Concierge Skills
   5. Global thinking in this job you must have at least one language other than english under your belt.

You can even do something as simple as pick up cleaning should you be in the same city as your client. Whatever is going to make the life easier of a client building a business trying to profit. Your client must be the most important focus during the time alloted that you are being well compensated.

Nothing I mean nothing is more important than excellent customer service to make you highly sought after assisting companies in the profit hunting business.

You may also get in the frame of mind that no matter what, this is your bread and butter as well so you do whatever it takes.
Let me phrase that a little clearer. Whatever it takes within reason. Values, upbringing, what you consider to be right or wrong plays heavily on the success you have in completing any task.

It does not matter how much you are getting paid. Wrong is wrong and right is right. Your credibility and respect means as much for you, and as for the client. Success depends on this.

There are many clients in this profession to be able to choose which ones you will consider working for. So keep this in mind as well.

Service can be rewarding and depending on the client you can be compensated and make a substantial living offering as many skills as possible and willing to learn new ones.

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Posted by Pamela Harper at 1/22/2007 3:24 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (0)
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