Diana Ennen is the president of Virtual Word Publishing where she specializes in publicity and marketing, business startups and PR and Virtual Assistant coaching. She’s the co-author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant - The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA; So You Want to be a Work at Home Mom, the Christian's Guide to Starting a Home Based Business, Corel WordPerfect Virtual Assistant Solution Pack, and the Home Office Recovery Plan. Diana has also been mentioned in over a dozen books and featured in major media such as Woman’s World (twice), Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, Entrepreneur, USA Today, Smart Money, Women Entrepreneur, etc.
Her passion is helping others succeed in their business and she absolutely loves social networking. Get to know her better on Twitter: @DianaEnnen, and right here at Virtual Assistant Forums where she often shares her knowledge and insight.
Diana is our featured Virtual Assistant this month and graciously spent some time answering our most pressing questions about how she found and maintains such an astounding level of success.
How long have you been a virtual assistant and what drew you to the industry?
I’ve been a virtual assistant since 1985. I started my business because I had been a secretary for YEARS and made next to nothing. I knew that I could do better on my own and fortunately I did. I also loved being on the same level as my clients. When you own your own business you feel that same satisfaction that clients do as we are the boss now too.
What is your specialty/niche and what makes you an expert or leader in your field?
My specialty/niche today is publicity and marketing. I do press release writing and article writing as well as social media. Anything that has to do with getting more clients or more sales, that’s for me.
I’m an expert and leader in my field because I never stop learning. I attend teleseminars all the time. I read everything I can get my hands on that would help me better my
PR services. Also, it’s my passion so I give it 200%. I love it when I’m able to get clients featured in major press. It’s such a good feeling that I want to have it more and more.
How do you define success?
Being in a business I love and being able to do what I enjoy doing every single day. It hasn’t felt like work in a long time and for that I’m grateful.
Can you describe the startup process of your VA practice as you remember it? Please share your biggest triumph and biggest hurdle you had to overcome.
When I started, I just jumped in and started after reading a few books. Of course back then the Internet wasn’t around as much (1985) so I didn’t have a lot of additional resources to help. I decided I wanted to start a business and pretty much just did it. I sent out letters to local doctors and lawyers in the area, stopped by Printers, and small businesses in the area and was able to get established fairly quickly.
My biggest mistake was in my turnaround time. Back when I started I gave everyone 24-hour turnaround. You can imagine how that turned out. I can vividly remember days where I had an entire table full of tapes to transcribe. Also, I didn’t specify how much work could be done in that 24-hour period. It could be one tape or three tapes. Needless to say I realized quickly I needed to change that.
My biggest triumph was getting a full time client base within just a few months in business. There was so much satisfaction in being able to say, “I’m really in business.” Back then, not a lot of people worked at home and there was kind-of a stigma about it. I can’t begin to tell you how many people actually said, “REALLY,” like hey she’s at home watching soaps eating bon bons.
Once I had a full-time client base though and money started coming in regularly it was a whole different story. I still occasionally had the neighbor who would say, “Can you watch my sick kids today because I have to work.” (I still shiver thinking about that.) But it wasn’t long before even those started to fade away.
What is the one thing you ‘wish you’d known’ when you first started out?
How much to charge. I didn’t charge enough. I caught on pretty quickly, but I wish I had done more research in the beginning. Today when I coach virtual assistants I always emphasize to do that.
When did you realize you were ‘a successful virtual assistant’?
So many times I felt like a success. I can remember when clients started telling other clients about me and I kept getting more and more clients because of it. They loved this concept of someone being able to handle their work outside of the office and to have the work done right. But perhaps the most noteworthy was being quoted in Woman’s World Magazine and USA Today in 1996 and 1997, respectively. It was so great to see the term virtual assistants being mentioned. Of course now it’s pretty commonplace. But back then it made my day.
What’s your number one source for new clients?
Whenever I need a new client I send out press releases and articles. I do send out articles and releases regularly so I stay out there, but when I need a new client I will focus more on the services I want to offer that will attract that client. It works.
Has your ideal client profile changed at all since you first started your business?
I do believe it has. In the beginning I targeted doctors, attorneys, businesses to help with their transcription, bookkeeping, etc. Today I look for authors, small businesses, online businesses, etc., to help with their
PR. I also do a lot of
PR coaching and VA Coaching, so I’m always looking for clients who need that.
What is your most important business policy?
Payment in advance. I hate to admit it but over the years I have given in and allowed clients to wait to pay. So many times I got burned. Now I pretty much don’t do the work unless I’m paid in advance. My favorite story is the client who sent the check that was never received (it had fallen in between her seats in the car with her mail). Then she FedExed it to me only to discover that somehow the FedEx got lost. (She even gave me a bogus tracking account #). Then she paid via credit card. This time I thought for sure we had it. Except when I went to call in the credit card, the account was declined. I couldn’t believe it. Unfortunately, I had done quite a bit of work for her during this process. Live and learn and try and never do it again.
Can you describe your new client intake process?
When a client asks for additional information on my services, I send them my proposal personalized to what they are looking for. Then we either talk via phone or email and it’s at this time that we decide if it’s a good match. The majority of time it’s via phone. Once we agree on everything I send a retainer agreement with the proposal attached. I accept credit card payments through my merchant account at CellCharge.com or Paypal. Then we begin work.
As you’ve fine tuned your business, are there any services you prefer not to offer? How would you handle a request for these services from a new or potential client?
Absolutely. I used to offer bookkeeping services, but discovered that it just wasn’t exciting enough for me. I love the thrill of
PR. (Plus, I just wasn’t that good at it.) I also don’t do anymore transcription although that is one area that I’m considered adding back into my services. I don’t do any web design. Ask any of my prior web designers and they will attest to the fact that I’m really good at blowing up sites. Clients just don’t seem to appreciate that.
When I can’t handle the work, I always try and find a good VA that does. If I don’t know of someone personally, I’ll submit an RFP.
What are the top five tools or resources you use on a regular basis in running your own business?- 1) Profnet and HARO to get media leads and to get my clients and myself quoted in the media.
2) Excel – for keeping my PR databases.
3) Twitter and Facebook - to connect with other virtual assistants and PR pros.
4) My free clipboard program for easy coping and pasting when submitting press releases and articles.
Do you network locally? If so, what methods for contracting new clients have you found to be most successful?
I have started doing more local networking. I really love it. I didn’t realize how much I missed that one-on-one connection. What I’ve done is speak at Woman’s Expos and also exhibit and have a booth there. I was amazed how many people wanted to still know what a virtual assistant is. So many said, “That’s exactly what I need.” The key to success there is having something tangible that they can take home with them, capturing their email address so you can follow-up, and also perfecting your 30-second speech.
I also go to a lot of local networking events and Chamber meetings. The City that I live in has a lot going on even if you aren’t a Chamber member. I get so many referrals from that. Also, I’m a member of the PTA. Just being active in school functions helps to get the word out.
How do you feel about social networking for business – do you implement it and if so, has it been a successful addition to your marketing efforts?
Absolutely I do and I feel it’s extremely beneficial. I’m a Twitter addict. I enjoy it so much, but one of the reasons that I enjoy it is because it brings me closer to clients, other virtual assistants, etc. I’ve gotten speaking engagements from it, coaching clients, clients, etc.
What are your thoughts on certification in our industry?
I believe it’s up to the individual virtual assistant. I believe there are some great programs out there and if you feel it would benefit your business go for it. I, however, don’t feel it’s a requirement to be a virtual assistant. Whatever your specialty learn as much as you can to really excel in it. That’s what is important.
What are your thoughts on the $3 per hour call centers overseas that market themselves as Virtual Assistance practices?
I feel sorry for the people that work with them. At the Expo recently I had someone stop by and say that they use a VA overseas for $2.50 an hour. She said it was great and then went on for 10 minutes telling me the problems. I was like, “Wow, if you consider that great, just think if you worked with a VA that would really partner with you and help your business to grow.” Naturally I didn’t actually say that, but come on. Why put your business through it. Hire a professional that can get it done right the first time.
Is there someone in our industry you admire? Can you please tell us about that person and share the reasons why you look up to them?
It would have to be my co-author of
VA the Series and other books Kelly Poelker. We have been though so much together and she still puts up with me. She really knows her stuff when it comes to the tasks she performs as a virtual assistant. Her clients love her with good reason. Plus, she has some really top-notch clients that I really respect. She has successfully helped them all grow their business, which is one of the main reasons to be a virtual assistant. I think too she inspires me to do better and to set up better business standards in my business.
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made with a client and how did you fix it?
So many I can’t think of just one! Only kidding. The one that comes to mind the most is when I was doing a Google Adword campaign for a client and accidentally set the price for all keywords to $5.00 instead of 5 cents each. (I normally started at 5 cents and then would go in and customize the price for each keyword.) Fortunately she had a small daily budget of $15.00 so it wasn’t that terrible as we caught it quickly. It could have been a lot worse had I not been monitoring the campaign.
I offered to pay for the difference. I was very fortunate and she had sold several books with the campaign already so she declined my offer. I did learn to be more careful when I do this. I do believe you learn with each mistake. The key is to just do it better the next time.
Whenever I make a mistake, I’m very open with my clients. We can’t always be perfect. I will try and fix the problem as quickly as I can and my clients value that in me.
Please take us on a tour of your home office – can you describe how you have it set up and what you love about it?
I love my office! It just has everything I need right at my fingertips. I’ve moved it several times over the years, but one of the main criteria was always that I have an entire room for an office. It just helps me to focus more and I enjoy the tax benefits. I have a corner desk now. I have all my important notebooks handy and everything I need for the day I will pull out and have ready to go. I have a small filing cabinet by my desk that helps me file ASAP. I also have a larger filing cabinet in another room that serves as the main one. The smaller one beside me allows me to easily file things away promptly. I do have a TV in the room. I will often do emails, social networking, etc., in the evenings. That allows me to work and not feel like I’m working. Also on those days that I’m submitting articles out for myself, I can catch up on General Hospital. I have a bookshelf handy too so I can grab my books quickly.
We do have another desk with another computer that my husband or kids use. I believe he has it set up for 3 different computers. There have been times that I’ve had both computers going, but that’s rare today. That’s just too much work.
How do you balance work and family and what challenges have you overcome [when it comes to living a balanced life]? What challenges are you still struggling with?
I sneak in work whenever I can. For example, I can easily answer emails, do my social networking, etc., while we are all watching TV together. I also get up early in the morning. I try and get up and exercise first and then put in time before the day begins. I’m a real morning person so it works well.
My biggest challenge continues to be when the kids are off on vacation and for the summer. And with the schools as they are, it seems like they are always off for one reason or another. Even though they are older, they still want to be entertained. What I do is focus on work and then reward them with a shopping trip or pizza when I’m done.
Also, my husband will often take his vacations around the school calendar. He loves spending time playing with the kids and going to the beach and I get some quiet time to work.
Looking ahead, what’s your five-year plan?
I’m very much hoping that I can add more subcontractors to my business and take on more work, but work a little less. I still want to provide publicity and marketing services, but I want to expand that a little. I’d also want to do more speaking events. I also want to continue to write books that I feel will help others in their business.
What do you love most about being a virtual assistant /self employed businesswoman?
The freedom to make it happen.