Your Virtual Wizard

Finding New Clients through RFPs Just By Being Nice

7 Tips to Maximizing Contact with a Potential Client through RFPs

Not too long ago, I responded to an RFP (request for proposal) on Virtual Assistantville posted by a potential client (PC) who needed a VA to support her business. I carefully crafted my response and customized my letter based upon the needs set forth in the proposal.

Unfortunately, my skill set was not in-line with what she required. That happens. Occasionally, the information provided in the RFP is not enough for me to make the right connection. I did not have the industry experience she was seeking.

As I have a rather large network of VAs I can call upon for...

As a virtual assistant, I am often asked, "What DO you DO?"

With about 5 seconds to capture the asker's interest before succumbing to the 'glazed over-deer-in-the-headlights-look' with my traditional, boring response, I decided to shake things up a bit…and respond with a question instead.

Now I know this goes against what my mother taught me, "Don't answer a question with a question..." but she'll forgive me for breaking the rules!

You see, as a virtual assistant…these two words do not really mean much at all to folks outside of the coaching, speaker, author or real estate professional industries, which tend to utilize my services more often for administrative and website work....

So You Want to Work with a Virtual Assistant? 10 Things You Need to Know Before You Search for a VA


1) Have a good understanding of what you want the VA to do for you before you search. Keep an ongoing list next to your desk of responsibilities you really want to delegate. List those items which keep you from doing the work you enjoy.

2) Prioritize that list. Break the list down to three categories: Items which should have been done yesterday; those which need to be done this week and those which can wait until next month.

3) Decide how much your budget will allow to contract with a VA. If you can spend $200 a month then stick to that budget.

4) Post a request for...

I start out my day, waking with an alarm,
some mornings, that's tough,
as my covers are warm.

Husband has made coffee, pour the cream in my cup.
Wake up my teen. "Hey, you'd better stay up!"

Throw on my sweats, brush my teeth, wash my face,
Feed the cat, feed the teen, "Yes, it's oatmeal for darn sakes."

"Leave the iPod at home, don't even ask.
And please don't forget your books and school lunch pass."
(Help me this day, as I ignore his morning sass!)

We'd better get going;
I've got much on my plate; emails, Twitter,
social networking won't wait.

Already my head is a-spin;
...

Hello,

I read an interesting article about this website which listed overused and abused words in our 2008 lexicon; suggesting these should be banned from our 2009 vocabulary.

I thought I'd start an impromptu list here and ask my VAF peers to give their opinions on which words they thought should be removed from our lexicon. This list would include words which have lost their meaning because we just hear them all too often.

Some words or phrases which I personally have grown weary from hearing (and using) are:

• Joe the Plummer

• low hanging fruit

• Main Street to Wall Street

• maverick

• moving forward

• anything which uses "green"

• I'll include 'awesome' here but I believe

...