Hi Sharon,

It is wonderful to read your words of inspiration again. I have had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Sharon more than a year ago now when I was doing my research on the VA industry for my MSc degree in University and in preparation for setting up my own VA practice.

I have launched my VA practice in June last year and am now serving a select clientele of professionals and entrepreneurs. This is a great industry to be a part of.

Best regarrds,
Grace Long

Sharon,

Continue to be a beacon for all to model after. I enjoyed reading about your success and how far you've come. The fruits of your labor are evident and the chapter of your "book" is just beginning. Keep up the good work and thank you for showing and proving that perseverance and passion are keys to success that work.

Great interview. I really appreciate reading these true life inspirational threads/interviews.

I do have a question for you Sharon. As person who works from home, but is just beginning a VA business, I would appreciate a true definition of marketing. When you say you were spending 50% of your time marketing and 30% networking (think those were the numbers). Do you consider what we today call social networking at sites such as LinkedIn to be marketing at all? Or, when you say marketing, are you talking about traditional marketing things like mailers, advertisements, etc?

Thanks for you help,
Denise
Office Assistance Pro

Hi Denise,

Thanks for this interesting question.

Years ago, there was a distinct difference between networking and marketing, but today, with the advent of the popular social sites, the lines have blurred. A lot of people join LinkedIn, etc. for marketing and networking purposes.

However, to unblurr the lines, marketing, in my opinion, can be defined as... an ongoing process of planning, executing and successfully selling a product or service that people not only desire, but are willing to buy.

Networking is the art of building alliances.

And that's why I believe the social networking sites "blur the lines" -- because you can accomplish both functions while participating in social networking sites --

So when I say I'm marketing, my intent is to "develop and execute a plan to sell my product" and when I'm networking, it's to develop "alliances" with members of the group I'm networking with.

There isn't anything that prohibits you from intermingling these two functions to achieve your goal, but the key is to have a purpose/goal when joining these social networking sites, and participate with the purpose of achieving that goal.

BTW, offline marketing, i.e., sending mailers, postcards, etc. is just as important as online marketing and should NOT be excluded from your overall strategy.

I hope this answers your question.

Yours,

__________________
Sharon Williams
The 24 Hour Secretary
The "I Needed It Yesterday" Company

Yes, that really does help Sharon......and lets me know I am pretty much on the right track, as that is how I was perceiving how things should be. Its just that I can sometimes be a "I want everything to happen yesterday" person, and if I don't get results right away, I tend to start wondering if I am doing the right things.

Thanks again for the help and the inspiration!
Denise
Office Assistance Pro

I am new to the forums and your interview was the first thing I read. It was very encouraging. I am excited and encouraged to hear about the success of an industry veteran.

This was a great interview. Very inspiring. You're a trailblazer. I wish you success in your new endeavor.

Anastacia Prince