Gloria Seier

:: Class 19 - April 5, 2010 ::

Tonight was our last class! What an amazing feeling!

Terry answered our last minute questions and talked about the Registry, the final exam, and the graduation requirements. She also talked about the many opportunities that will be available to us in the AssistU community.

Our final exam is less than two weeks away, and I plan to spend my time, between now and then, reviewing and organizing my notes so that everything will be easy to find.

The others in our class have been great, and hopefully we will be able to keep in touch after we graduate, to give each other much needed support, and offer suggestions whenever needed.

This has been a great ride! I am so thankful for this program and the amazing people in the AssistU community!

It is amazing that we have only one class left! The time has flown by so quickly and working on the VTP has been amazing!

When I started this journey, I felt apprehensive and unsure of myself, but as I have progressed in the VTP, I have gained the confidence to know that I can do this and that I can be successful!

Tonight we talked about when mistakes are made, how to go about finding what happened, what to do to fix it, and make sure that it does not happen again.

We need to keep in mind that both the VA and the client must not assign blame and remember above all, that both parties have the best interest of the partnership in mind.

The important thing is if you make a mistake, own up to it right away, and learn from it so that you can prevent it from happening again.

Tonight we talked about what it takes to be a successful Virtual Assistant: be a life long learner, invest in extreme self care, zap those tolerations, keep up with technologies, create WOW moments for your clients, and more...

Terry suggested that we do something extra for our clients to invest in our client relationships, like birthday and/or holiday cards. We could also do something extra to make them feel like you are thinking of them, like offering 30 free minutes to do anything that they might need help with.

It's hard to believe that we have only two more classes left. It's amazing to think we are almost done with the VTP, and it's exciting to think that we are about to embark on a life changing experience - to do the work that we love and to work with the people that we choose to work with. Goodbye corporate world!!

This has been a great experience and I look forward to creating my own VA practice!

In tonight's class we practiced interviewing with potential clients.

Terry played the PC and presented different scenarios and asked questions, which in some cases were very difficult. But it was also fun and the hour went by really fast. I learned a lot about what *not* to do in some situations, and some of us also learned that we might want to change certain things in our business plans and our policies.

When interviewing with potential clients, it's important to know your standards, know who your ideal client is, and you need to know yourself and where you are coming from.

I can't wait to get started on my practice!

Tonight's class was about the interview process with a prospective client (PC). Before any conversation with a PC, I need to know what my standards are (what's not negotiable) and I need to know who my ideal client is. Also, when I talk to a PC, I need to talk with her as an equal, not as employer/employee. If the PC starts to try to lead the conversation, I need to stop and talk about it right then and there because if I don't, the equal partnership concept will be lost forever.

I know that I want to wait for the ideal client rather than take on a client that's not "ideal". It may not be easier, but it will be better and wiser to wait for that ideal client than to get out of a relationship that's not right for me later. I totally see the wisdom in that. I want to do the work that I love with clients that I enjoy working with, and that means waiting for clients that will develop into a long-term, collaborative, relationships.

Another important point that we learned in tonight's class is that we stand for the client when we tell a PC that "I am not the right VA for you".

I submitted my business plan on schedule, and I feel really good about the final result. The process of creating my business plan really made me think about the details of who my target market is and how I'm going to market to them. It's been an intense process, but I'm confident that if I follow the steps that I've laid out in my business plan, I will be able to attract the clients needed to establish a successful practice.

My next tasks include creating a website and creating the collateral materials to get me started.

I know that I can do this and be successful!!

Our business plans are due next week so I'll be busily working on that this week and weekend. Working on my business plan has made me seriously think about different ways of marketing, and as a result, I've become more confident that I will be able to successfully market my business after reading all of the suggestions in the reading material.

In tonight's class we talked about the importance of knowing our clients' goals. If we don't know those goals, there is no way to help the client grow their business. And a client who does not share their goals is not my ideal client.

Terry says that this class and next week's class contains the "meat" of the VTP, where we talk about relationships, interacting with a potential client, and standing for the client.

There's so much to absorb and learn, but I'm enjoying every minute of the VTP!

During tonight's bridge call, Terry led a discussion about various types of marketing techniques, and how comfortable we would be doing some of them. The techniques ranged from face to face contacts, to marketing to groups, to online marketing. I don't think I would be comfortable with cold calling and going out of my way to talking about my business to everyone I come in contact with. But I would be able to network at group meetings and stand in front of groups to introduce myself and my business. I would not be trying to sell myself, but to make contacts, just like all of the other people at that networking meeting.

We are all very busy writing our Business Plans and starting to work on our collateral materials, like business cards, flyers, brochures, etc. I wish there were more hours in the day!

The VTP is starting to get very intense, but I know at the end I will have built a strong foundation for my VA practice, and I know that I will be successful!

Tonight we talked about the Attraction Operating System and how we can apply it to our lives and our VA practices. The reading material presents the 28 attraction principles that we can learn and use to attract more positive things. It is a way of thinking and it takes a little effort to change from thinking negatively to positive thinking, but it is doable and definitely worth the effort. We also learned that we need to remove everything that is holding us back from receiving the positive things, such as fear, problems, tolerances, etc.

The Law of Attraction is something that I've believed in for several years, and I am excited to learn more about it and how to apply the principles as laid in the VTP.

The VTP is a great program and I'm learning so much! I'm so thankful that I am a part of it.

Tonight we practiced our Elevator Speeches. We each had two speeches; the first one we use to introduce ourselves and what we do when talking to one or two people; and the second speech we use when talking to a larger group. We each took turns saying the first speech two times, once for style and the other for content, and the rest of the class, and the trainer, offered suggestions for each.

Since we have a full class, we ran out of time to have each of us read the second speech, so only three of us were able to practice reading our speeches, and the rest of the group critiqued the speeches.

It was a great exercise and was invaluable for me to hear the other's speeches, and I picked up a few ideas that I may incorporate into my own introduction speeches.

One of the topics discussed tonight was about fees. We discussed a case study, and learned that we don't have to justify our fees, and that you do not negotiate your fees with a potential client. Your fees are what they are, and if the client does not like your fees, then maybe this client is not going to work for you. It was a good discussion and really helped me understand about fees and become more comfortable with the fees that I have established for my practice.

We were also teamed up with another fellow student to practice our elevator speeches. Since there are seven students in our class, I was teamed up with two fellow students, rather than one. I feel that we are fortunate that now we will be able to hear two other speeches, rather than one. I feel that it' a better learning experience!

The VTP has been such a great learning experience, and I look forward to the remainder of my classes, and can't wait until I can finally set up my own VA practice!

This is the first class after the holiday break. I had a great holiday, but I am grateful to be back working on the VTP. I am really looking forward to having my own virtual assistance practice, so I am ready to be back working on the weekly classes and bridge calls.

Tonight we talked about the welcome packet, contracts, the two-tiered fee structure recommended by AssistU, and our fees. There so many things to learn and consider. We also talked about honoring ourselves and our VA practice by setting boundaries and standards.

I've been enjoying talking with my fellow students, and sharing things with them on the portal. I have found that everyone in the AssistU community is always willing to answer a question or to give an opinion when needed. It's a wonderful place to be!

This is the last class before the winter break. It will be a good time to get organized, and think about the concepts that I've learned so far. I will also be thinking about the attributes and qualities of people that I've worked with in the past, and listing those attributes and qualities that I did like and those that I didn't like. This exercise will help me create my ideal client profile.

One "Aha Moment" for me on this call was that I should not accept clients that are not a really good fit for me, just to get started and start making money. Instead I should find the clients that are truly a good fit for me. If I fill my practice with clients that don't fit, then when the ideal client comes along, I won't have room for them in my practice. Plus, referring to the Law of Attraction, if I work only with people that don't fit, then I won't be attracting the types of people that I want most.

I will be able to say who I will work with, rather than a boss telling me who I will work with. How great is that?

The weeks seem to be flying by! Each week there are more things to think about when creating my business, from who my advisors will be, who my ideal client might be, and the standards and boundaries that I need to create for my business and for me. Even though some fieldwork may seem uncomfortable, I know that doing it and doing it well, will help me grow and get me to my goal, graduating from the VTP!

Next week's class, Nov 23rd, will be the last class before the holiday break. I've been making a list of things that I can be doing during the break. Needless to say, my list is growing daily! It's too early to start working on my business plan or collateral materials, but I'm finding other things to do, like lining up my advisors, getting the equipment and software that I will need, etc.

This journey is really starting to get exciting, and I am looking forward writing my business plan and getting into the financial aspect of operating a VA practice.

My kitty, Carley, is getting tired of my spending so much time in front of the computer, but I patiently tell her that it's for a good cause ... a better life for both of us!

We'll get there ... I just know it!!

During this class we talked about the professional advisors and some questions that we might ask like, "What is the cost of your services?", "How can I save myself some money by saving you time?" "What should I have asked that I didn't know to ask?" The questions where excellent and will be very useful when I interview my potential advisors.

I can see that the exercises that we're doing will be useful when we write our business plans. For example, the list of advisors that commit to helping us when we need them will be added our business plan. It's a great way to have us start constructing our business plans, in an indirect way.

I know that I'm going to have a BLAST doing my business plan!

Tonight was our first class and it went very well. Everyone had a chance to contribute to the discussions. The bridge technology is great.

We discussed a lot of topics from the reading materials including collaborative partnerships and what they mean to us, the difference between AssistU's definition of virtual assistance and everyone else's, and that we'll start to think about what our ideal client is and what our ideal client is not. We also talked about the Business Plan that we'll be creating and why we need to do it. It really sounds scary and will be lots of work, but surprisingly I'm looking forward to starting it. Terry said that we'll be working on it indirectly in the next few weeks, and then we'll be working on it in earnest.

I am learning so much, and enjoying every minute. I know that I will be asked to do some things I won't like, but I realize that that is what will help me grow and become a better VA, so I will gladly attempt those tasks.

The orientation reading is done and I'm ready for the Orientation bridge call. I am feeling a little nervous, not quite knowing what to expect. But I also know that my life is about to change in a big way. Not only will the VTP change my life in the next 20 weeks, but after the VTP is over.