Request for help please

I am busy writing content for my newsletter and I want to include some tips from successful networkers in my April edition (subscribe via website now).

For anyone who sends in a tip, I will include your name, company and website link which is sent out to my subscriber list.

Please send all tips via email.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Think before you speak

Online networking is all the rave both on a personal and professional basis as technology and the internet has allowed people to access various forums regardless of location.

I belong to various organisations specific for Virtual Assistants and others relating to my personal and business interests. What I find amazing is how some people treat other people on these forums - as usual it is the minority that spoil it for the majority.

I have previously written about unprofessional conduct on a public forum before - read it here but thought I would give another example.

One of the forums I belong to was discussing the definition of a Virtual Assistant and a couple of these members were totally unprofessional, unethical and rude to other members - to the point of bullying.

To be honest, the definition of a Virtual Assistant is all down to personal opinion and I will not participate in any kind of dialogue where you are publicly ridiculed unless you agree to their dictation - that is why I left the corporate world after all!

Bottom line, remember that the internet is a public place and your posts are there to be seen by your peers and potential clients. Are you sure you want them to see you behaving unprofessionally? I don't think so.

There is a time and place for everything, so think before you speak!

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Are your peers colleagues or competition?

All of us, irrespective of if we are business owners or employees, belong to a network of people in our own industries.

However, do you view them as your colleagues or competition?

The Virtual Assistant industry is a very supportive community and the majority of people do not view other VA's as competition as there is more than enough clients out there for everyone! I view fellow VA's as my colleagues and as such, I belong to a couple of industry specific networking groups.

Virtual Assistant Networking Association - public forum for aspiring and veteran VA's
VA Revolution - membership based organisation to help you revolutionise your VA business

For all you VA's reading this post, I highly recommend that you join these organisations as they can really help you and your business. Even though these organisations are US based, they are still relevant if you are based in the UK like me.

I would be interested to hear other people's comments on this subject and also your experiences of your specific industry networking group. Please post in the comments section.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

What is your Indian name - part 2

As promised in part 1, below is the Indian name that I chose for my 60 second commercial for my networking group and the reason why.

"After careful thought, I believe that my Indian name would be 'queen bee like the wind'. Why, well the queen bee is the hub of the hive – industrious, in charge and organised. You know the wind is there, you can feel its presence but you can’t necessarily see it

I work as a Virtual Assistant helping people with their administrative needs but remotely, I don’t always meet all of my clients!

I can provide all the services you would expect a PA to be able to do and more for less than half the cost of employing a full time employee."

I thought my Indian name summed up what a Virtual Assistant does, but please leave your comments.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

What is your Indian name - part 1

I belong to a networking group which meets on a weekly basis with a sole aim to generate business for members. Each week, all members have to do a 60 second 'commercial' telling other members about their business and the type of referral wanted.

Sometimes, when you do something each week, you don't change things and therefore lose the impact of your message. This is bad news when there are 20 other members who could be out referring their clients and associates to you - but don't because they have switched off and aren't listening to what you want.

To combat this, the Leadership Team decided to try to inject a little humour into the mix but also to get members to prepare a different 60 second commercial by giving them a challenge:

'In the film Dances with Wolves, Kevin Costner was given that name because Indians watched him chasing a wolf out in the field.

If the Indians observed you in your professional day to day activities, what would they name you and why?'

So have a think about what your Indian name would be and why - let me know your answers and I will reveal my answer in part 2.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

What impression do you give out?

I had the pleasure of having a 1-1 meeting with a fellow member of the BNI Chapter I belong to. To those of you that don't know about BNI, it is a referral based organisation that meets on a weekly business with a structured agenda to ensure members get the most business.

BNI places a big emphasis on 1-1 meetings with fellow members as they give you the opportunity to find out more about their business in order to be able to pass quality referrals.

During this 1-1 meeting last week, an interesting observation came out of the other members mouth - his mental impression of me and my business was someone who types, never mind all the other tasks we can perform! Now I try to educate members each week about all the tasks a Virtual Assistant can do but this highlighted to me that I need to change my approach - as it obviously wasn't working! Once I explained further to this member there was the classic AHA moment where he actually said he now understood what I could do for him and his business.

What impression are you giving and do you need to change it?

To see how a Virtual Assistant and CKPA can help your business, contact us now.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Perception IS reality

People don't buy services, they buy people! If they don't like you or have trust in you, then people won't buy from you or refer other people to you.

I seem to be having a few pet peeves lately with certain members of a networking group I belong to which is starting to get very frustrating to say the least. This time, it is about only one member who as far as I am concerned is old enough and supposedly a mature professional who should know better.

What is the problem? Without going into all the details, this person has publicly disagreed with me, doesn't listen to what I am saying and doesn't respond to my emails asking for information.

Why is he doing this? I can only guess but the only thing that comes to me is that I am a LOT younger than him and I don't think he likes being told what to do by someone who is technically young enough to be his daughter.

I don't have problems with any of the members of this group on a personal level, but professionally, that is a different story!

If people treat me this way, do you think I am going to buy their services (and this particular members services would come in very handy to me soon)? Do you think I am going to refer my clients and associates to him? A big fat NO is the answer. How can I trust this person with my business or that of my clients and associates with an attitude that isn't professional.

Remember, how people perceive you and your business is reality to them. They won't think you might be having a bad day, hard time of late - they don't care. Now might be the time to review what you clients think of you and your business - for impartial advice and a Virtual Assistant to help you with this task, contact us now.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

The hidden power of networking

By Robert Warlow - Small Business Success

We all make use of traditional forms of getting new business in – advertising, direct mail, brochures etc but networking is one form of marketing which, has been under-utilised. Until now that is. Small business owners are finally beginning to understand the power of networking and what it can do for their sales figures.

But what is networking?
In its most basic form, it’s word-of-mouth advertising but originated by you, not your customers. It involves taking every opportunity to raise awareness of your product or service amongst the people you meet. At a more sophisticated level, networking can be achieved by taking advantage of the formal networking groups or events that have been arranged purely with the idea of putting potential partners together. Perhaps the most famous example of effective networking was the First Tuesday group, which during the height of the dot-com era, was the primary way of getting new business ideas across to the people with the dosh!

But how can you, as a small business owner, become a more effective networker and take full advantage of the opportunities presented? We are going to give you some key tips and ideas on how to be a better networker.

What are the key advantages of networking?
Networking has some very good advantages over the traditional type of marketing:

• It’s free! Talking to someone costs nothing except your time
• It’s targeted marketing in that it’s likely the person you are talking to has a direct interest in your product or service. Consider newspaper advertising, which will mostly be read by people who have no interest in what you have to offer
• It’s face to face marketing unlike direct mail, adverts and telephone calls. You have the immediate opportunity to establish rapport and get an understanding of the person’s problems
• You have the chance to mix with business owners in other industries, which may open the door to new opportunities you had not previously considered
• It’s not only a way of creating business but also a great way to solve problems and seek advice. Why sweat over a solution when someone has probably already experienced and solved the same problem? Ask and find out who can help you

Where to find a network
Finding a place to network, where like minded business owners are present, is not that difficult. Whilst you should be networking all the time – taking the opportunity to promote yourself whereever you can – it’s more effective if you can meet people who are there to do the same thing; you can get onto the same wavelength that much quicker. Here are some possible networking opportunities to think about:

• Your local Chamber of Commerce or Business Club - as well as hosting their normal meetings (which are great networking opportunities anyway) they may hold regular networking sessions which are dedicated to putting business people together
• Business Link – with their remit of helping local small businesses, some of them may already hold network meetings where they bring together a batch of ‘new recruits’. Check out the Business Link website for details of your nearest office and give them a call
• Trade Associations – your industry may have an association which holds regular meetings. Whilst you are dealing with businesses in the same line as you, so making it difficult to get new business, you will still be able to find solutions to problems and pick up new ideas. Who knows, if you establish good rapport with another business, they may be happy to refer surplus work to you or tap into a unique specialisation you may have?
• Seminars – keep a look out for seminars being run for small business owners. As well as being informative, they are a great networking opportunity, especially over coffee and lunch when you have the chance to start a conversation going along the lines of, “How do you think you’re going to apply that point we learnt this morning in your line of business?” In just this one question you will have found out what business they are in and one of the problems they are currently facing. If you’re lucky, you may be able to offer help as well – one extra sale!
• Anywhere and everywhere – remember to network all the time! Never miss an opportunity to tell people what you do. You may only get a successful hit in one out of a hundred contacts, but one sale may be enough to make it all worthwhile!

Where and when are meetings likely to be held?
Formal networking events can be held over breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast sessions are popular because it allows business owners to start the day on a positive note, leaving the remainder of the day free for ‘business as usual’. However, how good are you at holding a sensible conversation at 7 o’clock in the morning? If you don’t look or sound your best in the early morning, then you had better find an alternative!

The best networking events are where you are free to ‘work the room’ and not be tied to a table with food being served.

Hotels and pubs are popular venues but if you are attending events hosted by Business Link then you may find them held at their offices.

What to prepare
As with any marketing promotion, any networking should be thoroughly prepared for. Badly presented sales pitches lead to lost sales; the same goes for networking. So what should you do before attending a networking session?

Step 1: Know your products and services inside out. If you are only just starting out, make sure you are fully briefed on all the in’s and out’s of your product.

Step 2: Write and rehearse an opening statement to the question “What do you do?” This may sound an easy question but try thinking an answer on the spot and at the same time making it some good! Not so easy. Write a clear and concise statement, which encapsulates everything about your business. Remember, this is your chance to impress! Having decided on your opening line, rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. It has to be word perfect and confident sounding.

Step 3: Make sure you have enough business cards. You don’t want to scribble your number on the back of a napkin! Not very professional.

Step 4: Double check the venue and time. You don’t want to turn up late and miss any opportunities or appear to be lacking in time management skills.

Step 5: Dress to impress. Make sure you are neat and tidy – everything a successful small business owner should be.

Step 6: Leave your house / office in plenty of time to make sure you don’t arrive totally stressed out

You’re off!
You have arrived at the venue and if this is your first time, what are you likely to do? Find the nearest corner and pray that someone doesn’t approach you! Networking, especially the first time, can be nerve-wracking. It does take a degree of confidence but over time this gets better.

© Robert Warlow - Small Business Success www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to the Small Business Success, a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles.

For more information visit http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

To find out how CKPA can help with your company's networking - contact us now!

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

People remember!

I recently wrote about someone I had the misfortune speaking to regarding my services and I declined to work with them - read the details here.

I wrote about this experience because I knew that I would meet this person at a networking group I belong to in the near future. Well, you'll never guess who was there on Tuesday but this particular person. I was contemplating what to do (as I am a member of the Leadership Team) when another member asked to speak with me. It turns out that the person I didn't want to deal with had actually 'ripped off' a number of other people and the member was warning me against him as a potential member and someone I might do business with.

People remember when you aren't professional and rip people off. By now, the majority of our 23 members will be warned off this particular person and won't do business with him. I totally agree with the saying "what goes around, comes around" and this person is now just reaping the benefits of his labour!

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Be professional in all that you do!

I belong to an industry forum where wonderful people share their advice and experiences freely.
However, a new visitor to the forum posted a 'wanted ad' and gave the rate of pay offered. One of the responses she had was from a forum member telling her she was 'nuts' and would never get someone to work for that rate. The tone was rather unprofessional and, in my opinion, uncalled for. The original poster responded that you always need to be professional in all your business dealings - whether that be your forum posts or in person as what goes around, comes around!

I totally agree with this and had the 'pleasure' of dealing with an unprofessional business person over the telephone. A prospect for my Virtual Receptionist service left a message for me late in the afternoon (after 4.00 pm). I was out of the office and couldn't call him back until first thing the next morning. He wasn't happy that I didn't call him back within minutes and wanted me to beg for his business - I politely said thank you for your time and goodbye. I REFUSE to work with people like that who try to dictate to me how I run my business and I will always say thank you but no thanks each and every time.

The reason I am writing this story? There is every liklihood that I will meet this person at a networking group I attend. Do you think I will pass business to him? I don't think so!

I truly believe in the saying "treat people how you would like to be treated" and I endeavor to do that in everything I do. Do you?

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions