If you’re interested in the VA industry, recently launched your VA practice or if you’re looking to work as a VA Sub-Contractor and you’re completely overwhelmed with all the (mis)information out there, confused about pricing or don’t want to spend a boat-load of money getting information, then register and let’s get you moving!

Here is a snapshot of this information-packed Webinar:

Get Moving!
• The top ten things that must be put in place BEFORE launching your VA business
• The 6 Keys to Virtual Assistance Success
• Setting up your Business Processes

The Virtual Assistant / Client Relationship
• Starting / Ending the Client Relationship
• Rejecting Clients: Top six reasons to reject a prospective client
• Damage control and managing expectations
• Five keys to client retention

Show Me The Money!
• Setting fees and getting paid
• How to set up value-based fees
• Establishing YOUR unique value
• Top five questions to ask before giving a quote

General
• Recommended Resources/Reading
• Education/Certification/Bartering/Associations
• Referrals and Testimonials

What’s included in this Webinar:
• Members only forum (free info, free webinars, lots of networking)
• Clear, coherent tools and info to get you moving
• Unlimited email access to me for 30 days
• Discounts on mentoring services
• Employment opportunities

Webinar Schedule:
Wednesdays – 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST

Cost: $99.00

About Aretha Gaskin:
Aretha Gaskin is an entrepreneur, speaker and highly regarded Virtual Assistant with 15+ years combined legal and non-legal administrative experience and leads a team of U.S. based Virtual Assistants providing virtual admin support to small businesses nationwide. Learn more about Aretha by clicking here and here.

Lawyers have to do it. Doctors do it. Certainly solopreneurs, small business owners and freelancers all have to do it. But it ain’t easy! Raising rates is uncomfortable, but often necessary and should be handled with professionalism, not guilt. So, what are the steps you can take to make you, the small business owner, and your client comfortable with the rate increase?

First, clarify your current pricing structure to yourself and your clients (as needed). Always understand how and why you are structuring your rates the way you are so you can explain them to the client. Are you basing your rates on your lifestyle/business needs? Is this an hourly rate that also translates to retainers/package rates? When was your last adjustment? Be sure, if you are working on a package/retainer price that you leave yourself open to renegotiating periodically so the adjustment doesn’t come as a surprise.

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When starting with a new client, it can be helpful to let them know you may be renegotiating after the first 90 days.

Second,  be sure YOU understand why you are increasing rates. Have you had to outsource your own needs (graphic designer, accountant, marketing professional), buy new technology or seen your own costs escalate (a current issue given across the board price increases)? This is not the time to think “my mortgage rate increased”, “Johnny needs braces” or “hubbie bought a new plasma TV without asking”. Your reasons should be purely professional because you will need to be prepared to explain them.

Third, decide the price increase. As an employee you were probably seeing increases of around 5% per year. However, you were likely also getting bonus pay, paid benefits, paid social security and lower taxes AND all of your technology and office expenses were paid for. 5% per year for a solo practitioner or small business owner is too low! How do you compare across the market for people doing similar work with similar backgrounds?

Fourth, ask yourself the best way to present the increase? If you have a small and/or long-term client base that hasn’t seen an increase before, a phone call may be in order. If you’ve laid the ground work well, a professional email or letter is in order. Let them know the reasons for the increase, where you are adding value or new services, what the dollar amount AND percentage of the increase are and when it will go into effect (at least 30 days). If clients are working off a retainer or package, let them know this will not impact them until that contract has passed.

Finally, (and this is NOT just at increase time), be sure to solicit feedback on the work you’ve already performed and to thank them profusely for their continued support and business. A periodic check-in with clients is in order any way so be sure you encouraging input and offering thanks throughout the year.

Being prepared by laying the groundwork with clients and by carefully tracking expenses (ok, fairly carefully) throughout your year will allow you to increase your rates with confidence. Also be sure you continually save testimonials, make notations of projects that have been successful and the additional training and technology you have added so that you can field questions or concerns with ease!

Have any input? Let me know below.

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Do you have a new business idea or you are seeking new growth ideas in your existing business or career and the “right” mentor has just not come along? I decided to do some investigating after seeing an article in the online Wall Street Journal small business section on online mentoring and was instantly reminded of the US’s Small Business Administration’s SCORE service. SCORE used to be a service made up entirely of “retired executives” who acted as mentors to small business entrepreneurs. No longer! The site has a wealth of information and mentor/counselors are now both working and retired executives, expanding the pool of knowledge that you can access.

The SCORE site has 10,500 available mentors and they also have local offices in nearly every city so you can interact with a counselor face-to-face if you’d like. In addition to mentoring, they offer low-cost workshops, “how to’s” and templates, and loads of articles on everything from writing a business plan to search engine optimization and Web 2.0 applications. They also partner with the popular PRNewswire Taxi to the Dark Side dvdrip Not Another Teen Movie full movie The Life of David Gale hd The Riddle download

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The Prince of Tides dvd service to offer articles and advice on promoting your business once you start. Honestly, given that is a federally funded organization, I didn’t expect the latest trends to be covered, but they are. You can be assured that I will be back to visit the site often!

Another site was mentioned in the WSJ article called iMantri.com Underdog dvdrip A Man Apart . iMantri labels itself as a site for “mentoring and coaching” and they enable interaction between SBO’s and either free or paid mentors. A quick scan of the easy to navigate site yielded mentors with backgrounds in project management, time management, assisting first time managers, venture capital and more. The site is fairly new so they are adding relevant content and new mentors as fast as possible.

Consider volunteering as a mentor on either site or elsewhere to both offer your services out of generosity AND to build a following!

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