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.

My one-on-one personalized virtual consultations are designed to help new Virtual Assistants navigate the waters of the virtual world.  The consultations are information-packed and highly affordable.  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, this one-on-one personalized consultation is for you!

Here is how it works:
This is your allotted time and this call is customized especially for you. We will cover the things that have you stuck and not moving forward. Here is how it works:

• You make your payment (below) by clicking on the Buy Now link
• I email you some paperwork to be completed and returned to me asap
• You let me know the top 10 things you would like to discuss on our call
• I create a customized one-on-one consultation just for you
• We schedule a date/time (1.5 hours) at a mutually convenient time
AND OFF WE GO!!

What’s included in your one-on-one consultation:
• Members only forum (free info, free webinars, lots of networking)
• Clear, coherent tools and info to get you moving
• A digital recording to review at your leisure
• Scheduling flexibility – day/evening/Saturdays
• Unlimited email access to me for 30 days
• Discount on mentoring services

Cost:  $150.00 (1.5 hrs)

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.

Keep It Simple Stupid should be the tag line for Common Craft. Taking a variety of concepts and breaking them down into really tiny components via simple line drawings, the videos are entertaining, informational and short (which is a key feature to making them useful). Another well thought-out feature is keeping videos to four categories: technology, green, society and money.

Creators and owners of Common Craft,  Sachi and Lee LeFever, have done an excellent job of marketing their business and building a loyal following through their use of social media and a “free” concept. For commercial use of the videos and for custom videos there is a fee, but you can see them all for free. By telling their story online, they build a strong relationship with customers and viewers. All of these are great marketing techniques.

Learn all about RSS in this sample from Common Craft:

There is so much juicy goodness in the form of free training and motivational videos on the Web! You can listen to top speakers who charge hundreds or thousands of dollars, all for FREE. Here are some of the best I’ve found:

1. Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 Rule

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2. Seth Godin’s Sliced Bread

(all about standing out in the marketplace)

3. Richard St. John’s Success is a Continuous Journey

4. Richard Branson (Need I say more?)

5. David Allen on Getting Things Done

6. Tom Peters (founder of personal branding) on Gain Respect by Giving It

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7. Lisa Irby’s Creating a Wordpress Blog (ALL of Lisa’s YouTube videos about online marketing are excellent)

8. Gary Vaynerchuk’s Enormous Talent is Not Enough

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9. Pam Slim on Escaping from Cubicle Nation Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem movie download Grow Your Own psp

10. Keith Ferrazi’s How to Turn a Contact into an Ally

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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