Virtual Moxie - The Cure For The Common Virtual Assistance Practice

How many tools are in YOUR toolbox?

You know me. I’m ALL for your having incredibly high standards. I’m ALL for your having your processes and calling clients to step into your world so you can do your best work (the customer doesn’t second-guess the plumber on what tools he uses to do his job, and a client really ought not second-guess you on what you use to do yours!).

But the flip side of all of that is that you can end up with a very narrow world. You don’t have to end up there, but it’s really easy to have it happen. And that’s what I wanted to talk about today.

An example: I use Groove. I love Groove. I’m uber efficient with Groove. It works with the way I view the world. In my experience, there’s no collaboration tool for every-day use that can touch it.

Bit O’Moxie: Having reached that decision, I can refuse to consider any other collaboration tools and require my clients get on board with using Groove—which they may or may not do. OR…I can learn several tools, each of which I’ll like more or less than the others. And then I can choose the best of the whole bunch, so that I can both present options to my client (should I need to) from a knowledgeable place, and still ultimately end up using a tool that works for me.

And that, my friends, is a glorious win/win.Yep--it requires more work. You have to learn more. You have to be more open to possibilities. You have to be a kick-ass investigator. You have to be willing to suspend disbelief until you've tried a thing for yourself and know whether it's good or not so. But that's part of becoming great at what you do. That's part of knowing vs. having listened to the opinions of others. And the ultimate best thing about that knowing (other than that it prevents you from getting shut into a box of your own making) is that it makes you absolutely more valuable in the marketplace.

How many tools are in YOUR toolbox? And what are your favs?

28 Days of Love

And so it was that January's 31 Days of Self Care followed December's 31 Days of Wishes. And rightly so, now February, it's time for 28 Days of Love.

What I know is that what you focus on increases. This is not fluff. This is not crap. It's law. If you focus on biz, you'll increase your biz. If you focus on hate, you'll increase hate. And if you focus on love, you'll increase love...and I believe help heal the world.

And so that's the focus. Conscious acts of love for the next 28 days. I invite you to check us out, and join in the fun if you've a mind to. As Hal David wrote..."What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. It's the only thing, that there's just too little of..."

How not to wait while waiting to hear from a prospective client

So you’ve sent a marketing letter, or answered an RFP, or in the case of AssistU VAs, a reply to a Registry request, and you find yourself on pins and needles, with your head buzzine with questions like, "How long will it take to hear back?" "What does the PC think of what I shared about myself and my business?" "Did I say too much/too little?" "Are my skills where they should be?" "Could I have done it better or differently--and would it have been better if I had?"

We’ve all been there. Me included.

So here’s something to think about—because, let’s face it, the waiting game really sucks!

In my experience, having watched thousands and thousands of clients come through the AssistU Registry (our referral service), and having up-close-and-personal interaction with those who choose to go through my Registry Gold process, they usually reply really quickly if they’re interested in talking further. That doesn’t mean that you may not hear from someone later, but chances aren’t good that you will.

So don’t wait. Instead, try this:

As you press the send button/seal the envelope/drop something in a mailbox, release it and your desire to talk with the PC to the Universe/God. Have no attachment to the outcome.Trust that whatever is supposed to happen is exactly what will happen. Then--just go about your business and life.

I know that having no attachment to the outcome is hard. How can you detach from it when you want clients and there's one so close you can almost taste him?

In truth, it’s rather like playing fetch with your dog. You throw the stick, the dog runs after it, and when he finds it, he may—or may not—decide to return it to you. But once you’ve thrown it, there’s literally nothing you can do until you see if it comes back.

Chances are, when you play fetch, you toss that stick, but don’t have any real attachment to whether or not your dog actually brings it back to you. I mean, on some level you think it would be great, because it would mean he’s smart, but if it doesn’t happen, it’s probably no big deal for you.

And that’s the way you have to be when replying to a prospective client…thinking that it would be great if the PC responded and wanted to talk further with you (because it would mean he’s smart! ;) ), but if it doesn’t happen, it’s no big deal.

If you spend your time actively waiting, and going through the machinations that most people go through while they wait , you can’t possibly be present to opportunities that may be showing up in the now.

Bit O’Moxie: The now is all you have. Focus on what’s in front of you, and stop staring sadly at the past and/or longingly at the future. It’s a crappy game. And you’ve much better things to do with your time than play it.