This is an article from Donna Toothaker from StepItUpVA who is a coach
for other Virtual Assistants and really knows her stuff.

Set Boundaries to Stay Sane
by Donna Toothaker on FEBRUARY 24, 2011

As a Virtual Assistant, you have the fortunate circumstance of being able to work from home, and work with clients from all over the world via e-mail and phone. At the same time, as an upstart business owner, you also rely on new and longstanding clients for income. Sometimes it can seem like you started your own business only to discover that you have multiple bosses! Here are a few tips to ensure that you always have the ball in your court:

Set expectations early. Be extra clear with potential clients about your services, your work style, what they can expect from you and what you expect from them. Be explicit in defining what you don’t do – as in your services or work style. Things to consider not doing: having an “open door” policy (an invitation to be micromanaged), giving out your mobile number,
or giving the impression that you are in any way “on call”.

Feel free to ID. It may be difficult to let voicemail pick up when you’r e trying to service your clients, but voicemail and caller ID are great time management tools that will allow you to maintain some sanity in your day. Caller ID is also a great barometer for assessing the “neediness” of those clients who tend to micromanage. Outline your voicemail and e-mail-checking routines with clients, and within what period of time they can expect a response, leaving wiggle room for true emergency calls.

It’s nothing personal. Keep your conversations via phone, e-mail, and social media primarily on a professional level. It may be comforting to your clients to know a little bit about you personally, but giving too much information or getting to know your clients too personally opens up a “grey area” from which it is difficult, if not impossible, to return.

So, if you use Facebook for your business, avoid posting personal information, photos, or posts that may be considered off-putting to your clients, even though your friends might respond with an LOL. Use security features to restrict what your clients can see, if necessary.

Say no. When you were just starting out as a VA, you may have said yes to clients, projects and situations that really didn’t serve you in the long run. You may have done it to get experience in a certain area, build up your client roster, to impress a potential client, or in the hopes of getting more business. However, rarely does saying yes to something that doesn’t suit you or pay you a fair price truly help you. Don’t continue to burden yourself by saying yes to clients who demand too much of you and your resources, who constantly haggle or question your fees, or who push you to provide a service outside your scope.
You will find that letting go of them will open a space for a better client to sign on!

Keep the reins of your business firmly in hand by setting boundaries from day one. Doing so will ensure that you will build mutual respect, turn new clients into long-term clients, and truly enjoy working with them.

Donna Toothaker is CEO, founder and coach of Step It Up VA Coaching. These highly sought-after VA coaching programs have been created for established, successful VAs who wish to create the 6-figure business of their dreams. Visit HERE to receive the free report, Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Creating a 6-Figure VA Business.

thanks, Donna, for another great gem I am glad to share with my visitors.

This question goes out to other Virtual Assistants AND our customers:

Where do you draw your lines – what boundaries do you set and expect to have set for you? I would love to hear comments from both sides of the fence.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?

This is another great post from my favorite editing and writing ezine,
Daily Writing Tips.

As a Virtual Assistant who specializes in proofreading, I like to keep as current as I can with grammar and word usage changes as they HAVE changed somewhat since my former days as an Honor Roll student.

I file most of the issues of the ezine for possible future use, but occasionally there is one that I feel compelled to share. This is one of them.

7 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

A would-be teacher was assigned to tutor a boy who was not just reluctant,
not just resistant, but actually hostile to reading.

The first day, the tutor took the boy aside and asked him to read the first sentence of
a book. The boy did so, slowly, haltingly, but he reached the end without much difficulty.

Before he had a chance to throw up his hands and go into his “I can’t read!” act, however, the tutor stopped him, thanked him, and brought him back to his classroom. The next day, the student was permitted to read only two or three sentences before his tutor stopped him. This pattern continued for only a few days before the boy asked to be able to continue reading.

What is this, the chorus-of-angels moment in a mawkish TV movie? No, it’s a true story,
and it’s an intriguing idea for writers as well as readers (and the first of these seven tips):

If you have writer’s block, sit down and write one sentence. One sentence. Even if you want to keep going. The next time, allow yourself two sentences. The third day, stop after three sentences.

Avoid the urge to leap to an impressive word count right away. Try for 100, 200, then 300 words. Only then, after about a week, should you set a more ambitious goal.

2. Establish a consistent schedule that you fail to keep only in the case of an emergency. You have commitments and responsibilities, certainly, but if you can watch TV or surf online or exercise each day, you can write each day. Do it on your lunch hour or during your commute if you have to, but do it.

3. Commit to achieving a word count, not persevering for a certain amount of time.
Try for 500 words, and then ramp up to 1,000 if you feel up to it. Those counts may not seem much, but at those rates, you can write a substantial article or a short story in a week or two, a short nonfiction book in a month, a novel in a season. (Revision is another matter, and another post.) If your writing requires ongoing research, cut the actual word count in half (and do the writing first), or set aside a given number of days a week to just fact finding.

4. Don’t rewrite until you’re done. If your project is a book, give each chapter a single pass but then move on, and don’t review it again until the entire manuscript is done.

5. There’s no law that says you have to write something in the order in which it will be read. Sketch the beginning and the end, whether it’s an essay or a novel, but tackle the parts you’re itching to get to first. But don’t evade troublesome or onerous sections by repeatedly reworking completed portions.

6. Juggle more than one project. If you weary of one article or story or book, give it a rest and run with another one for a while.

7. Remember the only readership that matters: You. Your goal is not to write the greatest article or poem for how-to guide or epic novel ever created. Your goal is to satisfy yourself. Author Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” And you must do so because you want to read it.

If anybody else does, too, that’s just icing on the cake.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?

You can build a World-Class Customer Service Organization
with a Virtual Assistant or team of VA’s to help you.

Today, as companies find it harder to differentiate their products
and services, and customers demonstrate less brand loyalty than ever before, the ability to deliver superior support is the key to maintaining
a competitive edge. With customer service helpers, companies of all types and sizes can:

Improve Service Delivery

Fast and efficient delivery of service keeps the customers happy.
Their appreciation of this service will keep them coming back for more.

Identify and Resolve Problems

Today’s customers have little tolerance for poor service delivery. One small mistake
in your support procedures and you can count the seconds that it takes for the customer
to walk out the door with no intentions of returning.

Knowing where the problems lie is one thing, knowing how to resolve them is another.
Listen to your employees and customers alike. Ideas will present themselves
if you are willing to find them.

Increase Revenues

Work to improve what you have available for your customers to choose from.
Don’t be afraid of changes that will increase your revenue.

Just remember to let your customers be aware of the changes.

If they come in and everything’s changed it can cause confusion
and discomfort in your customers.

Reduce Costs

Customers appreciate a bargain. Better quality and lower costs are what people
are drawn to. Keep your customers’ options compatible to their needs as merchants.

Gather Customer Opinions

Don’t be afraid to get feedback. It can guide you on the steps to take for improving
the customer service you provide.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

I can also help you with a Virtual Customer Service Department.

Why not Schedule a Project now?