I ran across this video on the VAclassroom blog today, and I thought it addresses tweeting for clients very well. It also doesn’t hurt that I also agree with the philosophy and guidelines he discusses in the video!
Outsourcing Doesn’t Have to be a Dirty Word
When the topic turns to outsourcing, many times thoughts immediately turn to outsourcing “overseas” and immediately dismiss the thought, thinking it takes jobs away from your country – forgetting about the option to outsource locally. The definition of outsource according to Merriam-Webster.com is:
to procure (as some goods or services needed by a business or organization) under contract with an outside supplier <decided to outsource some back-office operations>
Virtual Assistants do not need to be in the same geographic location as their clients, but sometimes clients like that little extra security of knowing their VA is close. So where do you find a Virtual Assistant that is “close to home”? Most VA’s do not advertise in the Yellow Pages, but there are still ways you can find a local VA. You can visit the directories for VAnetworking.com or the International Virtual Assistant Association and search your state (or province, country, etc.), or you could submit a request for proposal (RFP) on either of those two sites requesting your VA be in a particular geographic region.
But, again, it is not necessary for a VA to be in the same town, state, or time zone for the VA/Client relationship to work. Although I am in South Carolina, I have clients in Massachusetts, Maryland and California.
So, the next time you hear the term “outsource”, don’t immediately think it’s a dirty word – you can outsource locally!
The Value of Your Time
I recently ran across this article about the value of our time. How many of us stop to think what the TRUE value of our time is? Do you really want to your time sifting through your e-mail (most if which is probably inconsequential), or creating that print ad or mailer? Many outsource tasks they do not enjoy or have time for, such as housekeeping or lawn maintenance. It has become so common to outsource these tasks that for most people they don’t even think of it as outsourcing.
Now take a look at your other daily tasks, whether it be returning e-mails, sending routine information to potential or current clients, entering transactions into your financial software (QuickBooks, Quicken, Microsoft Money, spreadsheet, etc.), or any of a hundred or so other tasks. Make a list of the top 5 to 10 that you truly do not enjoy doing, don’t have time to do yourself, or don’t have the skills to do properly. If you outsourced these tasks to a VA, how much time and frustration would that save you? You could be spending that time focusing on the income generating tasks of your business, or you could be spending that precious time with your loved ones.