Well, I am not any of these but I am the mother of a few of them and I spent 18 weeks teaching 22 of them Computer/Technology Concepts.  It was fun.   I wanted to share a few things I learned about myself and about these kids.

1. The most important thing I learned is that when the Home consists of chaos a student is just not ready to learn.  Wow, you say, groundbreaking news.  Well, if you have heard this before have you really thought about it.  Have you really thought about the consequences to our society now that we have produced a generation where the MAJORITY of kids come from broken homes.  These kids are making there way through an education system that is not equipped, nor should it have to be, to minister to the hearts and minds of students who are hurting and confused.
2. I learned that kids have a wonderful capacity for creativity and expression using technology.  Yes, we get frustrated with them because they change all the computer settings and only seem to care about what there profile picture looks like but it is there way of communcating to the world.  It’s our job as adults and parents to help them learn approprate use.
3. Students need constant introduction to the working world.  Traditional education has simply not kept pace with what the working world needs.  In fact most young people simply don’t have a great picture of what areas of expertise the working world needs in the future.  They hear about traditional career fields but are rarely introduced to new and growing fields in technology, science, and medicine.

Well, it was a good time with these students.  But back to VA work for me.

The first day of course went completely different than I had planned.  We see kids touching all this technology and we make an assumption that they are pretty competent when it comes to using a computer.  WRONG!

Half the class scored under 15 WPM when i administered a typing test.  (Should have given a WPM texting test).  Many could not respond correctly to terms such as:

• Open a browser
• Go to My Documents
• Shut the computer down.

But we forged on, made adjustments for the very different levels of computer skills in the class.  But here are some interesting thoughts I have formed over the last 6 weeks.

1. Kids are great but they came is so many different types of packages.  You have to pay alot of attention to the package’s needs to impact learning.
2. Real world examples are still difficult for them to relate too, so you have to find examples from their world.
3. There is no FEAR

I have taught many adult computer classes and I had to stop because I couldn’t deal with the FEAR factor anymore.  “OOOOOOOOHHH I just know I’m going to break it!”.  The kids have no fear.  They click away till somthing works the way it should.  When we are in Word and I tell them to insert a Times New Roman 24 pt Title… within seconds they are off exploring all the differnt fonts and colors and sizes and shapes.  So I let them.  Times New Roman 24 pt is boring.

Next week they are creating a newsletter about themselves.  I think this will be fun!

Will the website:

1. Be informational only and provide a way to contact me
2. Provide a way for you to blog or publish frequently
3. Sell something
4. Provide for a way to update information frequently
5. Integrate with other applications…e.g MLS services, streaming stock quotes, etc.
6. Will you collect email or RSS subscribers
7. Will you integrate with Social Networking…eg. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

Very often by answering these questions your technology development choice will be made easier.  Let’s take a look at why.

Informational websites provide information about who you are and what you do, where you are located, how you work with customers/clients and most importantly how to contact you.  Once developed and launched very little changes on the content.  This is a good choice for business owners who want to work with a website designer, develop a professional looking “website presence” and not really have to worry about frequent updates.

Content Management sites include technology such as Joomla and Wordpress.  These sites normally start from a pre-designed template and are “tweaked” to reflect your business branding.  You decide what menu (pages) you want and write your content.  What makes CMS sites exciting are the 100’s of “add-on’s” available to bring functionality to your site.  These include items such as

• Calendars and events
• Community areas and forums
• Enhanced multi-media features
• Verticel market enhancements such as reservations and property management
• News Feeds
• Registration and course management

The list goes on and on.  If you are considering Joomla you might visit:

http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions

for a list of  Joomla “extensions”.  If you are considering Wordpress you can visit:

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

for a list of Wordpress “plugins”.

Both Joomla and Wordpress are Open Source technology which means you do not pay for the software.  You may have to pay for extensions and plugins from 3rd party vendors who have developed the software.  Your cost is for your website developer to bring all these items together and build them into your great looking site.  Both systems allow for blogging and the ability for you to access a WYSIWYG type editor for updating content.  What is the difference then?  Here is a very informative site with all the details:

http://www.wordpressvsjoomla.com/

Our last two types of sites that I will mention in this series are e-commerce and those that are very specific to an industry such as realestate.  Have you noticed that we havn’t even reached “content” creation yet.  There is so much to decide up front.  But doing your homework ahead of time is going to pay off.

Believe it or not that is the number one mistake business owners make when they decide to take their business online.  More than once I have created a beautiful website that has sat there empty for months.  Seems it does little to explain to clients that content is the number ONE item to focus on.  But instead they will spend hours trying different fonts in their logos, hours playing with colors, etc.  Are you getting my drift here?

In the next few blog entries I will detail for you the correct steps to take when you decide to hire someone to create your website or blog for you.  I will treat websites separately from blogs even though there is a growing trend to have only a blog site as your main site.  Either way, I will define for you steps that will lead to success when working with your designer/developer.

Let’s begin a bit today with deciding on the technology you want.

Website technology offers new choices about as fast as Verizon comes out with new phones.  The difference is you probably want your website to last longer than your “new every two” cell plan.  I normally define four types of sites for my clients.

1. Traditional information static site
2. Content management site
3. Blog site
4. Custom developed/programmed site

There are variations and combinations of the above but in a nutshell here is a brief description.

Traditional information static site is just that….. information only.  Visitors do not “interact” with the site except for perhaps a Contact Form to communicate with you.  The purpose of these sites is to define your business/services on the web and provide a way for potential customers to contact you.  These sites are normally developed using basic HTML pages.

Content Management sites (CMS) allow the end user to have access and maintenance ability to the website page content.  CMS sites have a backend login that provides access to a WYSISYG editor that allows you to change page content about as easily as typing in MS Word.  CMS sites have hundreds of “add on” functionality to choose from and configured correctly do well in search engines.  CMS sites require technical services to configure and setup.

Blog Sites are a wonderful way to participate on the web.  WordPress is the leading blog site.  A Wordpress site allows you the ability to post frequent content using a WYSISYG editor and have that content add itself to your site in an organized and presentable manner.  Good looking WordPress sites are normally configured using technical support.  WordPress sites are controlled by a page theme.  Each page is going to be structured the same.  Wordpress is not a good choice when each page is to have a different look.  WordPress IS a good choice if your business information is fairly static and you want to say something frequently and have it recorded and posted.

Custom developed/programmed sites are developed in different programming languages.  Custom sites are required when you have very specific needs for your website.  I will not go in depth with these types of sites as most small business individuals do not require this type of website.  The exciting thing to understand  about custom programmed sites is that the line between the custom site and the CMS site is getting closer and closer.  For example; if you have ever participated on a site that has a “community” area where you can create a profile and then perhaps participate in a forum, these features no longer require custom programming but can be added to a CMS site by adding various “modules” to a core CMS site.

1)  An individual virtual assistant operating her own business.

A virtual assistant who operates her own practice would be a great choice if you are seeking long-term support and would like to hire someone who will learn your business well enough to anticipate your needs, and eventually provide good advice in the areas she is supporting.  An individual VA is interested in the success of her business thus that energy and enthusiasm is spent ensuring that your needs are taken care of and that the support relationship will be mutually beneficial.  With this long-term goal in mind, selecting the right VA is an important process.

2)  Contracting with a mutli-VA firm.

Multi-VA firms are certainly growing and provide a service that may fit your needs also.  A multi-VA firm usually consists of a business owner who has assembled a team of virtual assistants with varying skills.  These VA’s work as sub-contractors to the business owner.  Many multi-VA firms assign to you a Project Manager who will help organize your task needs and who then manage and coordinate the sub-contractors to complete the work.

Which should you choose?  Well let’s take a closer look at how each solution may be the best choice for you.

Individual Virtual Assistants

The individual VA is a good choice when you have well-defined needs for a VA.  Individual VA’s are able to articulate to you what areas of service they provide help with.  When both parties have clear definition – a great partnership can be made.  I know a VA who is simply an expert in providing real estate support.  Realtor’s know that when they ‘off-load” tasks to her not only will the work get done, it is done right and with an expertise she has clearly demonstrated over the years.    However, if one of her clients now wishes to contract out accounting services my friend would clearly be able to let the client know that accounting is not her expertise.  My friend – fortunately – with years of experience in the VA community is well connected and would provide the client with a great referral.

So what are the pros and cons?  With an individual VA you will get certain expertise in areas you wish to contract out for.  You will be building a relationship with the VA that hopefully is long-term and mutually beneficial.  You may have to contract with more than one VA if you are needing a wide variety of services.  Because your relationship is directly with the individual VA your cost for her services may be lower because there is not project managment or the overhead cost of operating a larger VA firm

The Multi-VA firm

The multi-VA firm is a great resource for some business owners.  If you are a business owner that might need a bit more assistance in organizing your VA needs or perhaps you have a wide-variety of needs a multi-VA firm may provide a good solution.  A good multi-VA firm has working in it a collection of contractors with a wide variety of skills.  So no matter what you may need assistance with your Project Manager will have the responsibility for finding the right contractor to get the work done.  You will not be burdened with determining if the VA has the right skills, that will be the project managers job.

The pros and cons??  If you decide to use a multi-VA firm you may have a bit more security with not “loosing” your VA at a bad time.  The multi-VA firm has resources to draw upon to replace a VA working on your tasks.  This replacement should be transparent to you.  A good- multi-VA firm will have a number of VA’s capable of producing a newsletter, updating a website, setting up a shopping cart, etc.  You hopefully will benefit from a “pool” of capable talent.  The downside….. your fees are being divided between the firm, the project manager, and the virtual assistant providing the work, (who is usually working as a sub-contractor).  You may be paying a higher rate than you would be to an individual or you may require more hours to cover the overhead costs for the firm to organize your work.  With highly skilled tasks you may not be receiving your best purchasing power for your virtual assistant.   Highly skilled VA’s  rates normally fall in a range of $45-80 per hour.  Sub-contracting rates fall in the range of $15-30 per hour.

So which is best for you?  Virtual Assistants are some of the best professionals I have ever met.  The decision to hire a VA is your best decision yet!  When you start the process of hiring a VA, ask lots of questions, ask colleages for referrals, visit leading VA organizations such as www.ivaa.org.  Have your needs well defined.  Have a budget.  This is an important relationship you are seeking.  Do your homework.

Have a question about this post or hiring a VA in general?  I will be happy to assist you. Contact me at:  kendall@alldigitalsupport.com

Often when I first speak with a client I discover that need for VA services has not yet been fully defined.  It is at this point that a virtual assistant MUST assist the potential client with asking the right questions and providing honesty about what services the VA is the right fit for.  It might be tempting to simply volunteer that one can do “everything” the potential client is seeking. 

When we have a solid understanding of our services we can confidently say to the potential client, I can certainly help in these areas but perhaps you require an additional VA for these items.  As an example, I don’t do “live” phone answering.  I have had more than one occasion of speaking with a new client who needs many skills I can offer AND “can I take some phone calls”.  I am always, ALWAYS, honest with a NO.  But I continue to be helpful by introducing them to the concept that this can be better done by…… .

Well, I am feeling pretty good about the work I have done on defining my business plan and focus.  I am moving next to doing some local business launch activities.  I’ll keep you posted with that progress.

Have a great day

Kendall ~ All Digital Support

There is nothing like a real live example to force your hand to complete this “work focus” definition.  Over the last 6 month I have narrowed my focus down and ensured that my web site seemed to present my skills in these areas. 

On a recent occasion I was still put to the test on communicating effectively with a client regarding my work focus.   I told a client that I can most definitely help set up his Google Adwords campaign.  Because honestly, I do know how to do it.  I know how to define keywords, optimize web sites, develop and run campaigns etc.  The problem is there is a whole industry of people and businesses that do nothing but PPC (pay per click) campaign development, management, monitoring, reporting.  I mean the gory manutia of it.

Well guess what?  He needed the gory manutia and I don’t include this work in my work focus areas.  I am now faced with explaining to a client that I believe he is looking for services that I am not focused on.  I could scramble around and spend hours clawing my way up this learning curve to meet his needs, but then I won’t be working in my “defined work focus” area.

This is exactly why I have spent the time developing focus in my virtual assistant practice.  You just can’t be well versed in all technical areas.  I also know that there is now a certain % of time that I want to spend on steep learning curves.  I instead want more time on learning activities that bring about “expert” skills in my focus areas.

So I’m feeling good about this time investment I have made.  My next steps will include changes to my web site and portfolio to reflect areas of focus.  I am also, (and this may seem strange) developing scripts that I can verbally use when communicating with potential clients.  Because I recognize that selling myself is not my strongest skill, I am committed to defining well thought out scripts to use in those initial conversations.

What kinds of concepts make up my client profile?  I’ve started with these:

• What industry do they work in
• What product do they sell or offer
• Geographic location
• Who are their customers
• Company mission/philosophy
• Company reputation
• Experience with virtual assistants, contractors, outsourcing

These next few are a little harder to determine, they take time, but often lead to the success or demise of a working relationship:

• Honesty/integrity
• Ability to see and treat me as a professional
• Business like in agreements, payments, details of contractual agreement
• Communication skills

Ok, so why spend the time in this area?  Isn’t any client a good client to have?

As a practicing virtual assistant, this is my business. This is what I wake up and do for many hours each day.  As a professional, I want to do my best to spend those hours in positive activities. 

Recently a fellow virtual assistant friend of mine took on a new client.  This client was so scattered, un-organized, and undefined in direction that the “new” relationship only lasted 4 weeks before my very organized VA friend suggested she was not the “right” VA for this client.

The better we have our “ideal client” defined the shorter period of time it will take to determine if a new relationship is a “good fit”.  One of my “ideal client” traits is that I hope to develop long term working relationships.  Why? several reasons:

• I really get to know my client and the clients business and enjoy feeling a part of it.
• It helps with a steady client base and cash flow in my practice
• Marketing for new clients is not my favorite activity and causes me some stress

Because I understand this client trait, I usually don’t look for “project work”.  One-time activities that do not lead to that long term relationship.  I’ll do project work in areas that I am very skilled and comfortable in.  But taking on a project in an area with a steep learning curve is not a good use of my time.  I may not use that skill again soon.

This process is not perfect.  I’m not even all the way through it.  But I have found that because I am taking my time to do it, I am much more focused and directed in my conversations with potential and even current clients.  For business owners considering using virtual assistants, ask a potential Va - ”who is your ideal client”.  This type of up-front question may save everyone a lot of wasted time.

 Good day!

Kendall Gjevre

1. It provides me an excellent and helpful way to stay current with blogging technology
2. I have a great interest in speaking to business owners about the benefits of using a VA and how to most effectively use a VA.

I collaborate with some great fellow VA’s.  We have some great list serves and forums for support and help with our industry.  A common thread that always seems to be in discussion is “how to best set expectations with clients”.  In other words on one side you have a client in need, on the other side you have a great virtual assistant resource and frequently in between you have loads of questions about how to:

• define the relationship
• define the work load
• set expectations
• meet deadlines
• work with technology
• settle mis-understandings
• and the list goes on

Working with a virtual assistant, just like having an employee requires a well defined relationship and effective communication to keep the relationship mutually beneficial.

Most of my clients are business people.  A favorite skill of mine in the technology field has been to speak the language of the business person and the technology person and level the field for a successful working relationship.  As a virtual assistant I find my interests drawn to a similar end.  Helping virtual assistant clients develop successful relationships with virtual assistants.

Thanks for visiting and come back often!
To our success!
Kendall Gjevre