Ann Zuccardy, Vermont Shortbread Company: Last time I hosted you on your blog tour, I asked questions about the virtual assistance industry. It seems as though very few of my friends and colleagues here in Vermont know what a virtual assistant can do for their business. So, while I feel pretty savvy about the VA industry, there's a whole slew of people out there who don't know what VAs do. You pointed out that there aren't very many VAs in my state (Vermont). What a wide open field for aspiring Vermonters who want to run their own business or a great marketing playground for aspiring VAs! I'm happy to hose you here as an introduction to Vermont businesses who could benefit from a VA's services.
I believe blogging is all about conversations with our perfect customers and colleagues, so this time I'd love to learn more about YOU; how you got into the business, what special training you've completed, who your typical customers are. Since I love light hearted humor on my blog, I'd love it if you could start with a funny story.
Sharon Williams, The 24 Hour Secretary: I'm back! Hi Ann and thanks for inviting me for a return visit. I see that for today's visit we are going to talk about virtual assistance, in general, so before we begin, I'd like to invite all your readers and business associates to attend the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (OIVAC). We've a fabulous lineup of 27 presenters speaking on topics that impact all business owners. Visit OIVAC for convention details. You won't want to miss the event of the year! Now to your questions!
1. Tell me about your funniest experience working as a VA.
Wow, that's a tough one. I'll say one of the funniest situations I've experienced occurred many years ago. A prospective client contacted me about creating a menu for his restaurant. Of course, I informed him that it could be done and in a timely manner. The client asked if I had any problems deciphering handwriting - ah a red flag - but I responded "not normally!" I was ready to give it a shot. He told me he would mail a markup of the menu and would like it within 24 hours. Now as you may or may not know, we advertise that we are open 24/7 - but we don't advertise that you are guaranteed your final document in 24 hours - but I learned after the fact that he believed otherwise. The mockup of his "menu" arrived in two days - scribbled on a brown paper shopping bag, with lines and arrows drawn throughout - and a note to make this "scribble" into an inviting restaurant menu. (By the way, the establishment was a seafood restaurant). Well, I cut the bag into pieces, designed the menu to resemble an old style crock cup used normally to serve seafood chowder/soups, etc and mailed it to his attention, with my invoice for services rendered. He called the following day, laughing because he'd purposely sent a horrible sample (testing our services) and expected to receive an irate call complaining about the difficulty of the task and our inability to complete it within 24 hours (which we hadn't committed to). To make a long story short, he loved the concept, and we contracted a professional printer to spruce up the design and the customer used the menu for several years. Why is this funny? Because as soon as I saw the brown paper bad I thought, "this has got to be a joke; no one writes a menu on a brown paper bag". Well, I was right. The joke that was supposed to be on me was actually on the client - because we delivered! The moral of the story - Positive outcomes and long term clients can come from absurd situations.
2. How long have you been in business, Sharon, and what inspired you to start your business?
I've opened the business on 1, 1990, because I was unceremoniously laid off from my "good government job" after 14 years of dedicated service. After taking time to unwind and clear my life of the "I've got to find a job" mentality, I dug back into my entrepreneurial experiences of arabbing with my grandfather (selling fresh fruits and vegetables from a horse driven cart) and utilizing my education and training, opened my doors, without having any clients, and said I will never depend on anyone else for a paycheck!
3. What did you do before The 24 Hour Secretary?
As stated above, immediately before my layoff, I served as a program compliance officer for local city government. Prior to that, I was the first woman, first African-American president of a then 56-year old local union. Going back years before then, --well, I don't want to give up my age - so I'll just leave it at that-
4. How did you market yourself in your local community?
When I first started my business, I actually joined seven (7) Chambers of Commerce. I volunteered on several committees and served as an ambassador, greeting new members. I also attended almost every networking event imaginable (morning, lunch and evening). I joined groups whose membership consisted of my target audience, and networked to the point I was bringing in the business, but eventually didn't have enough time (because I was always away networking) to actually perform the work. That's when, with the promising opportunities presented via the Internet, I eventually cut back on local marketing and concentrated on marketing via the Internet.
Now, I do a very limited amount of local marketing. I'm listed in the Yellow Pages (on and offline) and still support a number of local organizations. In addition, many of the pages of my website are search engine optimized, with the term Maryland listed in the title tag. With being in this business for 18 years, I laid the foundation a long time ago and the company is well-recognized for the quality of our work product, customer service and availability (did I say we are open 24/7?).
5. How did you explain to people who are not savvy about the virtual assistance industry what you do? (For example how would I explain it to my parents?) Do you have an easy-to-understand one-sentence that sums it all up?
Answering as the president of The 24 Hour Secretary, my response would be: "we provide administrative, secretarial, and internet-based marketing support services for busy and often overwhelmed executives, entrepreneurs, and their assistants, 24 hours a day, every day. We give our clients freedom to..."
In a simple sentence, Professional virtual assistants (VAs) are entrepreneurs who provide administrative and other back-office support services for clients, from his/her office, on a contractual basis.
Gee, Ann, that wasn't so difficult after all and I enjoyed the change of pace. Yesterday, Darryll Williams of Right-Hand-Man asked insightful questions and tomorrow I visit Kylie Short, an Aussie VA and owner of Tilda Virtual Services. I wonder what's on her mind! Before we find out, here's today's clue #29 - iestbwe.
Announcement: The stop originally planned to Cherry Communications has been redirected to the OIVAC blog. Stop by to read Shannon's questions, my responses, and to pick up your missing clue (#28). Until tomorrow --
About Sharon Williams
Sharon is the Chairperson of the Alliance for Virtual Businesses and OIVAC, and president of The 24 Hour Secretary, and administrative, secretarial, and internet-based marketing support services company. She is the 2006 recipient of the Thomas Leonard International Virtual Assistant of Distinction Award and co-founder of Virtual Business University, an e-learning environment for entrepreneurs willing to step toward their greatness.
