Staying motivated can be a difficult task in starting and running your home-based business.  There are times that things happen and your self-confidence plummets.  You find yourself doubting your decision to start a business in the first place.

Here’s are some steps to keep your power:

First, don’t sit ideally by waiting for the phone to ring.  Keep busy creating new marketing ideas.  Plan B should already in full force and effect.

Be creative.  Energize yourself with the creation of a dynamite brochure.  Design a new mailing piece that conveys exactly the benefits you can offer your clients.  Re-read that marketing letter you just sent and fine-tune it.  Look over your website.  How can you approve upon it to better convey the benefits of your business?

Search for new places that you can promote your business.  Spending time online doing research is important for establishing your business.  Make new connections with other entrepreneurs and organizations.  Find places to exchange links and add your articles.  Don’t be shy.  You should be very confident in your abilities and eager to share that with others.

Read, read, read.  Learn anything and everything you can on starting a business.  Let others show you how they’ve done it.  Take full advantage of the Internet as well.  Find chats and message boards and talk with others.  Find out how they have achieved success.

Start fresh daily with a renewed determination that you are going to make this work.  Visualize yourself addressing that new client with your new leather briefcase in hand, portfolio neatly prepared, and the confidence that you can make a difference in their business. They need you and you’re going to show them exactly just how much.

Finally, you need to believe in yourself under all circumstances.  Write down why you know this business is going to work.  Write down again how you plan to make it happen.

With the right attitude, appropriate skills, extensive research, and sheer determination, you can and will succeed.  That phone will ring — and ring — and ring.  And with each ring, you’ll be grateful that you believed in yourself enough to make it happen.

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Diana Ennen, Author; Virtual Assistant the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, and Corel Word Perfect Office Ready Virtual Assistant Solution Pack (www.corel.com).  She’s the president of Virtual Word Publishing, www.virtualwordpublishing.com, offering publicity and book marketing.  Article is free to be reprinted as long as author’s bio remains intact.  Stop by our site for free information on starting a business and a free sample section of VA the Series.

Virtual Assisting has become one of the most exciting and rewarding home-based businesses.  What a privilege it is to be a part of such an evolutionary industry that continually grows and offers new opportunities and rewards for those coming into the business and those veteran pros as well.  Marketing your Virtual Assistant business can be a rewarding adventure, providing you with permanent clientele and additional profits.

Here are some marketing ideas to help grow your virtual assistant business:

Tip #1 – Fill a need. Be aware of what your clients need even before they tell you.  What can you do that will make their business better? What skills do you possess that sets you apart that would meet the needs of your potential clients?

Tip #2 — Find a mentor or a coach. Find someone who already has gone before you and knows what works and what doesn’t.  Why make the same mistakes, when you can avoid them and learn the best ways to do things.

Tip #3 – Market to Your Existing Clients:  Your existing clients already know the caliber of work that you do so let them market for you.  Always do your absolute best for them and they will keep you around for a long time and they will tell others.

Continually tell them of new services or features.  Send out a newsletter or even a tip of the week to keep your name in front of them.  And when was the last time you called or emailed them ”Hey, how are you doing?  How’s business going?”  A personal, “What’s been happening” call can or email can make a very favorable impression.

Tip #4  - List Tips on Your Website: One of the ways to prove your expertise is to list on your website the things you know.  This shows your clients and potential clients that you know what you are talking about.

Tip #5 – Get involved on Social Networks:  Getting active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others not only helps you connect with others, but puts you front and center to potential clients.  Provide useful information and post regularly.

Tip #6 — Add a P.S. to your Signature Line: We all know how important that signature line is for your business success. Here’s a simple way to make it even more profitable–Add a P.S. to your e-mail messages. You can offer your clients additional discounts or let them know about a new service.  Did you just get a new VA certificate?  Tell them! This can be a perfect opportunity to perhaps toot your horn a little.

Market your way to success in your business!  And lastly, enjoy your marketing.  When clients see that you enjoy what you’re doing, they want to do business with you.

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Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker are the co-authors of numerous books including Virtual Assistant: the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and accompanying Virtual Assistant the Series Workbook, and Virtual Assistant – The Series: Working Virtually, A Guide to Working Remotely as an Employee.  For complete information on starting your own VA business, stop by  http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com.  Article is free to be reprinted as long as the author’s bio remains intact.

Want to have the best relationships with your clients? As your grow your virtual assistant business, it’s important to build solid business relationships with your clients.  Then these clients will not only keep coming back, but also refer others to you.

Here are ten fun tips to help you establish a great working relationship:

#1 – Come Again? It’s critical to establish right from the beginning how you will handle the communications with your clients. If e-mailing, what is the standard turnaround time that you respond back to emails.  If phoning, what are your hours?  Once a client knows when they will hear from you, then they can plan their day and work accordingly.

#2 – No Surprises – Nothing is worse for a client than to discover four hours before you leave that you are heading out on a week-long vacation.  That’s stretching it a bit and you probably wouldn’t do that, but think about other ways you might be surprising your client and not giving them the advance notice they need.   Keep in mind that they are probably under pressure too to get their work done.  Always give as much advance notice as you can when things will disrupt the business flow.

#3 – Where’d She Go? For building good client relationships, try not to disappear off the radar screen.  Check in with your clients often.  When a client writes and they don’t hear back from you for days (or weeks), they fear the worst.  Even if you are working on a large project and the deadline is weeks away, e-mail them and let them know “All is going well.”  That builds confidence and security.

#4 – OOPS, Where Did That Come From? We’ve all been there.  You get the email from the client saying they found a typo or typos.  Ouch.  We can’t be perfect, but try and be as close as you can.  Proof and reproof your work.  Also, if possible wait until the material is fresh and reread it again.  Determine the time when you are at your best, and use that time to do your proofing.

#5 – Super Size It Please - Always give your clients more than they ask for.  You will be rewarded with not only more work, but lots of word of mouth referrals too.  And there are so many ways to do it.  For example, 1) Set up an Autoresponder for them so they can sell more products; 2) Set up Google Alerts under their topic or target audience so you can find websites or blogs that will help them spread their message; 3) Help them produce a newsletter or blog; 4) Send them more clients or referrals; 5) Ask them directly what you can do to better the relationship; and 6) Most importantly, listen to what they say. It’s so easy to get busy and listen with half an ear, or try and talk too much about your business.  Being a good listener is a valuable asset.

#6 – Short and Sweet – Make sure that all e-mail correspondence is typed accurately and is short and to the point.   With everyone having busy schedules, this helps your clients save valuable time. One thing you’ll discover is if you write too long of an e-mail often your main points will be missed.  This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t strive to get the answers you need, but keep in mind that their time is valuable and to use it wisely.

#7 – You Need it WHEN? – Determine exactly when work is to be completed or when the order is to go out.  This will save a tremendous amount of problems down the road if everyone is in agreement.  It’s also good to have a written contract. Be specific.  Once everyone knows what is expected, things run so much more smoothly.

#8 – My Dog Ate It – One thing you want to do is always try and make your deadlines and avoid excuses.  We all know that things come up and that’s okay if it happens occasionally.  However, if you make it a habit of needing additional time or not finishing projects, that client will fear sending you more work.  Not a good thing.

#9 – Saved by the Bell – Make it a point to back-up your work on a regular basis.  And test those backups.  Can you imagine even losing a week’s worth of work?  Your clients are counting on you to protect their work so you want to make sure it is.

#10 – Howdy Partner – Remember that you are establishing a partnership relationship with your clients.  You want to help their business grow because as you do, your business grows too.  Let them know you value them as a client and are glad that they have entrusted you with their work.  In other words, you appreciate them.  Also, let them know that you appreciate referrals so that they can help in your success.  It can be a two-way street with this partnership.

And finally, enjoy.  Start a friendship with your clients and let them know that you care about them.  Most of my clients today are good friends.  This isn’t to say that I’m not professional and don’t conduct myself professionally, as I do. However, I let them know that I’m also interested in them personally and how they are doing.  I take time to know their birthdays, their kid’s names, etc.  Think how you feel when something lets you know they care about you.

Hope you enjoyed these ‘fun” tips.  As our Industry continues to thrive, it’s important to earn the respect and trust of our clients and also fellow Virtual Assistants.  When you set up your business with the goal of doing a fabulous job, you’ll end up with fabulous clients, and fabulous friends.  It’s a win/win for all.

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Diana Ennen is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, www.virtualwordpublishing.com and the author of numerous books on starting a virtual assistant business including Virtual Assistant the Series: Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA and accompanying Workbook and also Corel WordPerfect’s Office Ready Virtual Assistant Solution pack.  E-mail her at diana@virtualwordpublishing.com to receive your free Business Informational Package.  Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains intact.

It’s pretty obvious that the marketing of today has changed.  You have newspapers going virtual/web only, Twitter and Facebook replacing postcards and phone calls, and potential clients now being the main target of your press releases as opposed to editors.  It’s all changing and to do PR today, you need to change with it.  The good news is that it’s never been easier. The bad news, you need to learn a new way to do things. Fortunately, there are tips that can make it easier and I’m here to show you a few.

First, no one can deny the power of social networking.  And those that do are just plain wrong. I’ve been in business since 1985 and I liken this to way back when emails became a way of life.  Many still contended they wanted to do it the old fashioned way and nothing would beat a letter. (I know it’s hard to even imagine this today.) It wasn’t long until they realized their error, but by then their competition was way ahead of them. Don’t make the same mistake now.  You absolutely need to get with it and get on board. I can practically guarantee you within weeks you’ll be hooked and wondering why you ever hesitated. It’s so easy, and the potential so great, you need to start today.

Let’s break it down.  Twitter first.  Forget all the “I don’t care what they ate for lunch excuses,” that’s where your competition and peers are and you do need to be there too. Sure you do have a few tweeters who will update you on the latest hot dog they ate, but that’s rare.  What you do have is more and more businesses networking and connecting with each other in ways never thought possible.  It’s also more than just networking back and forth, you can have chats, host events, get more publicity for your articles and press releases & even announce your seminars and radio shows.  And that’s not even the half of it.  There are entire books written on this, so my first recommendation is to get them.  Why struggle and find your way around when you can easily read the tips from those who know exactly what you need to succeed.

Also, while you are getting your feet wet, don’t jump in and start posting and selling and ranting and raving.  Take it slow.  Sign up, take a sit, remain quiet for a short time and read what others are posting.  Follow the leaders in your industry and take advantage of their knowledge.  It can almost feel like walking around with them all day and looking over their shoulders for their secrets.  What’s cool is they give their tips freely, why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that? As an example, if someone were looking for information on starting a virtual assistant business or getting publicity for their business, they could follow me at Twitter.com/dianaennen

Now the key many forget is that not only do you need to follow them, you need to listen earnestly to what they are saying.  Go to the sites they recommend.  Actually do the things they suggest.  And most importantly, if you have the opportunity to contribute and honestly have something of importance to say, do!  Even if they aren’t following you, once you list their twitter name @name, it will go to them.  Best yet, you might get a retreat or even better a RT and follow back.  As many say, those are the ultimate compliments.

Now it’s important to learn the social media  lingo – Hashtags, Retweets, Fans, Follow Friday, this is just a few of the many names you need to know to do business better.  It can be overwhelming.  No, in fact it is overwhelming.  However, if you keep it simple and take it a step at a time, you can do it.  When you see a term you don’t know, look it up right then.  Write down your interpretation and do the investigating to find out more about it.  Here are just a few to help you on your journey.

What’s a retweet?   That’s when you find somone’s information useful and you want to pass it onto your followers.  So basically RT (retweet) is good content that you pass on.  Many RT just to RT.  Don’t be one of them.  You know your followers and what they want and need, that’s what you should be RT’ing.  We highly recommend signing up for TweetDeck for ease in doing this.  A click of a button and you are there.

Next you need to know about Follow Friday.  This is definitely one of my favorites. Think of Follow Friday as your day networking at a business get-together, only better. You get to stay in the comfort of your own home, and you get to immediately make the connections, not when you get home with a handful of business cards.  Try and plan your week so you can participate.  Remember this can be even more effective than a Chamber meeting or an expensive business seminar.  So plan a lighter load on Friday whenever possible.  You want people to mention you so mention them.  Also, don’t just list 20 screens of twitter names that you want people to follow.  Tell your followers why they should follow them.  What do they offer that your followers would be interested in?  Remember to put #followfriday in your posting.  (By the way, see that # in followfriday.  That’s what is called a hashtag.  Cool huh!)  And finally, you want people to retweet your followfriday postings, so keep your count to 120 instead of 140 so they can easily do this.  In fact, do this for all tips or postings you wanted retweeted.

Finally, try and post on Friday mornings.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ll often go down my postings to find those I want to list.  I know I want to list them before hand so it’s not that I’m just going down my friends column, but often times I don’t have their information readily available.  By posting on Friday you are giving it to them.

Finally, sign up for Trilalerts for your keywords.  Start following those of interest.  For example, I’m a virtual assistant, so I’ve signed up for virtual assistant updates.  Now I can follow other virtual assistants easily.  I do the same for Publicity, etc. Who do you want to connect with?  That’s who you sign up for. Follow the media.  Sign up for Facebook and Twitter for the newspapers and TV stations in your area.  Look for business reporters who tweak and follow them.  Learn their style and what they are looking for in their articles.

Also, follow some of the owners of the many article and press release directories who tweet.  Some of the best are on there and giving away secrets to success left and right.

Facebook is pretty self explanatory.  The key here is to spend some time to expand your network.  Fortunately you get notices when someone responds to your posts, so try and go and follow-up as soon as you can.  However, be careful that you don’t get sidetracked doing this too often. Build relationships.  You can have thousands of friends and fans, but can you honestly connect to all of them.  I know I sure can’t. Twitter also now allows your tweets to be sent to your Facebook page too.  This is definitely a plus.  Just make sure that you don’t do this to all of your postings, only the ones you feel would interest your friends on Facebook.

Article Submissions, Press Release Submissions -  I also say you need to send out articles and press releases religiously.  Many question how some succeed with this and others don’t.  What’s the difference? The main thing is that they know what to do. They realize the difference that page ranking can make and don’t waste their time on sites that don’t get results.  They sign up for Google Alerts under their keywords and then check out the sites that frequently get spidered.  Then they send to those places and add those sites to their database.  We do have a fabulous  PR informational package that is free to anyone who emails us.

Marketing a business and social networking doesn’t have to be expensive if you just remember to network and use all the tools available to you.  In fact, it can be fun as you get to meet new people and develop new ways to sell you and your business.  Also, keep in mind if you don’t want to do it yourself, there are excellent qualified pros and virtual assistants available to assist.  You don’t need to do it all.  You just need to do it!

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Diana Ennen, specializes in publicity and marketing and is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com.  Ready to jumpstart your PR campaign, then email her at Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com.  Free PR Informational Package available. Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dianaennen . Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.

Sometimes it seems you can pick up a magazine or book today or even turn on the news, without someone talking about the Virtual Assistant Industry.  I couldn’t be happier.  We deserve this.  Virtual assistants have worked long and hard to gain the recognition they are getting today and I know it’s only the beginning.

I’d love to share 10 reasons why I love being a Virtual Assistant.

1. My clients.  I get to work with some amazing clients and help them achieve success.
2. Control over my business.  I love to know that I have the power to make it grow and am an active part of its success.  I get to choose the clients I want to work with, the hours I want to work, and most importantly I get to say no as well.
3. To be part of the Virtual Assistant Industry. I’ve been blessed to be involved in the Virtual Assistant Industry since its inception.  Every year I get to see it reach more media and get more attention.
4. To have the opportunity to use my skills and talents every day.  I love what I do, and every day I get to wake up and do it again.  If you talk to most entrepreneurs they will acknowledge passion is one of the most important aspects to success.
5. There is always something new.  I’m an A Type Personality so I definitely need a challenge.  I love the thrill of new clients, old clients that have become good friends, new challenges, and also having the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s business and success.
6. In addition to publicity and marketing, I also do virtual assistant coaching.  I love to be able to take a VA with just a dream and turn it into a successful business.
7. I love to write and being a virtual assistant allows me to do just that.  Whether it’s writing a press release or a media kit for a client, or a new book on the virtual assistant industry, my career choice has allowed me to do this.

If you think you’d like to join the ranks of virtual assistant, email me at Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com

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Diana Ennen, specializes in publicity and marketing and is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and author of numerous books. Ready to jumpstart your PR campaign, then email her at Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com.  Free PR Informational Package available. Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dianaennen.  Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.