When it comes to virtual assistant tools, a lot of what you need is going to depend on what you do.Specifically, when you are looking for references and resources to have in your VA business office, you’re going to need different tools if you work with real estate agents that you will need to have if you are going to be working with authors or designers.

In general, there are some guidelines for the tools that you’ll want to have:

1. A dictionary and thesaurus. Even if you primarily use online versions, if you’re doing writing for your clients - whether you are writing for their websites or you’re writing business letters - you will want to be sure that you’re creating content that people want to read and that spells and uses words correctly.
2. Marketing guides. Even if you have participated in some marketing training as a part of your VA business, it’s a good idea to have a reference book or two that can refresh your memory is create a spark of inspiration.
3. Software related to the industry that you’re working in. Is there a must-have that everyone in your clients’ field uses? If so, you should have it too.

What virtual assistant tools do you have? Are their guides that you consult often?

There are a number of skills that virtual assistants have well before starting out with running a business and bringing on clients, tackling marketing and getting the job done. However, regardless of what skills you have as a VA, there are always some improvements that you can make and some ways in which you’ll find that you’ve got something special to offer.

For example, let’s say that one of the things that people always say to you is that you’re great at picking out the perfect gift; this too is a skill that can help in your business. Think about it, most of the clients that you’ll be working with will, from time to time, need customer appreciations gifts that they’ll need to buy; why not make that a skill that you put to work in your VA business?

Having skills that are associated with doing administrative work and marketing is great - it can be extremely valuable, and the point of this post is not to suggest otherwise. The goal also was not to point out which skills virtual assistants need to have. Instead, it was simply to point out that virtual assistants need to be able to identify their skills because even those things that may not immediately seem relevant can help you to get ahead in business.

When you are looking for a great profession and you want to be in charge of your own work schedule and accomplishments, becoming a virtual assistant is a great option - especially if you already have a number of administrative skills. There’s a remarkably simple reason for this too: virtual assistants are in demand:

(source)It turns out that 64% of American adults would gladly outsource a whole range of tasks to someone else. When asked if hiring a virtual assistant would give them more time or reduce stress in their lives, more than 70% said that it would. An even higher number (75%) believe that personal assistants aren’t just for celebrities.

Based on the results of this Harris poll, it’s easy to see that there’s a demand for virtual assistants; but the report goes on to describe some of the services that these individuals who want to work with a virtual assistant are looking for:

(source)When asked what types of tasks they would have a virtual assistant do for them, the survey found a long list of things that people would rather have others do for them. Topping the list, 33% would rather not research and organize their own travel and vacation arrangements. Coming in a close second, 28% of the survey participants said that organizing and paying bills was something they would rather not do themselves. The survey found that men find this task more dreadful than women at 31% versus 25%.

In other words, not only does the report indicate that it isn’t a bad time to become a virtual assistant, it also helps to provide you with a sense of what services that you may want to offer as a part of your virtual business.

When you know what people are looking for and you know what you are able to provide, you’ll find that all it takes is a bit of business training and you will be well on your way to running a great virtual assistant business.

When it comes to technology for virtual assistants, buying software can get mighty expensive - especially if you do desktop publishing work, process a lot of documents, create presentations for your clients, or need to keep track of the hours that you work.

Enter open source software: a cost effective alternative that lets you run similar programs, save them in common formats and. What make open source technology for virtual assistants a cost effective option? Simply put, it’s free.

When you’re able to save money on the costs associated with software, you’ll find that you are able to spend more on other technology that will come in handy for your running your virtual assistance business.

Think about the value of external hard drives for storing information. Consider the benefits of more RAM for your computer or a better scanner or printer: each of these things can help to ensure that your business goes smoothly. When you’re not spending all of your money getting the software that you need for your business, you’ll find that it’s easier to enjoy the benefits of modern technology.

If you’ve been thinking about becoming a virtual assistant, it’s a safe bet that you will want to know whether or not you have what it takes to get into business for yourself.

So, what does it take to become a virtual assistant?

1. Drive and determination: in order to become a virtual assistant, you’re going to want to be sure that you want to work for yourself. You’re going to need to make a commitment to making it happen because going into business for yourself is hard work.
2. Business training. Though you have the skills that you will need to provide the services clients are looking for, it’s a great plan to have some business training before you become a virtual assistant so that you know more about marketing and other business tasks.
3. A supportive network. When you are able to network with virtual assistants who have established themselves, you’ll find that it’s easier to master the ins and outs of becoming a virtual assistant.

Becoming a virtual assistant is something that is definitely attainable - especially if you have the right tools up front.

When it comes to running a virtual assistant business, one of the things that you are going to discover is that your workflow will be a lot more smooth if you are able to establish a great plan for clear communication. Simply knowing what it takes to work well with your clients is going to be essential.

So what will form the basis for great communication with your clients (and, along with it, the ability to know that your VA business will run as smoothly as possible)?

First, work with your clients to develop a clear description of your job. On one hand, this will simplify the process of knowing what’s expected of you; on the other it will clearly establish what both parties’ responsibilities will be. In addition, this will help you to set the groundwork for a clear line of conversation and, along with it, communication.

Next, you will want to schedule times when you’ll connect and talk. This will let both of you know what progress has been made and what changes might be coming up. As a result, you and your clients will know what’s been done to work towards reaching goals and meeting deadlines.

These two simple elements - both you and your clients understanding what is expected and keeping communication open - will make running a VA business far easier than you may have thought it would be.

A big movivation behind virtual assistant marketing is attracting new clients. A great way of attracting new clients - in any business - is all about saying "these are your needs, and this is how my services (or product) can meet them."

As a virtual assistant, marketing is essential. It’s something that you need to be familiar with for your own purposes and, well, it’s also something that your clients are going to be able to benefit from once you have everything down.

One way of reaching out to prospective clients and marketing yourself as a virtual assistant is to show them what you can do to help them clear their to do lists. Why not create a sample to do list on your website, that shows some of these items are things that you can take care of?

For example, let’s say that one of the services that you offer with your virtual assistant business is travel planning: why not show what tools you use and how simple it will be for them to use them? Similarly, if what you offer involves real estate services, show a sample of the listings that you’ve helped coordinate or include a list of the tools that you use (Hint: when prospective clients see that you’re using the same tools that they do, it’s easier for them to understand how much you can do for them).

In terms of virtual assistant marketing, everything that you’re doing is meant to show prospective clients what you can do for them - after all, that’s what’s going to help you to build your business.

Assistants come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, so what is it that virtual assistants do that makes them virtual?

After all, virtual assistants don’t merely exist as a function of the imagination. While we may not be sitting at a desk right outside of the executive’s door, we can still provide many of those same services from a distance. While those of us who offer creative or marketing services aren’t going to be found shuffled off into a particular office area, there’s nothing to say that we cannot design logos, brochures or advertisments just as well as someone who can have an eye kept on them.

What virtual assistants do that makes them virtual can best be explained by saying that virtual assistants do all of the same things that a traditional assistant would do, however, because they also are business owners in their own right, they don’t need that same chronic supervision.

When a business professional works with a virtual assistant, he or she will find that not only is the work being done well, but there’s also no need to train an assistant, less time spent worrying about whether or not priorities will be established: they simply know that the work will be done.

After all, what virtual assistants do are based on skills that they have developed over time; it’s not what we do that’s different, it’s just about how we do it.

One of the most challenging parts of running a VA business is becoming a master of time management. Specifically, when you work at home, running a VA business means figuring out what it’s going to take to keep you from falling into those ruts that suck up your time and keep you from getting things accomplished.

What are some of the most common ways in which every day things lead to procrastination (and interfere with both time management and running your VA business)?

1. Phone calls from friends or family members who don’t get that just because you’re home doesn’t mean that you’re not working.
2. Checking to see whether a friend has updated their Flickr site - either with personal photos or with images that they’re using for a project.
3. Catching up on reading blogs - those related to running a VA business and those that just catch your eye.
4. Answering emails.

When you look at the list, you’ll notice that a lot of the same time management problems that happen in any workplace do carry over when you are running a VA business: developing great time management skills can help you to keep them from slowing you down and then having to rush through getting work done for your clients.

When you run a VA business, one way to overcome procrastination and ensure that everything goes smoothly involves setting a schedule - knowing before you go into the home office what’s going to need to be done. Some VAs find it helpful to set alarms if they are going to indulge in some refreshers; after all, if you schedule in a few minutes to devote to checking on something, it will be a lot easier to avoid the temptation of getting caught up in it.

The good news is that, when it comes to develop great time management skills that will help you in your virtual assistant business you’ll find that it’s not altogether difficult to do; it just means getting around to doing it!

Technology makes it possible for virtual assistants to do their business and to work for themselves without compromising communication in any way. More importantly, what you’ll find is that technology, for virtual assistants, contributes to every element of your business.

It’s technology that’s brought websites into the foreground for most businesses. It’s advances in technology that have led to the changes to content occurring frequently - and why so many of us now will not only be writing blogs for our own businesses but also for our clients. Likewise, it’s the changes in technology that have made social media so important.

While virtual assistants are going to use a number of different forms of technology, to some extent they will differ depending on the services that you offer your clients. it’s just important to keep in mind that technology gives us the tools to do our work more efficiently.

Desktop publishing software, web-design software that makes it easy to create a website as well as to design electronic newsletters (and the auto-responders that simplify sending them out): all of these things are going to be important on different levels.

Fortunately, if you’re just getting started as a virtual assistant, when you talk with and make connections with other VAs, it’s easy to figure out what technology you’re going to need for your home office - both for running your business and for helping your clients.