You've set your rates as a virtual assistant and then are contacted by a prospect who wonders if you'll work for $4-$10 per hour. You know there is no way you can cover your costs for such a low hourly rate. But how can you explain to a prospect why your rate is so much more and why they still may want to use your services?

I've talked with quite a few clients and prospects who tried the $4-$10 per hour services and then decided to use a professional virtual assistant instead. The two main reasons they chose to use a professional virtual assistant instead are quality and consistency.

The cheaper service providers don't usually offer the same quality of service that a professional virtual assistant can provide. Small business people are looking for someone who not only can do the tasks assigned, but that can also add value. A professional virtual assistant can do this by doing additional research and making recommendations.

One client said, "My only previous experience is with assistants that just did what I told them to, but contributed very little input and really didn't add any value."

That client needed an email marketing tool and had just signed up with one of the email management services. Before we got started on the project I spoke with the client and asked enough questions to find out that the particular service he had signed up for was not going to meet his needs. I offered to do some research and make recommendations on what would work best for his needs.

After we found the right service for his business, this same client said, "I just love having an assistant that is knowledgeable and gives thoughtful consideration to our projects."

The other complaint business people had about the cheaper services was consistency. They didn't feel they always were working with the same person or getting the same level of service from each person. The availability of the service was inconsistent.

Now there may be times when using the cheaper services is right. Each person will need to make their own determination on that. I thought of something in my life to use as an example. Have you ever been to one of those stores where everything is only $1? I have too. In fact, there are many times when buying something there really cheap is just what I need. For example, I homeschool my five-year old. At these stores I can buy all kinds of workbooks, stickers, pencils, glue, etc. for my five-year old to use in school projects. These projects aren't going to be saved in the Smithsonian. It also doesn't really matter if one week I go there and buy a pack of consruction paper but the next week they don't have any. It seems that these stores are cheap but they don't necessarily have a consistent stock of items.

But let's say I need a quality gift. I could spend $5 at the cheap store and pick up several little gifts that might be fun to give to my five-year old. But would I buy a quality gift there to give to my friend as a going away present? No! I would go to a store where I could find something of quality, though I would expect to pay more, of course.

Then there's the inconsistency at these cheaper stores. I may be able to find the construction paper I want for a school project one week and then it's not there the next week. So if I really needed construction paper on a weekly basis, I'd be less inclined to go to the cheaper store because I wouldn't be sure I could always find it. I'd be more inclined to go to the local office supply store where they always have the paper I need.

So perhaps there is a time where using a cheaper service is the right choice. For the most part, though, business persons have found that paying a higher rate for a professional virtual assistant is the right choice because they get the quality and consistency they need.

As we near the end of 2009, it's our tendency to slow down in our networking efforts. It's a very busy time of year and we tend to feel we just don't have time to attend one more networking event.  So stand out and take the opportunity to attend one more networking event before the end of the year.

Now is the time to prepare for the New Year. One of the best ways to market your business is to build trusting relationships. You build trusting relationships by networking and getting to know people and what they do. Take a sincere and personal interest in them. Find out who their ideal client is so you know who to refer to them.

Start planning today to grow your network so you can start 2010 on the right foot. Make it a point to connect with at least 2-3 new people and follow up in January over a cup of coffee.

It's bound to happen. We're only human and we all make mistakes. We try very hard in our businesses to put processes in place so that we don't make mistakes. But it happens. So what do you do when it happens?

Here's my opportunity to be authentic and admit that recently we made a mistake on a client project. Of course it was completely unintentional and accidental. Upon review we still don't even know how it could have happened. But it did. Our client brought it to our attention in a very kind manner. He knew it was accidental and unintentional. Though the mistake couldn't actually be fixed, he expected us to offer some sort of compensation for the error. And we completely agreed!

We were mortified that a mistake had been made! This client is one of our favorite clients. We really enjoy working with him and we weren't sure if this was going to be the end of our working relationship. We needed now to make sure we lived up to our customer service superheroes policy. So we discussed exactly what we could offer this client to make amends for this mistake. We wanted to be sure that what we offered far exceeded any expectations he had.

We called our client and apologized for the mistake, no excuses. Then we proceeded to explain what we could do to make amends. We made a generous offer of additional time at no charge and offered to take on a project we knew he needed done at no charge. We wanted to make sure our client felt well taken care of and hoped he'd continue working with us.

Our client was very happy with our offer of additional work at no charge! He explained that he'd wondered how we would handle the situation. He realizes that mistakes happen and that it's the way they are handled that makes all the difference. He was very excited to continue working with us and had a project we could start on immediately. He was so impressed with the results of that project that he offered to write a testimonial if he hadn't already (he already had though).  We continue to work together and our client continues to refer others to us.

Yes, we will make mistakes. It's how we handle them that determines the outcome. So here's my 3 simple rules on how to handle mistakes:

1. Own up to your mistakes. Take responsibility for what you did. Don't make excuses. Figure out how the mistake was made, if at all possible, and then put into place processes to prevent that mistake from happening again.

2. Apologize. Give your client a sincere apology, without excuses, for what happened. If you used a sub-contractor and the error was made by your sub-contractor, you still need to take responsiblilty.

3. Make generous amends. This does not have to be monetary. It can be additional time or product. Be sure your client feels they got more than enough compensation. If the error resulted in a $500 loss for your client, make amends of double that value.

When you own up to your mistakes, apologize, and make generous amends, you'll find that your clients appreciate your openness, honesty and integrity.

We all receive a ton of messages every day, maybe hundreds and even thousands, through email, radio, TV, magazines, etc. Does your prospect remember your message among all those they receive each day? When they are ready to use a product or service, do they think of you first?

Here are 4 ways to connect with your prospects on a regular basis so they will think of you first:

1. Ezine. Consider sending your ezine out weekly instead of monthly. A note of caution though. If you decide to send weekly, keep it short! If you're blogging several times a week, your ezine could be the title and first paragraph of each post for the week with links back to those blog entries where your prospect can read more.

2. Blog. Post a blog entry at least three times a week, even daily. Conclude each entry with a call to action directing your prospects to your products and services.

3. Teleseminars. Promote your teleseminars in your ezine and blog. There are many sites you can promote your teleseminars on also. One site is www.seminarannouncer.com. You can also use Facebook and LinkedIn to post these events.

4. Auto responders. Creating an auto responder series is an excellent way to grow your list and stay on top of your prospects minds. It could be an e-course, weekly tips, daily inspirations, etc.

Remember to use balance and do not inundate your prospects with too much, too often. The information you send should be relevant and valuable.

A virtual assistant can help you set up systems and manage these for you so you can stay on top of your prospects minds. Are you ready to start a blog or monthly newsletter? Contact Awesome Assistant and let's get started.

What are you doing that makes your prospects think of you first?

The #1 challenge new virtual assistants have is getting that first client. You know that if you could get just one client and wow them with your work that they will in turn recommend you to their friends. But how do you get that first client?

There are a variety of things you could do. Today I'm going to give you three different steps you can take to find that first client.

Step #1: Subcontract for an established virtual assistant. Find an established virtual assistant and build a relationship. Some virtual assistants need additional help from time to time and if you've established a relationship, they may call on when they need extra help. Be aware, though, that the rate as a subcontractor may be significantly less than the rate you would charge a client directly. This is to be expected since as a subcontractor you did not go out and find the client and are not directly managing the project.

Subcontracting is a good way to gain experience and make a little income. I strongly suggest you have some sort of written agreement or contract clearly defining expectations and rate of pay. I know virtual assistants who only do subcontract work and don't want the additional responsibilities that come with managing the client directly.

Step #2: Trade or barter services. Especially in difficult economic times, many solo professionals are willing to trade or barter services. I've know life coaches, business coaches, massage therapists, chiropractors and other service providers that were willing to provide their services in exchange for a virtual assistant's time.

If you could use one of these services, find out if they would be willing to barter. Again, this is a great way to get experience and may result in good word of mouth referrals. If the client is happy with your work, this is a great opportunity to ask for a testimonial to use in your marketing materials.

Step #3: Offer an hour or two at no charge. I know you're wondering right now if I really just told you to give away some of your time without getting paid. Is that what I meant? Yes! However, I did not say you wouldn't get anything in return. Let me explain.

You are brand new, just set up in business and have no clients, no testimonials, no proof you are good at what you do. So why would anyone want to hire you or retain your services for five or ten hours each month? But if you could get even one client, a glowing testimonial and begin your portfolio, then there's a reason for someone to consider using your services. So how do you get that first client? Offer an hour or two for free.

Of course you still want to have a contract detailing the work you will do in that one or two hours. Be sure that both you and the client have the same clear expectations. Let the client know up front that you'd like them to provide a testimonial - if they are truly pleased with your work.

If you provide excellent service, you will find that the majority of clients who you gave an hour or two of time at no charge will want to continue using your services and will gladly pay your fee. I have never been disappointed with my return on investment when I've done this. I've found it's very rare that a client uses their free hour or two and then never comes back.

Since many small business owners are still reluctant to use a virtual assistant and aren't sure what we can do for them, offering a small amount of our time can break the ice. In my opinion, this is not much different than a business coach who offers a free report with the hope that you'll then pay for the more extensive eBook or even pay for his business coaching.

If you're reluctant to offer free services to someone you don't know, you may find a friend or family member that you can do some work for to gain some experience. Of course, this can have challenges of its own.

So what step will you take to get your first client?