So, they're as good as the next guy.

Is that any way to advertise yourself? Is anyone going to switch battery brands (or, more importantly, start working with a "virtual" partner on mission-critical tasks) because they're "as good as the next guy" ?

Marketers talk about your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for a good reason. If you can't show a prospect why you are the only possible choice, why you are the perfect match for them, ask yourself: why should they choose you?

If you're only as good as the next guy, what happens when the next guy gets just a little bit cheaper, or a little better, or both?

(By the way, even if you're far better than the next guy, if you can't show a prospect why you're a perfect match, consider the possibility that they aren't a perfect match for you.)

A shower needs to be a great experience, especially since it's already a poor substitute for a nice long soak in a tub big enough for such a soak. Instead, the makers of this shower's plumbing made it one step worse by designing a faucet which inextricably links the water's temperature with its pressure.

In order to get hot water, you simply turn the faucet farther. Of course, this results in more pressure. Turn it up high enough to have a nice hot shower, and needles tear at your flesh. Turn it down to a gently stimulating spray, and the frigid chill stimulates goosebumps.

How does it make sense to link water pressure with water temperature?

Do you provide any packaged services in your business which make as little sense?

Do you require a client to take Service B when they sign up for Service A? Do you place restrictions which make life easier for you, not your client? Are there ways you can let suspects, prospects and clients have more choice, more control, over the degree and kind of services you provide them?

A cold brisk shower might not be your thing; nor might a gentle hot shower. It's not about you! Don't suffer from BLM (Be Like Me.) Unless the packages you've assembled are required by your very best professional advice, don't insist that the people who provide your livelihood think like you.

Shower the people you serve with choice.

You just know those words are going to be followed by a pitch, don't you?

First, I'll get the rant off my chest: telling me that you have $10,000 worth of 'products' for only $297 is selling, period. It's not special, it's not a gift. In fact, if these are electronic products with zero cost to reproduce, there's no such thing as a 'special' price because even if I only give you a nickel, your profit margin on that sale was 100%.

Folks looking for yet another tricky advertising gimmick (you can tell them a mile off because all their prices end in '7') are delighted to imply that they're giving you a gift, some amazing mega deluxe special extra deal, in order to make a sale.

Let's stop corrupting what the words 'gift' and 'special' mean. Don't you dare imply you're doing someone a favor, and then ask them for money. Making a smaller profit isn't a favor, it's business.

Remember when you used to be able to ask someone out for coffee in order to get to know their business better? Smart folks realised that by unselfishly learning about others in order to send them qualified prospects, our networks grew and in the long run, it came back around to us.

Selfish folks figured this out, and started asking networking victims out to coffee to 'learn about your business.' And then, as soon as they'd trudged through the formalities, the hard sell started. Pitch pitch pitch.

Try asking someone out for coffee so you can learn about their business. Watch the panic in their eyes, the scramble for an excuse. Selfish sellers have done their best to suck the juice out of an unselfish but brilliant method of organically, humanly, growing your business.

Promise me that you, yes you, reading right there, will never resort to deception, no matter how subtle, in your marketing or your business. Promise me that if you offer a gift, it is truly a gift, with no thought of return. Promise me that your 'special' price is actually less than what you've actually sold for in the past, and explain why you're reducing the price (otherwise, it just looks like you couldn't sell it for a hundred so you'll try fifty.) Promise me that you'll stop ending prices in the number 7 because even if it works, it's psychological trickery and it's unethical and immoral.

Find someone who's corrupting the gift culture which has been fundamental to civilization for thousands of years, and send them a link to this post. Let's make sure everyone everywhere knows that we're not gonna take it anymore. At the very least, the lazy clowns will have to find something else to corrupt.

Rise above the garbage and noise. You're better than that. You know that, of course, but you're afraid. I get it.

Sometimes being a hero is hard.

• How do you find your first client?
• What are affordable and effective ways to market your services?
• How can you attract and educate prospects with your website?
• How can you develop a business plan, blogging strategy and article writing strategy?
• How do you determine your rates and pricing structure?

Chief Virtual Officer offers an intensive 5-month course customized to your specific needs. Each month focuses on a specific area of your Virtual Assistant practice. Each week you will receive homework with specific strategies to implement in your business right away. In addition to two monthly coaching sessions via telephone, we will reply to all your questions via email as often as you like.

We are currently taking on new clients. Use the Contact Form to schedule your free 30-minute coaching session so you can determine if this is the right program for you.

Get all the details on our Coaching page.

When tea first arrived in England it was expensive. Not, a little bit pricey expensive, but prohibitive, only for the rich expensive. But it caught on quickly, because, well, it's great.

One woman in the south took a full pound of her expensive cache and sent it to her sister in the north, telling her how marvelous it was. Her sister boiled it, dumped the black liquid off and served it like a vegetable. She wrote back about how terrible it was.

She'd prepared it like a vegetable, which she understood, instead of seeing it for what it was: something entirely new.

Some business folks hear about the 'new marketing' and assume it's just more of the old marketing, except online. They still want instant results, measured in dollars return on dollars invested. They want ways to convince people to buy, no matter what they're selling. They spend time and money bolting a website and blog and email autoresponders onto their old-school advertising.

They're dumping the tea and eating the leaves, and then they wonder why it doesn't work.

If you help your clients with their marketing efforts, you may, like the first woman in the story, assume that they'll know how to brew a pot of social media marketing. Erm, tea. Whatever.

But, like the second woman, they don't. They can't. Because it's so foreign to them, they have nothing to connect it to. Give information away, with no firm plan for monetising it? That don't make no sense!

Had the first woman included some simple instructions along with her glowing praise, the story may have had a happier ending. Don't leave anything to chance. Clients who are new to the new marketing will need a lot of hand-holding, a lot of encouragement and explanation and nudging.

Don't assume they get it, unless you actually see them drinking the tea.

I've connected with many great virtual assistants at FindVirtual. I've chatted via email or on the forums with many. One of the great VAs I've connected with is Vickie Turley. In fact, she's even quoted in our book, The Commonsense Virtual Assistant - Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee.

Vickie recently released her book, What's Love Got To Do With It?, How To Have The Perfect VA-Client Relationship. I contacted Vickie to ask her if she'd like to contribute copies of her book for the Client Communication Clinic for Virtual Workers in Vancouver. After several emails and a couple of phone conversations, we realized how well matched we were and that even though we are 'competitors', we could refer work to one another.

During the course of our conversations it came to light that Vickie needed a backup plan when she was unavailable to clients. All VAs should consider putting in place some sort of backup for when they need to go on vacation or are unexpectedly unable to handle their client work. After more conversation, Vickie and I came to an agreement and she hired me to be her backup as needed. In fact, she needed someone immediately since her client needed work done and Vickie was going to be leaving on vacation. So I now have a new client, as a backup for another VA, from connecting with Vickie.

Now her word of mouth referral has resulted in yet another client. Vickie told me about another VA who needed some assistance. Deb Howard Greenleaf needed some assistance with a variety of tasks so she could continue focusing on her tax and accounting business. Since Vickie and I had talked and hit it off, Vickie referred me to Deb. Deb and i had signed contracts for more than one project within a day.

So develop relationships and start referring people. You'll find that you start getting new clients also from word-of-mouth referrals.

However, I really don't know this person that well yet for one thing. I do appreciate that times are tough and we're all looking for ways to get more business. However, proper social media etiquette means we don't just post on other people's wall's for business. I'll admit I've inadvertently posted something on a friend's wall promoting my business. When it was brought to my attention, I immediately apologized and removed the post.

Here's what I suggest. Send this type of message directly to your contacts and ask them if they'd mind sharing it with their friends. Then allow your contact to decide if it's something they feel comfortable promoting on your behalf or not.

I'd love to hear your comments!

• Marketing Your Services
• Defining Your Ideal Client
• Networking Creates Word of Mouth Referrals
• Converting Prospects to Clients

We're happy to have repeat attendees who have found value in the calls and free reports. After the "Networking" call we received this email from one of the attendees:  "Thank you Joel and Sue for a great and informative call, I don’t know how I would ever know the things you share if I hadn’t connected to you.  Because I am new to networking, this call was powerful and very helpful, I already joined a Meet Up networking group as soon as the call was finished to increase my in-person networking activity." ~L.P.

After each group coaching call, we send out a follow-up email that includes a free report on the topic. Another repeat attendee says, "Thanks for the after-call goodies, Sue, they add that extra value to the coaching sessions that I know everyone enjoys." ~ M.F.

We invite you to join us on our next call, Effectively Marketing With Your Newsletter.

Jen made the point that each page on our website should have a goal. We need to take time to decide what the goal is for that particular page and then be sure that everything on that page is working toward that goal.

That was just one little tidbit I took away from today's presentation. Bourn Creative provides a ton on information on their blog and I highly recommend you visit their blog today.

I've been able to do this more than once at local networking events where I was invited to speak to a group of business owners about what a virtual assistant does. I've also done this on telecalls. So how do you prepare to speak to a group of business owners?

1. Determine what you will speak about. Create a title that grabs their attention and that shows the benefit they will receive. For example, my title is "11 Ways a Virtual Assistant Will Help You Get More Done".

2. Write up an outline detailing the challenges your audience faces and the solutions you can provide.

3. Create a bio that demonstrates your knowledge, background and experience.

4. Include testimonials of clients who have worked with you and used your services.

5. Contact local groups and pitch your idea to come speak to their group. Often local organizations are looking for speakers and would be very happy to have you come speak to their group.

6. Prepare a handout to give each attendee providing valuable information and of course include all your contact information.

I'd love to hear from any of you that have done this or something similar. Tell us how it went!