by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Mar 6, 2014 | Business Values, Communication
You believe yourself to be a professional but are you professional? There is a difference.
You may be deemed a professional because you operate a business but being professional is an action. It is a choice. In business and life, there are plain and simple human courtesies that should be extended to everyone. It shouldn’t matter who initiated the contact but when you choose to no longer engage or ignore any form of correspondence, you are no longer “being” professional.
What has happened to the Golden Rule in this age of technology? Does it allow or justify actions that would not be normally accepted in an in-person venue? If you were at a networking event, engaging in a conversation would you suddenly decide to turn your back and walk away without notice or a word? I think not. That would be extremely rude and thoughtless.
Can you imagine calling someone of interest, exchanging a few words and then they hang up without forewarning? What would you think? How would you feel?
For some it may present a challenge to be completely forthright and honest with feedback and responses but if you expect the same from your network, then give back what you want in return. Everyone deserves an answer. Communicating is the foundation of every single relationship, whether business or personal, online or off.
What message are you sending to your audience, your potential buyers if you aren’t responding to social comments or posts? Your brand and reputation may suffer. As you know, word spreads fast and if you aren’t satisfying the human need for a reply to a query, you may be opening yourself up to negative reactions. Make the time to respond.
“If you’re not engaging customers during the entire product life cycle through social media, you’re missing out. Because someone else will.” –Dennis Stoutenburgh
If you ignore emails because you don’t know how to respond or are apprehensive about expressing your opinion about a product or service, don’t expect to retain a follower or gain a brand ambassador. People can deal with rejection and feedback; extend thoughtfulness with a reply.
“We’ve seen an increase in the nonresponse rather than just politely declining. You delete it and hope it goes away, just like if someone comes to your door and you pretend you’re not home.” Adam Boettiger, digital marketing consultant.
You are online, participating in your social networks, building your brand, credibility, community and network. Is it truly worthwhile or beneficial to disregard the voice of others? Deliberate silence is a poor communication strategy demonstrating a lack of respect and interest and also has the capabilities of reinforcing potential miscommunications.
Your active choice NOT respond is a very loud statement. With all of the techie gadgets sitting on your desk or in your lap, click a few keys. There is always time and a tool.
“Mobile communications and pervasive computing technologies, together with social contracts that were never possible before, are already beginning to change the way people meet, mate, work, war, buy, sell, govern and create.” Howard Rheingold
Simply put: BE Professional
- Be kind.
- Be courteous.
- Be responsive.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Feb 6, 2014 | Business Values, Communication, Entrepreneur, Small Business
Your business can’t survive online without the trust from your consumers. They won’t buy unless they feel the know, like, trust factor. You must earn the trust and loyalty of your audience; your community. Cultivate your relationships through authentic communications and reliability. Your network is always looking for validation to ensure that a potential partnership or connection is dependable, trustworthy and “real.” Remove the feeling of vulnerability and risk of doing business with someone behind a keyboard. There can be an uneasy feeling and some have been burned, which is something you must understand and respect from the customer’s point of view. It is up to you to help them develop a comfort level and place of safety to do business online.
I believe fundamental honesty is the keystone of business. Harvey S. Firestone
You don’t need a contract to instill honesty and live by a moral compass. Give out what you expect in return and nothing less. Your business depends on it. Your reputation will either make you or break you. Credibility and a sound reputation is what gets you to the finish line toward establishing rapport and a long term relationship.
Each of your social platforms showcase you and your brand. You have the opportunity to personally interact with your followers – your potential customers on a personable level. Let them get to know you through your content, postings, engagement and dialog. Keep it real and keep it you.
Trust = Authority x Helpfulness x Intimacy / Self-Promotion Steve Rayson The New Formula for Social Media Trust
Your 10 Tips to Build Trust:
- Offer solutions: SHOW them you care and are truly interested in listening and solving their problems. Consumers have pain points that need care and understanding. Demonstrate that you you know what they want and need.
- Communicate clearly and responsively. No one likes to be on hold listening to ear bleeding elevator music. Engage. Whether you are responding to a post comment, email or client text message, don’t keep them waiting and wondering. Service them promptly.
- Be transparent. It helps to instill trust and shows the human side of your company and your brand.
- Be accountable. Do as you say; back up your words with actions and if you make a mistake, own it 100% and correct it. The customer is the one who writes your paycheck.
- Privacy and confidentiality. Respect a client’s proprietary information and discussions. There is no reason to share this type of data. You are being trusted with details or questions and they should not become public knowledge or water cooler chatter. Lock it up!
- Testimonials. When you receive recommendations, make sure they are openly displayed as they help to validate your service and your company. Add them to your website, email signature and other marketing collateral. If it is a tweet, then save it as a favorite so others can see “real-time” recommendations. Ask for them on your LinkedIn profiles.
- Under promise and over deliver. It may be a cliché but it is a premise of good business and service. There is nothing more disappointing or frustrating to be let down by a vendor missing a deadline.
- Educate and share valuable content. Enrich the lives of your audience without self-promotion and you become a trusted resource not a snake salesman.
- Feedback. Never bury your head in the sand. Always ask for feedback on a job, a post, a conversation. If you don’t ask, you don’t receive and you won’t know what you are missing. If you off point, you won’t be able to take charge and correct the course. Feedback is a valuable learning tool toward successful relationships and communication.
- Commit to your word. Very simple yet some have a propensity to fall back and forget such a courtesy. Do as you say without hesitation. There is enough misrepresentation in the world, especially online but if you intend to build your brand, your reputation and your business, then follow through with your verbal handshake.
How do you build trust and instill confidence with your customers and community?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 17, 2013 | Communication, Leadership, Social Media
When my daughter attended Montessori they had a plaque in the room that said: Be Kind.
So simple, yet so powerful.
Kindness is the basis for all relationships in the home and the workplace. Building long-term, mutual healthy connections relies on a few humble premises. Look at the people around you, past and present: do they resonate with your core values? What is their track record? Have they always been honest and forthright? Any red flags? Have you ever questioned their intentions or honesty?
I believe fundamental honesty is the keystone of business. Harvey S. Firestone
Communication styles vary from person to person, but honesty and truth should always take precedence, no matter your position, status, or relationship (business or personal). What we say and do is explicitly related to the measure of trust we have with others and they have in us. How you interact with someone is a reflection of your character and integrity. If you opt to forgo this most common sense trait, then you forfeit your reputation and connections.
Building credibility and trust requires authenticity, consideration, integrity, and intent. It is to be earned, not assumed. Reputations can be instantly destroyed, sales lost, partnerships dissolved. There is nothing more important than building trust; in your business, in your life.
Strengthening Relationships
- Engage in frequent honest communications
- Express gratitude
- Be well intentioned
- Demonstrate sincere interest
- Be present in the moment
- Actions speak louder than words
- Make sure your actions/decisions backup your words
- Say what you mean and mean what you say
- Transparency is key
- Listen and hear the other party
- Practice best behaviors
- Do what is right for the situation
- Always know the facts, don’t assume anything
- Never make presumptions about someone else’s decisions
- Don’t gossip and create unnecessary drama
- Keep your commitments
- Value and respect another’s time and voice
- Show compassion
- If you don’t know something, say so
- Relationships do NOT succeed on a need to know basis
- Ask yourself why you tend to omit information
- Re-examine yourself before you cast stones
- Clarity and understanding sets the stage – don’t close the curtains
- Vulnerability is a strength
- Spin your life from the heart, not for gain
- It isn’t all about you
- Act don’t react
- Be open to positive change
- If you want trust, be trustworthy
- Ask for feedback
What you get in your life is not a result of what you want, it is a result of Who You Are. ~ Marlon Smith
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jul 25, 2013 | Entrepreneur, Small Business, Virtual Assistant
A code of ethics and honor exists amongst most Virtual Assistants, at least with the tremendous women in my network. As entrepreneurs we pride ourselves with strong character and morals, not just because we are business owners and great human beings, but we are also trusted with managing our client’s business. We are privy to logins, credit cards, proprietary information and other business “secrets.” We treat these components with the utmost confidentiality, similar to HIPAA.
I recently discovered another Virtual Assistant who copied some content from one of my blog posts. I was irate of course. I labor over my blog posts, hoping they are rich and valuable to you, the audience. I immediately became incensed with anger and frustration. Those were not her words I was reading, but mine. Her title was even taken from a different post and she also stated the upcoming content of her next post, which of course can found on my blog. Maybe it was her idea, all fresh and new, but it certainly appears a little suspect. She is even a “Certified VA” with a badge on her website and a link to their code of ethics.
VAs are trusted with so much and if one is going to steal another’s content, what else may she consider? I feel very strongly about my industry and the trust from my client base. It is always an honor when Ace is chosen as remote business manager. My reputation stands for itself as does the other Virtual Assistants I know and follow. We work hard and earn our place in the business world. When I see something like this, it just makes me question someone’s business sense and character.
“Character is the firm foundation stone upon which one must build to win respect. Just as no worthy building can be erected on a weak foundation, so no lasting reputation worthy of respect can be built on a weak character.”— R. C. Samselat
As soon as you publish original content, it is protected by the copyright law, even without the symbol. This translates into the fact that people can’t repurpose or publish your content without consent.
- If you want to do a little research about your site and content, try CopyScape. It is a simple tool I discovered many years ago which will clearly display what content has been copied.
- Using Google Authorship also helps to reaffirm what is owned and protected by you.
- Make sure you take screenshots of the offending content.
- Email the perpetrator with the exact details, including the images, requesting that all copyrighted content is removed.
- If your correspondence is not successful, you can also contact the search engines directly under the DMCA Law or Digital Millennium Copyright Act
A little permission goes a long way. Ask. Give credit. Share honestly and professionally.
Know the laws and your rights.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jul 10, 2012 | Life Thoughts
In our day to day encounters we sometimes are aligned with individuals we believe to be like minded and on the same playing field. Engaging in conversation, camaraderie and laughter, we are led to assume a prospective forth coming partnership is built upon mutuality and common ground. We know we are genuine.
We deliver on our word. Our promise. Based upon this premise, knowing that we say what we mean and mean what we say, we would expect the same from others. Human nature desires honesty and trust. When we know who we are, we presume the others we choose to invite into our circles will mirror our own value system.
No legacy is so rich as honesty. – Shakespeare
Occasionally however, we meet others whom operate on a different agenda, both personally and professionally. Think about it: how many times have you met someone, enjoyed a great discussion, discovered similar interests, talked about a business partnership and so forth, yet when it came time for the follow-up, there was no response on their part?
I personally always find this curious as they may have declared a desire to connect, introduce, partner or otherwise further engage on the next level, yet their conversations may not have had any true validity.
Why do people go out of their way to make conversation based upon empty assurances?
Are they not genuine?
Do they not come from a culture of authenticity and strong moral compass?
While I can only speak for myself, I strongly value my word and commitment; never offering an empty gesture for the sake of conversation or social value. I am passionate and back up every word or promise with timely action. It is an intrinsic characteristic that would seem to be a natural trait based upon integrity and honesty.
Personal authenticity delivers many internal benefits, enabling you to live a life free of stress, full of possibilities and great promise as you are live your life from real principles and heart.
- Being honest with yourself and others imparts the fortitude, courage and directness to cope with problems swiftly, instead of procrastinating, or disregarding them altogether.
- When you are truly authentic, you also preserve your integrity. You persistently do the right thing, so you never have to second-guess your choices or actions.
- When you are true to yourself, you not only trust the decisions and evaluations that you generate, but also create a level of trust from others.
- Authenticity delivers a lesser degree of stress when you stay true to yourself, say what you mean and mean what you say.
- In trusting yourself and knowing what is morally right, you are able to recognize your maximum life potential. You control your own life versus allowing others to make decisions for you.
- Being genuine and doing the right thing leads to achieving greater self-confidence and self-worth, enhanced positivity and further internal fulfillment because you are able to trust yourself to make the right decisions.
Honest communications create not only a strong foundation but show great respect for the other party. Think about how you interact with others; the verbal commitments you make and how you intend to follow through. Ensure your words are given with reliability and sincerity.
Have the courage to say No. Have the courage to face the Truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity. W. Clement Stone
Being genuine is not a tool for success, but an admirable characteristic for living an authentic life. It is so cliché but say what you mean and mean what you say, as others have faith in your word.
