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 | Sep 14, 2013 | Life Thoughts
This blog post stems far from the norm of my usual banter of social media, inbound marketing,virtual assistance, time management or productivity and I trust that is acceptable. A few of other my other posts discuss branding, people buy from people, be real, be authentic and transparent. Well this is one of those posts. Sharing a little bit of me, further adding to the human touch. I am not just a virtual robot managing your online business. I think sometimes we forget that there is a human behind the content.
Today I am writing about family and the strong bonds that tie us together. Are you interested? I am not really sure but I will share anyway because sometimes we all just need a voice.
I began this company after both my mother and sister passed away from breast cancer. I knew that I needed more and wanted to be able to share my passion for giving back and helping others. I spent 6 months researching businesses and initially discovered the personal assistant/errand and concierge industry. My role expanded into 100% virtual when I joined Twitter and it has only grown from there.
So that is part of my story. Today I am traveling to Miami Fl to say my last goodbyes to my 34 year old niece; my sister’s daughter. I don’t know how much time she has left but all I know is I must get to Florida. I certainly let US Air know this too, with lots of very big words and 3 hours of trying to book matching connecting flights with my daughter. I didn’t want her to make this flight alone.
We now have three generations of women in my family battle this dreaded disease and lose their fight.
My point here?
There is nothing more sacred than family. Cherish them while they are here. Tell them every day how much you love them and never take them for granted. Life is too short to miss these opportunities.
Your job will always be there or another will. Make sure you have a very healthy work life balance enabling you to MAKE time for the important parts of life.
How many hours do you spend at the office, behind a computer or on your mobile phone? Is it all that vital? Do you ever shortchange the people in your life because of work? We all need financial stability, but at what price.
Rethink your day today. Your time with friends and family and please do me this one favor: make more time for them. Put down the phone. Close the computer and truly be present and engage!! Give them a hug. Share the love because you never know when a life could end.
If this post resonates with you, please share it with your community, your network. I appreciate it very much. “Pay it Forward!”
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 12, 2013 | Blogging, Marketing, Social Media
BOOM! Information overload. Noise.
Cut through the clutter – but how?
Searching for rich and valuable content to share or repurpose with your audience is a social media essential to creating trust, interest and loyalty. Remarkable content is written for your buyers and their needs not just as a self promotional tool. Be the resource that readers turn to for information and answers. Know and understand your audience to feed their social media content appetites.
Traditional marketing and advertising is telling the world you’re a rock star. Content Marketing is showing the world that you are one. Robert Rose
Where do you look? You probably already have your list of RSS feeds from industry thought leaders, Twitter lists, feedly, your trusted network, keyword searches and various other news feeds but what if you had a few other news aggregators to easily compile your interests and top trends into one place? How cool is that? It certainly saves time and weeds out the “blah” that isn’t truly of value.
Prismatic: displays articles based upon your network shares. It is simple to use. Sign in with Facebook or Twitter. Pick topics, publishers or exact matches. Share your comments or “likes.”
Tagboard: is a social media hub for hashtags. It searches through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, App.net and Google+ for the hashtag you entered and presents you with the results, noting the platform. You can tweet, reply or comment right within the search results. You can also create your own personal Tagboard with a keyword and images.
Paper.li: Create your own daily newspaper in just seconds. The free version permits 25 resources to populate your content from your social media community. Paper.li processes more than 250 million social media posts per day. Personalize your paper with a custom title and tagline, set up a promotional tweet upon publishing and even add the news widget to your website. They also offer a bookmarklet to add to your browser to quickly add great content.
Inbound: Great source for content especially revolving around social media, SEO, and inbound marketing. Register with Twitter, submit content and join the conversation. Simple keyword searches deliver valuable content right to your fingertips.
Flipboard: Magazines on the web for iOS and Android phones. Curate from newsworthy sites, magazines and other uses to populate remarkable content to share with your audience. Browse sections based upon interests and categories. Choose and arrange the sections according to your interests and industry. Find, subscribe and share! #thatwaseasy
Now that you have a few places to curate content, share it with your community.
Tips:
- Make sure you tag the author’s Twitter handle.
- Use appropriate hashtags, but don’t overdo it.
- Schedule your posts using Buffer, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or your tool of choice.
- Read about the best times to post.
- Track and measure the results of your efforts.
Your turn. What are your favorite content curation sites?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 10, 2013 | Entrepreneur, Small Business, Social Media
Social media isn’t merely about creating profiles on various platforms to broadcast your best content. It has become one of the cornerstones of marketing. It is your opportunity to build a trusted and loyal community. In this community exists partners, colleagues, collaborators, customers and friends. Treat them with the respect and courtesy they deserve and that which you expect in return.
Every day you read about etiquette, best practices and thousands of different tips to engage and build your following. What I find interesting is that much of this content is disseminated from alleged social media experts, marketing and PR firms or social media managers who don’t always follow their own suggestions. Their tweets and posts offer real life recommendations on engagement and proper “politeness” yet they do not care to practice what they preach. I am not sure why, but if they are writing and sharing the content, do they not believe they should follow their own advice?
Acknowledge the voice of your network.
If you want to build a credible authentic network, engage in conversations, thank people for sharing your content, ask questions, post rich and valuable information, don’t ignore anyone, unless of course they are bots, spam or porn.
Simple rule of thumb: treat others the same way you want to be treated. Sure, this is so cliché, but it is common courtesy. Would you just walk away from someone at a networking event or cocktail party after they asked you a question or tried to engage you in a dialog? I think not.
Since you have taken the time to be online, then make the time to learn about your audience. You have the potential to meet and greet some pretty incredible people but only if you choose to actively participate.
We are all a brand: whether it’s personal or business, we have an online reputation to develop and construct if we want a strong presence and ROI. Maintain your relationships. Be authentic. Be human. Be professional.
Sharing: refrain from overselling yourself and your products or services. Constant self-promo is a sure fire way to generate a mass exodus. Make your marketing mix diverse. Share relevant content that is of interest to your network. Solve problems. Be cognizant of trending topics. Repost and respond to the content of others. Share the love with a retweet. Always give back. Be a resource.
“In a recent article about brand identity, Digiday argues that brands need to loosen up and act more human instead of focusing on expertly tailored mass market messages.”
Provide the personal experience: interact with your fans and followers. If they ask a question or have a complaint, respond immediately. Find out what is wrong. Don’t ignore them. Troubleshoot, create trust and provide impeccable service. Social media is your conduit for making human connections. Acknowledge all contact.
“The absolute best way for companies to stay relevant in social media and to effectively engage their followers is to listen to what their fans are saying. Don’t try to steer the conversation; instead, listen to what customers are saying and respond. Reply to user’s feedback and jump into conversations that are already happening.” Lisa Parkin
“Stories that resonate on an emotional level, that put a human face on a global business, drive engagement and amplification.” Brian Pember.
Read: actually click on the links shared in your social media channels. Don’t just blindly repost them. You are probably missing out on some fabulous content. Be able to make a comment or engage more deeply regarding the article. Seriously, don’t just spew it because it is a “pay it forward” thing to do. If you are going to retweet or share, be real about it.
Invest: your digital footprint can be far reaching but it will only be what you make it. Consistency and frequency are two key points to remember. Don’t desert your followers. Be present and invest in the time to generate interest in your brand. You get back exactly what you put in.
Strategy: know your goals and reasons for creating your profiles. Who is your market and what do they need? Create your content and set a schedule for fresh ideas, retweets, quotes, contests and conversation. If you are all over the board, people won’t understand your brand or may question what you actually do.
These are some pretty staggering numbers from Jeff Bullas: 10 Social Media Facts, Figures and Statistics You Need to Know exemplifying exorbitant growth and opportunity to establish trusted relationships with your network.
- Facebook has over 1.15 billion active users.
- Google+ has 343 million active monthly users.
- Twitter has over 288 million monthly active users.
- LinkedIn has now reached 238 million users.
- YouTube has over 1 billion unique visitors every month.
- Instagram has now reached 130 million users.
- Pinterest has 70 Million users.
Don’t just create an account or promote yourself. Meet your community. Generate interest. Engage. Enjoy your network. Be personal – show your human side. Social media isn’t rocket science, although many would like you to think it is. A large portion of it is purely being social, not DOING social.
It is common sense, active participation and thoughtful interactions. Just like you would do in the “real” world.
Don’t trade off personal communications or hide behind a digital persona. Get out there, listen, shake hands, measure, and extend a virtual hug to your network. If you want to see the payoff, just be a human brand.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 6, 2013 | Customer Service, Small Business
Image credit: Wikipedia
When you are selling to a customer do you market your service or how you will make their lives easier? Cost or value? Selling yourself and your company solely on a dollar amount may degrade your services and proficiencies. Are you only a chunk of change or do you have expertise and industry experience that is worth more?
“When you’re selling on price and not value, you’ve already lost.” Chris Brogan.
Value revolves around benefits, solutions and quality.
- Leverage your strengths and experience, building confidence and comprehension of what you offer and how you solve problems.
- Identify your buyer personas – who is your customer and what are their problems?
- Price is a function of perceived value – demonstrate and substantiate your value.
- Utilize your customer testimonials to show support and document successes.
- Highlight the benefits with conviction and belief.
- What are your key differentiators?
- Offer insight and be intuitive. When you know and care about your customer, you are able to present new ideas and solutions.
- Present new ways to improve their lives.
- Exemplify your customer service. What makes you stand out from the competition?
- Focus on building rapport and personal touches, getting to know the client’s needs and business.
- What are your measurable results to help you showcase your value?
- Do your mission, vision and values support your client needs and purchase drivers?
- Execute and commit to guaranteed service and satisfaction.
- Be the service provider you value most.
Clients that understand your value are lifetime clients, knowing you will provide the service with the services. How do you communicate value and your pledge to service?
NEVER simply say what you think they want to hear. Whatever you tell the client, mean it and back it up because they trust and value you enough to purchase your services. Empty words and promises will not keep you in business but character and integrity will.
Service is key. Selling value is priceless.
“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” Warren Buffett
I recently saw an advertisement for a virtual assistant that read: Professional Virtual Assistant $5.00/hour and was bewildered at the word professional. I have been in the industry since 2002 and I cannot even fathom ever giving away my services at a cost lower than what it takes to live, shortchanging my education, lifelong learning, industry experience and outstanding service. While this is obviously an overseas ad, you will get what you pay for.
Competitive pricing is a must, but giving away your services for pennies does not signify your own worth, nor is this client your ideal client because all that matters is the dollar sign. Yes, saving money is important to the bottom line but it may come at a sacrifice.
I have had prospects message me, only asking what I charge. They don’t seem interested in my knowledge, customer service, developing a long-term partnership, my 11 years of experience, the size of the offerings from my network or how I will solve their greatest pain points. The only concern is: “how much.” Personally speaking, this is not a desire for top-rate service, it is about the getting the job done. Any quality virtual assistant cares about the client, their business, their success. We run the extra mile because we want to help you achieve your goals. The finish line isn’t just point A to point B. It is all of the in between that we do and care about. Our partnerships extend beyond the one offs and daily tasks. You have a vested business associate working alongside you just as though we were in the same office. Value this relationship.
“Customers are much more than one-dimensional money savers. They want to do business with suppliers who not only serve their needs, by also match their values.” Vanessa Merit Nornberg.
People pay upwards of hundreds to thousands of dollars for upfront or box seats at a sporting event. They see a greater value in being up close or having more concierge style service. They want the best. This is just sports. (I know, this could be blasphemy to your ears). Once the event is over, you hopefully saw your team win the game, had a beverage or two and wow, you have a ticket stub to show for it. A piece of paper at what cost? If you will pay this much to watch a game, have a drink and get a piece of paper, how much are you willing to INVEST in the support of your company?
What do you value in running your business? Nosebleed seats or ringside?
