Page 232 - Social Media Marketing

Scaling Your Business with Virtual Assistants 221

and letting everyone know how much they mean to you and your
business (while at the same time reminding everyone of who you
are and what you do).

When you leave a tip after a good dinner, you are thanking your
server for fine service. When you leave your tip and your business
card, you are thanking them and offering the same good service in
return.

I employ this strategy when working with clients, prospective
clients, and colleagues. I send thank-yous with gifts attached. And
when someone receives a gift, they're inclined to send a thank-you
in return. I end up getting thank-yous for my thank-yous, which is
the beginning of a relationship that I can eventually convert into a
sale or some other opportunity in the future.

How much time does this take out of my busy day? Very little;
my VAs take care of most of the work.

Update Your Calendar and Schedule

By its nature, success leads to the point at which you're almost too
busy to be successful. That's when you need to start managing your
time more effectively, or have someone else manage it for you. My
visual (nonvirtual) assistant, Lois, manages my calendar, but you
could conceivably use a VA instead.

Your calendar should include the following:

• Meeting dates and times
• Activities, both professional and personal
• Family events
• Birthdays and anniversaries of the people you know
• Holidays

Tip: Most calendar programs have a reminder feature that can
notify you in advance of a meeting, event, or special occasion, so
you have plenty of time to prepare for it.