OIVAC 45 Day/45 Podcast & Blog Hopping Virtual Tour Stop #14
It is with great pleasure to have Sharon Williams from The 24 Hour Secretary to come by this blog article page and blog podcast of Business Resources Podcast Directory as part of her 45 Day/45 Blog & Podcast Hopping Virtual Tour campaign to promote the upcoming Online International Virtual Assistants Convention.
Very interesting marketing concept, encouraging the public to learn more about the Virtual Assistants industry.
Before we get started, let me tell you a little bit about Sharon Williams.
Sharon Williams is the president of The 24 Hour Secretary, internet-based, administrative, secretarial services and marketing support services company open 24 hours a day, solving administrative challenges for busy and often overwhelmed executives and entrepreneurs. As chairperson of the Alliance for Virtual Businesses and Online International Virtual Assistants Convention, Sharon is a very staunch advocate of the virtual assisting industry and has embarked on a 45 day podcast & blog hopping tour to promote the industry and its upcoming online convention.
Sharon has stopped by today to share information about how working with a Virtual Assistant (VA) would benefit my readers/listeners and talk a bit about the upcoming annual event.
My questions are below and in the podcast (click on the media player to listen to our interview session).
1. Sharon, I understand you are participating in a podcast and blog hopping tour to promote the VA industry. Can you tell us a little bit about the tour, how it came about, its purpose and how it’s progressing?
Hello Rima, and thanks for inviting me to stop by today. The P&BHT (which I call the tour, for short), is actually an idea I adopted after hearing of a book tour conducted by Glenda Watson Hyatt. I thought, if I make myself available to bloggers and podcasters, and let them ask anything they wanted about the industry and how working with a VA would benefit their readers/listeners, I could promote the industry, share info about the upcoming convention and develop relationships with business owners from around the globe. To make the activity a win-win, I thought to run a contest where I would leave clues at each stop and the only way contestants could receive clues would be to visit all the blogs/podcasts. I’d be driving traffic to each stop – the owner’s site would obtain more exposure, and in the end, the puzzle would be solved and winners announced at the convention annual awards ceremony.
2. How is it progressing?
Well, it’s been a lot of fun and a lot of work. But, it has also received overwhelming response; and, since it is a 45 day tour and this is only stop #14, we’ve still a long way to go. It’s not too late to participate. Just visit the OIVAC, download the Puzzle Board and check the tour schedule. Stop by all the stops to pick up the clues you’ve missed – and that’s it! Before I leave today I will give another clue; so everyone, hang around because it’s on the way.
3. Sharon, I have an international clientele mainly from Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Dubai. These are companies that are looking to establish a presence before they completely transition into the US. I’m very sure that it makes more sense for these clients to hire Virtual Assistants (VAs) in the US, mainly because these VAs are very familiar with the work culture of US customers, the demand of product or services that these foreign companies are trying to bring into the country and VAs would also be good staff members of their market research and development team. However, there is a huge time difference for people in both countries to effectively work with each other via the telephone and would probably have to depend highly on email for communication. Can you tell us, how do VAs who service clients overseas, with all these time zone difference being a barrier for some?
Rima, it actually depends on the assignments. You’ve identified a few modes of communication (fax, email); but with today’s communication technologies such as Skype, online meeting rooms with file sharing/viewing and white boarding capabilities, project management software, Sharepoint, conference recording, etc. distance or time is no longer an issue. I’ll use my VA business as an example. Our VA teammates are located around the globe, and of course situated in various time zones. Each client is assigned a team leader, with VAs assigned to their team. Your client would meet with the US-based team leader (since ensuring he works with a US VA is important to him). At the meeting, held in a VoIP-enabled, online meeting room with file sharing and whiteboard capabilities, the parties would discuss the parameters of the assignment. The lead VA then assigns various aspects of the project to appropriately skilled support VAs, and gives the team access to a designated Sharepoint site where updated document drafts, files, schedules, even audio/video recordings, and messaging between client and team etc. can occur.Rima, many of the duties associated with a project normally do not require that the client be involved – as they are performed “behind the scenes”. In instances where the lead VA must communicate with the client – a mutually agreed upon meeting/ VOIP conferencing schedule would be established, which does not interfere with the work flow, at which she would provide progress reports, obtain new directions, etc. This way, the client has a coordinator assigned to his account that is easily reachable via one of the modes of communication identified above and he can stay abreast of his project as various phases are updated and completed.
4. Sharon, how can my international clients find suitable VAs to assist them in establishing their presence in the US? Remember that they are already hiring Virtual Receptionists to handle their global telecommunication needs but how do they get assistance in administrative and research work that are best done in the US by American VAs since its targeting at the US market?
Rima, first, let me dispel a myth. Being in-country-based is only one factor to consider in choosing the right VA to fulfill your research needs. What’s really important is that the VAs excels in this task. Many VAs, US and internationally-based alike, specialize in offering research-related services and maintain a bundle of resources tools and contacts to assist in locating desired information for their clients. Therefore, in my opinion, it is wise to confirm that research is a task the VA is very proficient in, understands the project and has the resources to obtain the requested information. Hiring the services of a proficient or even expert researcher, in the long run, saves the client time and money.
Now to your question, how to find suitable VAs? There are several VA associations, forums and training programs with extensive memberships that showcase VAs and their skills. Many of these groups offer Request for Proposal (RFP) systems, wherein the client can submit his requirements and VAs who are interested or meet them, will respond directly to the inquirer. The Alliance for Virtual Businesses also profiles individual VAs as well as maintains a list of most VA organizations, forums and training programs. It is a VA-industry portal site to initiate a search containing resourceful information about the virtual assisting. Interested parties may click through to VA organizations, and review the individual member profiles to identify VAs that meet their needs. Another option is to conduct a Google keyword search, visit selected VA sites and conduct an interview with those that meet your requirements.
5. Sharon, I understand that you are hosting the OIVAC event in May. Can you tell me how can my listeners or blog visitors learn more about it and register to attend the event?
The Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (OIVAC) will be held May 17-19, 2007. It is a 3-day annual international VA industry-focused activity consisting of seminars, workshops, networking events, and exhibit halls. A traditional, affordably priced, brick-and-mortar style convention, all from your PC or Mac desktop computer. Attendees may select seminars they are specifically interested in.
Seminar pricing is as follows:
- 1 seminar - $25.00;
- 3 seminars - $60.00;
- 5 seminars - $100.00;
- Full convention (including of a complete set of seminar recordings) $350.00.
Information about our distinguished list of presenters, International Virtual Assistants Day celebration, contests, attendance fees, etc. can be found at OIVAC.
Even though the convention is a virtual assistants’ event, our presenters include marketing, management, networking, and technology experts from around the globe, all providing information relating to business growth and development – and applicable to entrepreneurs looking to enhance their businesses. We invite business owners to join us at these informative online seminars during this exciting 3 day event. Visit OIVAC for details.
6. What if attendees missed the event for reasons that are beyond their control, are they able to access to recordings after the event and where can they get them?
Yes, during the period of Monday, 21 thru Thursday, May 31, (DST, New York) all seminars will be posted and available for registered attendees viewing. The attendees will be given a url and passcode to access the recordings. Beginning June 1, they will beavailable for purchase on the Alliance for Virtual Businesses website.
7. Congratulations on the launching of the virtual university! It’s really interesting and a great way to continue education without leaving home. Is this something that individuals outside US can enroll in or is it just open to individuals in the US?
Enrollment at Virtual Business University is open to everyone, regardless of geographic location. VBU is entirely internet-based, and actually is different from several online-education programs. For instance, our instructors teach an interactive one-hour online session each week. While we would like enrollees to attend as many live sessions as possible, they will be recorded and downloadable. Second, students will be required to participate in a practicum exercise, so they will actually apply their learnings to real-business situations. Third, students will have access to resources, forums, and other interactive tools for enhanced learning. This university is not only online, it’s personal – and our mission is to help students willing to step toward their greatness.
Okay Rima, that’s it! Today’s clue can be heard on the podcast, so if you haven’t listened, just tune in to hear it. Yesterday, we visited Gillian Hood-Gabrielson at Healthier Outcomes.
Tomorrow, we’re going home to the OIVAC blog. So feel free to stop on by and leave me a comment. I’d love to hear everyone’s feedback about the tour. Until next time!
Utlizing Virtual Assistants for Global Business Expansion [19:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (95)