It’s 4:30 Friday afternoon and you’re at your desk. You’re having a conversation with a potential client and they’ve just told you they love your ideas for their new project! In fact, they’re so excited they want you to present them to their board members at their next conference … on Monday … in Scottsdale. (You live in Miami.) They also need you to make your own travel arrangements. “Can you invoice us? It’s so last minute … you understand.”
Sure, you understand. You understand that you don’t have unlimited funds to front for a last-minute ticket to Scottsdale but you absolutely have to be at that conference and in your most confident tone you reply, “Not a problem! See you in Arizona.” Now you’ve got two days to do laundry, pack, re-arrange next week’s meetings, buy a plane ticket, clean out the fridge (You won’t let that happen again.), prepare a showstopper PowerPoint presentation, update your contract and … shoot! What about the dog?
Don’t panic! Delegate! Let’s take a look at your challenges one by one and see how a Virtual Assistant can help you meet each of them.
Challenge 1: Getting to Scottsdale
Last minute fares at low prices are rare, but they’re out there. You need a cheap ticket but you don’t have the time to search. A VA does. A VA will search the Internet for the best possible rates on flights between Miami and Phoenix (there’s no airport in Scottsdale) and they’ll arrange ground transportation to your hotel upon your arrival.
Challenge 2: Finding the right hotel
You want a nice room with a comfy bed. A place that’s close to your client’s office and that has options for dining. Give a VA all of your requests and let them find the spot that’s right for you, and your budget.
Challenge 3: Re-arranging your schedule
A VA can move your appointments around and re-schedule meetings for you. They can notify your clients that you’ll be out of town and give them any necessary contact information. You can even have your VA ask your best friend for a rain check for brunch.
Challenge 4: Revitalizing your PowerPoint presentation
Do people check their Blackberry’s during your PowerPoint slideshow? Are you really using clipart to get your point across? Do you know how many PowerPoint presentations the average businessperson has to sit through? Make yours stand out! Have a VA spice yours up so that the audience’s attention is on your presentation, not on their iPhones. Seriously … clipart? That’s like using MSWord to create your contract.
Challenge 5: Updating your contract
Don’t tell us you used MSWord to create your contract. Does it look like you just learned the program yesterday? And are you REALLY using MSWord to distribute business documents? Have a VA convert your files into professional looking document by incorporating your logo and branding. It will bring your business to a whole different level.
There you go. Five challenges presented, five challenges met. Oh … what about the dog? Don’t worry. The hotel your VA found accepts pets and a dog walker has already been arranged.
Now, don’t you have some laundry to do?