I have often been asked: “What is the quickest way to make money selling online?”

This is such a hard question to answer because it depends on each person’s ability, financial back up and knowledge.  What I can do here is list some of the ways that do make money fairly quickly once it is up and running.   What a solopreneur would need to do is look at how long it would take them to get a particular business opportunity making money.

INTERNET MARKETING

• Selling products online from your own blog site or website
• Selling affiliate products (other people’s products for commission)
• Promoting a service that you are going to run, like a consultancy business

With products you may choose to buy them or make your own.  There are so many choices in this field.  It is important to choose something that you like doing so that you can keep your motivation up because as a solopreneur you are it.  You have to keep yourself motivated.

SELLING ON EBAY

Some people selling on Ebay are making thousands of dollars a week.  There is a system that works and it would probably be a good idea to buy into that or research how these people are doing so well when others are making nothing.

PROVIDE WRITING SERVICES

Many people write for a living.  With the popularity of the internet there are thousands, if not millions of people who do not have either the ability or time to write for the internet, but really need to.  Very good money can be made from writing for the internet if you make it a full-time job.  There are writing sites like Elance, Guru and others where a writer can earn money.

SELL PHOTOS ONLINE TO PHOTO WEBSITES

Because of the growth in promoting online, site owners are always looking for Public Domain Photos.  What you do here is take photos and upload them to the photo sites and they pay you a commission on each photo that is downloaded by a buyer on the site.  This is quite a good way to get passive income coming in because once it is set up you can just leave it there.  For example, a site that uses these photos is http://www.isistockphoto.com

The news that Microsoft is making its first mass layoffs in its 34-year history (according to the The Associated Press) is big news here in the Seattle-area as all of us are directly or indirectly impacted by the job cuts.  Microsoft is one of the Northwest’s largest employers and everyone in Seattle either works for Microsoft or has a family member, friend or neighbor working at Microsoft.  Whether or not someone we know loses their job, we know how difficult it can be working for a company undergoing an unprecedented internal transition. Champion Assistants is headquarted in Kirkland, just a 15-minute drive from Microsoft’s Redmond campus and we greatly value the impact the company has had in our region – providing jobs to so many and boosting the level of technological-savvy and development in the region.  Champion Assistants is a registered partner with Microsoft and we’re always keeping an eye out for what Microsoft is innovating.

In addition to Microsoft, the Puget Sound region is also known as being a region where entrepreneurs flourish – especially for minority-owned businesses according to Prosperity Partnership.org.  According to Washington State, women are considered minorities in business and therefore 51% majority women-owned businesses qualify for special loan rates as well as business counseling services from organizations such as the Community Capital Development Washington Business Center.  There are a number of free resources available to small business owners and entrepreneurs both nationally through the SBA and in Washington State.  I always recommend starting with free resources and exhausting them before paying for advice.

With layoffs being announced across various industries and company sizes, I think this economy will present innovators with an excellent opportunity to develop their ideas and go into business for themselves.  Being layed off can be discouraging, but realizing creative talent and ambition while working from home is tremendously rewarding.  I strongly believe that home offices will become micro-power centers of innovation over the next couple years.  Good talent rarely sits idle.

With the convenience of the home office and low barrier to entry for online sales, there is tremendous opportunity for small business to capture niche market share and sell online with extremely low overhead costs.  It isn’t all doom and gloom with layoffs.  Now is the time to fulfill dreams and stay productive at what we all do best and are passionate about.  Carpe diem!  If you are one of the many being affected by restructuring and layoffs, now is the time to develop your ideas and sell online.

Best,

Heather

I’ve seen a number of clients invest in CRM tools that are far more powerful than their businesses require – and more expensive than they can currently afford – because their business advisers have told them that they should invest in technologies now that will support their future business plans.  These business advisers instill the fear  in their clients that their company won’t be prepared in the future when their prospects and clients outweigh the capability for the company to manage them.  I have never witnessed a case where this was the reality.  In reality, the sudden onslaught of clients never comes, and even if it were to, most CRM systems are built so that all current data can be easily migrated with a learning curve for using the technology.

The biggest example I have seen in unfortunate CRM purchases is InfusionSoft.  I have seen InfusionSoft touted by so-called industry experts and gurus (think Dan Kennedy, Bill Glazer, Ali Brown) who advise info-marketers to invest in this CRM solution now in preparation for future business.  InfusionSoft has a number of drawbacks like not being able to paste text in various modules and difficulties pasting links to name a couple quick irritants.  The biggest thing about InfusionSoft is that it is NOT for info-marketers.  InfusionSoft is for businesses with actual sales teams.  To use InfusionSoft effectively the business needs to be sales-oriented, equipped with a multi-person sales force, have a database with hundreds of thousands of contacts AND have the budget to effectively implement this technology.  The time to migrate data, implement the tool and train a salesforce how to use it – and continue to update it – is extremely time intensive.  This is not the responsibility of a business owner either.  This is the responsiblity of an IT Leader.  While Champion Assistants provides the service of IT Team Lead, we are very careful to only work with clients who have a business that is both financially and mentally prepared for a company-wide CRM rollout.

Sadly, I have seen a number of solo-preneurs buy InfusionSoft on the recommendation of their marketing or sales advisor and start implementing the software only to find that it’s extremely cumbersome to use and their business only requires a fraction of the power of the tool.  InfusionSoft is not for contact management.  It is in fact a full-scale CRM tool.  Also, I have seen that the people referring this software get a handsome referral bonus, and I know there are ulterior motives at play as well.  For instance the Dan Kennedy – Bill Glazer Inner Circle has made huge amounts of money through their referrals to InfusionSoft.  They make so much money they actually hold presentations on buying InfusionSoft at their SuperConference and InfoSummit conferences!  It’s great business for them, but not necessarily the right decision for all of those people trying to follow the Dan Kennedy – Bill Glazer methods.

I advise against purchasing any technologies that require your business to grow into.  It’s difficult to predict if the tool will be outdated by the time you need it or if there would have been a better solution based on what your business actually needs at the time. Save yourself time and aggravation and focus on strategic growth instead.

Best,

Heather

I think everyone remembers their first job – whether it was the low pay, long hours or seemingly menial

Heather Nelson featured in Seattle Times

work.  From humble beginnings we emerge!  My first job was at Nordstrom as a cashier hired to work the busy seasonal sales and holidays.  It was quite a lot to take on, and I learned and adapted as quickly as I could.  I suppose we never know in the beginning where our lives and careers will lead us, and it’s always interesting to take a mental look back at the path we’ve followed.

The Seattle Times actually featured my story in their My First Job Career Section column.  Over the years I’ve transition from cashier to sales and marketing staff to project management at some the world’s largest IT companies.  Today, I’m a happy business owner of Champion Assistants and Holiday Assistants.  It’s great to remember those days and think about how far I’ve come along the journey!

Please share your experiences with me, too!  I’d like to know what you went through in your first job!

Best,

Heather

Selling is not rocket science. In fact, if you know the basic principles behind why we buy, sales can be the simplest part of doing business. I know, you are staring at this article going, yeah right! But it’s true. No matter what culture we come from, what country we live in, or how old we are at some point in almost every day we will buy something. If you understand the reasons behind each sale, than increasing those sales becomes child’s play.

One of the basic fundamentals to remember, when thinking of human nature in relation to sales, is that everyone loves a deal. The reason we like deals varies from person to person. So what can you do to make people feel they are getting a deal? There are several paths you can take to reach this goal.

Short Term Availability – When something is only available for a short period of time there is usually a reason. If you let your customers know the reason they are more inclined to buy during that short window of availability rather than miss out on the product or the special price.

Have A Sale – Again, the time thing works in, but here they also feel like they are getting a deal. A bargain if you will. Would you rather pay full price for a book or get it at half off? Here again, describing the sale is a sure way to entice buyers. If something, especially something online, is marked down but doesn’t give a reason our first thought is that the product has a fault.

Quantity Customer Discounts/Rewards – Making someone feel special is a good way to make them return and when they do let them know you appreciate it by giving them a deal. A customer who returns and gets the same or better treatment is more likely to tell their friends, colleagues, or peers about it, which will in turn bring more potential sales your way!

Free Samples – The idea of giving something away for free is hard to swallow for some people, but it is a good way to draw in those unsure customers. When you give something for nothing it should represent your company and your products. This item will give potential customers a chance to try out your company and see if they truly want to do business with you or not. If they like what they get, they come back for the rest. But don’t go overboard with this item. Whether it’s a gift bag or an article on sales tactics, freebies are meant to give a glimpse of the possibilities your products hold.

Up Sell – When it comes time to checkout make sure to mention products that your customer may have missed that complement what they have in their cart. If they are buying shampoo, suggest a conditioner along the same lines. Whatever your products are, there are bound to be complementary products in your stock room.

There are so many possibilities when it comes to sales tactics, but the number one thing to keep in mind is that your customers are human. They are not numbers to be added or subtracted. Treating everyone with a personal touch will make them feel special and they will have the desire to come back and bring others.

Best,

Kristi

If you are considering doing business abroad there are likely many questions running through your mind. What products sell well in that market? How do I market in other countries? Do I need a separate website? These are all very important questions, but the most important question has nothing to do with your business. Do you know and understand the culture in the country you wish to do business in? If you don’t, than you will need to start researching.

Many small business owners come to a point where they spend more time on the logistics of doing business than actually doing business. This is a frustrating point and for a long time there were only two options to overcome it. 1.- Ignore it, which basically means ignoring some crucial part of running your. or 2.- Hire someone to do the things you don’t like or want to do. Though the latter is far safer and more effective than the first option, there are still issues with it. When you hire someone, you need to work out details like work site, wages, training, scheduling, and more. Not to mention the expense of having to pay someone whether you have work for them or not.

A Third option has been gaining in popularity in recent years: Outsourcing. The official definition of which is: subcontracting a process to a third-party company. Outsourcing or sub-contracting started becoming popular in the 1980’s as a way to reduce overhead and better utilize emerging technology. This is still true to this day. In fact, more and more business owners are finding that outsourcing is letting them do what they love without worrying about the rest!

Business professionals, in a recent Harris Poll survey, stated resoundingly that they would happily outsource a wide variety of tasks. Also noted in this survey was the growing trend toward Virtual Assistants who take on a lot of the outsourced work. Over 55% of those surveyed felt that virtual assistants have helped them focus on the more important and enjoyable parts of their business and helped them improve job performance.

Outsourcing, just like any other aspect of your business, requires planning and preparation. Both parties will need to know what tasks or projects you want done and the parameters within which to do them. Some of the most popular tasks being outsourced are website updates, blog management, article posting, sales writing, database management, research, and bookkeeping.

If you are considering outsourcing, it is advisable to take some time to work out just what tasks or projects you wish to have completed and then look for a business that can do the work you need done. As with every other aspect of business, it is important to do your research and pick a person or company that has experience with the type of work you want done. Not all VA’s do the same things just as not all teachers teach the same subjects.  The best thing to do is carefully consider what you need, source companies and individuals who provide this, and carefully evaluate their skills and alignment with your business model.

I’d love to hear your feedback about what you have successfully (or not so successfully) outsourced!  What kind of business did you outsource to and what were the results?  Is outsourcing working for you?

Best,

Kristi

Champion Assistants formed a new network for Seattle-area VA’s! I’m always looking to network with other virtual assistants to share ideas and experiences, and provide real world support for virtual issues. Now I’ve formed just such a group for us to meet each other and become involved in-person.

Starting in August, the Seattle and Eastside Virtual Assistants group will meet on the second Tuesday of every month. If you are in the area, please do check us out at http://virtualasst.meetup.com/25/. Let’s make the Puget Sound a great community for virtual assistants!

Wow! What an amazing conference last week in Nashville! I’m a Gold+ member of the Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circle and attended the Gold+ reception before the conference, which was a wonderful introduction to what was yet to come. At the reception I was able to meet quite a few highly motivated business owners and learn a little about what makes their businesses tick.

There were about 1200 or so people in total attending, and the conference rooms were bursting with energy and excitement. I’ll be writing more about the individual presenters and strategies discussed in additional posts as well as in my next newsletter. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to purchase my detailed conference notes. Lessons and strategies from the greats including Bill Glazer, Dan Kennedy, Nido Qubein, Gene Simmon (yes, the lead singer from Kiss), George Ross (Donald Trump’s chief negotiator, and seen on the Apprentice), and so many others are priceless. Your business definitely needs these in your toolkit!

All the best,

Heather

www.championassistants.com

Assisting Your Success…Virtually!

I’ve been a member of Dan Kennedy’s Gold+ mastermind group for about 2 months now and definitely see why he is the guru for so many of the leading info-marketers. Dan Kennedy has a very straight-forward (what he terms “No BS”) style and is definitely putting himself out there! I joined the Gold+ group which has hefty monthly dues ($297 a month!) in order to gain insight into his strategy and be able to use this to help my clients. I’m also a Silver member of Ali Brown’s mastermind group, which I have definitely receive a lot of benefit from. Ali’s approach is a lot softer, and I love her online member’s only forum. Members discuss everything from article submission to teleseminars to creating info products, and it’s a super-supportive environment. It’s so exciting being part of these groups and gaining insight into strategies that really make products sell. If I didn’t know personally of some of these people making $100K a month I would never have believed it! Both Dan Kennedy and Ali Brown offer trial memberships at a nominal fee so they’re worth checking out if you do any kind of online sales.

Kind regards,

Heather

This Thursday I’m holding a teleseminar with Meggin McIntosh PhD, the Productivity Professor, and we’re discussing:
“Do *Only* What Only *You* Can Do: Working with Virtual Assistants”

Here’s the scoop:

**You’re busy.
**You’re super busy.
**You sometimes think, ‘I can’t believe I am doing this ______ (task, activity, errand, chore, project).’
**You’ve been heard to say, “If only I had someone to help me.”

Actually, this *is* an option…You can hire someone to help you, and in particular, you can hire a virtual assistant.

In this teleseminar, here’s what you will learn:

**How to decide to use a VA,
**Ways to access virtual assistants
**Best ideas for using a VA,
**Considerations when choosing one (or more) virtual assistants.

Join me in this free teleseminar “Do *Only* What Only *You* Can Do” on Thursday, March 13 from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. (Pacific). To sign up: http://tinyurl.com/2kjhgh.
If you miss it, I will be posting the audio to my website at www.championassistants.com.

Meggin McIntosh Ph.D, the Productivity Professor, has a great business focussed just on getting people whelmed.  Check out her website at www.justwhelmed.com.  It’s a fabulous (and obvious!) concept – we need to be whelmed, not overwhelmed or underwhelmed.  She offers great resources for achieving the right balance.  I don’t think I’m the only one who can’t shut my brain down at night to get a good night’s sleep, and this is just one of the issues she addresses.

She explains how to get in the zone and feel energized and jazzed by what you are doing.  In order to lead a balanced life she recommends delegating and remembering to stay focussed on what’s really important.  One of the neat phrases I heard her say was, “If you can’t say no, at least think twice before saying yes”.  Another helpful tip I got from her to help me turn off my work brain at the end of the day is to set up an End of Day process (routine/ritual).  It’s just too easy for me to carry work through my personal life, so an End of Day routine is very helpful for me.

If you’re over- or under-whelmed, make sure to check out her site and seminars!

Kind regards,

Heather

www.championassistants.com 

I have an extra laptop in my office that I turned on once in the past year. My main laptop runs Microsoft Vista and my older one runs XP, and I’ve just hung on to it for that just-in-case situation when I will need to run something on XP. Obviously, with just one use in a year, I really don’t need it. Recently, I started looking into recycling options and found a recycling program at Costco. The recycling is free and they may even pay you for the item depending on what it is and its condition. They send you a UPS slip to print out and you simply send it in. So quick and simple even I have the time for it! If you have a laptop, camera or game system sitting around gathering dust and need an easy way to recycle, check this out:

Costco.com
Trade-In & Recycle Program
For PCs, LCD Monitors, Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Game Systems & MP3 Players

Kind regards,

Heather

www.championassistants.com

As a member of Ali Brown’s Silver Mastermind group, I attended the monthly teleconference tonight.  Great topic – virtual team building secrets!  Ali acknowledged while it’s fun doing everything yourself when starting your business, this just isn’t sustainable as your business grows and as you need your business to grow.  You just can’t make money doing everything yourself because you are not using your time optimally. “You’ll get what you’ve always gotten if you keep doing things the same way”.  If you are considering expanding your business or are already overloaded, then a virtual team may be the solution you and your business need.  Here are a few points to consider:

The first step is to identify your needs and write them down.  Understand where you are devoting your time, decide what only you can do and delegate the rest.  If you need to follow-up with clients after events, but never get around to doing that it is costing you sales.  Instead of repeating lost opportunities, create a process for following up with clients (like add business cards to Outlook, send an e-mail, invite to a seminar, send a postcard, touch base by phone) and hand that over to your virtual assistant to do for you.  Following up with 25 strong contacts after an event might cost 2 hours of service time, but could generate thousands of dollars – or more -  in sales.  How many people have piles of business cards sitting on their desks that aren’t followed through with?

The next step is to hire the right virtual assistant.  The basic thing to keep in mind is you get what you pay for.  As a virtual assistant, I think it’s perfectly fine for people to use the services of students or even outsource to India – for certain things like side projects.  For anything that is core to your business and core to your success you need to invest in quality help.  I would never trust a student, someone less experienced or someone overseas with my business bookkeeping.  I need to make sure the person performing the job is up to the task, reliable and is someone I can trust.  Also, make sure you are paying what that individual is worth.  If someone undervalues their skills, they may not stick around very long.  I have heard of someone who agreed to a job at a low rate and when she realized she undervalued herself and underestimated the project she got so nervous about it all she left that client in a lurch.  Paying people their fair value is just that – fair.  Both of you get what you need – quality services for the client and a fair rate for the assistant.

Moving forward with your virtual team: Set up the team you need to take you where you want to be.  Once you have identified your goals, make sure you bring on the expertise you need to reach them.  This could be one person or more depending on the skills and amount of time required.   A virtual team is a no-brainer investment in your business when you recognize the value they add.

Kind regards,

Heather

www.championassistants.com

Assisting your success…virtually!

Today at the Seattle Chamber Bob Bloom, author of The Inside Advantage, talked about his book and what it takes to grow your business.  Growing your business from the inside is the fastest and cheapest way, and what is inside your business is your Uncommon Offering.  An uncommon offering distinguishes you from your competition – it’s what only you offer.  Since business is all about the customer, your uncommon offering has to be tailored to your core customer and marketed to them only.  Bob Bloom stated he does not emphasize marketing and instead emphasizes only making your product known to your core customer, that customer who is most likely to buy your product or service in the quantity required for optimal profit.  Very insightful!  How many of us spend marketing dollars trying to appeal to a broader market to include those who use our services or products as add-ons and who don’t generate the kind of revenue we need to grow our businesses?!

To appeal to your core customer with your uncommon offering, the best strategy is to speak to their emotions.  BMW, for example, sells a driving experience; not a car.  What BMW projects is the experience and not the car stats, image appeal or features.  BMW appeals to our emotions, our desire for a driving experience.  How does your product or service uniquely appeal to your core customer?  It may be highest quality, fastest to market or easiest to get, but what does it do for your customer?  What need does it fill?  What problem does it solve?  What sets it uniquely apart from the competition?  To run a successful, growing business you need to stand on a platform uniquely designed for your feet, apart from your competition.  Own your offering and make it well known to your core customer.  For more detailed steps on how to accomplish this, you’ll need to read his book!

Kind regards,

Heather

www.championassistants.com

Assisting your success…virtually!

It’s difficult choosing a hosting company. After much evaluation (1and1, GoDaddy, ValueWeb through Costco, ix, AN, HostGator), I chose 1and1 hosting because of a colleague’s recommendation and they offered the most space and features for the lowest price. Many of my clients use GoDaddy because it’s the best known. Personally, I am not a fan of GoDaddy’s navigation once you’re logged in. There are a number of ways to get places, but the screen and tabs are so busy I found it confusing to navigate at first. Also, with GoDaddy you actually create a site statistics user, which for me is an additional step and time waster. It’s an additional set-up process and login ID I need to keep track of. With 1and1 you simply click on the Site Statistics icon and choose the format you want.

I have contacted customer service at 1and1 and GoDaddy and had positive experiences with both. I am nearly certain 1and1 runs their call center out of the Philippines, but the staff is polite and helpful. I can’t tell where GoDaddy goes to, but they are also responsive and helpful.

If you are in the process of comparing hosting companies, I recommend that you first consider what is most important to you, then consider features they offer. For example, if you web templates are important to you, have a look through them first (nearly all hosting companies offer them, but the selection varies significantly) to make sure you find a couple that you like. Also, if you will be selling products via your website, you should consider if they offer an SSL certificate and what is the cost. You want to protect your customers’ information by making sure their transactions are secure.

Kind regards,

Heather

www.championassistants.com

I attended the Seattle Chamber Annual Business Conference this week, and managed to take away quite a few helpful tips. The keynote speakers were Tom O’Keefe, Founder and Chairman of Tully’s, and Mary Mitchell, CEO of The Mitchell Organization. Tom O’Keefe admitted to visiting a Starbucks and Tully’s every day, and noted he learned quite a bit by being among Tully’s customers. He emphasized how important it is to “touch” your customers by doing things as simple as acknowledging them as soon as they come through the door. Just by greeting customers as they walk in, you reset their mental clocks so that waiting in line for three minutes feels like one. They feel acknowledged and welcomed. Tom O’Keefe also emphasized being consistent with the financial values of the day. To be a successful business owner, one needs to operate a business that is consistent with current financial values. That includes accounting practices, product and service selection, pricing, marketing strategy and even company policy regarding giving back to the community.

It’s inspiring to hear seasoned business owners speak about issues they face and issues that we all have in common. I highly recommend becoming involved with the Seattle Chamber or any other organization that offers high-caliber speakers and seminars.

Kind regards,

Heather

www.championassistants.com

Your business-savvy virtual assistants!

There are a number of deadlines throughout the year to report and file taxes. This can be overwhelming for small business owners who are already busy with day-to-day operations and managing their business. An easy and helpful way to remember key dates is to download tax calendar dates right into Outlook. Visit http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=177839,00.html for easy instructions to do this. You can select the dates that are relevant for you and your business.

Kind regards,

Heather

www.championassistants.com

Your business-savvy virtual assistants!

January is a great time to review your 2007 marketing strategy. How much money did you spend and what did it bring you? It’s a good idea to review where exactly your marketing dollars went. Whether it’s Google AdWords or a Mastermind group, you need to know if those investments are paying off and if you should continue them in 2008. I for one did not receive any benefit from my AdWords other than getting lots of resumes from people who wanted to become VA’s! That was an investment that didn’t pay off and I will no longer pursue. Instead I am revising my plan, investing more in what has led me to great clients and pursuing other avenues that I have researched. A solid web page, which I am currently revamping, and blogging consistently are essentials in my business, and things I often help my clients with.

As you play with new marketing ideas, make sure to think from your ideal client’s perspective. How do they search for your product or service? If they only go through referrals, find out who makes the referral and try networking with them! There are many approaches, so think creatively and always from your clients’ perspectives.

We’ve noticed more and more clients requesting to have their websites translated into other languages.  In today’s global marketplace, it makes perfect sense to broaden your market by appealing to potential customers in their native languages.  So many of our clients have global visions, and having their websites and marketing materials translated means they can finally market themselves in foreign countries without having a physical presence there.  Our most popular requests are for Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian.  They aren’t all import-export companies either.  Some are small businesses with e-Products and others are more established companies with physical products such as software and cosmetics.  If you think your products have global appeal and would sell well in certain foreign markets, it’s a great idea to speak to your customers in their language! We can usually translate a 10-page site in a couple of days, which means you will reach new customers quickly!

Kind regards,

Heather

While the IRS isn’t exactly a business owner’s friend, they do have a wealth of information available on the small business portion of their website http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/index.html.   You can easily apply for an EIN if you haven’t done so already, and you can find out what your tax responsibilities are regarding your employees.  In Washington State, the end of January is the deadline for filing B&O tax without paying a penalty.  Every year tax time is inevitable.  The best approach is to stay informed, find a great accountant and take responsibility for your finances.

Kind regards,

Heather

www.championassistants.com

info@championassistants.com

Your business-savvy virtual assistants!