Exclusive Virtual Assistant

Don’t let it be too late before you decide to enter to win a Livescribe Pulse Smartpen.

If you are a Real Estate professional, a Keynote Speaker with at least ten completed events or a Church organization, then you are eligible. Hurry HERE to see how you can enter.

Watch the video on the right side bar to see some of the neat features this pen has. This Smartpen is valued at around $180!

Humans will always make mistakes. The keys to overcoming your mistakes are to:

• Learn the mistakes.
• Know what you did incorrectly.
• Accept that you made a mistake.
• Use the mistake to better yourself and your business.

Not until you are willing to embrace those things, will you be ready to find out the hidden treasures that can be found when mistakes are made.

As a business owner, you know all about mistakes. You made little ones as you got started. For some, too many mistakes and they find that the business life is not for them. And, maybe it isn’t.

Being in business for yourself requires a thick skin. You will have customers that are impossible to please, competition that seems to outdo you at every turn and unsuccessful marketing strategies. But, you live and learn. You will only be able to continue building your business if you have the right attitude – a positive one.

Turn your mistakes into big money.

It is human nature not to want to feel isolated. That extends to the business world. A business owner, who is brave enough to point out the mistakes they have made and how they learned from them, will have a following among other entrepreneurs. You can take that on the lecture circuit and gain a wide audience.

Networking is a part of doing business.

Your connections can be helpful when sales are slow or when you are looking to put together a new business venture. Targeting budding businesses with your brand of sage advice is one way to turn a negative into a positive.

What about customers? Maybe you hired someone who wasn’t the best at customer service. Every business owner knows that poor customer service can break a business. Instead of sitting back and brooding about your misfortune, take action.

Use this opportunity to revamp your customer service policy. That employee may be better in another area of your business. This may be the time to automate your customer service with autoresponder messages, a FAQ section on your website or an answering service.

Challenges force you to take a look at your business. Is there a way to improve an existing process? Of course there is. Use a mistake such as sending the wrong product or a failed online checkout process to make changes that will increase sales in the future.

What sets you apart?

You are willing to learn from mistakes (by using suggestions like those above) to continue to move forward in your business pursuits instead of leaning on them like crutches. Excuses rarely accomplish anything good. Mistakes can sour your mood. Shake it off and find out what you can learn from them to make your business a success.

Don’t let it be too late before you decide to enter to win a Livescribe Pulse Smartpen.

If you are a Real Estate professional, a Keynote Speaker with at least ten completed events or a Church organization, then you are eligible. Hurry HERE to see how you can enter.

Watch the video on the right side bar to see some of the neat features this pen has. This Smartpen is valued at around $180!

The Power of Mentions

As per Twitter.com, “a mention is any Twitter update that contains @username in the body of the tweet”.  For example, if you wanted to post a tweet directed to me, it would look like this: “@MarieWalkerVA has a great blog post titled Help Your Business With Twitter”.  Now everybody that follows you can see that post. Since I get the message directly, in most cases, I will reply with a mention (“@yourusername”). Now everybody who is following me will see my reply to you. So if my followers are interested in what you had to say, they will click on your “@yourusername” and get to your Twitter profile page. If you seem interesting to them, they might even start following you. Here comes the fun part. What if you did something similar with someone who is a Top User with thousands of followers? You do the math.

Having a Niche Goes a Long Way

The more specific you are about a particular subject the more interesting you will become to your followers that share the same interests.

Have a Professional Looking Mugshot

Keep it clean and simple, but make sure that it is just you in the picture and avoid distracting backgrounds.

Make Your Profile Bio Memorable

Don’t be afraid to show who you are. Make sure to keep it professional but fun. Here is a sample of what my twitter profile bio looks like: “Professional Virtual Assistant, mother, wife, friend, dragonfly/insect lover, Nissan GT-R future owner, computer/internet enthusiast, bilingual, HABLO ESPAÑOL!” Let your followers know that you are more than just a business.

Promote Your Twitter Profile

Most likely you also use other social media sites like FaceBook, LinkedIn and MySpace.  Make sure that you link your Twitter profile to these and other sites that you use. Also, make sure not to forget your e-mail signature.

Peak Hours Work Best

Most traffic occurs at nine in the morning, at twelve noon, at three in the afternoon and at six in the evening. Of course, you would also want to test out different hours and see what kind of response you get.

The Links That You Post Should Be Of Value

You want to become your followers’ reliable source of information.

Repeating a Tweet Isn’t a Bad Thing

Go back and read the point about posting during peak hours. If you are not following this rule, then it is a good idea to repeat a post that you feel is valuable. But what if you do tweet during peak hours? Well, if you post on a regular basis, chances are that your followers may have not seen your tweet. Like with any other type of marketing, test the waters and don’t go overboard.

Engage Your Followers

Adding to the point about “@mentions,” another way to entice Twitter users to post a tweet with a mention in your name is to ask questions. Something simple like “What do you think about Michael Jackson’s movie ‘This Is It’?” That should do the trick. It is simple and current with what is happening right now.

Pictures Speak Louder Than Words

Need I say more?

René Descartes had it right. What and who you are begins with a thought. The mind is a powerful tool that can make or break your life and your business success. Use your mind to fuel business success.

In these tough economic times, it is hard not to think about the possibility of business failure. No one said that business would be easy even if the economy is up. It takes work. Knowing that truth and truly believing it are two different things.

Anyone can go out today and say they want to start a business. Few will actually succeed in taking the steps necessary to start a successful one, though. This is not to deter anyone from following their dreams, but you need to have the correct mindset in order to triumph in your business. If you can’t make it through the rough times, how will you ever be around to celebrate the good ones?

What is the mindset you need to have in order to succeed, you ask? A realistic frame of mind keeps you and your business grounded in tough times. After all, you are the business. Anyone working with you and/or for you will follow your lead. Here are a few tips to help you keep on top of things and see your business goals through to culmination.

Know the Statistics – How many businesses of your type fail each year? What is the competition like? Filling your head with idealistic scenarios is setting yourself up for disappointment and failure. In business, like in life, everything doesn’t always go the way you imagine it.

Be Aware – Embrace the negative possibilities so you know how to handle them when they come. And, they will come if you stay in business long enough. One key to business success is planning ahead for trouble that you hope would not show up.

Don’t Let Others Bring You Down – Ignore the naysayers. If you’re running a business that you’ve always wanted to own, don’t let anyone turn you away from your goal. Say to yourself, “I have created a successful business.”

Preparation Breeds Confidence – This type of preparation brings with it an air of confidence, confidence in your ability to handle any situation. It is that confidence that will motivate you and your employees if the business takes a hit one day. Besides a business plan for your company, create a life attitude plan to go along with it.

Your reactions to setbacks show who you are when things are not going according to plan. Getting bent out of shape is not going to stop the sale from falling through or the market from slumping. Learn to use setbacks in positive ways.

There is not a tried and true formula for professional success. Much of it is trial and error. Allow the highs to outnumber the lows in your professional life by learning to ride the waves and keeping a positive outlook.