I’m A New Coach. How Would a VA Assist Me?
November 10, 2010 by Kim Gray
Filed under Business Operations
This is one of our most common questions and one of the biggest problems that new coaches have to face. Throughout coach training, you have heard that you need a VA to help you with your new practice. However, you didn’t understand what that meant. Maybe the following questions crossed your mind:
- How do I get my coaching business up and running with a VA? Or without?
- What would a VA be looking for from me? Am I ready for a VA?
- What do I want from my VA? What should I be looking for?
- What other systems, applications, or processes do I need?
- Will a VA be worth my money and time investment right now?
In this article, we will explore Question #5.
Will a VA be worth my money and time investment right now?
The simple answer to this question is, “It depends.” We could all use a VA to help us from the very beginning stages of our business planning, while still in coach training, and to implement strategies for marketing our web presence. An extra set of hands and “two heads are better than one” rings true whether you are “building the road as you drive down it” or moving to the next level of your product funnel.
A Coaches VA should know how to help design a marketing strategy to generate buzz and get your face in front of your market. Truthfully, you have to decide which market you want to serve and have evidence that they want the services you want to offer. Your VA can help you find where they live, work, and play online and locally. How much of your time could be spent on introducing yourself to various online communities, meeting face-to-face with local business owners, or reaching out to those who are in your inner circle? Your VA will be able to help you create a plan to make the best of these connections with a reply to, “so what have you been up to lately?”
When I work with coaches, we develop a marketing plan that includes opportunities for prospects to come and learn more. I heard it said early in my business to “always have something to invite them to”, and it has been one of the best strategies for planning. Imagine entering a virtual room or networking event knowing that your systems are in place for those who are curious or interested in knowing more about you. The right virtual assistant can help you put all these pieces together.
Working with a Coaches VA at the early stages of your business will help you to focus and create a series of tasks to complete for your marketing plan. If you are clear about your target market and willing to do some of the work, you can save money by working with a VA for only 5 hours a month. However, as you start to bring on clients, you will want to delegate more to your VA so you can do more of what you love – helping others achieve their goals.
I do hope this 5-part series has answered many of your questions about how a VA would assist you. My closing advice is this:
- If you are still in coach training, wait until you finish your first level of certification before working with a VA. You will be in a much better position to talk about your passion and market at that time.
- Be sure to find a VA that works with coaches on a regular basis and is savvy in the areas where you aren’t. You want your VA to be a complement to your business, someone who has been there and can be proactive.
- If you are still employed and launching your coaching practice, find a VA that is willing to help you transition into your full-time coaching practice. You may need her to be flexible and available outside of your work schedule or during your lunch breaks for meetings.
If you still have questions please feel free to register for our last Keys to Success Call for 2010 on Wednesday, December 1 at 7:00 PM Eastern (4:00 PM Pacific, 5:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Central).
Would you like to be a guest on our panel of new coaches for the December 1st call? We are looking for 5 new coaches who can bring a fresh perspective to the 5 questions posed in this article series. If you are interested, please contact me at kim@coachesconsole.com by November 22 so we can coordinate all the details.
Click here to register your seat and come prepared to take notes. We will review all 5 of the questions in this series and allow opportunities for questions.
Are You Ready for a VA?
August 16, 2010 by Kim Gray
Filed under Business Operations
I’m A New Coach. How Would a VA Assist Me?
This is one of our most common questions and one of the biggest problems that new coaches have to face. Throughout coach training, you heard that you need a VA to help you with your new practice. However, you didn’t understand what that meant. Maybe the following questions crossed your mind:
- How do I get my coaching business up and running with a VA? Or without?
- What would a VA be looking for from me? Am I ready for a VA?
- What do I want from my VA? What should I be looking for?
- What other systems, applications, or processes do I need?
- Will a VA be worth my money and time investment right now?
In this article, we will explore Question #2.
What Would a VA Be Looking For From Me? Am I Ready for a VA?
THINK ABOUT YOUR CURRENT RELATIONSHIPS: Look at your friends and family members that you cherish. What types of people are they? What about them is attractive to you? If you had to describe their qualities to someone else, what would you say? On the flip side, what do your friends and family say about your qualities that are attractive? If they had to say only one good thing about you what would it be? Remember that YOUR ideal VA will be attracted to you if presented correctly.
Have you ever watched the show “Bringing Home Baby”? Well, the new parents are chronicled as they make the transition into parenthood, bringing home their new baby. The first week of their life is shared across America from their joy down to their sleepless nights. Those of us who are mothers know that no one can truly be ‘ready’ for a new baby. Each one is slightly different. The same is true about being ready for a VA. You could have the funds to afford a VA and not be ready to handle the relationship. Or you could be ready for the relationship but not able to afford the commitment.
Another good way to get answers to these questions is to join us on August 18 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern for our next Keys to Success Call: Am I Ready for a VA. On this call, we will discuss some critical steps to take before you work with a VA.
Your facilitator will be Kim Gray, our Certified VA liaison. She has been piloting our newest program, the Inner Circle, with a select group of new and emerging coaches. This pilot group has produced some amazing results and given her some valuable feedback. By attending the call, you will learn about our next Inner Circles scheduled to start in September.
Next month, we will address Question #3: What do I want from my VA? What should I be looking for? So, take the time to reserve your seat on August 18 for our next Keys to Success Call and learn the answer to ”Am I Ready for a VA?”. Who knows? You might be one of our next Inner Circle participants in September!
The Coaches Console Certifies VAs
May 4, 2010 by Kim Gray
Filed under Business Operations
My journey with The Coaches Console began as an interested virtual assistant in support of coaching professionals. One of my first coach clients used The Coaches 
Console and was gracious enough to let me ‘play’ with it. Of course, I ‘played’ with it on my own time and had so much fun, that I started to attend every Tuesday@ 2 call I could. I found those calls to be so informative, and I loved being able to ask a live person questions. After a while, Melinda got to know me as the inquisitive virtual assistant, always present and ready to contribute. I was even one of the first VAs certified in 2007, I believe. Then in 2009, something amazing happened.
Melinda called and asked if I would be interested in redesigning the VA Certification Program with her! After I pulled myself off the floor, I gave her a resounding ‘Yes’. We set to work and created the Certified VA Boot Camp and the Certified VA Team. Since May 2009, we’ve certified 15 virtual assistants and served over 100 members of The Coaches Console through the Certified VA Team.
In November 2009, The Coaches Console launched a new release with state-of-the-art functionality and presence. Since then, our membership has grown which means there are more coaches using the system without a VA. Since we know how valuable our certification is, we want to be sure that more VAs can participate. So, we have revamped our original Certification Program to include two levels: Novice and Master. The Novice Certification takes only four weeks, whereas the Master Certification takes eight weeks.
On May 12 at 3:00 PM, we will be hosting a FREE Information Call for all VAs and Coaches who want to know more. We will be sharing the new structure of the programs, what benefits are gained by certification, and let you hear from our current Certified VA Team. Let me share just a tidbit of information with you so you can decide if the call will be beneficial for you.
Why should you want to be certified? Most VAs aren’t skilled at using The Coaches Console, so they can’t adequately support their coach. As I mentioned, with our membership growth, there will be more coaches needing quality support. By certifying through our VA Boot Camp Certification Programs, you will increase your comfort level, confidence, and value in working with coaches.
Hear what our Certified VAs have to say about the benefits they’ve received:
“Coaches were not my niche but I got to work with a variety of coaches from new to established. I’ve learned about coaches and now like working with them.”
“By attending the Certification Program, I’ve had the opportunity to learn new ways to support coaches.”
“Using my certification lets me work with different types of coaches and helps me determine which ones are ideal for me.”
“I am finding out ways to market my services more attractively so I can help my clients.”
Here’s something else to think about for your own VA Business:
* Have you wished for an all-in-one system for managing your VA business?
* Would you like to save time by using one comprehensive system to perform basic tasks?
* How about increasing your availability to work on revenue-generating projects?
* Would you like to save money by preventing expensive mistakes and pursuing useless trial offers?
If so, then The Coaches Console VA Boot Camp Certification programs will be perfect for you! If you’d like to know even more, visit our event page at http://tccbootcamp.eventbrite.com to view the full invitation. You will be able to register on the spot and save your seat.
