Can you serve your clients, attract new clients, do marketing tasks and present a seminar from anywhere?

Then you have a virtual business, if not, take notes!

THE INNER GAME: Having a healthy mindset to work virtually is a big to do and makes all the difference when it comes to your success. For example, its important to imagine yourself implementing tasks from any location. Anything is  possible but you must believe it first. I remember when I was in corporate America and I had to not only show up everyday in my office, but I had to get on the subway and zip thru Manhattan for client appointment after appointment;
I remember being so exhausted by the time I got back to my office. To make up for the time, I stayed late practically every night to maintain my #1 spot as top Business sales executive. Now, I’m in my own business and I call my own shots,  working smarter not harder is a major priority. I still set big goals for myself but it’s important that my daily steps compliment my desired lifestyle. Isn’t that a big benefit of running your own show? Now, I meet my clients virtually or in person on certain days of the week, this allows me to conserve my energy while keeping my clients happy.

SYSTEMS: Identify the best tools and systems that will help you operate virtually. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices out there. My rule of thumb, test, use free trials and ask my colleagues what works for them. Please visit my  technology rolodex to access the tools and systems I use. Here are two of my favorite systems: Basecamp by 37 signals – why? It allows me to keep all of my clients information, correspondence, projects, and interaction in one place.

The suite allows me to have a different project for each client and my clients update it with their questions, progress and completed tasks. I also use this to communicate with my team. Click here to view a short tutorial on how I use basecamp as a major virtual tool. Gotowebinar.com is another one of my favorite tools – why? I use it to meet with private clients, prospective clients and colleagues. I like it because I can share my desktop and/or show my face and see their face. I can  also record the session and/or create quick web pages that makes registration very easy. One of my favorite benefits is setting up recurring meetings, it’s a brilliant system.

HABITS: It’s important to make a commitment to creating best practices as you work virtually. One big habit is to schedule your in person meetings to take place 1-2 days per week only, this is called time-patching. Identify those days in  advance and schedule all of your appointments accordingly. Set standards in your business that your clients will respect and admire. An extremely productive habit is identifying a tool that will allow you to work virtually or on the run easily. This would be a tablet or laptop. A phone is a bit small to get real work done. I cannot tell you how valuable my Ipad has been to my business. I love that most things are backed up onto my desktop and phone to prevent duplicate entries. I also highly recommend web-based systems, I can log into them from anywhere and so can my team. A quick tip: purchase an internet service that you can use on the go via your laptop or tablet, this is critical and saves you so much time.

GOALS: A good place to start is to make a list of your ideal day or week. Right down tasks that you would love to implement virtually. One by one, ask colleagues what they use for specific tasks. It’s important to build a support team that will  help you with your virtual business. For example: your bookkeeper, your assistant, etc. must be able to accomplish assigned tasks in a virtual environment.

LIFESTYLE: I have to tell you that this will not work if you do not fully committed to the process both internally and externally. Prepare for bumps in the road as you shift. For example, isolation can be tough and lead to depression. A good way to overcome that is to create a virtual support community. My virtual support community consists of the following: mastermind partners that I check in with regularly, social media groups that I check in with throughout the day, my coach
that keeps my accountable and focused, tools that remind me of my project details and connecting with neighbors and friends often that have a similar lifestyle.

Bottom line, you are under taking a major makeover in your life and it will take time to get comfortable. Be kind to yourself and take baby steps to make it happen. I could share several tools, resources and tips with you but that will lead to  overwhelm. Start with the tools I share in this article and as you grow, check back with me and I will continue to help you reinvent your business!

I’ve been able to consistently grow my business to six figures, sign long term clients, create and run programs, attract new business, close leads, create and maintain multiple income streams, build my brand, meet with clients every week in groups and privately and manage my team, all virtually. So it works, I promise!

Your Biz Reinvention Expert,

Marquesa

Be sure to visit www.GottaSpeakNow.com to download your free ebook!

Need a coach to guide you? Go to www.speakerblueprint.com

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Join me on Tuesday, July 9 2013 at 4pm pst on #SpeakerChat as I share some tips on:

Using High End Programs to Monetize Your Message