Train to be a Three Dimensional Virtual Assistant

I was recently reflecting on my previous educational pathway. I did 6 years of University education - 4 for my undergrad and two graduate. While those years were "life-transforming" and matured me as a person, I have to say that I did not necessarily acquire those "hard skills" that directly translated well to work! Of course, I did my graduate studies in Counselling and those skills will likely be put to good use when my three girls become teenagers:)

Now, I look at my training regime over the last 5 years (as an Internet Busines Owner) which has included a regular dose of ebooks, webinars, coaching programs, online communities and conferences. I have in-turn been able to hone my "hard skills" at a fairly rapid rate!

Now, in considering your own Virtual Assistant Practice, how are you currently developing your skills and knowledge? Are you investing regular time during the week to train, learn and grow?

The bigger question . Are you training to be a Three Dimensional Virtual Assistant (or Entrepreneur for that matter)?

Here are three dimensions of learning to consider as you seek to grow your Virtual Business to new heights

1. Dimension 1: "Hard Skills Training"

There are certain "Hard Skills" that your clients are requiring you to have to help them take their businesses to the next level! These might be skills in:

- Teleclass and Webinar Coordination

- Shopping Cart Set-up

- Email List Management

- Social Networking Set-up and Profile management

- Affiliate Management

The list goes on As you blink, there are new skills and services being added to this list - the industry is moving "crazy fast" and it is important to build a plan for continously developing your "Hard Skills" for your business. Of course, our training center, VAClassroom, specializes in "hard skills" training particularly in the area of Internet Marketing. But, there are other great programs out there. I have been really impressed with the Skills Training offered by Cindy Greenway and Tina Forsyth in their Hot Skills VA Training Program. There are lots of great avenues to hone your skills - the important thing is to make room in your schedule for this kind of continual learning.

Dimension #2: Networking / Marketing Training

In this dimension, you learn new techniques for networking with clients, increasing the traffic and exposure to your business website, building relationships with ideal clients in Social networks and other online communities. While you might already have a "Marketing Plan" in place for your Virtual Assistant practice, it is important to continue to incorporate and test out new strategies for better connecting with your clients and making your business known on the web! This kind of training may involve digesting Internet Marketing ebooks and taking webinars and other marketing training through such avenues as MarketingExperiments and of course the VAClassroom Training Program. Wow that is two plugs for our program in one blog post - that is borderline scandalous:)

The bottom line is that "the one who markets the best wins" (most of the time), so you want to be regularly implementing innovative strategies for promoting your Virtual Assistant Business.

Dimension #3: Self Training

Do you know who is the hardest person on the face of the earth to lead and manage? Any guesses?????

YOU!

Self Leadership is one of the most crucial skills to develop for any Entrepreneur! Self Leadership might refer to how you manage crisis, stress, your daily schedule, your prioirities, your commitments, your productivity, your relationships with others, your LIFE! The reality is that if your life is in chaos, then it will inevitably have an impact on your success as a Virtual Business Owner.

This is an area that I actually allot a fair amount of time for training. I read books on productivity and self leadership to help me to be more effective in my work life and personal life and be able to strike that harmonious balance between the two! For example; I read "Getting Things Done" by Management Consultant, David Allen a while ago to help me further enhance my productivity and reduce my stress levels - it helped!

The three dimensional Virtual Assistant and Entrepreneur for that matter will be highly committed and disciplined in developing their hard skills, marketing know-how, and most importantly learning how to lead themselves in a more effective and healthy way.

This is how I structure my training regime - I am slowly but surely morphing into a three dimensional business owner. How about you?