I have a theory. I think there are two kinds of “experts”. One is a status you can strive to achieve, and one you’re born into. Those of us in business online (and offline, too, I’m sure) are pressured to “become the expert” in our fields. Our marketing is designed to portray us as experts, as the “go to” person for what we do. We work hard to plant the seed of that idea in our target market’s mind and even harder to nurture and grow it... Read Full Story

Copyright © 2009 Suzanne. Visit the original article at http://www.vassistantservices.com/in-others-words-october-30-2009/. WP Greet Box WordPress Plugin | OMNINOGGIN This plugin lets you show a different greeting message to your new visitors depending on their referrer url. 100 Incredible Open Courses for the Ultimate Tech Geek – Online Courses While colleges can be a great place to build up your knowledge of technologies of all kinds, real world experience and free learning reso... Read Full Story

Copyright © 2009 Suzanne. Visit the original article at http://www.vassistantservices.com/doing-what-i-can-with-what-ive-got-where-im-at/.On Friday, November 13th, I’m holding a special teleclass that I’d really like you to be a part of, one way or another. But first, a little background… (this is long, but important…) The Summer That Just Won’t Quit This past summer was a really trying one for me and mine. One of the events that occurred involved my now 16... Read Full Story

It may be a simple question, but the answer has far-reaching effects in your life. If you don’t think you can do something, it’s very likely you won’t even try. You won’t put the time, effort or energy into it because, after all, it would be a waste, right? And who has time, effort or energy to waste these days? On the other hand, if you think you can do something, you’re probably more than willing to invest the time, effort and energy into it because you’r... Read Full Story

Copyright © 2009 Suzanne. Visit the original article at http://www.vassistantservices.com/html-plain-text-newsletters/.HTML Email Plain Text Email Whether to send HTML or plain text emails depends on whom you ask. Lots of marketers advise against using HTML emails, citing lower email deliverability rates with HTML, yet according to AWeber, use of HTML email has risen 25.47% in the last year. Hmmm…what gives? I have not conducted any kind of formal study, but I can tell you why I ... Read Full Story

It’s certainly a gross understatement to say relationships are complicated. Who we are and how we act are influenced by so many things seen and unseen, and the same is true for everyone else. Relating to others can feel like walking through a mine field. One misstep and boom! – something unexpected blows up in your face. We are responsible for the messages we send, but we are not necessarily responsible for how the message is received, particularly given how many ways and reasons ... Read Full Story

Copyright © 2009 Suzanne. Visit the original article at http://www.vassistantservices.com/double-opt-in-mailing-lists/.So, even in the age of blogging and RSS, we’ve established we still need our mailing lists. Most everybody thinks the double opt-in process for mailing lists is a pain. (Double opt-in is when your subscribers have to enter their name and email address first, and then click a link in a confirmation email to confirm that they really want to be on that list.) I’... Read Full Story

Copyright © 2009 Suzanne. Visit the original article at http://www.vassistantservices.com/newsletter-blogging/.If you’ve been building a business online for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve heard, “The money is in the list.” And back before blogs arrived on the scene, it was not only true, but pretty darn clear. We did everything we could to encourage people to subscribe to our newsletter mailing lists, and we diligently produced newsletters to stay in co... Read Full Story

photo credit: pdxjeff What is the purpose of a lighthouse? Webster says a lighthouse is: a structure (as a tower) with a powerful light that gives a continuous or intermittent signal to navigators. According to Wikipedia: Lighthouses are often interpreted in dreams as beacons of truth. In my business, my “job” is to be a lighthouse, as opposed to being a search light. My job is not to chase after the folks who need my services, but rather to be that powerful light that gives them... Read Full Story

Copyright © 2009 Suzanne. Visit the original article at http://www.vassistantservices.com/email-triage/.Rewind back to Monday morning. I’m sitting at my computer, coffee in hand, with a deep sense of dread and foreboding about what’s in that inbox I’m looking at. I know there are emails I need to address. Questions clients have asked. Initial inquiries from prospects wanting to hire me to build their website. Answers to questions I’ve asked. I know they’re i... Read Full Story