What keeps you from getting out there and networking or marketing your Virtual Assistant business?
I ask this question of many VAs when they are struggling to find clients, and it often comes down to one thing… lack of motivation.
If we are not motivated to do something, we can convince ourselves that it’s not important, or that we are doing it the wrong way, or that we need more information or research done before proceeding.
And because we work alone most of the time, we need to find ways to motivate ourselves to get a lot of things done that maybe we don’t feel like doing.
“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” – Wayne Dyer
Let’s talk about a few ways that you can motivate yourself to promote your business to your audience.
Do it at the right time
The first thing you need to be aware of is when the right time is to do any task. This is not the same for everyone. Some people are more creative in the mornings, some are better in the afternoon. When should you be creating your social media images? When are you at your best to do networking outreach? Figure out the times of day when you are most productive – and most focused – and schedule your tasks accordingly.
Get up earlier
If you are trying to add in a new project to your day, you may need to add time to your normal day to accommodate that. You don’t have to get up 4 hours earlier than usual, but you do need to allow for the larger task list. Feeling too rushed is a big reason that we are not motivated to do promotion. If you are not an early riser, add your time later in the evening or late at night. The key is to add that time in so it’s extra. Writing blog posts or social media posts are great things that can be done outside of business hours.
Set small goals or objectives
To get anything done, you need to know what you are trying to accomplish at any given time. If you are writing a blog post, start with a draft post in one sitting. In another sitting, edit and rewrite it until you are happy with it. In another short sitting, complete your final draft. When you try to do a complete blog post all in one sitting, it can be overwhelming. Take the pressure off yourself and do it in shorter sittings, to stay motivated.
Just start
When you make yourself sit down and get something done, the work gets done. The more you allow yourself to avoid starting a task, the longer it will sit undone. Give yourself a start time and set a timer for a stop time. Then just start. Your brain helps you keep going once you have started. Outreach and follow up are often things that we put off to do ‘another time’. But if you just get started, you will feel so much better after doing it for an hour, and you will be promoting your business easily.
Stop telling yourself it’s hard
We talk about keeping a positive mindset, but that’s not always easy when you work alone. Positive self talk is an important tool to practice. It starts with telling yourself that you can do something. When you tell yourself it’s going to be hard to do, that’s the attitude you take into the task. If you just stop telling yourself that, you remove that negativity that stops you from getting started.
Because we work alone, it’s essential to learn how to motivate ourselves to get things done – especially promoting our own business. If we don’t keep our business in front of our audience’s eyes, we will not stay top of mind when they need something to help them.
Leaning on others for motivation is okay to do sometimes, but the more you learn to do this yourself, the more productive and happier you will be!
What works for others may not work for you. Figure out what helps you and do more of it!
If you are struggling to stay motivated and you aren’t sure why, I invite you to work through that block with me on a Cut to the Chase call. You can schedule yours here: www.YourVAMentor.com/15-min