New Skills - Your Path to New Opportunities

Our ultimate goal to being successful in this business is to standing out from the crowd. Granted there are many ways that you can accomplish that very thing and it can either enhance or destroy your business or yourself as a brand. Versatility is what sells in the Virtual World. Clients are excited at the fact that their Assistants are not only hard working but talented. To appreciate the value of this concept, you must walk a few miles your Client's shoes. Don't you want to know that you have hired the best? Being the one to brag to your friends and colleagues about the hidden gem you stumbled upon. This can rein true, especially if you have sold them on your services and delivered on their expectations. This could essentially raise the bar for other Administrators out there, making you a prime asset in industry. This could potentially increase your business, bringing in many more repeats clients and possibly some referrals. So let's expound on what skills are needed and how to go about acquiring.

Your Niche

One way to seeking out new skills is identifying your niche. That can be a challenge if you dabble in everything from book-keeping to transcription. I actually fall into that category and I realize that it makes it harder to concentrate on any particular area.

Therefore your first order of business would be to select a sector of that niche you would like to specialize in as added value to your already vast skill set. Bare in mind, Administration is a rather broad field of business. It would include areas such as Accounting, Human Resource and Customer Service, fields which can be broken down further. As Administrators we touch lightly on all related areas in our everyday functions. Thus, being the perfect opportunity to further yourself in the skills of any or all of the areas listed.

Is there anything that tickles your fancy? Any subject area of Administration that you have had trouble with in the past and have wanted to master? Therein sets the challenge, however the reward will provide you with invaluable knowledge that you can take further.

The Skills

At this time, if you are a long running Administrative Assistant, you are very well versed on the basics of the Administrative Functions. Let's review them quickly:

1) Planning - Establishing and arranging goals
2) Staffing - Determining personnel needs and filling them
3) Providing an effective Support Systems
4) Controlling Information
5) Budgeting

These functions do vary depending on the Assistants Level and Seniority. For example, Executive Assistants are higher on the scale and would more than likely incorporate all of these function.

Keeping those functions in mind, you would have to decide which ones you would like to extend your knowledge on. A perfect example would be Accounting/Book-keeping. If your Client knows that you have adequate knowledge of the subject area, it would in essence saves them the headache of hiring additional staff, example a book-keeper.

Saving your client time and money is ultimately what your business about. Your skills would be valued and appreciated knowing that you can add to your already trusted service. You want your Client to want to have you by their side. Their "Right Hand" Person. One they depend on to take care of their tasks without the worry.

Where to Start

How about at the top? You should want to forget what you know about the subject completely when during the training process. It will help you absorb more of what is being taught and opening your mind to different ideas on how to use this new skill to your advantage.

Don't just start and then stop. Quitting is no an option in this game because you are playing to win. That is, winning new Clients and being able to upgrade your current prices.

Try not to just stick to the context of the books or text recommended. Research people, research. As an Administrator we are very resourceful at finding different avenues of one idea in order to understand the bigger picture. Use the Internet to further enhance your knowledge.

Lastly, practice, practice, practice. Try to incorporate what you have learnt, no matter how small into your daily work. It will help you remember and feel much more comfortable applying it when it comes down to exams.

Own Your New Skill

When you obtain that added qualification, DON'T HIDE it. Brag about it. Post it on your walls, on your blogs, websites and your profiles. Let the world and your Clients know that you have more to bring to the table. Tell them you would like to give them first hand experience of what you have learnt. (NB. This is not the time to raise your prices). Though, you should not make your Client feel like you are using them for your trial and error experiment. Start off small and work up to the bigger stuff. Try not to get discouraged as it can get overwhelming at times, however it becomes second nature to you.

Guys, we are the only ones limiting ourselves to what we can do. Some concepts may be harder to grasp but they are not impossible. Always believe you CAN do anything you put your mind to and run with it. DO NOT look back. Like I always say "KEEP MOVING FORWARD"

Thank you for taking the time out to read my blog and please feel free to leave feedback, it would be appreciated. Of course, share it. You may just change a life.

Cheers!