Are You Really Ready For This?

We all make mistakes. Typos enter into our work and we easily miss them. I'm sure there are a few on this website. Mistakes are one thing. Not knowing how to write, or being too lazy to care, are entirely different things. If you are going to be in business -- that's why you're here, right? -- and present your products or services to the public you need to learn how to present yourself to your clientele in a fashion that at least matches the nature of the business you are running and the services you are offering.

Here is an actual quote from a discussion forum where a young wannabe entrepreneur was asking for help with his new business. The following is his plea in its entirety, copied verbatim:
 

so i started a new business last week and im trying to get new clients. im a virtual assistant office administrative that my business and i also have a website and i have advertised it."

 
His website has similar problems. Not only does the grammar, punctuation, and phrasing, scream that I do not want this person as my virtual assitant office administrative, in my opinion the number one reason he's going to continue to have difficulty is that he hasn't learned how to ask for the sale, or provide a call to action. Nowhere in his obvious plea does he actually ask for help. Obvious may not be good enough in the online business world.
 
There are many ways his post could have been presented most of which would probably be better. Here's my take on it:
 

I started a new business last week and I am trying to get new clients. I am a virtual office administrative assistant offering a variety of support services for other online businesses. I have a website which I have advertised using Google Adwords. Can anyone help me with advice on how to expand my reach?

 
You can state your case in a variety of ways; there's no need to elaborate with paragraphs of detail. A brief statement will suffice to get the conversation going, however a few facts do help to better paint the picture. I'm not sure about the "administrative" thing. Maybe it is a nown relating to a new breed of office worker. In my day it was an adjective describing the nature of the role. I've re-ordered the phrase appropriately, as I see it. Actually asking what you want to know allows those offering help to target your specific needs, and simply asking the question is more likely to engender a response.
 
You may work from home in your pajamas and figure it doesn't matter, but you must present a face to the public that reflects your seriusness and professionalism. Your words are that face. Show your potential customers or clients why they should deal with you. If you don't come across as being who you are trying to say you are you are not likely to gain your readers' trust or their business.
 
If you can't write effectively, find someone who can, even if you have to hire it done... and you probably shouldn't try to hire out as a virtual assistant office administrative until you can.
 

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