An upbeat writer —at the right place, at the
right time— saw a new career blossom before her,
allowing her to do the kind of writing she
enjoys most and to interact with her clients in
a very real, personal way.
Lois Feinstein is a VA copywriter who knows
how to make your personality come alive using just
words.
MI: How did
you begin using your writing talent?
LF: When I
graduated from UCLA with a degree in
communications, my father said, “Work in an
advertising agency.” I did a lot of
journalism writing in college. I found that
I liked writing “tersely,” and I was never
going to be Charles Dickens. So, I took my
father’s advice. My first job, with
Braverman-Mirisch, a small, one-woman ad
agency, lasted seven years. My experience
there taught me how to use the least amount
of words to say the most. You don’t have to
beat people to death with redundancy. I’ve
always found that my K.I.S.S. philosophy
(Keep It Simple and Succinct) works in just
about any arena in life but especially in
copywriting.
MI: Where
have you worked?
LF: I put in my
corporate tour of duty working in
administration at Charles Schwab for ten
years. It was actually good for me. It kept
me up-to-date with computer skills, which
came in handy writing the company’s online
newsletter. Yet, my job at Schwab didn’t end
with writing and admin tasks. I became the
do-it-all point person. “Oh, you want to
have a party? Ask Lois to organize it,” was
just one of the often repeated phrases
floating around the office. Simply delete
“party” and insert any miscellaneous task. I
was “Lois to the rescue!”
MI: How did
you make the decision to start your own
business?
LF: About five
years ago, I read an article in the Denver
Business Journal, which talked about a “new
category” of worker, the virtual assistant.
I was no longer working at Schwab and
decided to investigate how I could use a
variety of my collective skills to work this
way. I did get work, providing
administrative support, event planning and
related writing jobs; but I wasn’t centered
on which of my skills were the most
enjoyable and potentially, the most
marketable. My clients decided this for me.
I had a lot of different clients calling
about all kinds of things, but as more
writing assignments came my way, I gradually
let the other stuff go.
MI: Was
there a turning point in how you wanted your
own business to operate?
LF: One of my
clients was a Realtor® who was too busy, one
particular evening, to actually listen to an
important teleconference “class” offered by
a small-business expert named Michael
Russer. He asked me to do this for him. I
thought to myself, “This is great! I can get
comfortable, knit a little, sip my tea and
relax.” I’m sure that my immediate reaction
differs little from many who have heard you
speak. I was riveted; simply blown away! Not
only did your delivery provide concrete
blocks of useful information, but you were
also completely genuine and enjoyed every
minute of what you were saying. I couldn’t
wait to share this information with my
client. When we heard you were speaking at
an in-town seminar, I eagerly attended. You
walked out on stage and I was thinking,
“This man comes out and has advice that can
change lives. I’ll follow this guy
anywhere!” My own business really took off
that night. You asked what I did. I told you
I was a copywriter. There were a lot of real
estate professionals in that room who needed
copy written for their businesses. I was
suddenly surrounded by interested parties,
many of whom hired me.
MI: How do
you imprint your writing style when working
with clients?
LF: What I like
about working with realtors, in particular,
is that each one has something different to
offer. I try to convince them that they
don’t necessarily have to conform to an
assembly line image and end up sounding like
all their competitors, in their written
advertising copy. I tell them “You are who
you are. Besides selling real estate, tell
me something about yourself. Do you like
dogs? Tennis?” Realty is a people-to-people
business. I strive to integrate their
humanity into my descriptions of their
businesses.
MI: Tell us
about the new Copywriting Guild of the Real
Estate Virtual Assistants (REVA).
LF: As we speak,
the new Copywriting Guild of the Real Estate
Virtual Assistants (REVA) Network is about
to officially launch. I was thrilled when
you asked me to chair it. This will provide
yet another venue in the virtual community
for buyers and providers to meet, as well as
to offer internal support to new VAs and
their endeavors. The guild is built on a
three-tier platform, based on the level of
expertise of its members as apprentices,
journeymen or masters. It will, of course,
have its own huge, built-in customer base
primarily among Realtors® as well as others.
Additionally, members applying to the guild
will be required to take a short
realty-focused seminar, to insure a basic
understanding of the real estate industry
before they are hired by clients.
MI: How has
being a VA changed your life?
LF: For now, I
shall continue to enjoy the things that make
me happy and give me pleasure in life…when
I’m not working…which is a much easier thing
to accomplish now. And could you please call
my mother and tell her I am not going to
write the next great American novel because
I have discovered, and have comfortably
nestled into, my niche as a copywriting VA!
Also tell her that I have just knitted my
first sweater, and the sleeves are actually
the same length. I still find time to take
my piano lessons, too!
MI: Lois,
thank you so much for sharing your thoughts
about the importance of good copywriting,
and of course for your huge contribution to
the REVA Network community of dedicated Real
Estate Virtual Assistants.
LF: It has been
my pleasure Michael, thank you for giving me
the opportunity!
Diversity describes Lois
Feinstein. She writes lively, personalized copy
for the web and print publications (marketing
collateral, newsletters and brochures) for
Realtors ® and other business professionals.
Visit her web site:
www.I-cando-that.com or contact her at
lfeinstein@i-cando-that.com or
303-748-2024.
Always remember to do a
thorough due-diligence before hiring any kind of
assistant. This interview is part of an ongoing
series of VA profiles designed to help you find
the perfect VA or VA team to help you get
organized, profitable, and in control of your
business.
