It didn’t take long for me to realize that I needed to replicate the workplace experience by building my own professional relationships. My solution was to implement an Advisory Committee.  An Advisory Committee is a small group of trusted individuals that you can turn to for advice and feedback. They should have a genuine interest in your business as well as a strong desire to help you succeed.

The members and structure of your Advisory Committee is entirely up to you, but should be done with careful thought and consideration. A good starting point is to identify your weaknesses and look for people who will be able to help overcome the obstacles you will face. You can select anyone from friends or family all the way to retired CEOs, but be certain that their contribution will be relevant to your business’s needs.

A qualified executive level Virtual Assistant can be your best ADVISOR, because with substantial access to your business and vast experience and knowledge from the corporate world as well as with other clients, a VA’s perspective can provide extraordinarily valuable insights. We see the big picture together with the minutia, and adopting simple changes and ideas we recommend can often result in a profound difference to your business.

Most of all, enjoy the feeling of knowing that you are not alone and will always have someone to look to for counsel. You and your business will reap the rewards and perhaps one day you will be able to pay it forward as well.

Listen and pay attention. By taking careful notes and listening to your customer, you will be more informed and capable of performing in a way that will meet or exceed their expectations- the first time.

Be at your desk and ready to work on time. Dependability is very important to customers. They want to know that you are available and accessible if anything ever arises.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody. We all make mistakes, but how we handle those mistakes is what people will remember. Don’t make excuses for yourself- own the mistake and make sure you offer a solution.  Your customer will appreciate your honesty.

Put things back where you found them. Stay organized! It will do wonders if you have issues with time-management.

And my personal favorite: Work as a team. No one person is able to do everything themselves. Relying on the skills and ideas of others will do nothing but strengthen the business and relationships you have already established. The foundation of my business is built on teamwork. As a virtual assistant, my customers rely on me to produce quality results and represent them in a professional manner. They appreciate that I am part of their team and understand that my main goal will always be to help them grow and succeed in their industry.

Some of my clients have shared a few of these great tools with me and in turn I have shared them with other clients, friends, family and colleagues, who also love them. So if you follow me on any social media platforms or subscribe to my newsletter, I’m certain you will find these time-savers to be valuable as well.  To further spark your interest, I also offer some ideas for how to use them most effectively.  The best part is most of them are FREE!

• Sticky Notes (Microsoft Office) – How many times does this happen to you?  You’re working on a very important project and a thought comes to mind that you don’t want to lose.  So you pull your hands off your keyboard, pop a post-it note, grab a pen, write the thought down and stick the note somewhere on your desk.  Then that very important sticky note – which has a task vital to our lives in some way – winds up attaching itself to another pile of paperwork and ends up lost for good?  The Sticky Notes tool is a part of Microsoft Office Suite and has been around for a long time, but the best version (in my opinion) is within MS Office 2010.  It stays on your desktop for quick access, there’s no need to “save” them, as once you type them they automatically stay on until you remove them.  You can color code your sticky notes and even re-size them.  I use different colors for each note, sorted for example by “Client Projects”, “Marketing Ideas”, “Personal Tasks”, and even “Grocery List” and “Errands”.  It’s my All-In-One overview of my life, both business and personal.  So spare a tree AND your sanity; make use of the Sticky Notes program.  It’s likely on your computer already.

• E.gg Timer (www.E.ggtimer.com) Note the dot (.) between the E and the first g – My clients always comment on how prompt I am for our phone meetings and this is the tool I credit for calling them right on the dot! Let’s say you have an upcoming phone meeting with a client and although you’re quite conscious the time is counting down, you’re in the middle of important projects, so you’re praying the time doesn’t accidently ‘get away’ from you.  Here’s what I do: I set a reminder in MS Outlook for one or two hours in advance of my scheduled meeting (if it’s an appointment on my Outlook calendar, I have it already set this way).  When the reminder pops up on my screen, I then go to (www.E.ggtimer.com), enter the amount of time that I would like it to countdown, usually ending up 5 minutes before my appointment. This tool is very simple to use and keeps me on schedule throughout the day.

• Now Do This (www.NowDoThis.com) – A very basic and straightforward way to stay on track and keep focused.  There’s one main drawback in that that you can’t save your list day-to-day, but it’s a simple short-term solution to map out your day.  Also, since you can view only one task at a time but can re-order them any time by editing the list, I suggest listing items in priority sequence. To insure the best way of managing my time, I use this as my daily task list quite often in tandem with the E.gg Timer mentioned above.

• Outlook Flags (Microsoft Office) – I use Outlook for my email, address book, and task list.  Honestly without Outlook, I would not be functioning as effectively as I am within my business.  I set up my email box with folders for each client and then create “Rules”, so when their emails come in they will automatically sort into their designated folder.  When I check email, I can see at-a-glance all unread email from each client, which according to the rules I set is pre-sorted.  I can then open and “flag” any items requiring action.  The “flagged” email is now automatically also an actual task on my To-Do List, so if I view my task list in Outlook, each flagged item is listed under each client’s name, so I know the tasks I need to handle for each client.  Brilliant, right?  I know!  Not only does this system work for my email in-box, I also create Outlook “tasks” with flags.  I set a reminder on the flag to pop open at a specified time (be it 1 hour, 3 days, 2 weeks or a year from now) and to make it recur if necessary.  The beauty of this system is that I can “dismiss” a task once it’s complete or I can “snooze” it to pop up again at a later date or time.  This way it’s not clogging up my desktop, but it’s not lost either.

• Evernote (www.Evernote.com) – Evernote is similar to One Note (MS Office), but in my opinion much better.   Lets’ say you want to remember something you found online.  Once you download and set up your link from their site, whether email or a webpage, you can simply “Send to Evernote”.  You can then tag items and sort them into folders (e.g. “Recipes to Try”, “Social Media”, “Marketing Ideas”, or as I have, sort into client folders which also include tags for cross-referencing).  You can search for a keyword to find what you are looking for too.  Evernote keeps all your “stuff” in one spot and helps to bypass what I call the bookmark “dump zone”.  They even have a mobile app!

• EchoSign (www.echosign.com) – Congratulations, you’ve just gotten a new client!  And you’ve heard the phrase “Let’s get started working together”.  But we all know work won’t start (and sometimes payment is not processed) until they actually sign your contract.  Though you’ve sent your contract via email, who knows when your new client will actually get around to opening, printing and reviewing the document, let alone sign it, scan it into their computer and send it back as an attachment, or even worse, some don’t know how to scan and save it to their computer, and possibly don’t have a fax machine either.  It’s reasonable to expect that your new client wants to facilitate working together just as quickly as you do, so why not help them simplify the process of getting their signature on your contract within hours or even minutes?  To obtain their electronic signature (which is as legally binding as a physical signature) send your document(s) via EchoSign.  You indicate the areas needing signature or initials, and once you hit send, all your client has to do is click to open your document, review it, click once to sign it and then click the big green button that says “Apply” (all right within the email they receive).  Then you will immediately receive an email to let you know your new client has signed your document, ask you to do the same, and this time when you hit “done”, instantly you will both receive an email with a .pdf attachment of your fully executed document for your records.

• Share Desktop (www.Skype.com) – My clients generally have specific procedures already created for their business and once they hire me as their Virtual Assistant, I will be handling these tasks for them.  Although I get up to speed very quickly, visual training is an added advantage.  One very effective tool I use for online “collaborative” training is a Skype feature, where my client can share their computer screen with me, and at the same time we can talk and “walk” through their entire processes together.  This way too, I can often instantly provide suggestions for improvements.  (I often follow up with the creation of an Operations Manual.)

• Jing (www.TechSmith.com/Jing.com) – Another client of mine recently shared this most effective and quite amazing tool.  I will be so bold to say it’s truly a Virtual Assistant’s dream!  Jing “records” both your screen navigation and your voice for an audio/visual training session of 5 minutes or less, just enough time to document one process.  Jing is similar to a YouTube instructional video, but on a smaller and more personal scale.  The screencast link which is uploaded from your Jing Video can be emailed and I highly recommend be saved within the training section of your company’s Operations Manual, so you or your Virtual Assistant can reference it at any time.  This has been one of the most helpful tools for my business.  If there’s a process you do for your business, but you want to hand it off to someone else, rather than typing a step-by-step list with detailed explanations which could take a lot of time, simplify the process and document the steps in 5 minutes or less with a Jing Video!

• Roboform (www.roboform.com) – I would be lost without Roboform.  It is a timesaver like no other.  How much time do you think you are losing in your day just filling out forms on websites?  We have to provide so much repetitive information (name, address, email address, billing info, etc.), and then keep track of our user names and passwords.  If you’re like me, you try use the same ones for most sites, but it’s always questionable as to what they require (all letters with one digit; one capital letter, the rest lower case; etc.) What a nightmare!  But, no worries, you created a spreadsheet on your computer, right?  You may have password-protected it too.  That’s good, but now each time you go to a website, you have to find your spreadsheet on your computer, open it up and find your log-in information and then still type it in.  Maybe then you can finally get back to the task at hand.  Well, no more.  Roboform to the rescue!!!  Simply leave the Roboform toolbar turned on in your browser (works with most: Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, even AOL) and with one click, your user name and password is filled in, and for those forms with the same repetitive info, also just click and fill!  Roboform will even create encrypted passwords if you’d like and the entire program can be password-protected.  My favorite feature for my business is that I have a folder within Roboform for each of my clients so when I go to a particular website (Facebook, for example), I can select the proper client folder and log in with their information. What other program allows you to store an infinite number of user name/passwords combinations?  You may not need an infinite number of folders as I use for clients, but you can use the multiple folder feature for family members, etc.

Let’s face it: this is an exciting era – even if it’s daunting to some – with the constantly arriving new technology, social media and online tools.  It all helps streamline our businesses, market our services or products and communicate with clients with greater impact and less expense than ever before.

As I stay at the forefront of what’s new, clients of A Virtual Assistant 4 You will always benefit from my introduction to online technology to improve their processes or expand their opportunities. By my using time-saving tools, work takes me less time – think about the resulting cost-savings for clients!

Readers of this blog are welcome to contact me for help with setting up and getting started on any of these tools. The costs will be reasonable and the benefits enormous.  Remember to subscribe to my blog and be on the lookout for many more valuable online tools. And, don’t forget to post your own favorite productivity tools and organizational tips on my blog!  Thanks!

For most of us, there are dozens of similar repetitive tasks, large and small, in our businesses that could be systemized. To identify where, step back from your routine and look at it all objectively. As you go through the analysis, ask yourself why you created a particular process in the first place.  For every process you find that could be automated with a new system, you may find another that can be eliminated altogether.  Reviewing your business this way may in fact prove to be both valuable and enlightening.

What exactly is the process you go through to handle, for example, a sales lead? If you are struggling to get all the steps down, try the “backwards” approach. Start with the end result and then determine what you did before that, and so on, for each step. Often, the documentation you create in this process is all the system you require. It also becomes the core of an Operations Manual for your business, which is one of the most valuable systems you can build.  For example, in my business, when a prospective client contacts me, I am triggered to take certain steps to keep them in my pipeline.   Some of these steps may include any or all of the following:

• Request to schedule a consultation;
• Use **email template to send proposal and customize as necessary (I also have a list of the items I attach to the email as a standard process i.e. list of client references, FAQ’s, Rate Sheet, etc.);
• Confirm appointment;
• Review client information including website;
• Add to potential client spreadsheet; capture all relevant information;
• Add date to calendar for follow up;
• Add to ezine mailing list;
• Etc.

**For practically any email communication, I have created a system of templates (or what I refer to as scripts), which can be customized to fit any situation.  Why reinvent the ‘wheel’ each time?

When prospects become new clients, another set of documented steps is then triggered which may include:

• Send Agreement for Services & Payment Authorization Form;
• Customize and send Welcome Kit;
• Add to Database & Skype;
• Create & send Invoice;
• Process payment;
• Make folder for contract, invoice and other documents;
• Send referral credit (if applicable);
• Request connection on LinkedIn;
• Follow on Twitter and/or Facebook;
• Create outline of marketing ideas (if applicable)

One of the best systems you can employ is to hand the process of documentation to a Virtual Assistant. You will need to provide initial guidance on the steps involved and how to achieve and measure the necessary outcomes, but an experienced and organized Virtual Assistant can be a major help in establishing systems.  In addition to printed documentation, a Virtual Assistant can use video as a tool to provide step-by-step directions for processes difficult to outline in writing.  They can include the video hyperlinks directly into your company’s Operations Manual.

Once all your business processes are documented, they can be easily accessed, updated and customized as needed.  This saves time for both you as the business owner and your Virtual Assistant.  Then you can both spend your time focusing on new projects that will generate more income for your business.

A Virtual Assistant 4 You is experienced with creating systems, providing documentation of business processes and recording steps via video for your company’s Operations Manual.  Please visit www.AVirtualAssistant4You.com, email Jaimie@AVirtualAssistant4You.com or call 877-798-7701 for more information.

Well, allow me to help you with this analysis – no charge, no obligation. Simply, at the end if you feel I could take over some of your business and personal tasks in a way that will make your workday more effective, and that the cost of doing so is worthwhile, hire me as your Virtual Assistant. If not, you will have had the frankest look at what you need to do and a new awareness.

I have saved hundreds of hours for clients. The relief they feel is astounding. The energy they gain is priceless. The attention they place on business growth and customer service pays enormous dividends.

I can make this happen for you. I can handle so much of what you do every day. I’m sure you’ve imagined and wished you could feel better about your work life, but feel constantly frustrated. The impact of my work on my clients might amaze you. Just visualize for a moment starting every workday with a relaxed mind and passion. That is the impact of my work on clients. Click on Testimonials and see!

After our analysis, you will be welcome to call any of my clients with questions about how the process works for them, and in particular perhaps how they were able to transition from doing everything themselves to “letting go”.

You can really TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE both at work and at home when you feel good about what’s going on. Make this that pivotal moment you will look back on as the moment your life changed.  Email or call me at 877-798-7701.

Based on my experience, a pressing problem common among almost all clients is that their prospective clients aren’t staying in their sales ‘pipeline’.  Prior to a client working with me, a prospect would email or call the client to express interest in their services.  Since my client was so busy with keeping on top of their administrative tasks, the prospect would often fall through the cracks.  My client may reach out once and then simply fail to follow up, or not send their proposal for several weeks, or simply not keep to whatever commitment they made during their initial call.  Their prospect would go elsewhere.

I have been able to help clients stay on top of their obligations and – in doing so – my clients actually credit me with increasing their income.  In fact, one of my clients sent me a bonus check simply to thank me.  Prior to hiring me in October 2009 she had been in business for 25 years, and she has now told me that due to my efforts alone in making sure prospects are maintained throughout the‘pipeline’ process, this has been her best sales year ever!

1. You save money! There are no office space costs, no equipment or furniture costs, no fixed salary, no payroll taxes, no employee benefits and no sick pay or paid vacations.
2. If you are working in a limited space, a Virtual or Online Administrative Assistant will be less in your way than an office employee, and you have the opportunity for greater concentration.
3. With an office employee there is inevitably down time; an Online Administrative Assistant works for you “as-needed” and you pay only for the time actually spent on your tasks.
4. An Online Administrative Assistant, working in quiet from home, can accomplish more than an office employee, plus there is the additional benefit of often being available outside normal working hours
5. An Online Admin Assistant will generally have more wide-ranging business experience.

Choosing the RIGHT ONE is obviously key. Here are 5 suggestions:

1. Examine closely the website of every Online Admin Assistant you are considering. Most importantly its content must be extremely well written, fully informative and present a thoroughly professional image, anything less is not worth moving forward with.
2. Websites always list services offered – you don’t want to compromise, so make sure every task or project you are likely to need done is included on the list.
3. The “About Me” section on the website often provides valuable insights into the background, ethics, commitment and goals of your prospective VA.
4. Have a lengthy telephone conversationto establish that skills, personality, care and style are a fit with you, and not only that the VA answers your questions impressively but also shows initiative by asking you thoughtful questions.
5. Feeling you may have found the right Online Admin Assistant … the only way to be absolutely sure is to speak with other clients, as many as possible.

As can be viewed on my website, my abilities and experience go well beyond administrative tasks alone, but I know that some entrepreneurs simply want the basics taken care of and I am happy to provide such services. See the testimonials on my home page – I’ll give you all the phone numbers you want for clients who will attest that I bring the same passion to the basics as to involved projects!

This introduced me to the idea that a virtual assistant could be more than some kind of Internet-enabled secretary. If you find the right person to work with, you may get more than just someone to do the boring administrative work you can’t seem to get around to. You may get a consultant on some of the essentials of how to make your business work better.

Certainly that’s how Skultety’s clients talk about her. For example (click here to read more …)

You may not have the space or number of hours to justify an on-site employee. The answer is an Online Office Assistant whose hours are billed strictly on the actual time spent working for you. All your repetitive daily/weekly/monthly items can be taken care of, and other tasks/projects can be handed over on an “as needed” basis. The initial “letting go” understandably could trouble you, but your motivation to be free of so much administrative work and the vision of having real time to devote to your customers, and to new strategies and initiatives, has to be your inspiration. Thousands of entrepreneurs have taken that leap of faith, and a burden has been lifted.

Choosing the right Online Office Assistant or “Virtual Assistant” is actually easier than hiring the right employee because there is much more available information through their websites and their client testimonials. Please consult my article, “Why a Virtual Assistant and How to Choose the Right One“.

Only if they have wide-ranging administrative skills/experience can Virtual Assistants set themselves up successfully in business, and with a few clients under their belt they become expert at easing their new clients into the mind set and methodology of handing over the “office”. The point here is that you do not have to figure out in advance how you are going to do this … your Online Office Assistant will guide you, and you will always know what is being worked on and what has been completed. Any initial discomfort will be outweighed by the peace of mind you will gain, as not only will the office tasks be off your hands, your business systems will become more streamlined and efficient too. You will start looking at your business in a whole new light, and enjoy it so much more!

And how about this: there may be worthwhile projects you’ve not previously undertaken because you lack the skills or knowledge; your Virtual Assistant might have the necessary experience. For example, Social Media – the value LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter can have on a business if effectively utilized is absolutely phenomenal.

As your Online Office Assistant, I commit to helping you maintain your sanity by taking on all tasks you don’t like, don’t have the time for, don’t have the skills for. I will do so with the same care and purpose as if it were my own business. Let’s start with a no-obligation consultation. This could change your life!

So many businesses advertise “integrity” these days that we no longer pay much attention to it. It is an overused word. When we read it, we don’t know if we can trust it; it is unlikely that we will go ahead and purchase a product or service because of a company’s claimed “integrity”. YET, most of us do exactly the same: promote our integrity as a key reason to do business with us.  There is a solution at the end of this article, but first let’s examine TRUE integrity.

Who we are in life is who we are in business. There really is no getting away from that. We must closely examine ourselves and know that if we do not have core values then we will not run our businesses with true integrity, and we will be found out. Integrity must be present throughout the deepest layers of our company, and not just at its surface, so it becomes the heart and soul of our company culture. Clients will sense this and it is very attractive!

However we want to get there quickly. We want to impact our clients with our integrity. So start with a promise and then deliver on that promise to perfection. Make it something that your competitors don’t usually do, even if it is as simple as notifying the client of interim progress. Put the promise in writing. For most clients “integrity” is at the top of the list, so we do want them to recognize it in us early. Share information with clients from day one, ask them questions to show you want to help them make the best and wisest use of your services. Let them know you are available to them when they need you, and then be available! Invite their opinions and feedback. All of this conveys you sincerely care and you want to give them the best possible experience. If you don’t let your clients down, your identity of integrity is your basis for success and growth.

If we make mistakes, we don’t lose our integrity if we take full responsibility and offer immediate solutions or options. If we attempt to cover up or deny our mistakes, we damage our integrity. Also, we should never succumb to the temptation to misrepresent our capabilities or offers. That loses us our integrity.

If advertising our integrity to potential clients does not count for much, how do we get the message out? The answer is via existing clients. Ask them for testimonials you can publish and place them on your website home page, in your newsletters, and in all promotional material. Make sure they feature prominently – the more you have the better. Some of your clients may even allow you to offer up their phone number. If you are starting out, you have to rely on great text and work the phones with passion.

I love to help people and I hope it shines through in my writing.  I love finding the right words and expressions to suit the reader I am targeting. I can do this for you. I conduct my business with the utmost integrity … but you don’t have to take my word for it, just go to my website and read “What People Are Saying“!