Listen to My Podcast of my Latest Post at Home Office Warrior
My latest post over at Home Office Warrior gives four reasons people should not become a virtual assistant. I know, I know, I’m the ‘Virtual Assistance is wonderful’ advocate, but before you go into shock, go ahead and check it out. And yes, I did an accompanying audio podcast (the link is above), my first ever!
We’ve gotten some comments concerning the post, so please feel free to head on over and let us know your opinion!!
Do you remember The Flintstones cartoon? Their vehicle was powered by their own feet sticking out of the bottom for ‘horsepower’. Unless you’re a lot younger than me, which is entirely possible, I’m sure you have that mental picture of Fred and Barney in the Flintstones ‘car’. Now, do your remember how they applied the brakes? Yup, they just dragged their feet. Complete stop.
Did you know that ‘dragging your feet’ can stop your business from moving forward just as effectively as Fred and Barney in their log car? Its true. I love my job and I have the best clients in the world, but in several instances I’ve come across some major ‘foot dragging’ when it came to their businesses. I recently had a conversation with a friend/business associate who was complaining about the struggle to stay afloat in this economy. As we talked I asked five questions.
1.Do you have a website and is it working for you?
Answer: Well, we have a website. Anyway, I think it’s still there.
2. Are you marketing on the Internet or via e-mail?
Answer: What do you mean, how do you market on the Internet?
3. Do you have a business blog?
Answer: Aren’t those just online diaries?
4. Have you considered social media?
Answer: Social what?
5. Have you considered turning the classes you’re teaching into an e-course or e-book?
Answer: I prefer in person teaching to make contacts and potential clients.
And my friend wonders why he’s struggling to keep his business afloat? They’ve got their feet buried deep as they drag them and it’s in danger of bringing the business to a grinding halt. As a business owner, part of maintaining your business is staying abreast of the business world. If you’re content to just continue doing things the way you’ve always done them, you’re just like Fred and Barney in that log car.
If you’re business is slowing down, take a good hard look. Are you dragging your feet?
Can you believe Thanksgiving is over and wham, December will be here bright and early next Monday morning? Are you thinking about your holiday card and gift lists? Me too. That’s where the inspiration for this post came from. I wanted to share two helpful holiday ideas.
Idea #1: Did you know the holidays are the perfect time to reconnect with business contacts? Remember all of those business cards you’ve collected at Chamber of Commerce events, seminars and other networking functions? Wouldn’t it be great to send holiday cards to all of them? It’s the perfect way to remind these contacts about you and your business. You can even tuck in a special offer of some kind for the holidays or new year. What? You haven’t put the information from those cards into your address book yet and there’s no way you’re handwriting all of those addresses on cards? You don’t have to. Find a virtual assistant who can scan all of your business cards and convert them into an electronic format so that you can easily print labels for all of them. For example, my business, Clerical Advantage, offers this service and is able to convert the scanned business cards into Outlook, Plaxo, vCard, PDF, RTF or CSV formats. So go ahead, make that huge stack of business cards work for you.
Idea #2: We all have those hard to buy for types on our Christmas list, don’t we? We’re always looking for that truly unique gift to give them. This year, give the gift of extra hours. You heard me right. Give the people on your gift list extra time to do the things they love by giving them a gift certificate for virtual assistance services. Wouldn’t your boss be impressed if the office got together and purchased them a block of several hours? And what teacher wouldn’t love to receive an hour or two of assistance? In fact, just about anyone will love you for giving them the gift of time. Most virtual assistants allow you to purchase as little as one hour of service and may also offer affordable packages as well.
Think outside the brightly wrapped box this holiday season by using a virtual assistant to help you with your holiday tasks or give their services to people on your gift list. You’ll be glad you did!
One of the best things about being a Virtual Assistant is the fact that I get to play with techie gadgets and software every day as part of my job. See my current top ten techie toys over at Home Office Warrior Virtual Assistant now.
There’s nothing worse than biting into a stale carrot. You know what I mean, I’m sure you’ve grabbed a carrot stick off from a vegetable platter before expecting that crisp snap as you bit into it but instead got a rubbery, orange something. Now the carrot doesn’t necessarily taste bad, but just the consistency is enough to turn you off from the veggie platter altogether, isn’t it? Even covering it up with ranch dip can’t disguise that almost spongy consistency. So don’t let your business become like that stale carrot. Check out five key things that can help you keep your business crisp and fresh.
1. Keep learning. Even when you think you’ve mastered all there is to know regarding your particular field, there is always something else you can learn. I just recently decided to learn more about using WordPress by installing it on a personal blog. Blogsites are becoming the website of the future, it seemed wise for me to learn how to install and maintain one first hand. I’m lucky as I have an insatiable need to learn new things, but even if you’re not born with that hunger, it’s a wise thing find a hunger for learning when it comes to business.
2. Be aware of trends. This doesn’t mean you have to adopt the latest trends for your business, but it is wise to be aware of just what is out there. If you’re a virtual assistant, you might not offer social media marketing, but you should know what it is if a client asks about it. Sometimes it works to jump on bandwagons and sometimes it doesn’t. As you keep abreast of new trends, go with the ones that you’re comfortable with for your individual business. Don’t hop on just because everyone else is. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to take the ride either. It’s all about what you feel is right. P.S. Do not confuse trends with fads.
3. Try new things. Redecorate. Has your website looked the same since the day you put it up? How about your stationary? Logo? Breathing fresh air into your business could be as simple as changing the color scheme on your website or changing up that letterhead. The same way you occasionally like to see changes in your living spaces, your clients/customers enjoy seeing a few changes too. Been wanting to have a logo designed, but haven’t gotten around to it? Now is the time to go for it. A word of caution though, don’t change too many things at once. You don’t want to lose the identity you’ve built up by changing everything at once. Take one small step at a time as you integrate changes. For example, if you’re adding a new logo, keep your colors,etc. constant, at least until everyone has learned to associate that new logo with your business.
4. Branch out. As you’re watching trends and staying up to date on the latest and greatest things happening in your industry, don’t be afraid to add new services/products accordingly. For example, with the real estate market the way it is a real estate attorney might want to think about offering classes, e-classes, webinars, seminars, e-courses, etc on short sales. Don’t be afraid to do or offer something that no one is in your industry is doing. After all, every new idea start has to start somewhere.
5. Maintain Quality and Consistency. As you explore these new ideas and avenues to keep your business fresh and crisp, make sure you maintain the same level of quality and consistency in your business. Branching out may end up spreading you a bit thin, so don’t hesitate to outsource in order to keep things stable in the quality department.
I’m sure there are plenty of other ideas out there for keeping your business from getting stale. If you’ve got some, please leave them in the comment section. I’d love to hear all of your ideas too!
I’ve posted the 5th and final ‘fishing lesson’ over at Home Office Warrior Virtual Assistant entitled ” Fishing Lesson #5; Fishing with Squid(oo)”. It’s all about using Squidoo to market your services and products. Head on over and check it out!
It’s that time of year again. The jack’ o’ lanterns and candy aisles have been replaced by turkey and tree trimmings. But that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the malady that effects so many businesses at this time of the year. Every traditional office job I’ve ever had was infected by it. I like to call it “Hold for the Holidays Syndrome”. You may not know it by that name exactly, but I’m sure you’ve been effected by it at some point in time.
What is it? It’s the curious ailment that afflicts businesses during the two months between Halloween and New Year’s. The one where everything that needs to be done gets pushed off until ‘after the holidays’. Following me now? I knew you’d recognize it. And while it’s true that those two months can be extremely hectic and crazy, putting off things that you really need to do for your business because of it only serves to do one thing. Put you further behind. Whether it’s an update to your website, the need to start a blog, finally transferring your business cards into a contact management system or any number of other tasks that truly need to be done, pushing it until after January, 2009 isn’t the answer. After all, it’s obvious these things are something you need to do to further your business.
Before you roll your eyes and click off the page because I’m making you feel guilty for procrastinating, I understand why you do it, but what if you had another option? Time seems to fly during the holidays, from the time the trick or treaters leave your door until the new year, things can become a blur. But did you ever think that those things that need to be done, don’t necessarily have to be done by you? Or even by one of your employees. Now is the perfect time to start outsourcing.
Hire a virtual assistant to tackle those projects that no one else has time for because of holiday activities. And what about those items that are holiday in nature. You know, the holiday cards that you need to send to all of your clients and customers? Sure, you could just have one of your employees do it, or do it yourself, if you have time. Just don’t forget that the tasks that normally fall to you or that employee is going to go undone while you pay them/yourself for doing them, probably at a higher rate of pay then you would pay a virtual assistant.
The holidays are a wonderful time of the year, filled with fun activities and enjoyable times, but too often business owners are willing to delay doing things that will benefit their businesses until the festivities are over. There’s no need to let your business get bitten by the ” Hold for the Holidays” bug…the cure is as simple as outsourcing.
Technorati Tags: outsourcing, holidays, virtual assistant
I’ve posted the 4th installment of Fishing Lessons for Virtual Assistants over at Home Office Warrior Virtual Assistant. The latest lesson is on using the right ‘bait’ to attract potential clients. Learn about filling your marketing tackle box by checking it out!
The author; Rita Cartwright
The Clerical Advantage Conference Table has been lucky enough to be chosen as a stop on Rita Cartwright’s Virtual Book Tour for her new e-book, ” Online Marketing Tools for Today’s Small Business“. I got a chance to interview Rita to find out more about her and her very pertinent e-book.
TH: Why did you write this book?
RC: My goal was to create a handbook, which entrepreneurs and small business owners can refer to when they are searching for online marketing tools and/or new marketing ideas. I wrote it for new entrepreneurs and small business owners, as well as for those who have been in business a while.
TH: Tell me about yourself
RC: I’m originally from Arizona and now reside in California. I earned my bachelor’s degree (with Magna Cum Laude honors) from Arizona State University when I was 44 years old. After graduation, I couldn’t find a job; therefore, I decided to start my own business offering online word processing services, which was 6 years ago. At that time, I was not aware of the virtual assistant industry, which I am now a member of. So, I guess you can say I was ahead of the curve.
TH: What qualifies you to write this book?
RC: Approximately 2 years ago, I started maintaining a blog and writing articles in order to implement the article marketing strategy. (I talk about using this strategy as a marketing tool in my e-book.) Also, while attending college, I learned how to write. I had to write. I remember my English professor saying I should be a writer, because he thought I had the skills. I didn’t take him serious. I was just trying to get through college.
In regards to the subject matter, my background and education in marketing and my experience from operating an online business provide me with the necessary qualifications to write this e-book on the topic of online marketing tools.
TH: How long have you been an entrepreneur?
RC: I have been an entrepreneur since October 2002. Although I started out as a small business owner, I have become an entrepreneur. There are differences between entrepreneurs and small business owners. In fact, I wrote an article on the differences. It is titled, “Are There Any Differences Between an Entrepreneur and a Small Business Owner?” Ezine Articles is one of the article banks where you can find it.
TH: What is the e-book about?
RC: This e-book contains information on various online marketing tools, along with some examples and in-depth descriptions of the tools. There is also a resource section that lists websites where you can find the online marketing tools, including “live” links to the websites. The resource section will save your readers a lot of time in Internet research when they are searching for information on online marketing tools.
TH: What do you want the readers to get out of this e-book?
RC: I wanted to provide those readers, who have a shoestring marketing budget, with information they can use in their online marketing plan or, at least, generate new marketing ideas. Most entrepreneurs and small business owners do not have a large marketing budget. The marketing tools I discuss costs little to no money.
TH: Can we look for more books from you in the future?
RC: Yes. One of my clients, who is a coach of Christian leaders, and I are currently working together on an e-book. It will be geared towards Christian leaders and Christian virtual assistants. So be on the lookout for that in the near future.
TH: How can the readers contact you if they have any questions?
RC: Your readers can reach me at 760-631-1335 or toll free at 866-651-3073 or send me an e-mail at rjcartw@rjswordprocessing.com.
TH: Where can the readers purchase your e-book and how much does it cost?
RC: They can click here to purchase it, and it only costs $3.98.
TH: Rita, thank you for stopping by my blog on your tour.
RC: You are very welcome. Thank you, Tina, for having me.
Learn more about Rita:
Rita’s bio: Rita J. Cartwright is a Virtual Assistant and owner of RJ’s Word Processing Services and has been in business since 2002. In 1998, she received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marketing from Arizona State University with a minor in Spanish. She is also a member of Virtual Assistant Networking Association and Oceanside Chamber of Commerce. In order to offer her clients quality service, Rita continues to enhance her skills through various teleseminars and webinars, as well as network online and offline with fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Rita’s background in marketing and experience in conducting her business online qualify her to write an e-book on the topic of various marketing tools and strategies. Having to operate on a shoestring marketing budget, provided her with necessary knowledge and skills, which were required in order to implement these same strategies into her online marketing plan. For more information on RJ’s Word Processing Services and Rita, please click here.
Summary of e-book: Entrepreneurs and small business owners in any industry can use this e-book as a reference guide. Whenever you need fresh online marketing ideas or need online marketing information, you can refer back to this e-book. Nowadays, we are so overwhelmed with information, Rita wanted to simplify the search for online marketing techniques by organizing some of that information together into one location, her e-book.
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