Still Not Getting It Right? Time To Get The Zoho Planner
If you are guilty of being a bad planner, no matter how you think you’ve done it right, it just doesn’t come out right, stop beating yourself on the head. Just get yourself the Zoho online Planner. Trust me, from To-do lists, to taking notes, to uploading images and files and even reminders, the Zoho Planner makes you look good. It makes you organized. Try it by clicking here.
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Five Star Executives
How Safe Is Your Business?
Most of your business is conducted over the Internet, and because of this, the question is asked; how safe is your business?
I would like to believe that every user of the Web is aware of the dangers involved in exchanging or sending information over the Internet and as such, the precautions that are necessary.
Small business owners and virtual assistants are no exception to this, especially since its a business that is being operated which might mean that money has been invested.
I have discovered Avast which is an anti-virus software and is quite effective. The winner of various awards, Avast is a potent solution for the protection of your files and data, and makes it safe for you to conduct your business.
Give a Little Something / Get a Lot
You know it is said, the more you give the more you get? Its no different in the world of online business. Although businesses are started to make money, making contacts starts the process, and you can do that by giving away something.
What then do you give away? As a virtual assistant, you can give away information, which is something people are always in search of. Just make sure that what you give has its origin with you, and it’s not made by someone else.
These freebies can take the form of coupons for your product, newsletter, report relevant to your product or service, things like that. People are always impressed when they are made to feel like you value them enough to give them something that you value.
So go ahead and give a little something, but something worthwhile, see yourself receive a lot.
I’m looking For Low Cost Advertising For My Business. What Can You Recommend
Not many things are cheap these days, and as the Chinese say, “good thing no cheap”. But having said that, there are still some things, very few though, that are not just cheap, but they are effective.
One of those things is Article Marketing. What is that? Well it is advertising your online business through the power of writing. Everyone is looking for information. Some pay for it, while the rest of us check the Internet. So all you do is capitalize on that and give people what they want. Information. And not just information, but accurate, concise and useful information.
Now when they’ve gotten what they want, you ask them for a little something. If your article was informative, they might reward you with their email addresses to see what more you’ve got. Your website now gets targeted traffic through this, and as a small business owner, that can be worth its weight in gold.
Many virtual assistants are still struggling to make their mark in the world of online business, while still many have made their mark using article marketing to effectively ride the tide of success. So go ahead and be among those who are reaping the benefits of this low cost but highly effective tool.
Keep the questions coming and never be afraid to ask.
What Would You Do With A Virtual Assistant?
Or better yet, what could you do?
Well Elance is giving you an opportunity to find out. Answer this question: How would you use a virtual assistant to grow your business or improve your personal life?
The winner will be given a credit for $5000.00 worth of services on Elance. Give it a try because you never know. If you don’t win send us an email and we’ll give you 10% off our 5-hour retainer package, so you can experience the possibilities of working with a Virtual Assistant.
By the way, here is the link: Win a Virtual Assistant.
Good Luck!
CRG
Client Communication | Some Things To Consider
Holding on to my headset while I was waiting for a customer service representative from an internet service provider to take my call got me to thinking about communication. Marketing is a necessary expense for most businesses and recognizing this need they spare no expense. What comes after the marketing efforts is what has me concerned.
Marketing can highlight a wonderful product and bring increased revenue or just as easily bring your downfall. For instance, I have been looking at an ad on the local newspaper for the last week from a new ISP who promises high speed at lower rates. I decided to give them a call. On my first call I got their voicemail and was invited to leave a message. I hung and tried later. On my second attempt again I was given the prompts and placed on hold for the CSR. It took 25 minutes of my time before she finally came on and as it turns out she could not answer my questions.
Lower priced internet? It will most definitely cost more to switch because time is money and any time spent on the phone waiting to speak to someone who cannot answer my question is a waste of time and money.
Which brings me to my point about communication, I have highlighted some things to consider or your downfall will be closer than you think!
- Inform your client or customers of any changes in your service be it major or minor. They need to be aware and they need to hear it from YOU.
- Take control of your communication, don’t not rely on word-of-mouth to communicate to your customers. By doing so you leave room for you message to become distorted.
- Customers want it now! Do not try to inconvenience your customers, we do not want a recording or to be placed on hold for an unreasonable amount of time. Our time is money.
- Service with a smile. It may be the only thing that could set you apart from the competitors.
After that experience on the phone I really appreciate the effort of my current ISP because I never have to wait to speak to a rep and they always have the answers. Of course they charge more but for me the value is in the experience.
CRG
Upload and Wait?
I have heard many new business owners say “I have my website up and running, now what?” A few people think that once the website is uploaded the traffic will automatically build and the phones will start ringing. I am here to tell you, not so. 
Now that you have established your online presence you now need to create a buzz and get people talking and recommending your site.
Here are a few tactics to get you going:
Email Signature
The quickest and simplest way to infect the world with your message. Create an informative and intriguing message and include a link to your website in your signature.
Create something valuable for free.
A free ebook for signing up for your mailing list. Please ensure that whatever you give away is packed with valuable information and find a way to embed links back to your website in the material.
Write Articles
Spend a few hours writing some informative articles and submit them to article directories. I can’t express how valuable this method is for building your brand. Be sure to include the all important keywords in your articles.
Affiliate Programs
Pay others to promote your product or service. Set up affiliate program and encourage others to promote your brand. The great news about this is you only pay when you get the referral.
Setting up a website is one thing, going out and marketing it is another. You will only get visitors if they know that you are there. So go out and use these methods and see the click coming in.
CRG
Virtual Assistant Must Haves
For the sake of upcoming Virtual Assistants I have compiled the list of must have software. Please note that you can obtain a lot of them at no cost. So here goes:
- Microsoft Office (Including Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
- Microsoft Outlook (Task management, email, calendar, contact management)
- Antivirus (Avast, Norton etc)
- Time Tracking Software (Timestamp)
- PDF Creator (Cutepdf)
- Web Design/ Publisher (Microsoft Frontpage)
- FTP Software (Smartftp)
- Instant Messenger (Skype)
- Adobe Reader
- LogMeIn (Remote Access)
- Gimp (Desktop Publishing)
- Evernote (Get organized)
- Express Scribe (Transcription)
There is a short list of the software that I use almost daily.
There is another point that I want to emphasize and that is the use of free email clients (gmail, hotmail, yahoo). Until you obtain your own domain name try using you the name given by your Internet Service Provider, for eg, tstt, cwjamaica, etc.
Thats it for now, comments and additions to the list are always welcome.
CRG
