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All Blog Posts Tagged 'virtual' (53)

Turn a One-Way Blog into a Conversation

We’ve all heard that a blog is casual conversation. But, “I’m writing and this isn’t instant messaging, so how is it a conversation?” you ask.

It’s as easy as asking questions. Though delayed, it still can become a conversation. Monitor your blog and respond to those who post a comment. Even ask a question, to encourage them to respond again. Other readers will see this going on and it will encourage them to join in as well.

Yes, you might get some less-than-desirable… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on December 12, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Time Tracking Made Easy!

As a virtual assistant, time management and the ability to keep record of that time is a must! When I started my business a little over a year ago, I found an “egg timer” that counted forward – which in itself wasn’t an easy task. I continued to use that timer and even got myself another one for those times I had to switch between projects. Then I had to physically write down the time on my “timesheet.” I knew there had to be a better system, but I was cheap and too busy to search out other… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on December 10, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Seth Godin is My Hero - It's All About Building Your Tribe

Reprinted from Seth Godin's daily blog

Shocking Tiger Woods video (exclusive)

You should be careful about headlines.

It's pretty easy to write a headline that will get someone to forgive your spam, and perhaps even to open your note (CyberMonday! 85% off...). It's pretty easy to write a headline that will get someone to click through on their RSS reader. It's even easy to write a tweet that will get a click through.

But is it better to get a click and then annoy… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on December 1, 2009 at 6:51am — 2 Comments

A Blog is not an Ad, It's a Conversation

Have you seen a blog post that looks like they took the text from their latest ad and just dumped into the blog? Or a press release? Maybe a brochure? Or even a catalog item or items? Please don’t do that!

But you want to use your blog to promote your business (honestly, that’s why most businesses do a blog, right?).

You can. Just be original. Re-write it! Make it a casual tone rather than a “push the message out” tone. Write it in first person; add some fluff or personal… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on November 16, 2009 at 7:30am — 2 Comments

The Sale is Complete - Now the Relationship Begins

You place the item in the bag, give your customer their change, smile and say thank you. Or you receive your purchase through your grocery cart on your web page. You click on the item processed button and click to close the screen. Either way, the sale is complete. Done. Finished. Over.

Too many people think of a sale this way. In today’s competitive market, this is the biggest mistake a business owner or sales professional can make. Once that customer walks out the door, you have a… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on November 5, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Ask the Experts - Your Customers!

Every business owner knows that the customer is the expert. If you have a storefront, ask people while they’re in the store if they’re finding what they need. Ask if there is something they’d like you to carry that you don’t have. Ask if they have been treated properly.

If you are a service provider, send a survey and ask for feedback on the service they received. Ask if there is more you could have done, something you should not have done, etc.

Ask. Ask. Ask. Then, ACT.… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on November 2, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

Staying in Touch with Your One-Time Customers

It’s easy to keep a relationship going with customers when you have a product or service that creates repeat purchases. But what about when your business is mostly a one-time sale per customer? There are two questions to answer: Why continue that relationship, and how?

Why you should keep that relationship going is, in one word, referrals. If you gave your customer a great experience, they will refer family, friends, neighbors and even people they don’t know (have you listened to… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on October 22, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Y'all Come Back Now, You Hear?

When you own or manage a business that provides repeat business opportunities, it’s important to stay in touch with your customers. It’s not a difficult thing to do, but often something small business owners and managers don’t think about – or feel they don’t have time for.

There are many quick, easy ways to stay top of mind. Just “being there when they need something” isn’t enough. Why? Because there are many other companies up and down the street who offer the same product or… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on October 19, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

The Value of a Thank You Card

Isn't it true so often that as we get older, we realize how right our parents were in many situations? For example, I remember sitting down at the kitchen table after each birthday and Christmas and writing thank you cards to everyone who gave me a gift - something my mom would make me do every time. I often thought “how lame” because, in many cases, I already thanked them when I opened the gift.

Fast forward to now, and I see how smart she was! And she didn’t own a business. When I… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on October 15, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

What Business Blogging is and is not

What blogging is: HARD. It takes time, creativity and often research to create a good blog. But it can also be rewarding when done right. It can introduce you to an audience you would not otherwise meet. That can bring you new prospects which could and probably will turn into customers.

What blogging is not: EASY. You need to establish a commitment to it. Blogging once in a while will show you don’t value it, so your readers won’t value it either. Your information must be pertinent,… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on October 11, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Are Blogs Personal, Business or Both?

View the plethora of blogs today, and you’ll find there are plenty of each. There is no hard-and-fast rule for blogging. Many people blog for themselves rather than for others – often these are in a format similar to a journal. Others share a journey of recovering from an illness, losing weight or coming out of a hurtful time in their lives. Many of these blogs serve as a healing process or as motivation for the writer. But they also provide great inspiration for others.

Business… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on October 8, 2009 at 7:30am — 4 Comments

A Salute to Subs (not the sandwich)

Now that the kids have been back in school for about a month, it’s time to recognize the substitute teachers. This, in fact, is Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week. Thinking about this, I must say that I have a great deal of respect for all of these dedicated men and women. Can you imagine going to work and usually having a totally brand new experience each day? Let’s think about this … a different building, different classroom, different grade to teach and different students. How do you know… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on September 15, 2009 at 7:01am — No Comments

Pulled Pork and Stakeholders

My husband and I were brainstorming the other evening trying to come up with a rebranding of Admin Advantage (yes, something is in the works). The reason for this – I realized probably 85% of our business is really focused on building relationships – be it helping clients with their e-newsletters, article writing, blogging, social media or email/calendar management. It really is all about building relationships and keeping them top of… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on September 10, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

It's Not Always as Easy as Donald Trump's "You're Fired!"

A well-known purchased service, in addition to those provided by a virtual assistant, is human resources. Are you the owner - or do you have an office manager - who also does the payroll and “HR stuff”? Small and medium-sized businesses owners must consider the laws regarding employment. You have to be extremely careful when terminating someone, even though Indiana is a right-to-work state. Should your employee(s) be paid hourly or on… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on September 3, 2009 at 7:00am — 1 Comment

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Do you sometimes feel, as a small business owner, that this is REALLY your title? Constantly trying to do everything eventually wears you down. So, what can you do to at least stop being the bottle washer? Consider hiring a cleaning service.

Whether you’re home-based or lease or own office space, this one task is well worth outsourcing. How could you be spending your time instead of scrubbing, washing, dusting and vacuuming? Probably plenty – like meeting with customers or prospects,… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on August 31, 2009 at 6:54am — No Comments

Where'd I Put That?

Buried under paperwork! Files piled high on your desk – or on the floor! Papers not filed because you’re afraid you won’t remember where you filed them! Does this sound like your office?

Professional organizers will rescue you from the chaos. There are many options that you might want to consider. If you’re usually an organized person, but just let everything get away from you, a one-time project of getting a system put in place is probably what you need. Organizers will discuss your… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on August 27, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

What Syrup and A Virtual Assistance Service Have in Common

Today is National Waffle Day, designated to celebrate the patenting of the waffle iron by Carnelus Swarthout of Troy, New York, on this day in 1869. Waffles date back to Greece in the 1300s, where they were cooked flat between two metal pans. There was no pancake syrup back then, so they topped their waffles with cheeses and herbs.

According to Holiday Insights, this is also a day set aside… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on August 24, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!

Many times small business owners call Admin Advantage because they just can’t get everything done any more, but don’t have the need for a full-time or steady part-time employee. But small businesses are not the only people who need an assistant.

Professionals (doctors, lawyers, dentists to name a few) usually have a busy life outside of the office. How many things do you do on a daily, weekly or monthly basis that is… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on August 20, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

As the Beatles song goes..."Help, I Need Somebody!"

As a virtual assistant, I certainly am all about outsourcing! There are many reasons to hire someone to do a specific task or to continue to provide a service rather than hire an employee to do so. Some of those reasons:

· seasonal

· one-time projects

· irregularly scheduled projects

· a new marketing campaign

· increased workload but not enough for an employee

· needing a specific skill set

Business owners, professionals and CEOs find times that… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on August 13, 2009 at 7:30am — 1 Comment

I Am No Reuben Lucius Goldberg, and That's OK with Me!

Purdue University is the host of often-held Rube Goldberg Contests, the 1st of which was held in 1949. According to the Popular Mechanics website, The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest was named after Goldberg’s cartoons that used everyday objects to construct outrageous and complex machines to perform simple tasks. This year’s contest was to see how inefficient and complex the engineering students could make the task of replacing an incandescent light bulb with a more efficient… Continue

Added by Serina Kelly on August 10, 2009 at 9:24am — No Comments