As you read this I will be making last minute preparations to shift to a new home. The last lot of packing will be taking place today and I probably won't be near my computer desk much. Later in the day my computer will be disconnected from the online world and it will be a few days before it's reconnected. My husband and I have bought a home on a 2 acre property in the hills and we've been looking forward to this move for quite some time. I look forward to seeing daily Australian birdlife … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2009
“You have given me so much confidence”
They were the words spoken to me by a client recently. He's writing his family memoirs and getting into a mess with trying to handle Table of Contents, indexing and even line spacing between paragraphs. We spoke on the phone a few days ago and he emailed me his document. I could see right away there was much work to be done so I sent back an outline of what I thought needed to be done and how, and what my rate would be. I also suggested he speak to a local printer I know who could give him … [Read more...]
Why I prefer email
It was only 7.45am and I was catching up with emails and playing with some photos I wanted to edit. The business line rang and I wondered whether I should pick it up yet or not. After all I don't usually start work till a bit later. I answered the phone and it was one of my clients. A cheque he'd sent over a week ago still hadn't arrived and he was ringing to say he'd only just now seen my email from the previous night. I laughed inwardly as I listened to him and then when he stopped I told … [Read more...]
Christmas is coming…
and that means so is the New Year. If you're a Virtual Assistant who needs some guidance or perhaps someone who wants to be a VA but doesn't know where to start, then my VA Christmas special may be just what you need! What do you get? The 10 week training course, 1 year membership with the "A Clayton's Secretary" team (providing you meet the criteria), 1 year webhosting for your website and a domain. Over $1,000AUD worth of items for just under 60% of the total price. Now, is that worth … [Read more...]
How to Use a Virtual Assistant in Your Business
There have been a number of articles written about this topic on the web over the years, and often by people who have been using a VA. However I feel it's time to add more information from someone inside the industry, rather than from outside the industry. What is a VA? First, please let me explain that a Virtual Assistant or VA is someone who works in their own office (usually at home), providing computer based or office based support to a number of clients. In other words their support or … [Read more...]
Email and Forum Etiquette
There seems to be an increasing trend of replying to a personal email or forum based email and not include the message being responded to. I find this rather annoying to say the least, not to mention time wasting. Email is still not 100% proof as we all know and if I'm interested in seeing what someone is responding to, but they haven't included a portion of the originating email, it means time is wasted trying to find the original email or be forever in the dark if the original email wasn't … [Read more...]
Keep abreast of their industries
In my last post I mentioned I get a regular enewsletter for the professional speaking industry. I provide virtual assistant support to a number of professional speakers, both here in Australia and in the US. I believe it's really important, as a service provider, to keep abreast of my clients' industries and what is happening for them. So when I can, I register for ezines and newsletters, join their discussion forums or even register for events. Sometimes the clients ask me to subscribe so I … [Read more...]
Practical Advice for Social Networking
I get a regular enewsletter called Speakernet News. As a Virtual Assistant for Professional Speakers I like to keep abreast of what's happening in their industry. The following came from their most recent newsletter and I sought permission from the author to republish it here. The article makes really good valid points about using Social Networks and setting up profiles. Social network tips - RJ Garis There is no point in having a MySpace, Facebook or any other profile unless you are going … [Read more...]
Do you produce a newsletter?
I do. I have been since the second year of my business. That means I've been producing a newsletter for around 14 years now on a monthly basis. I missed a few months here and there in the early days but it has been monthly for quite some time now. In the early days, it was printed and posted and I would periodically hear from people who had a copy passed on to them from the recipient. That was always nice to hear. I would sometimes use a guest writer for the main article but mostly I've … [Read more...]