Small Business Online: Thriving in a Virtual World

Virtual Assistants – A GREAT Choice for your Team – Part Two

When you’re trying to determine what to outsource to a Virtual Team or Virtual Assistant, be bold. Consider more than just your day-to-day mundane tasks (like customer service and answering the phones – yes, they can do that virtually!). Project-oriented assignments might not seem like something you can outsource. Spend a little time analyzing the amount of time your staff spends researching projects or preparing reports. Handing those assignments to a team of outsourced, skilled, virtual professionals is one of the best business decisions your firm can make. These assignments are often a virtual professional’s strong suit, and delegating them will pay your business exponentially in ROI.  VA’s also often have administrative and office management backgrounds. So they’re fast, efficient, detailed and responsive to deadlines. The trick is to find one that’s a good fit for your company, your needs and your corporate culture. So what are some of the great assignments that you might not currently be doing that a virtual professional could bring to the table?

* Revamping your website (yes, you CAN avoid the expense of your web team on this one!)
* Creating and writing your blog (remember, you should be blogging at LEAST once a week)
* Creating or updating your online social networking profiles
* Creating a great PowerPoint presentation about your firm (you can put one on Linkedin now!)
* Writing and printing marketing materials or writing and distributing press releases 
* Corporate and EMAIL newsletters
* Developing teleseminars and webinars in your area of expertise
* Video email and building your Youtube presence (consider a tip of the day)
* Building an AMAZING social networking presence and following

Remember, take finding a VA very seriously. Use a professional organization to get bids on your work (IVAA.org for instance). Get and CHECK references. Invite them to participate in a team meeting and contribute a few ideas on strategy to be sure that they get your industry. Because whatever you choose to outsource to them, a Virtual Professional is MUCH more than a secretary. Your VA is a one-stop-shop, hourly PARTNER in YOUR company’s success story.
To your continued success, Dave Churchville
dave@myclientspot.com
ClientSpot by ExtremePlanner Software
http://www.myclientspot.com

Virtual Assistants – A GREAT Choice for your Team – Part ONE

When we think of outsourcing our administrative tasks, what first comes to mind are the basic, day-to-day things, like travel arrangements, events, calendar management, transcription and document creation. The truth is though, if we run a productive company, we need to outsource more than the obvious, and we need to do it at every opportunity! Doing this frees you and your team and allows everyone to focus on their BEST contributions to your business, what they’re roles are supposed to be – and it gets everyone focused on the real goal, your bottom line.

But how do you determine WHAT to hand over to a great virtual professional? Ask your team to list two things: The work they don’t enjoy and the more mundane or routine tasks that take up more than five hours of their work week. Don’t be afraid to do this. We all want our careers to be something we find challenging and enjoyable. No one wants to go to “work” every day and feel like they’re on a treadmill – exhausted and uninspired. So work that your team hates isn’t only annoying, it’s distracting. Removing those tasks from their plate will inspire them and demonstrate that you value their work and their role in your company.

To your continued success, Dave Churchville
dave@myclientspot.com
ClientSpot by ExtremePlanner Software
http://www.myclientspot.com

Bridges, Roadblocks and Mentoring Groups, Oh My! – Part Two

Once you have the core of your group, if you’re courageous enough, you can ask each person to invite one guest that they’d like to share the experience with. Keep the total number of mentoring group members to around eight though, to insure that everyone gets what they need. Invite each member of your mentoring group to write up a synopsis and bio to be sent to everyone before you start. Next, choose a format for your mentoring group. Perhaps you each share your greatest idea of success and what you need to get there at the top of the hour, and then each member takes a turn being the focus of the group. Whatever you do, be sure to have a time keeper for your mentoring group meetings to avoid disappointment or misunderstanding. Ask the members if they would be amenable to taping the meetings for days when someone may not be present. You can distribute the recording of your success meetings to everyone to maximize your success.

Finally, keep a GOALS and PROGRESS sheet for all members of your mentoring group. These can be personal, professional, spiritual – anything that the member in question wishes to attract to their life. Remember that the tone of your mentoring group should always be one of support and honest appraisal. Harsh criticism is the enemy of success when it comes to building connections and trust. The MOST important lesson about mentoring groups, however, is that they WORK. They keep people inspired, connected and ACCOUNTABLE. So start your process today, and pick a launch date for your own success circle to keep yourself accountable.

To your continued success,

Dave Churchville
dave@myclientspot.com
ClientSpot by ExtremePlanner Software
http://www.myclientspot.com

Bridges, Roadblocks and Mentoring Groups, Oh My! – Part One

We’ve all heard the expression that there’s strength in numbers. We’ve also heard that misery loves company. Why do I mention these two ideas in the same blog? Because when we’re talking about success groups or mentoring groups, WHO you pick and HOW you pick them is vital to the group’s success and to YOUR success. In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, “Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Now that might sound a little bit dramatic when we’re talking about mentoring, but believe me, it isn’t. If it’s done right, your mentoring group becomes where you learn shortcuts and how to avoid the detours of your industry, and it is how you can build some of your BEST bridges to meaningful networking. 

When you think of who to invite into your mentoring circle, your number one goal is to avoid toxicity. Regardless of what else they might bring to the table, avoid toxic naysayers at all costs. Your mentoring circle needs to be a small group of like-minded, forward thinking success builders. It can be either a group of people from different industries who bring varying talents to the forum, or your mentoring group can be made up of friends and competitors from WITHIN your industry. No matter which way your mentoring group goes, definitely seek out those who are further along on the road to success. If you’re the group organizer, you can begin to search out your group through professional organizations or even online (check out the groups on Linkedin). You can also join existing mentoring-type groups through www.MeetupGroups.com and keep close track of whom you connect with. Amazing networking connections can definitely become the seeds of amazing mentoring groups.

For more on how to create a successful agenda week after week and create success for every member of your group, check in for Part Two on this topic later in the week. 

To your continued success,

Dave Churchville
dave@myclientspot.com
ClientSpot by ExtremePlanner Software
http://www.myclientspot.com

Multitasking is Often Counterproductive – Finding Balance and Focus PART TWO

Here are four steps to begin to create the kind of balance that we all truly need in order to be creative, fulfilled and joyous. 

Step #1: Know thyself. In order to create meaningful change, you’ve got to take an honest inventory of what isn’t working. If you’ve diligently learned every multitasking trick in the book, and all you feel is overwhelmed, perhaps it’s time to admit that it didn’t add to your life after all.

Step #2: Accept the reality that you can’t do it all – not alone at least. Having a schedule that embraces both deadlines and projects, as well as your personal and family agendas, will make this much easier. By looking at the big picture, you’ll be much more empowered when it comes to doing two of the most difficult things in life: saying no and asking for help.

Step #3: STOP multitasking. Instead, prioritize the three MOST important things for each day, and then do those things. They may, in fact, be the simplest tasks, like go to the bank or send out your monthly invoices. But how many days race by and leave those tasks unaccomplished?

Step #4: Remember, downtime is a vital component to UPTIME. You must prioritize rest and relaxation – even if it’s just 2 hours a day (in addition to sleeping, of course). You might find that running full speed for 20 hours out of every 24 and accomplishing two tasks at all times, all day long, works – but it won’t work for long. And what kind of LIFE are you having at that pace?  Instead, use planning and prioritization to schedule yourself back into your life. An added perk?  You’ll be healthier!  Enough sleep, time to regroup, and even time with friends all adds up to a body and a soul that’s supported and rejuvenated. And that’s a life plan for balance and focus!

To your continued success, Dave Churchville

dave@myclientspot.com

ClientSpot by ExtremePlanner Software

http://www.myclientspot.com

Multitasking is Often Counterproductive – Finding Balance and Focus PART ONE

There was a time, believe it or not, when the very word “multitasking” did not exist. I’m not saying that the concept didn’t exist – there have always been busy parents who were folding laundry with one hand and reading their kids a book with the other – all while balancing their budget and reading the mail. And I’m sure there were business people devising marketing plans in their heads while working on the latest project or due date. But I think, quite frankly, that multitasking wasn’t always spoon fed to us at every turn. You can hardly surf the web or pass a magazine stand now that doesn’t tell every parent how to prepare meals in under ten minutes or shout to all of us how to exercise WHILE working at our desks. Some of this is great and very necessary, no doubt. But there is a downside, and the downside of multitasking is FOCUS.

I can honestly attest that there is a magic that happens when one is able to shut off the outside world and focus on the task at hand – and I don’t mean for five minutes. I mean for hours. I’m certain that every writer, artist, parent, entrepreneur – well, everyone – would agree getting more done in less time is necessary in this busy world. But getting ONE thing accomplished, without distraction, from the seeds of inception to completion – that can create pure magic.

Quentin Tarrantino was recently interviewed, and eventually they got to the question of marriage. The director began to laugh, sharing that his work was all encompassing, and the idea of having to focus on a family just wouldn’t work – that his work was too selfish and too focused.  So what are we to do?  Are we to place ourselves into solitude, like Tarrantino, and create great work at the cost of families and relationships?  Or are we to surrender to total chaos as we try to “have it all” and squeeze 48 hours into every 24?  Surely there has to be a better answer, and like most things the answer comes in one simple word:  balance.

The real trick, of course, comes in creating that balance.  Check out part two of my blog on Monday to get the 1-2-3 on building balance and joy AND still getting all (or most) of your tasks accomplished. 

To your continued success, Dave Churchville

dave@myclientspot.com

ClientSpot by ExtremePlanner Software

http://www.myclientspot.com

5 Steps toward Maximizing Your Online Presence through Your Blog

By now you probably know the value of blogging – and quite likely HAVE your own blog.  And although there are a few blogs out there that get loads of followers and tons of comments, don’t feel too discouraged if you haven’t quite figured out how to maximize yours yet.  

#1.  The first step toward maximizing your blog is to HAVE one.  In the online world, if you don’t have a blog, you actually risk losing a certain amount of credibility.  Remember, you don’t necessarily have to write the blog yourself – you can, of course – but you can also hire a writer, or better yet, go to a shared article server (such as ezinearticles.com) and use the almost limitless number of articles there.  (This is in no way plagiarism, just be sure to read and follow the rules and leave in the writer’s contact information, etc.)

#2.  Put your work up on those same shared articles servers!  If you are writing your own work, get it out there to work FOR you.  Post all of your blogs and articles onto ezinearticles.com or goarticles.com – if your work is good, you’ll find that a variety of people use and feature it in some pretty creative ways.  While you don’t get compensated for this, you DO get to reach great new markets that you may not have ever discovered before.

#3.  TWEET your blogs!  I don’t mean to tweet that you have written a new blog, that’s obvious.  What I’m saying is to break your blog into short pieces of easily digested advice and ideas and post them onto Twitter.  Be sure to put a link to your blog on some of those – or to your website, shopping cart, etc., etc.

#4.  Send your blog or article out to your mailing list as an ezine.  There’s a good tip to keep in mind here, and that’s to post only two-thirds (or less) of the article.  Then, post a link that says, “Click here to read the rest of this article.”  This is a GREAT way to drive traffic to your blog, website, etc., etc.

#5.  Finally, don’t just “have” a blog.  FEATURE your blog!  Join it to your Linkedin Profile and your Facebook Profile – as well as anywhere else you can think of.  On Facebook, if you join the blog through the NetworkedBlogs application, you can invite up to 15 or so contacts to follow the blog every single day.  How would it feel to have 150 followers after ten days?  And there’s a widget you can apply that will actually SHOW how many followers you have through NetworkedBlogs.  You can also feature your blog on some very cool “off” social networking sites, like Fastcompany.com or I-Village.  Just set up a profile and a blog and then post your article there as well.

While you don’t want to use an article in so many places that you get penalized by Google and other search engines, you DO want to make sure that you are maximizing your effort, your expertise, and your online branded recognition.
To your continued success,

Dave Churchville
dave@myclientspot.com
ClientSpot by ExtremePlanner Software
http://www.myclientspot.com

How to Manage a Virtual Team Member

One of the biggest struggles for small businesses or solo entrepreneurs looking to outsource is how to work effectively with a virtual team member who is not an employee.

This person might be a web designer, virtual assistant, programmer or bookkeeper, but the key is that although she is paid for her services by your company, she isn’t an employee, doesn’t work on site, and often doesn’t even work during the same hours you do.

The good news is that in most cases you’ll be working with another business owner who understands that her own business will grow as a result of having a positive impact on yours.  So at least you’re properly aligned.

But that doesn’t mean you can just abdicate responsibility for your project to your team member without putting a certain structure into place.

Here are some basic principles for working with virtual service providers from our experiences:

1. Figure out what your goals are.  What concrete results or outcomes do you need, want or expect from this working relationship? Why are you getting help for this project or business function?  How will your business or life be better as a result?

For example, if you’ve assigned a writing project, like new copy for your website, you probably are hoping for improved conversion rates and more sales.  Or when contracting with a bookkeeper, you’re really just looking for a trustworthy, accurate, effective management of your financial records, to save valuable time for you.

2. Clearly communicate those goals, then measure the results. One of the biggest problems I see with outsourcing of any kind is that the business owner fails to actively communicate what’s important, and why.  Specific tactics or details will change over time, but your goals will typically be stable.  Being able to communicate those effectively can go a long way towards keeping virtual team members on track.

For example, if having a writer work on web copy for you, and your goal is improved conversion rates, you’ll need a way to test that, and to give feedback to the writer.  A subjective “this looks good” probably won’t give you what you need, and more importantly, without testing, you won’t know if it’s effective than what you previously had.

Similarly, for something like a bookkeeping service, your goal might be to have up-to-date, accurate records, no older than 7 days.  How can you verify that?  You may need to track the records yourself for the first month and compare to make sure things are going smoothly.   Are you finding mistakes constantly, or having to spend extra time explaining things or tracking things down?  If your goal was to save the 2 hours a week you spent before, but now you’re spending an hour and a half with the bookkeeper, maybe you’re not getting what you need.

3. Ask Good Questions. One good question is “How will you keep me updated on what you’re doing? When can I expect these updates?”  If you like the answers, it may save you the trouble.  Your writer may want to send you a first draft, get your feedback, then submit a final draft.  The bookkeeper may want to send a monthly financial statement.  If you prefer to get a weekly update, that would be the time to mention it.

You’ll also want to ask questions if you’re confused or surprised by the work a virtual team member produces.  I hear from some providers that clients sometimes stop working with them, but never bothered to complain during the project.  Often a simple question like “Didn’t we agree you wouldn’t use overly salesly language in that web copy?” might clear things up.

And finally, it’s very helpful to providers when you tell them what they’re doing right.  As specifically as you can.  Tell your writer: “Great job on that web copy -the tone is exactly what we wanted.”   Or tell your bookkeeper - “Thanks for suggesting that new account category, I never knew where to put those weekly massages!”

For many small business owners, being too busy is the main reason they considered outsourcing. But being too busy to manage those providers is a recipe for disaster.

It  takes clear communication up front, a means of objectively measuring the results you’re looking for (more free time, improved sales, better customer service, etc.), and proactive, ongoing conversation about anything thats not going well, and reinforcement of things that are.

Hourly versus Retainer Client Billing

We talk to and work with many freelancers and virtual professionals, and one of the most interesting topics is how the industry bills for time.

Two of the most popular approaches are billing by the hour and billing on a monthly retainer. This article explores the pros and cons of these strategies.

Billing by the Hour

The main advantage of hourly billing is that it is simple. Work 10 hours, get paid for 10 hours. It’s also an easy way to get started with a new client who may not yet be willing to commit to a long term relationship.

For those just starting out part-time as freelancers or virtual assistants, hourly billing can be attractive for this simplicity.

On the downside, hourly billing puts a cap on your earning potential. There are a limited number of hours in the day, so at some point, you’re out of hours. Even a “normal” 40 hours per week is difficult to bill for - unlike being employed where just being in the office is something you’re paid for, as an independent businessperson, you need to actually be doing client work to get paid for it.

Another drawback is that there is no commitment from clients for regular work. One month you may get 40 billable hours of work from a particular client, and the next, zero. This means more (unbillable) time needed for marketing and client outreach to sustain a constant inflow of work.

Retainer Billing

Retainer billing is an approach where a client commits to purchasing a fixed amount of time and pays upfront typically. For example, a virtual assistant might offer a minimum 10-hour monthly package at a reduced hourly rate of $30 versus the normal hourly rate of $35 or $40.

The benefit for the client is twofold: some level of assurance that their work and priorities will get the hours they have paid for, and typically a reduced rate for that work.

For the service provider, the benefit is predictability of cashflow - retainer payments are usually received in advance of performing the work, so you know exactly what’s coming in, and can actually “fill your practice” in a relatively reliable manner.

Another common feature of retainers is that they tend to be “use it or lose it” arrangements. This is very common in other industries (like your local fitness center). If your client doesn’t take advantage of their retainer hours available, they will expire at the end of the month.

What seems to happen in practice is that most clients use most of the hours they’ve purchased, but just enough do not that it offsets the discounted rate. In other words, your average hourly rate would be roughly the same as if you didn’t offer retainer discounts. So you get the benefit of predictability at little to no cost in income.

A drawback of retainer billing is that you do need to commit to being available for the hours that are being paid for that month for your clients. So time management becomes a key skill - you don’t want to overbook hours and be unable to perform the work. But this is what is commonly referred to as a “high class problem”.

Another concern about retainer billing is that it can be more complex to manage - you need to keep track of how many hours are left and when they expire for each client. However, software systems can make retainer client management easy by tracking hours remaining and expiration dates, and providing a simple report to let you and each client see how much time is left on the retainer.

The Bottom Line

Depending on your situation you will most likely use a combination of some hourly and some retainer billing. If you’re looking for more stability and predictability, you’ll want to focus on attracting clients who are comfortable with a retainer arrangement over time. For clients just starting out with you, hourly might be the way to go until trust is established.

3 Tips for Managing Multiple Clients and Projects Effectively

Managing multiple projects for multiple clients can be a little daunting for new or even experienced solo and small business professionals. Without a system for keeping track of deadlines, client feedback, and team activity, you might quickly find yourself on the other end of an angry phone call with an unhappy client.

Here are three tips to help you work more effectively with multiple client projects:

Communicate More Efficiently
Clients are like everybody else, they get stressed and uncomfortable when they don’t hear from you. But they don’t want to hear from you just because of your charming wit and soothing voice, they want to know the status of their important projects!

A weekly status call or email might be sufficient when you have just a couple of low-key clients. However, when your client and project load increases, you could quickly find yourself spending precious hours on the phone just to provide status updates.

One easy solution is to keep task information online so that clients can login at their convenience (even at 3am) to find out the latest status of their tasks, and even more detailed information (optionally) like time tracking information or how much retainer time they have remaining.

Keep Files and Comments in One Place
Another simple way to keep things organized is to gently move your clients towards accessing files and giving feedback in a central location. Online project management software can help your clients easily upload or download project documents that you’re collaborating on, as well as make comments on a specific project or file without sending dozens of emails back and forth.

The key advantages of this approach is that your responses won’t get lost or misplaced - you’ll have a clear, coherent record of your project conversations. You’ll also be able to reference the latest version of your files in a consistent way.

This winds up saving lots of time that might otherwise be spent with a client providing feedback about the wrong version of a file, or missing your response to a query.

Track Deadlines Proactively
Even with the above measures in place, you still need to keep an eye on the dates you’ve committed to clients. At a minimum, you can adopt a simple system to prompt you about upcoming deadlines, and also to update clients if you are unable to meet those due dates.

One way of doing this is to keep a project or task calendar for each client that shows each upcoming deadline. You can refer to this calendar once a week or more frequently as needed to make sure you’re clear on client commitments. If you have a team, you can also add their commitments for more timely followup.

If you are using an online project management system, you can also have the system remind you and your team of upcoming deadlines by email a couple of days before the fact. You can also monitor the status of tasks across all projects, clients and team members, or check just the work assigned to a specific person.

By staying on top of deadlines, you can also pro-actively notify your clients if things start to slip. Most clients will not only be understanding of an occasional delay, but will appreciate the early notice so that they can adjust. Not that you want to make a habit of missed deadlines, but at least by monitoring them carefully, you can still provide excellent customer service by informing clients early and giving them options to reschedule work.