News Flash!
To wish you all a very Merry Christmas and as a big thank you to everyone who has shown their support over recent months, we have a special sale on until January 5th!
Don’t miss out on the discounts, visit http://www.vasuccessgroup.co.uk/documents.htm
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
We would like to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We’re taking a break now to clear our desks and get into the Christmas spirit so we’ll see you in the New Year for some more hot hints, tips and articles.
Have a great one and see you soon.
Best regards,
Justine and Emma
Why Outsourcing Takes Your Business to a Higher Level - Part 3- Choosing the Right Outsourcing Company
Small business owners can easily become frozen in place trying to keep up with all the day-to-day tasks associated with running your business. You cant possibly be proficient in every skill required to effectively run your business so lot of time can be taken up with trying to perform even the “smallest” of tasks. Trying to learn how to do everything can literally take hours of your week away from you. Hours better spent on developing relationships with your prospects or clients, updating your web site content, creating new products, and just being there to respond to new enquiries. Unless you are willing to give up some control, the grind of trying to do everything in your business too often takes priority over the human approach to being there for your customers.
Do your initial digging online then pick up a phone and call or send email enquiries to those companies that appear to have the skill set you require. Make sure your questions are addressed intelligently and at a level of understanding that you feel most comfortable with. Look for a company that is interested in what goals you are trying to achieve by outsourcing and how you like to work. The conversation should be an effective two-way open communication and you should come away with a feeling of trust and confidence. By weeding out any company that is vague in their explanations of how they can achieve what you want them to do and you should easily find the best company to work with for your business needs.
In Summary: Don’t try to do everything yourself. You may have many fine strong points, but running your business single-handily should not be one of them. Learn when and delegating responsibility can actually make your business grow by leaps and bounds. Then find an outsourcing service you can work with - one with a complete understanding of your business and one that is proactive and willing to go the extra mile to make your business a success. And that goes for both you and your clients.
Why Outsourcing Takes Your Business to a Higher Level - Part 2 - How To Make Outsourcing Work
To make any outsourcing relationship work effectively, the business owner must be able to step back and make an honest evaluation of his or her talents. We are not all created equal. We all have different strengths. One thing is certain; to ensure business success a business owner must cultivate the ability to delegate responsibility through the use of outsourcing. That’s how a well-run, profit-pulling online business accomplishes its goals.
Today’s businesses - large and small - gain immense benefits by finding other companies outside their own arena who possess the technological know how to analyse, plan, and implement target objectives.In the case of the smaller business owner finding an outsourcing service to handle tasks such as marketing, diary management, bookkeeping, and word processing is one such effective strategic move.
Why Outsourcing Takes Your Business to a Higher Level - Part 1 - What Is Outsourcing and Why Should You Do It?
Todays sees the first in a new 3 part series - Why Outsourcing Takes Your Business To A Higher Level.
Outsourcing is a term often used in business and it is gaining popularity on the Internet as millions of web site owners discover they do not have all the tools and skills necessary to handle each and every function necessary to the efficient running of their businesses. Business owners are starting to realise that unlike having to recruit, interview, and take on an employee - and thus incur the tax and NI liability of a new employee, not to mention the additional costs incurred such as holiday pay, sick pay, maternity leave, etc - savvy business owners often turn to outside companies. Sound familiar. Outsourcing services take on the tasks underlying a business leaving the owner more free time to pursue the front-end of his or her business.
Wikipedia states:”Outsourcing” involves transferring or sharing management control and/or decision-making of a business function to an outside supplier, which involves a degree of two-way information exchange, coordination and trust between the outsourcer and its client.” Doesn’t that sound like the perfect client/virtual assistant relationship?
So next time you are face with ‘virtual what?’, try explaining that you provide ‘outsourced PA and administration services’ and see if you can see the lightbulb go on.
Get Organised Series – Automate your business
Make use of technology available and automate your business processes. E.g. think about using auto responders for some of your email communication.
Get Organised Series – Have checklists and templates
Create checklists and templates for all regular tasks as this will save a lot of time (e.g. I have a checklist of things to do when I take on a new client, templates for letters and emails).
Get Organised Series – Include deadlines on schedule
Include details of all important deadlines (clients and your own business) on your schedule so that you can plan the work accordingly.
Get Organised Series – Make use of rules
You can set up rules to filter your emails according to the filing system that you set up. For example, if you are a virtual assistant dealing with different clients, you may have different email addresses for each client. You can set up a rule to filter incoming emails through a specified account to a specific folder. Customise rules to suit your requirements.
Get Organised Series – Create a schedule
Include all personal and business appointments on your schedule so that you don’t miss any important appointments.