Red Box Virtual Office Newsletter - February 2008
5 Reasons to Outsource
Are you reading this because it means you don't have to work through your Customer Service email? Are you undecided as to whether it should be a comma or a full stop in your website content? Are these tasks getting in the way of you making some money or taking a well earned holiday?
If yes, then the time has come when you need some support. You deserve a supportive team around you to help you develop and expand your business. Below are 5 simple reasons as to why you should outsource your day to day administration.
1. Someone else can read your junk mail. Simple, yes, but I'm sure that you're not keen on coming back to work after a holiday or conference and finding your in-box heaving with rubbish.
2. There's only so much proof reading you can do , and it doesn't earn you anything. Is juggling 100 things really worth your while?
3 . You only pay for the service provided. Do you need someone to answer your customer service emails once a day or to assist you with a presentation? Either way, you can budget accordingly knowing there are no hidden costs.
4 . Need an extra pair of hands, but there's no room at the inn? Hire a VA and there's no need to worry about where to put the extra member of staff or providing them with the latest equipment.
5. There's back up whenever you need it. You may already have support on site, but what happens when they are ill or take a holiday? Or you need to take time out? Temporary staff can be expensive to hire for the short term and recruiting for a replacement can seriously blow the budget. And you're irreplaceable, but VA support can ease the burden, leaving you confident that your day to day administration will be taken care of.
So what about Red Box ? We can take care of website updates, create content for documents or blogs, proof read and edit work, check emails and make diary arrangements, co-ordinate your travel plans, transcribe digital recordings or write general correspondence. We take care of the administrative tasks which enables you to focus on your core, profitable business.
Virtual Assistants can give you the gift of time, it's then up to you how you use that to your advantage.
If you would like to discuss how Red Box could be of assistance to you, or your clients, please do get in touch.
How to Follow Up - A Simple Formula That Works!
On my way home from a conference recently, I sat next to a blonde woman in her mid-40's wearing matching Prada shoes and bag. From the looks of her, a successful businesswoman.
I couldn't help peeking over her shoulder and saw that she was composing email messages in Outlook. I assumed she had just attended a meeting and was diligently doing her follow up. The problem was that every single message she wrote was the same -- and really boring, in my opinion. "Dear Blank, it was a pleasure to meet you at the meeting this weekend and I hope we can meet again soon."
That was it. No reference to who she is or what they talked about or what ideas she has had since they met or what they could do together in the future. Anyone who knows me (or has heard my networking presentations) knows that I am a follow up freak. But I'd say it's better not to follow up than to write the type of generic follow up messages this woman was about to send out. Here's the problem we face; you have no idea what to say when you follow up, and that often stops you from doing it.
So here are a few ideas about what you can say to build on the momentum of meeting someone in person, face to face, to reinforce the impact of your personal presence.
1. Set the foundation for follow up while you're talking. Follow up starts when the conversation starts. As you're talking, be looking for something to say in your follow up. As soon as it hits you, make a note of it on the back of their card. You can find something in common -- a topic of interest, whether personal or professional - or listen for what they may need help with. Then, in your follow up, you offer an idea, a contact or some other resource.
2. Follow up right away to build on the momentum of the conversation, of your freshness in their mind. If too much time passes before you follow up, the conversation may slip into the recesses of their mind or blur with that of someone else they met recently. If you wait, it won't have as strong of an impact. Do it the next day if possible, or at the very least, sometime before the week is out.
3. Use persuasive copywriting in your follow up. Strive to incorporate persuasion in ALL of your communications. That includes your follow up because follow up is about promoting your services to anyone and everyone you come into contact with.
Follow this simple formula -- state what you can do with confidence, list 3 or more things they'll get and the benefits of each, then close with a testimonial and a way to keep in touch -- and your networking efforts will be the foundation for a healthy business that brings you more work and more clients than you ever imagined.
About the Author
Ilise Benun
Marketing Mentor, author of 4 books, including "Stop Pushing Me Around," "Self Promotion Online," "Designing Web Sites for Every Audience" and "Public Relations For Dummies," has been teaching people to promote themselves and their services since 1988. She has been self-employed for all but 3 years of her working life. Contact Ilise at ilise@marketing-mentor.com
