Small Business Staffing - A practice in futility?

Some of the concerns expressed range from temps lacking the anticipated expertise, to spending time and money training new hires only to see them leave for another job. Counterproductive, expensive, and frustrating to say the least. Recruiting is yet another job function taken on by small business persons and entrepreneurs whose time is already impacted by the tasks they are attempting to delegate. One vicious circle.

If retaining a professional recruiting agency is not within your budget, there are some steps that could help ease the process and increase your chances for success. Considering there are many more applicants than available jobs, having an electronic method in place, to filter out all but your most desirable candidates, is a wise choice. Simple, effective, efficient!

If you are already posting ads online, have a website and/or an email account, you’ve already completed the 1st step. The next step is to design an application specific to the position you are seeking to fill. Be meticulous. The time spent structuring this document to ensure the expected data to aide in your decision making is crucial, and the ROI will be huge.

Just the FACTS! You know what skills are required; keep your questions to fact gathering. Other than contact information (name, telephone number, email) there is no need for more personal information at this time. Most qualified applicants will avoid anything that resembles a scam.

Identify yourself, your company name on the application
Acknowledge receipt of the application (simple auto respond)
Analyze your post to be sure your expectations are reasonable. Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes. Be careful what you ‘wish’ for, you just might get what you’re ‘paying’ for. A salary should fall within industry standards of the title and listed requirements. Otherwise, experienced job seekers will avoid you, and wanna-be’s will flood your in-box (and the cycle will continue). If you’re looking for a super hero be prepared to pay the price. Can what you’re asking for be broken down into multiple positions? Could you outsource work that would be more efficiently handed by an expert in less time and hire an entry level applicant willing to learn and grow into your ideal employee?

Have other challenges in this area? Please share. And by all means share any success stories!

Email Marketing - You have an account - Now What?

So, just to add another task to your already busy schedule, you've decided to sign up with an Email Marketing provider. GREAT! Now what?

Most small businesses are faced with the same Catch-22; where to spend, what to cut? Like it or not, we all have to advertise to attract new prospects, and give our current clientele a reason to stay. Email Marketing Campaigns are a very popular choice, but you have to do it! Tech-savviness (or lack of) isn't really a good excuse to avoid jumping in. Most of the EM providers have templates making it just about as easy as composing an email. Next excuse... What do I say? Start thinking about your expertise and what type of useful information that you’d like to share with your contacts. Give them a reason to look forward to reading your next edition. As you think of, or come across, interesting tidbits of information put them aside. Select a couple for each campaign, keep it brief and informative. Don’t blast too often, or you may end up spammed. Be sure to read the emails that are sent to you, they may contain some very good ideas. Just have fun!

Oh that’s right, you’re too busy. But wait ! (AH-HA moment) You seem to remember hearing about Virtual Assistance. Isn’t that something they do? YES IT IS! Problem solved. Don’t delay, contact a VA.

In closing, some food for thought:
About 17 years ago (before E-anything existed), the real estate broker that sold my home included all of his clients in an annual newsletter. It was usually sent out around the holidays and it contained humorous stories, ‘did you know’s', and other useful information. I think the last one I got was just a couple of years ago. The result of this annual gesture? I will always remember and recommend William Festa Realty to anyone selling a home in the Greater Philadelphia PA area.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

Teleconferencing

Many small business persons and entrepreneurs are using teleconferences to communicate with their clients and followers. This method of connecting with your clients and followers is a wonderful way to personify your brand in our techno driven culture. Undoubtedly, social media has improved and practically replaced all other traditional forms of marketing. However, as with any popular and successful trends, overload eventually produces resistance. How are you handling the bombardment of emails, tweets, blogs, feeds, videos, and other informational schemes to keep you informed? How do you decide what to unsubscribe, delete, or ignore? Lasting impressions are usually the result of a personal touch. The opportunity to actually speak to a respected principal heightens the desire to maintain contact.

Teleconferencing can bring your brand to a level of recognition that will set you apart from your competitors. And, it can be done at no cost to you! There are many free conference calling providers found easily on the internet, a very worthwhile addition to your current marketing repertoire.

There is no better time to begin than the present! Choose a topic you might otherwise have discussed in your blog, newsletter, or other publication. Set up a call and invite your contacts. Allow enough time to present your material, and then open the floor for Q&A and comments. Result: Instant gratification for both you and your followers. Not to mention you will have created an audience eagerly anticipating your next contact.

If TIME is a consideration, please contact me to see how simple your Teleconferencing can be accomplished. Imagine the doors of opportunity that lie behind this very effortless means of value added service to your current and future clients!

Virtual Assistance - CONTACTS!

Personally speaking, I make it a point to mind my own business. Professionally speaking, I make it a point to mind YOURS!

Whether you’ve established a solid client base or you are exhaustively tapping every networking venue out there to find clients, the key to acquisition and retention is through communication. Allowing anything to interrupt this process will result in missed opportunities.

How can a VA help?

Prospects - Timely follow up with your prospects shows commitment!
Be sure to jot down a few notes on the back of a prospect’s business card specifically about them to use when making contact. We’re all impressed when someone ‘remembers’ us!

Have your Virtual Assistant:

Scan the business cards of contacts you’ve made to create (or add to) your database of contacts.

Prepare a spreadsheet of the contact’s information, point of contact (date & venue you met), personal notes.

Contact your prospects to express your appreciation in meeting them, and if appropriate book an appointment to meet again one-on-one.

Clients

Have your Virtual Assistant:

Place calls:

Welcoming new clients

Appointment Setting

Schedule Annual Reviews

Fact Finding: gather information for dispute / resolution obtain missing information

For both Clients and Prospects think about having your Virtual Assistant Intercept calls while you and your staff are unavailable. It’s a nice personal touch, and a pleasant surprise to encounter a live voice on the other end of the line.

Virtual Assistance - Customer Service

Many years ago (more than I’d like to admit), I began my career as a Customer Service Representative at a major Philadelphia utility company. If I had to describe the training I received in preparation for my position, one word comes to mind - stellar. The curriculum was instructed by a group of dedicated professionals whose expectations were very clear - to deliver a team of capable individuals to assist our customers in a courteous respectful manner. Our knowledge of the various aspects of the business was facilitated by rotating assignments within the department. This process not only contributed to our expertise, it also enhanced our internal customer relationships. I acquired a passion to incorporate those valuable skills going forward in my career and ultimately within my own business.

This focus heightened my awareness to the quality of service that I have received as the customer. Over the years I have had many less than acceptable encounters with representatives from various companies. This behavior really struck a chord. Why would any organization allow someone to represent them on the frontline without the proper training to handle customer inquiries? How many times have you heard a message before speaking to a live representative that your “call may be monitored for training purposes”? - Only to end up in a conversation with an uninterested, sometimes confrontational person. Inexcusable!

Customers are the lifeblood of all business. In today’s economy businesses need to pay particular attention to how they communicate with their customers if they wish to survive. Consumers are savvier with the advent of technology and restricted budgets dictate due diligence. Choices abound as new entrepreneurs enter the marketplace daily. Your reputation for quality work can easily be diluted with shoddy Customer Service.

Simple techniques practiced on the telephone or in the reception area will certainly leave an indelible impression with your clients. Careful consideration of those you employ to represent you is also a key ingredient. Be as choosey as your customers when filling this role. Leave a positive impact on the brand known as YOU.

Please visit my website http://www.judysvirtualofficesolutions.com/CustomerService.html to learn about the variety of services I can offer to improve this essential part of your business.

Virtual Assistance - AUTOMATION

Technology has provided us with the tools to capture information at the touch of a button. Most businesses have automated their processes improving efficiency at many levels. Still, there are those who resist, regardless of the negative impact to their bottom-line. And some in the middle have invested in various applications that sit idle as they continue manually processing their data. Improved success rates in all of these cases are affected by a common denominator - TIME. Whether you consider yourself technologically literate or computer -challenged, support is within reach.

Which category describes your business? How can a Virtual Assistant help you?

THE “HAVES” - You have it all (or do you?). All the bells and whistles to process everything it takes to make your business run smoothly! But, you are understaffed so the data isn’t getting into the system. How are you receiving your data and how is it processed? Are you providing forms/applications online that need to be printed first and then completed manually? AUTOMATE the process! Have those documents converted to interactive PDF forms for your users to submit electronically. You’ll not only save paper (nice contribution to ecology!) you virtually eliminate legibility issues and a manual data-entry process. Eliminate postage and save TIME - for both you and your clients.

THE “WANNA BE’S” - You’ve invested in a sensible computer and software packages, but you don’t have a clue where to start or the time to figure it out, so manual is better for now. Good thing you have that huge paper-weight to keep all of those documents in a neat pile. Get AUTOMATED! It is not necessary to purchase industry related software to streamline your data. Besides you leave yourself open to the limitations of the manufacturer and support issues that arise if you do not upgrade to new releases. The Keep It Simple S..... principle applies. A basic database can provide you with the functionality needed to improve efficiency.

THE “HAVE NOTS” - You’ve done it this way for years and it works! Unless you’re an Undertaker there is a good chance that the economy has impacted not only your rate of growth but the ability to maintain the workload you’ve been accustomed to. Communication and forecasting can be very tedious in a manual environment. Outsourcing to a service that will capture and maintain your data can provide an edge in developing your business strategies.

A Virtual Assistant can facilitate the timely completion of projects necessary to keep you competitive and ultimately increase your success. Consider this option going forward. Partnering with a V.A. is not an expense, it’s an investment.

Virtual Assistance - Your Time Management Solution

• What time does your day end?


• Do you retire each night satisfied that tomorrow begins with a fresh slate?


• Or is more time spent agonizing about what didn’t get done… one step forward, two steps back?

I just need a break!

Sound familiar?

Let me introduce myself. My name is Judy; I am a Virtual Assistant. My mission is to step in and complete the mundane albeit necessary projects that contribute to your ultimate success. You’ve chosen your career, your passion, but the chores that go along with it are keeping you from what you really want to do. Even the most organized professional has a wish-list that seems out of reach because of time constraints. And many small businesses just can’t afford to staff themselves with the resources needed to maintain their back office operations. As your Virtual Assistant I can provide you with the tools necessary to forge ahead, while preserving the integrity of what you’ve worked so hard to accomplish. Whether on an as-needed basis or ongoing, I will step in when you need to step out. All without the headaches and expense that come along with typical employment; payroll, benefits, workers comp, etc., carried out remotely from my own fully equipped office. The services I have to offer are too numerous to list here now, so please visit my website: http://www.judysvirtualofficesolutions.com/.

In the meantime, please check back as I will be posting blogs periodically focusing on specific services that just might be what you are looking for. My success depends soley on your satisfaction! Let's grow together!