At Team Double-Cick® our clients often ask just how to go about setting up a virtual office in other words how does a small but growing business owner avoid renting bricks and mortar office space. Even the tiniest of offices can run several hundred dollars a month. Add to that the cost of the commute, the furniture and computers to furnish that office, and a full time assistant (whom you still have to pay even when you don’t have work to keep them busy).

Setting up a virtual office can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you embrace the idea and get a feel for the logistics, it’s really quite easy. We’ve put together a list of the top 8 tools we recommend you use when setting up your virtual office.

Getting the Phones Answered (By Someone Who Is Not You!)
TeleCenter:
A virtual phone system is a must for every virtual office. This system allows your callers’ calls to be answered by your virtual assistant regardless of where she is in the country. Through the phone system, she can answer in your company name (it alerts her that the call is coming from your business), handle those calls that she’s able to handle, and transfer calls to you or other staff members as necessary.

Team Double-Click employs this very phone system with great success, as have many of our clients. Even though we are located in places such as Colorado, California, North Carolina, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, and Florida, the TeleCenter system makes it all seem like we’re sitting in the same central office.

And just as important,your assistant can set the system up so that it only rings to your (or her) office during the hours you choose. So if your office hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, you don’t have to hear the phone ringing during off hours, those calls will go to voice mail where your assistant can retrieve them in the morning. The system can also hunt for you if you’re on the road a lot. Again, your assistant simply programs in all of the phone numbers you want to be located at. The system will first try, for example, your home office number; if it doesn’t find you there, it will try your cell phone, and so on until it runs out of numbers. If it does run out of numbers to try, it will transfer the caller into voice mail so you never miss a call.

Faxing: Most Importantly Having Your Assistant Fax For You

A virtual fax is essential so you don’t have to be the only one who can send and receive faxes. There are two companies we recommend using simultaneously for faxing to and from your virtual office.

eFax: http://home.efax.com/
With eFax, any inbound fax documents come directly into your e-mail inbox. You can open and forward the faxes to others, or store them electronically on your computer’s hard drive, thus, reducing or eliminating the need to keep hard files. With eFax you can SEND X number of faxed pages per month for a flat fee starting at $ 12.95/month.

Packetel: Unlimited Incoming Faxes for just $3.95 per month!
https://www.packetel.com

The service offers a dedicated personal fax number with UNLIMITED incoming faxes at a very low cost ($3.95/month). The faxes all come in via email as a picture (.tif) file. This can be set up so you and your virtual assistant receive a copy of each incoming fax. Since it comes in as a picture file, your VA can easily upload those documents into your virtual filing system.

You should set up your letterhead and signatures, etc. so that your published fax number is the Packetel number because of the unlimited inbound capability. Packetel, though, doesn’t allow for outgoing faxes. That’s why we recommend eFax. Because both fax systems are virtual, your VA can fax anything you need. And you can fax files to her for processing very easily since they come in electronically. Just hang on to your hard-line fax machine or use your scanner to scan hard copy documents and you can fax to your Packetel fax number and your VA will receive that information as a picture file in an email. She can process this paperwork or send it on to someone else just as if you simply passed the paperwork across your desk to her.

Transferring Large Files
Have a file that you need your virtual assistant to work on, but it’s too big to send through email? There are two services we recommend for very easy file upload and subsequent download by your virtual assistant or a business associate. Both offer free accounts and both work very well.

They are:

Save File
www.savefile.com/
Send This File
http://www.sendthisfile.com

Filing

Your virtual office wouldn’t be complete without a filing cabinet! Now your virtual assistant can handle your filing with one simple piece of software. If you keep everything as an electronic file or picture file you can easily be 100% paperless, no more papers piling up on your desk, no more buying case upon case of copy paper!

Now, for your virtual assistant to actually do the filing, you will need an online or virtual filing system. The one Team Double-Click® recommends is through Xdrive http://www.xdriv.com . For just $10 per month you can store up to 5GB of files! You and your virtual assistant can both access your files similar to accessing a common file cabinet in the office or a shared hard drive.

You can simply forward your electronic files to her as needed, and she can file them away into the appropriate folders on Xdrive. Viola your filing is virtually done.

This also accomplishes off-site storage and provides for easy retrieval in the event of a fire, computer crash, or natural disaster.

Getting Started

These are our most commonly-encountered/perceived-hurdles to working virtually. Now that you’re armed with the first four tools, you can begin setting up your virtual office. Take your time and learn about the software once you get it in place. Your virtual assistant can help you with that! It may take a little time but if you weigh that against renting an office space you’ve just saved hundreds of dollars a month!

About the author:
Gayle Buske is the co-founder, president and CEO of Team Double-Click® and VirtualAssistingUSA. As the head of a virtual staffing agency with over 57,000 virtual professionals in its pool, Ms. Buske is uniquely qualified to aid small business owners in their growth and development through virtual outsourcing. Virtual Assistants across the globe look to Ms. Buske and her organizations for guidance, mentoring and motivation.

Have you tried networking ? really networking? You?ve got to try it! Trust me, if you get into it you?ll have the time of your life. At Team Double-Click? we?ve always practiced networking, but more recently we?ve kicked it up a notch. We?re actively seeking value-added partners who offer services and products that will be of benefit to our clients and virtual assistants.
While this may sound like a very bland task, it?s actually a constant high and very fun. You simply can?t imagine the rush when you selflessly connect two people or two organizations that can benefit one another until you try it. Once you do, I guarantee you?ll be hooked. And that?s a huge part of networking ? simply talking to other people, finding out what they do, and then connecting them with other people who can help them with whatever ails.

Once you?ve made the connection, stand back and watch what happens. You?ll see those two entities that you connected flourish. Oh, and there?s something in it for you too. Those folks will remember you when your products or services can be of benefit to them and their network of people. As if watching two people, whom you connected, grow and flourish and help one another doesn?t make you stand in awe of the process, having those connections come back to help you later will.

So how do you make connections between other people? Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen to what your connections have to offer. Ask what makes the ideal client or the ideal solution for them. Store that information in your database and in your brain. When you talk to another contact, repeat the process. Then you play the memory game and use your outside viewpoint to see who fits with whom.
Once you?ve identified a connection between your contacts, make the introduction! Call Joe and say, ?hey Joe, I know someone who can help you out?here?s her information.? Then you call Suzie and say, ?Suzie, Joe would be a great client for you?he needs X, Y, and Z?exactly what you have to offer.? You can simply give contact information to each party or you can go one step further and set up a conference call so you can introduce them personally.
I recommend a conference call whenever possible. This gives you the opportunity to make proper introductions and give a better background on each party, which will maximize the success potential of both parties.

In a short article like this, there simply isn?t enough space to give you all the finer points of networking. What I can do though is suggest another book: ?Endless Referrals? also by Bob Burg. ?Endless Referrals? will give you dozens of great tips, like the couple above, and many how-to?s for successful networking.
So get out there and start networking and find your own networking high!

Team Double-Click?The original and still the best:? Team Double-Click?s thorough virtual assistant screening process, outstanding customer service, and innovative approach to virtual staffing has earned the company mentions and features in such esteemed media as Entrepreneur Magazine, Staff Digest, CNN Money, NBC News, and even Woman?s Day magazine.? Team Double-Click? is truly setting the standard for the virtual assistant industry.. To find out More about our virtual assistants and service click on following banner:

Let?s address the first hurdle of delegation. Can someone else do what I do as well as I can do it? The answer is yes. And the reason I say yes is because what we are talking about is not contract negotiations or other business building activities, but rather administrative support. Hiring a virtual assistant is all about giving you more time so you can focus on your area(s) of expertise; building your business. A virtual assistant isn?t there to take over the operation of your company. She is there to offer you an extra set of eyes, ears and hands so that you can gain more valuable time for either business or family matters.

The first step in moving forward and getting started with delegating is to start making a list of everything you do in your business. Have a notebook or mini-recorder and take notes of everything you do for a full week.

At the end of the week separate the tasks into two categories;

#1 ? those tasks that must absolutely be done by you and

#2 ? those tasks that someone else can do for you.

This seems simple and it actually is. Once you have your list sorted, take a look at the list of tasks that someone else can do for you and prioritize that list either by your sense of urgency or that which will free up the most of your time quickly. What is it that is going to help you the most? What will give you the most immediate benefit? Once you determine your starting point, call your virtual assistant and get started. Talk to your virtual assistant about your list. Discuss the individual tasks and also the big picture of how you see things down the road. Give her something to work on first. Please be careful not to give her the entire list of tasks to do all at once, as that may totally overwhelm her. Start off slow by giving her one or two tasks to work on. Once she completes those tasks, add something else. Before you know it, you?ll wonder what you ever did without her!

So, what if you are struggling with the thought of training an assistant? While initially it can take a great more time to train someone else, think of the big picture. Yes, it most likely will take more time than doing it yourself. Spend the time up front and train your virtual assistant to do it just like you do, then let her do it next time by herself! Once you experience the freedom of having someone else doing that task, it will be much easier next time. You won?t need to worry about how much training time is necessary. You?ll have real confirmation that this is of great value to you.

Speaking of training, I can?t stress enough the importance of documentation. As you start to train with your assistant, make sure that she documents the step-by-step instructions for each and every procedure. Have her email you each set of instructions. This gives you the chance to check for accuracy, ensuring all of the steps are included and in the proper order. Have your assistant compile each procedure into a single document, using a table of contents or index, essentially building you a training manual. This is such a great tool, that I can?t emphasize enough the value you will get down the road. In the future when your virtual assistant needs to take time off or is ill, someone else can fill in for her and everything is that much easier for both of you.

If you have any further questions about how to delegate to your virtual assistant, please give me a call. I?m happy to go over the steps or discuss any other aspect of working with a virtual assistant with you.

Team Double-click?The original and still the best:? Team Double-Click?s thorough virtual assistant screening process, outstanding customer service, and innovative approach to virtual staffing has earned the company mentions and features in such esteemed media as Entrepreneur Magazine, Staff Digest, CNN Money, NBC News, and even Woman?s Day magazine.? Team Double-Click? is truly setting the standard for the virtual assistant industry.. To find out More about our virtual assistants and service click on following banner:

This morning I received an email from a client who was frustrated and wanted to cancel his account. Why? He says that he lost his faith in having new virtual assistant . He no longer sees the value. ?And why is that,? I asked? In this particular case, the VA did nothing wrong. The client was frustrated that his previous VA had been unable to continue working with him due to her personal and family issues and Mr. Client simply didn’t want to make the change. He dug in his heels and never gave his new virtual assistant a chance.

Unfortunately, even though we have dozens of retention measures in place with our VAs sometimes they still do leave us. In fact, we recently polled our former VAs to see what they were doing. Most of those that have left us didn?t leave because they went to another staffing agency. About 75% simply decided they didn?t want to be or were unable to be a VA any longer. Things change in people?s lives that are beyond our control or even their control such as weddings, children, aging parents, and illness and so on. Just as these things happen in the bricks-and-mortar world, they happen in the virtual world as well. When that happens we all have to move on. We locate another VA for you and you can go about incorporating her into your business. It?s really nothing personal ? VAs don?t leave, generally, because they don?t like you or Team Double-Click? so don?t take it personally.

Did you know that we do more than simply match you up with a virtual assistant? We are here to guide you through the process of getting started with a virtual assistant. We are also here after you get started and just want to ask a question or brainstorm a new project. We won?t leave you in the dark and abandoned. We help with the transition, coaching, training or whatever else might come up. Around here, customer service isn?t just lip service; when we say we want happy clients, we mean it! This is something I go over in extreme detail when I talk with new clients. So what happened for this particular client? Who knows. Some habits are hard to break and sometimes in the excitement of starting something new, we forget some of the other great information we learned once upon a time. Just know that we are here for you today and tomorrow and even next year.

If you are feeling frustrated or unsure how to use your virtual assistant, please tell us. You hired us to make your life easier so that you can have more time to focus on other areas of your business or your life. We are serious about providing our clients and our virtual assistants with all of the support we can possibly offer. Hold us to our word and call me today! I look forward to talking to you.

Team Double-Click?We don’t just tell you where you can find a virtual assistant. We assess your needs and match you with one of our highly-skilled and Team Double-Click? trained virtual assistants. Then we monitor and nurture that relationship so you get the most out of hiring virtually. Think of us as your virtual Human Resources department!. To find out More about our virtual assistants and service click on following banner:

We?ve had a long running debate amongst our core staff about general worker etiquette. The ongoing topic is that some of the lack of etiquette we see on a daily basis is due to the Information Age itself. We?re so plugged in and turned on but somehow simple business etiquette is lost. Other core staff members make the point that right is still right and wrong is still wrong ? the generations and the Information Age just don?t matter.

Both points are right to some degree but maybe it?s time to go over what the rest of the world views as good etiquette and compare it to the emerging etiquette lapses of late. Things have changed, we totally agree. And for the most part, we like the changes. After all, were it not for the internet and all of the changes it brought, we would not happily work for the greatest virtual staffing agency in the world.

There have been several articles printed lately about ?the new workplace etiquette?. We?d like to explore some of the things many people find disturbing and see if we can?t meet in the middle. How about it? Shall we compromise and work together as a team?

Time Off

One item says you shouldn?t ask for time off ? you should just take it. As independent contractors, virtual assistants do have the right to take off whenever they want and shouldn?t have to answer to anyone. There?s asking as if you were a child asking permission of a parent to stay up late, ?Mr. Client can I take a vacation day??, which we agree, you shouldn?t have to do. But as business owners, we need to take the need of our clients into account and think about the inconveniences we might be causing them. Our job as successful virtual assistants is to take a personal stock in the success of our client?s company. If we don?t care about inconveniencing them, they are going to go to someone who will.

Why not try, ?Mr. Client, I plan on taking next Friday off to spend with my best friend. Will that cause you any inconvenience? If so, is there anything I can do prior to or after my day off to help you get through?? This way you are being considerate of your clients needs by informing them ahead of time. You are problem solving so that they are inconvenienced as little as possible, and your client feels like you care and is still considered the best business etiquette. The client is not going to say ?no, you can?t go?. They?re going to work with you because you worked with them. And it won?t leave a sour taste in their mouth over you. Try this approach next time and see if that client maintains a much better respect for you for it.

Meaningful Work

Okay, we can agree on this one. We don?t want to do anything that we don?t like either, and it can be challenging. As a virtual staffing agency, our company works hard to make good matches and find work that our independent contractors will enjoy, find meaningful, and want to stick with. We also fully describe each position to the best of our ability to give our virtual assistants the chance to turn the work down (before starting it) if it doesn?t appeal. BUT, if someone agrees to do something, good business etiquette dictates that you follow through and complete the task.

It?s still wrong to promise to do something, decide later that you don?t like it, and simply stop doing it. This is where opponents argue that wrong is still wrong. They?re totally right on this one. How would you like it if we said we would cook dinner for you, decide we didn?t want to do that anymore, and simply didn?t do it? You?d be expecting a nice meal, be ready to relax, and find out there is no food. You?d be upset. Think twice before doing the same to someone else ? either business or personal.

Feel Good

We?ve all heard someone say ?This work just doesn?t make me feel good?. That someone is probably right. Their not going to get warm fuzzy feelings from a hard days work all of the time. We?re not surprised. Especially working from home, sometimes we have unrealistic expectations of what our day is really going to be like. If you researched the internet before applying to work at home I?m sure that you found a lot of information describing working from home as relaxing and painting the picture of you, sitting in your favorite chair, chatting on the phone on occasion and watching TV.

Maybe you just found out that working from home is just as much work as working in corporate America and you?re a little disillusioned. Sorry. It?s a tough wake up call. Maybe you wanted to work in theory, but expected it to be easier than a ?real? office?

Try taking a step back on this one. Although we can definitely agree that our work doesn?t always cause those warm feelings, and it may not be as easy as you anticipated, you are providing a service that makes it possible for your clients to be able to run their own businesses, get clients, keep clients, and make money. That should produce a great feeling. You are making it possible for people to live their dreams while you live out yours. If that isn?t enough, even though it isn?t easy, you are making it possible for your family to earn money, raise children, and still be home. You are also not in a suit and tie every day trying to climb the corporate ladder, shipping your children off to daycare, and seeing them at bedtime. A friend of Angel?s says that ?If it feels like work, you are probably doing it right.?

Do you suppose your mom thought it fun to change the sheets on your bed? Wash your stinky gym socks? Run you around to every event you could find to participate in? Guaranteed she didn?t. But it?s all stuff that needed to be done.

Yes, work does need to be overall enjoyable; but there will always be aspects of any job that aren?t fun. Work is about making money, being responsible, and putting food on the table. Fun is what comes after work. Work makes fun possible not the other way around.

I was speaking recently with a woman we met while swimming at the pool. She is a housekeeper for a local hotel and mentioned that recently a group of motocross riders had been staying there. I commented that the extra dirt must have been awful. Her comment, ?It?s been really busy and yes, a lot more dirt, but at least its work and I?m making money.? Amen sister! She?s earning a living without asking for handouts.

A Little Notice Please?

Bear with us here, we?re old school. In the old days (back when we milked the dinosaurs before we walked up hill both directions to and from school) business etiquette said giving two weeks notice when leaving a position was the absolute minimum. Somehow we?ve gone from two weeks to zero minutes in nothing flat. Come on, this really puts clients in a bind. As we try to work with you and your unique needs, we give you most of the concessions you ask for: flexibility, more pay, more likeable jobs, and so on.

Give us a chance to get our feet under us and find someone qualified to take over where you left off before you take off on to a new venture? Thanks! We really appreciate when you do that.

But I Can?t Do It

Yes, you can. Don?t give up so easy. Read the help file, search online, and find a resource that shows you how to do what you need to do. You have the resources and the ability. We know you do. If you try to find out how to do it and can?t, ask for help. Email a mentor. Call a core team member. Call the software?s help desk. We don?t bite, we promise.

LOL BRB I?m OTP

We know it is easier to abbreviate everything and forget grammar, punctuation, and everything else you learned in English class. When communicating with a client, assume they won?t understand what you are saying unless you spell it out. You?ll save yourself time, frustration, and having to redo your work if you spell it out the first time. You?ve been typing since before you could write.

Understanding

There are several things about our new Information World that we can empathize with, understand, and totally agree with.

• Face Time. We hear you: We don?t do face time either. We?re certainly not going to show up just so you can see our smiling faces unless there?s something in it for us. We realize you don?t have to be face-to-face to get work done and get things accomplished. At Team Double-Click? we?re working hard to get our clients to realize you?re not going to play that game. You?re going to get your work done and move on.
• The Speed of the Internet. We?re with you. We want our information and we want it now. We don?t want to wait for it. When we?ve made up our minds on something, it?s time to act on it ? not wait for the ink to dry. Recently, someone actually told us that ?they couldn?t move at the speed of the internet?. Our first thought was, ?what? Are you kidding? Get moving!?
• Problem Solving. Generation Y has the technological ability to solve problems in ways we haven?t thought of before. We missed the computer programming class in high school and the typewriters were the kind that didn?t even use electricity. We were learning to walk up hill both ways to school and carrying water for baths. We know that you can fix problems in ways that we haven?t thought of and we appreciate it when you make suggestions.
• Thank you, you?ve been working hard and we appreciate it. It always feels great to be noticed, acknowledged and appreciated. We like it too. You aren?t alone on that one by a long shot.
• If my way takes an hour, why waste three days? Yes. Sometimes there are faster ways to do old stuff. It drives us nuts when someone asks us to type each email address individually when there is software on my computer that will get those same addresses in 5 minutes, and format them to look pretty. We love it! Be patient with your clients who have to be reminded how to send an email. You may have to explain how your way is faster if you want to do it that way, and it may take a couple tries.
• We want to be friends. It?s great when you can work with someone that you have a friendship. It can be nice to chat about your day and network. We like it too. Just remember, not all clients are going to be your friend. We don?t want you to get your feelings hurt by expecting it.
  Thank you!

We know that you work hard for clients and we appreciate it. We know you are one of the best out there, that?s why you are here. Not everyone is guilty of forgetting etiquette rules, and we know we are guilty of breaking etiquette rules on occasion too. In fact, we?ve been guilty ourselves on occasion, LOL. But, work with us, we will keep doing our very best to find the right clients, give you the hours you want, in the jobs you want. You take note if there is an area you can work on and try to do better. After all, that?s what good teams do.

Team Double-Click?The original and still the best:? Team Double-Click?s thorough virtual assistant screening process, outstanding customer service, and innovative approach to virtual staffing has earned the company mentions and features in such esteemed media as Entrepreneur Magazine, Staff Digest, CNN Money, NBC News, and even Woman?s Day magazine.? Team Double-Click? is truly setting the standard for the virtual assistant industry.. To find out More about our virtual assistants and service click on following banner:

I’ve heard them called by many names as of late: Generation Y, Gen Y, The Plug-and-Play Generation, The Gotta-Feel-Good Generation. What they’re all referring to is the new young generation – our current 20-somethings. Every generation “deals” with the generation who comes after them. Their different views, their different ways of doing things, and so on; this generation is no exception.

Why is everyone talking about this new generation now though? They’ve been coming along for years. They’re in their 20’s now, after all! Because now they’re starting to impact the workforce and because we couldn’t predict their group characteristics until we saw them in action. In some ways they’re changing the landscape for the better, in some ways we oldies would say for the worse.

Regardless of the nostalgia we feel for the “old days” this generation is plunging headlong into the workforce and will impact you and your business at some point. There’s really no sense fighting it. No generation has ever changed the generation which came after it; not once that generation reached its 20’s anyway. These are the kids we raised and we did raise them this way, so let’s figure out how to work with them. To work with them we first need to understand them.

What makes this generation tick (or turn off) and what is the impact on businesses looking to hire them?

Problem: They’re not called The Plug-and-Play Generation for nothing. This generation grew up on video games and television while their parents were out working and making (what they viewed as) better lives for their families. This led to a whole generation of children, now entering the workforce, who need instant gratification in whatever it is they do. Whether its work or play, the satisfaction must be immediate.

Solution: What this means to the business owner looking to hire qualified workers is that you need to be diligent in assigning tasks to (or rather asking the worker if they’d be happy to do the tasks) that they enjoy doing. You must challenge this generation to the capacity in which they want to be challenged.

Problem: This generation waits for nothing and no one. If they don’t like the game, they find a new game to play and new people to play it with – now – not tomorrow or next week. Simple as that. Think pulling the PS2 game out of the player and inserting one they think they may like better.

Solution: This goes back to speed again. They’re used to moving at the speed of the internet, not the speed of the horseless carriage. You’re going to have to give this generation what it’s looking for or prepare to lose them. Regular check-ins individually to gauge their interest and excitement is critical to keeping this generation happy and working for you.

Problem: The Generation Y’s demand that they feel good about what they’re doing. If they don’t feel good about it, they’re not going to do it. Again, simple as that and no amount of money will convince them otherwise. Remember: they watched their parents work and work and work to earn a few extra bucks and what did it get them? Absentee parents who were rich. This generation wants quality, not necessarily quantity.

Solution: Sometimes the work just isn’t all that gratifying. However, you can combat that by showing your gratitude in the work being done. Often the sheer pleasure of helping someone else and that person being grateful is enough for the worker to receive the gratification they need.

Problem: The generation of ADD. Oh yes, this is where ADD became popular. The Gen Y’s are not going to pay attention for long. They want their information fast and to the point.

Solution: Don’t waste time with long drawn out memos and information. Just shoot it straight and fast!

Problem: A recent study suggested that the average tenure in a job for Generation Y’s is 18 months. Wow, what happened to life, or even a few years? Unfortunately those days are but a memory. As older workers retire and leave the workforce, we’re left with the generation we raised and we need to count on them to fill the open positions within our companies. Remember again that this generation watched their parents stick in jobs for life, only to be spat out by the very corporations and unions who claimed they’d protect them – when they were juuuuuusssst about to collect that pension. The Generation Y’s aren’t going to hang around to let that happen to them.

Solution: There’s no changing this generation’s stick ability. So as a business owner you have two options: 1) Make the work enjoyable or 2) Prepare in advance for every single worker’s eventual departure. If you opt with number 1, you need to figure out what it is that makes each and every one of your workers happy. They must be regarded as the individuals they are and with their own set of needs and instructions. Prepare to meet those needs or move on to number 2: The most crucial thing any business owner can do is to have instructions written for every task that is performed within their company. Put all those instructions in a safe place and hang on to them so you can pass them on to the worker’s successor. In staffing, one of the biggest complaints we hear from clients is the need to retrain the next person. I’m sorry – that’s the way it is nowadays. We train and we retrain and we need to be ready for it.

Problem: Lack of office etiquette. Check out this recent article on Yahoo! News about modern office etiquette (and lack of it) http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/careerist/40342. Unfortunately, as the article suggests, the new generation may not even know they’re breaking the rules! Etiquette in their world is far different than that of other generations.

Solution: As my husband and business partner says, “But wrong is still wrong and right is still right”. However, with the internet and a new generation, is this perhaps the new “right”. Maybe, maybe not. If most families are dysfunctional, doesn’t dysfunction become the new “normal”? Unfortunately I think the new generation has us beat in sheer numbers folks. In this writer’s opinion there’s not much we can do but learn to deal.

Problem: As another article http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/careerist/38889 on Gen Y’s by Penelope Trunk suggests: “They won’t play the face-time game.” That means they’re not going to sit in the office just to make you happy. They know that work can be done from home (or from the beach) just as well as it can be done sitting in the office.

Solution: Let ‘em work from home! Why not!? Working from home offers the ultimate in flexibility (something this generation demands) and helps keep this generation of workers happy and working for you.

As a virtual staffing agency, we deal with the same things as you do day in and day out. We’re not immune to the caveats of Generation Y. We deal with the unique issues of this generation through increased back end staff which checks in with and coaches our virtual assistants regularly. We also take great pains to make good matches between clients and virtual assistants and quickly offer to change assignments if it doesn’t “feel right” for the virtual assistant.

?

Yes, this (generation’s issues) results in a higher turnover of virtual assistants but no higher than what you’d experience in the bricks and mortar world. In many respects we shield our clients from the impacts of turnover by quickly locating new help, interviewing and screening for the right skills and attitude. But even as a virtual staffing agency, we still can’t change a generation or their attitudes so we can’t stop the turnover – we can help our clients get through the turnover.

Even with a high-turnover generation, companies can still benefit from all of the pluses of virtual assistance and virtual staffing. The cost savings over hourly in-office staff still exist; office politics is still absent; the speed of bringing in additional help is still present; the benefits of not having someone sitting in your office holds ground; start up capitol needed (desks, computers, phone lines) of hiring help is not a concern; and ultimate flexibility still exists.

In many ways, hiring virtually is a great way to deal with the issues businesses must face with this generation. This generation wants flexibility. Working virtually offers the ultimate in flexibility, which helps keep the generation happy. Virtual staffing fits this generation like a glove and is one of the best ways to put them to work for you.

Team Double-Click? provides virtual assistance for small and home-based businesses. Visit Team Double-Click?s Web site at http://www.teamdoubleclick.com or click on the banner:

Why is that though? It?s human nature to cut the ?extras? when business is rough. Marketing is usually out the window first because the bills are typically huge. Followed shortly by staff members that may be dead weight or not as good as they should be. And quite often, especially for small businesses, the owners decide there?s a lot more they can pick up and work on; things that the assistant used to do. There are a couple of great lessons here. There?s downsizing and there?s taking yourself out of the market.

Let?s first explore the idea of cutting off your marketing efforts in this down market. If you chuck your marketing, doesn?t that just cut off your nose to spite your face? A down market is precisely when you need marketing. If not for your marketing efforts, how will those few buyers in the market know about you when they?re ready? Maybe it?s time to look at some old fashioned guerrilla marketing tactics and free marketing. Yes, I said free. Of course we all need to spend some marketing dollars from time to time but what happened to all of the great free opportunities out there? Let?s explore some of them.

Article submissions. One of the greatest things about the ?net is that you can almost instantly become the expert in your market/community/area by writing and submitting articles. A quick search on the ?net will unearth dozens upon dozens of places to post your articles. Of course, that?s what I?m doing right here ? writing an article which my virtual assistant will post to as many free article submission sites as she can find. What does this do? It positions me as an expert. It sends links back to our company web site (thus increasing search engine rankings). It tells people we exist. It drives traffic (and hopefully customers) to our web site. It keeps our marketing alive and fresh. AND ? it doesn?t cost any more than my time to write the article and my virtual assistant?s time to post. Cheap!
Blogging. Wow, what a beautiful thing blogging is. Similarly to article submissions, blogging gives you a voice, makes you an expert, sends links back to your web site, and allows you to engage in conversations with potential customers. Another quick search on the ?net will unveil a hoard of free blogging sites.

Partnerships. In a down market, aligning yourself with complementary companies that can funnel business your way becomes paramount. Do me a favor; sit down and think of the products and services that compliment your business. Don?t look for specific companies just yet. Look for the kinds of products and services. Maybe they?re roofers (who may know that someone really needs to sell), maybe plumbers (who may also know who needs to sell or someone looking to buy), lenders, banks, and so on. Once you have this list together, find all of the companies who fit each category. In other words, find all of the plumbers in the area, all of the roofers, etc. Once you?ve got that list together, call them up and see how you can work together. Can they send referrals to you if you send referrals to them? Which of the plumbers can send you the most referrals? Then start setting up partnerships with these folks.

Co-Advertising. Are there complementary companies (such as the ones you found while seeking partnerships) whom you can work with to create and implement advertising pieces? Advertise both of your services in the same ad and cut advertising costs?

Teleseminars. Check your contacts both locally and nationally ? if you can be creative enough about your presentation topic, you can come up with dozens of things to discuss that others would like to hear about. Solicit your contacts for speaking engagements on teleseminars and plug your wares while you?re there. If you can?t get onto someone else?s teleseminar, do your own. They?re very inexpensive to produce (check out www.freeconferencecall.com) and you can invite your market area to the teleseminar to share some great bit of information. You?ll be the first person they turn to when they?re ready to buy. Try a teleseminar on ?improving the curb appeal of your home to get it sold more quickly? and I?ll bet you?ll have local sellers flocking to listen to you talk. Try ?getting the biggest bang for your buck in a buyer?s market? and the buyers will be knocking down your doors. Be sure to grab their contact information so you can use them as leads!
Radio and TV. Even local real estate companies and agents can position themselves as experts in their field with the local media. Send them your press releases, your articles, your information. Keep working to land a spot or two on the local news and you gain immediate credibility and recognition in your market.

Podcasts. Podcasts can work similarly to teleseminars in that you can solicit to be a guest on others? podcasts. However, you can also put up your own podcasts. Again, cheap, easy, and great lead generators. Check out www.talkshoe.com, which is a great, free podcasting site. Share similar information and think about topics similar to those we discussed for teleseminars.
These are just a few ideas for free (or almost) marketing that you can do even during a good market. But especially in times like these, you can focus on free and cheap marketing tactics without spiting your face. Be creative and I?ll bet you can think of dozens of others.

Firing your staff. They?re always the next to go after marketing. Sure, getting rid of dead, useless weight is always a good idea ? even when you?re prospering. But during lean times you need to be sure that you?re getting what you pay for from the help. What disturbs me, however, are comments I?ve heard recently like ?hired help is a luxury we cannot afford right now? and ?well, I?ll just do a little less selling and take over the administrative functions again? and then there?s ?I was an assistant once, I can surely do it again and save a few bucks.? Wrong, wrong, all wrong! I?ll tell you why.

The best place for you during lean times is out in front of clients and making money ? not setting up drip campaigns in the mailing software and directing phone calls. And how can you set up all of those referral partnerships if you?re preparing post cards for mailings?

So do get rid of those who aren?t helping your business ? that?s good advice even in the best of times. But keep those who are producing for you and who are making your job (selling and getting in front of partners) possible.

What about hiring a virtual assistant? Bricks and mortar produces huge wastes just by its nature: you pay for time you don?t use, you spend more on gasoline, as does your assistant, you pay rent (or a mortgage), you heat the place, and you electrify it, and so on. Have you considered going virtual? Believe me, it can be done. We were once a bricks and mortar business in a previous enterprise. But after going virtual, we?d never go back. Think about it: you only pay for what you use, you don?t pay rent, you don?t have to heat the office, you don?t have to provide desks and computers. You save tons! One of our virtual staffing clients, Jo Ellen Nash, recently said, ?Having virtual assistants handle the majority of my administrative paperwork (and me!) has cut over $100,000 from my payroll and given me better skills and talents, better accountability, better organization and better stability in working from two locations, now in Vail, Colorado AND (as of April this year) Naples, Florida!? Check it out ? you can downsize without downsizing how much your company accomplishes. If you need to downsize, do it smartly ? keep the staff that?s working well and replace the others with virtual assistants.

As this down market cycles through and works itself out, please, don?t let your marketing fall to the wayside and don?t downsize what your company accomplishes! Just go about it a little differently.

Team Double-Click? provides virtual assistance for small and home-based businesses. Visit Team Double-Click?s Web site at http://www.teamdoubleclick.com or click on the banner:

Less physical storage space necessary – save on file cabinets, paper, and folders

Locating files becomes more efficient – it’s as easy as “edit” “find”

Paperless, or electronic storage, is more cost-effective than printing everything and storing it on paper copy – electronic storage space is cheap!

The “ink” on an electronic copy of that important whatever won’t eventually fade like a paper copy will

Files are more easily transferred from your archives to an associate who may need to see it

You don’t need to pay an assistant to constantly do your filing for you. With electronic storage, it’s a snap to quickly “save as” into the appropriate folder on your hard drive

Of course, there can be some disadvantages to going paperless too:

Because electronic media is susceptible to power surges, scratches, and the like, there is a risk of losing that data

You MUST remember to back up your disc drives and keep a copy of that data in a safe place – off premises preferably

You’ll likely have to do your own filing unless you want your assistant to access your computer

Even if you’ve been a long-time packrat of paper files, there’s no reason you can’t start going paperless now. Start by making a conscious decision NOT to continue printing and filing everything that comes across your desk. Just as you would keep your paper files organized by setting up folders for various topics, do the same for your electronic files by creating folders in Microsoft Explorer

Depending on your filing system, set up folders for things such as “Clients”, “Prospects”, “Form Files”, “General Information”, etc. Within those folders are more folders. For example, your “Clients” folder should contain a folder for each client. Your “Prospects” folder should contain a folder for each prospective client and so on. Then, when that prospect becomes a client, you can simply drag his or her folder over to your “Clients” folder

Save all files that seem important.

Before the virtual world, business people were conveniently divided into 2 categories: filers and pilers. Filers kept things that they thought they might need, but dumped the rest. They could fill up a wastebasket of paper in half a day. Pilers, on the other hand, saved everything. Their wastebasket was for decorative purposes only. They’d save the most trivial of things “just in case”.

The virtual world has ended this distinction. Now, you can (and should) be both.

For the Pilers:

Keep all of your files; or most of them. Just create more folders to store them in. If you require more hard drive space, just go out and get it. Hard drive space is ridiculously cheap compared to even a decade ago.

For the Filers:

As soon as you’ve received or created a new file, save it to the appropriate folder. Naming your files appropriately will facilitate retrieving those files easily later on. Your filing system should first and foremost be one that you can understand and easily remember – it should make sense to you. When you name your files use as many characters as you need in the file name so you can search on a portion of that name later. It should give a good, but brief, description of what the document pertains to. Most people have used Windows Explorer’s search feature. If not, practice with it until you can easily locate your files. It’s a pretty powerful tool and very user-friendly.

There are a few other tools that will help you with your goal of going paperless:

eFax (http://www.efax.com) is what we use here. For a nominal monthly charge, all of your incoming faxes will come to you by way of email. Yep, they’re dumped right into your inbox as an attached picture file.

Adobe Acrobat (the full version – not reader (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/main.html) allows you to take almost any file, select the “print” option, and print to the Acrobat Distiller. This will turn the document into a .pdf file. A very easily transportable and easy-to-file file type, almost anyone can read a .pdf file. This makes sending your documents (and protecting them) a breeze. As a side note, when I receive an eFax document, because the file type isn’t so universal, I print from my eFax viewer to my Acrobat distiller, making the fax into a .pdf file. I then file the .pdf version, making it more transportable and viewable.

Scanners are another tool that is indispensable in the paperless world. Virtually any piece of paper or photo that you receive can be scanned and made into an electronic picture file. After you’ve created that picture file, you can email it to anyone you’d like as well as store it in your electronic files on your hard drive

LapLink Everywhere http://www.laplink.com/products/lle/overview.asp can facilitate having your virtual assistant do your electronic filing for you. It includes remote desktop search from any Web-enabled device (powered by Google Desktop Search) Laplink Everywhere lets you choose how you want to work and which device with internet access you want to use to access your PC. It?s easy and fast to set-up and simple to use

LapLink ShareDirect http://www.laplink.com/products/sharedirect/overview.asp is another great tool for going paperless. It allows instant sharing any folder on your PC with one or thousands of users, without ever having to change or manage your Internet, firewall, or router configurations. And it is 256-bit encrypted.

Hopefully you can see how going paperless can benefit almost any company or individual. The cost savings alone are enormous; reducing the amount of paper, ink, and folders you need to purchase.

Team Double-Click? provides virtual assistance for small and home-based businesses. Visit Team Double-Click?s Web site at http://www.teamdoubleclick.com or click on the banner:

I constantly receive inquiries asking how on earth I handle all of the emails that I receive in a typical business day. Depending on what’s going on, I can receive anywhere between 100 and 300 emails a day and send about as many outbound messages. Even if your email load is smaller the tips I provide here will still help tame that email tiger.

Tip 1: Use Outlook or Outlook Express

I prefer Outlook or some similarly robust, non-web based email program, because they simply allow more flexibility than a web-based email program. Even if you have an AOL, Yahoo, or some other conglomerate’s email address, you can usually locate instructions somewhere on their site to set up the email in Outlook – just look for SMTP settings.

Tip 2: Set up lots of folders

Just as you would keep your paper files organized by setting up folders for various topics, do the same for your email files by creating files within your “local folder”. Mine go something like this: Client Update, Weekly Update, Next Weekly Update, Clients, Contractors, and so on. Within those folders are more folders. For example, my Clients folder contains a folder for each client. Yes, I use a lot of hard drive space saving emails, but it keeps me organized and I can (usually) find what I need quickly. Outlook’s “find” command is a lifesaver when you want to dig up that specific email from that client from a few months ago.

I have another “special” folder that I call “Requires follow up”. In this folder, I place sent messages (go into your sent messages folder and drag the sent message to another folder), which are important and need to be watched. I do this if I have any doubts about the party responding quickly. Never assume that just because you sent a message to someone rapidly, that they will reply with the same speed.

When my request has been answered; that message (or the other person’s reply) goes into the appropriate folder for storage. I review my “Requires follow up” folder several times throughout the day.

Tip 3: Save all emails that seem important.

Before the virtual world, business people were conveniently divided into 2 categories: filers and pilers. Filers kept things that they thought they might need, but dumped the rest. They could fill up a wastebasket of paper in half a day. Pilers, on the other hand, saved everything. Their wastebasket was for decorative purposes only. They’d save the most trivial of things “just in case”.

The virtual world has ended this distinction. Now, you can (and should) be a little of both.

For the Pilers:

Keep all of your email; or most of it. Just create more folders to store them in. If you require more hard drive space, just go out and get it. Hard drive space is ridiculously cheap compared to even a decade ago. I maximize my Outlook window to full screen. Adjust the Inbox window so that it takes up half of the vertical portion of the screen. This is my own anal little rule: If the messages in my Inbox extend below the screen so that I can’t see all of them (about 20 emails fit on the screen), I’m falling behind and need to spend some time answering them.

In Outlook, if you click the column headings above where the email message lines appear, it will sort your emails ascending or descending (keep clicking the heading and watch the little up or down arrow on the bar), whichever you choose. I always keep mine sorted by date/time received so the NEWEST emails are on top.

For the Filers:

If you have a continuing string (you reply, they reply, you reply again, etc.) keep only the most recent message. Go back in and delete the older ones so you don’t have duplicates.

Tip 4: Respond to All Emails Quickly.

… and as soon as possible (I try to respond within two hours at the most). Even if it’s just a tiny 10-second email that says “message received, I’ll get back to you within 3 hours”, send it! Let the sender know when you will answer them and then be sure to do it at that time/day. The Internet can seem like a giant abyss; a Bermuda Triangle through which emails go and are never seen again. And given that most business people receive 50+ emails a day, it’s important that your contacts know that you have received their email, and that you are “on top of it”.

Tip 5: Use the Subject Line!!!!

ARGH! This is a GIANT pet peeve of a lot of people; particularly those who are a bit less Internet-literate than you. Some of your contacts will come from a world where memos really did have a meaningful “re” line, as did business letters. As an added bonus, you can use Outlook’s find feature to search for particular words in an email subject header. So 6 months from now if you want to dig up that email from that guy who asked you about the thing, you can probably find the email in a matter of seconds if your subject line had something relevant to say.

Tip 6: Don’t Change the Subject Line!

Fresh on the heels of Tip 6: once an email thread is started, please don’t change the subject line. When you’re replying back and forth and someone suddenly changes the subject line on you it’s maddening. I do this occasionally if the subject of the conversation changes and the original topic has been dropped, but very rarely. In that case it’s better to just start a new thread with a fresh, clean message.

Tip 7: Answer EVERYTHING That the Other Party Asks For

This seems obvious; but it is hard to do, when a contact inserts a number of questions into one paragraph. Sometimes, the questions will not even be different; they will just be the same question that has been worded differently.

For example, a contact might write something like this: Hi there, I’m really interested in your virtual services. I need someone who can write the content for my web page. Do you have someone who can do this? Can they do it within two weeks? How long will it take? Can I choose the person who does this? Would it be possible for them to have it done by the end of October? Thanks!

There are 5 questions there, each one, conveniently, with a question mark. Many people – particularly those who are not Internet-savvy – will sometimes not add a question mark to their questions; which means that you must make sure that you carefully read the entire email to make sure that you’re answering what needs to be answered.

Here’s how I ensure that I do this: I hit reply, and then move my cursor to right after the first question, change font color and answer there. Move the cursor again to right after the next question, and so on until I’ve answered all of their questions. It’s much quicker and you’re sure not to forget anything. Here’s an example:

Hi there, I’m really interested in your virtual services. Thanks! We’re interested in having you as a client! I need someone who can write the content for my web page. No problem! Do you have someone who can do this? Absolutely! Can they do it within two weeks? Certainly! How long will it take? Between 1 and 2 weeks. Would it be possible for them to have it done by the end of October? Yes, I think so. That’s 3 weeks from today, so it means we need to get started right away. I can send you our standard agreement and we can get moving today. What is your fax #? Thanks! Our pleasure!!

NOTE: To make these color-embedded notes in an email message, you must be in HTML format. To do this, in Outlook, click “Format” and then “Plain Text (HTML)”.

Tip 8: Copy and Paste

What a blessing that is. I personally use this a lot. If I need to send a message to several people, but I just don’t have time to type and retype the same answer, then I type that response once, copy it, then reply to each person individually. This saves countless hours!

Tip 9: Know Which Emails You’ve Read

You’ll have to dig around your settings a bit – in my OE the command is in Tools, Options, Read. Click off the button that says, “Automatically mark messages read after x amount of time”. I manually mark my messages read or not read. That way I can quickly look at my Inbox and know what still needs to be taken care of and what can wait.

This won’t work for everyone, but when I get up and am enjoying my morning coffee, I sit and catch up on emails. I do the same (without the coffee about 15 minutes before I turn in for the night. I answer anything urgent and just skim the rest leaving them for morning.

Tip 10: Clean Out Your In, Out, and All Other Email Boxes

Once you’ve “dealt” with a particular email, make a decision immediately to delete it, file it, or leave it for follow up in a few minutes, then do it right away. It keeps your Inbox freed of clutter. Do the same periodically with your other boxes. I “clean house” on my mail boxes about once a month. I permanently delete, from client and contractor folders, strings that I think are done and issues resolved, or just not needed. I empty my deleted items box once a week and I save only one week’s worth of sent messages.

Because I’m so diligent about filing away my sent and received messages, I pretty well know that if it’s sent and I didn’t save it to a folder, or if it’s deleted, I won’t need it anymore and can safely get rid of it. I keep the week’s worth of sent items just in case. If you do need to save something that might be important later, you can save that message into that contact’s folder in Windows Explorer like this: Highlight the message to be saved, click “File”, “Save As”, and this will open up a browser window where you can locate that contact’s folder (or create a new folder for that contact). It’s also a good idea to get a copy of the Outlook Express Backup Wizard and periodically backup your email.

I also don’t do joke forwards and delete most of the ones I receive – unless they’re a “10″.

This won’t work for everyone, but when I get up and am enjoying my morning coffee, I sit and catch up on emails. I do the same (without the coffee about 15 minutes before I turn in for the night. I answer anything urgent and just skim the rest leaving them for morning.

Your Email Signature

We recommend a signature something like this:

Gayle Buske
Phone: 888.827.9129
Fax: 262.364.3022
Email
http://www.TeamDoubleClick.com
“Providing the people …virtually!”
Team Double-Click? provides virtual assistance for small and home-based businesses. We are a virtual staffing agency, working with over 1,500 of the best virtual office professionals the world has to offer.

~ Virtual assistants
~ Transcription
~ Editing and Creative writing
~ Project management
~ Marketing
~ Graphic design and Illustration
~ Web Design and Search Engine Optimization
~ Literary agency

This lets everyone know what you do every time you send a message and can help bring in business. We recommend using a TeamDoubleClick.com email address and the same signature line every time you send an email.

So this week, I’m dedicating this article to what makes not only a successful administrative assistant, but a successful VIRTUAL administrative assistant. In other words, what are the successful ones doing that the unsuccessful ones aren’t?

The successful virtual administrative assistants…

Are communicating regularly with the clients we place them with
Are keeping regular business hours. Yes, working virtually does allow for flexibility of hours. BUT, it doesn’t mean you can shirk your duties without repercussions.
Following through with their promises.
Sending in their daily reporting.
Letting us and their clients know immediately when there’s a problem.
Giving us and their clients a heads up when they have a planned day off – as soon as they know about it.
Are not treating their position as a hobby to be taken lightly.
Are treating their position as a JOB and taking it seriously.
Are taking a proactive approach to potential problems.
Are taking ownership and responsibility for their work.
Are not blaming others for their shortcomings.
Are not blaming others for work that didn’t get done.
Are continuing to learn more about the software?s they’re required to use on a regular basis – Word, Excel, etc.
Respond quickly to client requests.
Promptly return phone calls from clients.
Make themselves available when the client needs them.
Realize that to EARN flexibility from the client, they themselves cannot be rigid.
Don’t make demands of the client, rather offer suggestions for improvement.
Are offering to help the client grow his business realizing that this will make their position that much more secure and will allow their position to grow in the process.
Are keeping their clients apprised of their marketing efforts, offering suggestions or solutions when necessary.
Are up selling the client – letting the client know what other duties they might do to lighten the client’s load.
Are being respectful of the client, realizing s/he holds the purse strings.
Are exercising patience with a demanding client.
Are reporting their time accurately.

All of these things and many other factors, which I’ll address in another article, weigh into being successful as an admin/virtual/freelancer/contractor. But first and foremost, you must realize that despite its outward appearance – this is a JOB. The client will expect you to treat it as such and not as something to be done when you decide you have time.

Our clients, for example, don’t make any outlandish requests – just normal, everyday duties that they’ve hired us and you to do and they expect them to be done. That’s really not too much for any client to ask, is it?

Team Double-Click? provides virtual assistance for small and home-based businesses. Visit Team Double-Click?s Web site at http://www.teamdoubleclick.com or click on the banner: