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.

By Gayle Buske, President and CEO, Team Double-Click®

In today’s economy small businesses are looking for new and innovative ways to cut costs yet still maintain their day to day business activities.

Many small businesses, self-employed individuals, and even large corporations are turning to a virtual office assistant to stay on top of administrative tasks while eliminating the need to fund a full-time staff. As USA Today wrote, “The savings come from being able to concentrate efforts on building the business instead of balancing the checkbook and typing envelopes.”

Your time and money are worth more when you are able to concentrate on what you do best and leave the rest to an assistant.

What exactly is a virtual office assistant?
Virtual Assistants (VAs) are independent entrepreneurs providing professional administrative, creative, managerial, technical, business office and/or personal support services. Virtual assistants use the most advanced means of communication, and the newest and most efficient and time-saving office products and work delivery, regardless of geographic boundaries. Virtual Assistants work from their own offices, on a contractual basis, and abide by an established Code of Ethics requiring integrity, honesty and due diligence.

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.

Team Double-Click®, the country’s foremost staffing agency for trained Virtual Assistants – Matching Top Virtual Workers with Top Companies! Visit www.teamdoubleclick.com or phone 888.827.9129 for a variety of full-service virtual staffing options.

VirtualAssistingUSA provides Virtual Assistants a place to upload their profile, advertise their services and get access to affordable training, marketing and billing assistance for their business. VirtualAssistingUSA gives small business owners direct access to our database of tens of thousands of virtual assistants – without the ongoing agency fees and gives them access to talent that is not available through other venues. Visit www.virtualassistingusa.com for more information.

As I look around my office I have to wonder how I’m going to complete my task list today. In my efforts to cut costs to try and combat the economy that also means I have more work to do and less time to do it.

I used to hire my marketing done and had someone to assist me with things like answering phones and responding to emails. On a personal note I hired a service twice a month to do the heavy house keeping (since I work from home this was a nice luxury) and I hired a high school student to walk my dogs each evening. As the economy began to decline, however, all that changed. The first thing I did was cancel my dog walker. I need the exercise anyway. Next I cancelled the cleaning service. Like I said, it was a luxury and I decided I could do without it so I cut costs.

That started my journey on cutting costs but I soon learned it wasn’t enough. Next I had to get rid of my secretary. I began taking on my own marketing and PR tasks and I became my own project manager.

It didn’t take long before my business, my home and my health began to suffer as a result! There are only 24 hours in a day and one person just can’t do it all. That’s when I sat down and created a plan. Below are a few simple things that I did and that you can do too in order to cut costs and still get it all done!

Prioritize
Decide what makes you the most money and what only you can do. If your business will only grow when you’re out networking and talking to clients then you absolutely MUST do these things!! Maybe it would be nice to have some extra flyers or a cool PowerPoint presentation on hand but those things can probably wait. Unless you’re really efficient and skilled at doing those things you’ll probably end up spending tons of time trying to make them look good. In the meantime you aren’t out doing the things you know will bring in more money for your business.

Use the right tools
There are a lot of simple, free tools available that you can use to get organized. Below are just a few that I highly recommend

Online Meeting Software – www.dimdim.com Need to schedule more time with potential clients but no time or money for travel? Dimdim is a free web conferencing software that allows you to deliver synchronized live presentations and share voice and video over the internet. Expand your network globally and meet with your clients at no cost to you!

Note Taking Software – www.jott.com Do you have post it notes and note pads all over your desk? Jott is a talk to text application that allows you to call a number, speak your notes or messages and have them automatically sent to the right people via email, text or web updates. This can save a ton of time, help keep you organized and is absolutely free!

Project Management – www.project2manage.com Project2Manage is a free project management solution that allows you to keep projects organized, assign tasks, post messages and manage to-do lists. It’s easy to use, free and an absolute must have for any virtual office!

Ask for Help
This is the hardest for me to do. I don’t like admitting when I can’t do something. I don’t like admitting I’m not superwoman. The reality is, however, that if I want to accomplish the thousands of tasks I’ve set out for myself then I need some assistance. To be perfectly honest, there are some things that I shouldn’t be doing at all. Some things I’m just not good at and if I insist on doing them myself then they won’t get done well and in many cases they won’t get done at all.

Hiring a good virtual assistant is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to get the help you need and still come in under budget. A virtual assistant will allow you to hire an expert in graphic design, marketing, sales or general assistance and keep you on track with your deadlines.

If your multi-tasking has gotten out of control then it’s time to take action. Prioritize, get the right tools in place and hire a virtual assistant to save you money and get things done.

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.

Team Double-Click®, the country’s foremost staffing agency for trained Virtual Assistants – Matching Top Virtual Workers with Top Companies! Visit www.teamdoubleclick.com or phone 888.827.9129 for a variety of full-service virtual staffing options.

VirtualAssistingUSA provides Virtual Assistants a place to upload their profile, advertise their services and get access to affordable training, marketing and billing assistance for their business. VirtualAssistingUSA gives small business owners direct access to our database of tens of thousands of virtual assistants – without the ongoing agency fees and gives them access to talent that is not available through other venues. Visit www.virtualassistingusa.com for more information

For years the big guys have known how to cut costs and have known about business process outsourcing or BPO. Now, even small businesses can take advantage of what is essentially business process outsourcing. Virtual assistants are BPO for small businesses! The big guys have been talking about and doing business process outsourcing to save money and grow even bigger for nearly three decades. Isn’t it time your small business gained the same advantages of business process outsourcing by utilizing virtual assistants to their fullest potential?

According to Wikipedia, Business Process Outsourcing is “a form of outsourcing which involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of a specific business function to a third-party service provider”. That is exactly what virtual assistants and virtual staffing agencies do for the small and/or home-based business. Virtual staffing agencies, like Team Double-Click®, work with the client to assess their staff needs, and match the right virtual assistant(s) for the job(s).

Virtual staffing agencies have access to thousands of virtual assistants, which have been interviewed, skills-tested, and trained. From this pool of quality-tested virtual assistants, a virtual staffing agency can place as many or as few virtual assistants with the client as needed. This allows a small business owner to simultaneously obtain help in areas such as reception duties, online marketing, customer service, and accounting without hiring full-time employees for each position. The company pays only for the time used by each virtual assistant.

This allows small businesses all of the benefits of having an employee (or many employees) without having to hire actual employees, which come with added expenses like health care, worker’s compensation, sick time, maternity leave, FICA, Social Security, and vacation time. Hiring virtual assistants through a virtual staffing agency allows the business to avoid all of these extras and simply focus on the tasks that need to be done to grow the business.

Many small businesses are utilizing virtual staffing agencies and virtual assistants very strategically in order to grow their businesses while simultaneously saving thousands of dollars a year. As the business’ tasks grow beyond what the owner can reasonably manage themselves, the small business owner often brings on a single virtual assistant to answer phones or perform minor customer service tasks. As growth continues, the owner may bring on a virtual assistant to assist with research or even internet marketing. This pattern repeats with other strategic positions as the business gains more and more clients. The result is a full-fledged virtual staff without the overhead of a bricks-and-mortar staff or a bricks-and-mortar office.

Virtual staffing agencies can also help the small business become a much larger business. The virtual staffing agency acts as an outsourced human resources department for the small business. They don’t charge for their time managing the virtual assistants, nor do they charge for interviewing, testing, or matching those same virtual assistants to the business client. Rather, their profit is earned from the ongoing work performed by the virtual assistant. So all the small business owner need do is work with his or her representative at the virtual staffing agency to determine which positions they need to have filled and the virtual staffing agency goes to work locating the right candidate and making that match. This allows the business owner to focus all of his or her attention on growing the business.

Through the services of virtual staffing agencies, it is entirely possible for a small business to grow into a much larger company, even in tough economic times. In fact, in these tough economic times, virtual staffing agencies have access to even better talent than ever before due to mass layoffs by the big guys.

So why not save your company a significant amount of money and grow your business at the same time by hiring a virtual staffing agency to staff your business? Why not spit in the eye of recession and show the big guys that growth really is possible in this economy?

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.

Team Double-Click®, the country’s foremost staffing agency for trained Virtual Assistants – Matching Top Virtual Workers with Top Companies! Visit www.teamdoubleclick.com or phone 888.827.9129 for a variety of full-service virtual staffing options.

VirtualAssistingUSA provides Virtual Assistants a place to upload their profile, advertise their services and get access to affordable training, marketing and billing assistance for their business. VirtualAssistingUSA gives small business owners direct access to our database of tens of thousands of virtual assistants – without the ongoing agency fees and gives them access to talent that is not available through other venues. Visit www.virtualassistingusa.com for more information

You may not have the financial resources to hire a full-time administrative assistant, receptionist, or marketing assistant to join your staff, but that doesn’t mean growing your business is out of the question. Read on to learn how to grow your business this year utilizing Team Double-Click® pay-only-for-what-you-use virtual assistants.

Hiring a full-time assistant to join your staff may not be in the plan this year, but growing your business should be on your must-do list for 2009.

Want to know the top five business-growth tasks you should be focusing on to keep your business moving forward? We asked our most successful clients what they were doing to grow their businesses right now. Here are their top picks:

1. Cold calling

How do new clients and customers find you? If yours is like many companies, cold calling is a must to reach more and more people and more business. You have target markets and geographic regions which are preferred. But do you have the time (or the desire) to sit down and cold call all of those prospects in order to make the sales?

While we can’t speak for independent virtual assistants or other staffing agency’s virtual assistants, Team Double-Click’s virtual assistants are sent through a very thorough cold calling course. The cold calling course teaches them how to successfully get past gate keepers, how to effectively present products and services to the prospect, and how to gain the best advantage when it comes to making a sale.

Why not pass that icky cold calling task and your list of prospects on to a virtual assistant and watch your business grow?

2. Lead follow up

Your company’s quick follow up (or lack of) to new, inbound leads gives potential clients a glimpse into what working with your company will look like. Additionally, if you don’t follow up fast enough, experts agree that the potential client will quickly move on to someone who either answers their call on the first try or calls back quickly. Missed lead follow up results in lost sales. Period.

Make sure there is always time for quick lead follow up. If you don’t have time to personally follow up with leads, have your virtual assistant follow up for you. It’s quite simple to create a list of common FAQs to pass along to your virtual assistant so she can answer any question that comes along. It’s equally easy to educate your virtual assistant on your company’s product and service offerings so he or she can seamlessly follow up with and reel in new clients for you.

3. Social networking

These days, social networking on sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and others is all the rage. And with good reason. They’re helping businesses connect with new prospects and new clients.

However, it’s hard to find the time to sit down in front of the computer long enough and consistently enough to get maximum value from the hundreds of social networking sites out there. With social networking, consistency is key. Your virtual assistant can efficiently and consistently use these social networking sites to drive new business your way.

4. Internet marketing

It goes without saying that if your business is on the internet in any manner, getting your internet marketing done and done well is a must. And again, consistency is the key to making internet marketing a success.

Again, while we can’t speak for independent virtual assistants or other staffing agency’s virtual assistants, Team Double-Click’s virtual assistants are sent through a very thorough internet marketing course. The course teaches them internet marketing trends, terms and principles, web analytics, affiliate marketing, search marketing, blogging, social media, email marketing, and digitally enhanced productivity strategies.

These virtual assistants can unleash those internet marketing talents on marketing your business on the internet and bringing new clients your way.

5. Customer service/reception

First impressions are often made when a client calls your company. Do your phones roll to voice mail? Or worse still, do they go nowhere when you’re out of the office? In economy like this, you can’t afford to miss an incoming phone call from either a current client or a prospective client.

Make sure your phones are always answered, your current customers taken care of, and potential clients get their questions answered and are shown how to become a new client by having a virtual assistant answer the phones for you. You gain instant “bigger company status” by not answering the phones yourself. And what’s more, if you are out of the office, your customers and potential customers still receive the assistance they need. Since virtual assistants only “clock in” when they’re performing your tasks, you don’t pay for unproductive standby time.

Talented virtual assistants are available for either ongoing work through Team Double-Click® or direct placement through our new Direct Placement Virtual Assistant Program. With ongoing work through Team Double-Click® you receive all of the benefits of working through an agency, such as ongoing virtual assistant coaching, we do the hiring and firing, we do the billing and payables, etc. With our new Direct Placement Virtual Assistant Program, for just a $495 one-time fee, we’ll expertly match you with one of our screened and trained virtual assistants and then you’re free to work directly together. Most clients enjoy savings of more than 50% without the ongoing agency fees, etc.

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

Layoffs; cutbacks; 401(k) savings accounts drained as the stock market plummets.  The unemployment rate is announced to be at a 16-year high…

It is no wonder that the questions you ask yourself just about every day are, “Am I going to make it?”  “Am I going to even have a job next month?”  “Will my business be in business next month?” Business owners struggle to keep afloat.  Against this backdrop, the daily headlines scream “Bailouts Will Push US into Depression,” “USA 2008: the Great Depression,” “Is the US Headed toward the Second Great Depression?”

By all indications, the American economy has entered into a period of economic recession.  Many blame the extreme covetousness of the predators in the banking industry.  Others blame the folly of home buyers for falling prey.  Still others just down-right blame our government.  Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, economic experts unanimously say the same thing: tough times are here, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Now individuals, families and businesses alike are faced with the task of re-evaluating the way things are done.  Streamlining – making changes toward increased efficiency – is now a requirement for surviving this economic storm.  Team Double-Click’s® modus operandus provides an effective way of doing just that.

Team Double-Click® is a virtual staffing agency, working with tens of thousands of virtual office assistants across the USA and Canada.  Through its thorough screening process, Team Double-Click® provides professional virtual office assistants and professional real estate virtual assistants for businesses.  

For the Business Owner
Marketing and business gurus encourage businesses to learn from the mistakes made by business owners during the first depression.  Many warn that the greatest mistake is doing nothing.  They explain that companies that went under, or lost their lead after the first depression, had foolishly imagined doing nothing would lead to stability and lowered risks. Team Double-Click’s innovative model provides an appropriate and effective response for businesses by helping them shave dollars off their budgets, contain costs, and streamline operations.  Team Double-Click® clients have even seen as much as an 80% savings by using virtual assistants.  One client explains, “Having Team Double-Click® virtual assistants handle the majority of my administrative tasks has cut over $100,000 from my payroll and provided better skills and talents, better accountability, organization, and stability.” 

How is this possible?  Clients are able to reduce overhead costs because they:

• Pay only for the administrative time they use – even when the virtual assistant(s) are on standby;
• No longer have to buy desks, computers, telephones, and other office equipment;
• Are able to entirely eliminate their
• health insurance, sick time, vacation time, plus other benefits;
• Greatly reduce other operating expenses such as electricity and other utilities; and
• Can continue or even increase their marketing, as recommended by the marketing pros, by using virtual assistants to perform these tasks as a much lower cost than an in-office employee.

For the Independent Contractors
Team Double-Click® provides savings to its contractors (virtual assistants) as well.  A contractor eliminates many of the everyday expenses that an individual would incur while commuting to the traditional office every day. 

For starters, an immediate benefit is saving hundreds of dollars per month in gasoline expenses alone.  A contractor could realize savings ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per year in vehicular upkeep expenses.  There is also savings on maintenance, parking, insurance, as well as on reduced wear and tear. 

Oh, did I mention savings on the expenses for all those power suits, dry cleaning costs, power lunches, or just plain old lunch?  Plus, for those who can work around a spouse’s schedule, there are savings on childcare costs, or, at minimum, a reduction in the cost of childcare. Lastly, as a Team Double-Click® independent contractor, one has the benefit of additional *tax deductions.  These may include:

• Deductions for expenses like paper and printer ink, etc.
• Operating and depreciation expenses on their homes;
• A percentage of the rent or mortgage;
• A percentage of the property taxes, insurance and utilities;
• A portion of the household maintenance, repairs or household expenses; and
• Expenses from using their vehicle (gas, insurance, depreciation).

Source: http://www.teamdoubleclick.com/

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:

Being in the virtual staffing business, we at Team Double-Click? are often asked, ?why should I hire a virtual assistant and how would it benefit me?? The answer is simple: you will save money (nearly 50 percent) and time.
I don?t think it?s any secret that when an employee is in the office 40 hours a week, that they are not actually working all of those hours. They have numerous distractions a day from children and spouses calling to chatting with their coworkers. A study by Basex, a New York research firm, found that office distractions total 2.1 hours a day for the average employee – more than 10 hours and 25 percent of a regular workweek. That doesn?t even take into account the amount of time an employee spends on personal tasks at work. That is time that the employer is paying them for. With virtual staffing, you only pay for the exact amount of time your virtual employee works.

In addition, you don?t pay for office expenses such as utilities, desk, chair, computer, and the office space itself.
Then there are benefits expenses including, vacation time, sick time, and insurance coverage. With virtual staffing, the virtual employee (who is an independent contractor) is responsible for those costs. With a virtual employee, you pay for their hourly rate and reimburse for any costs incurred for the job (mailing costs, etc.)
As you can see from the charts below, hiring a virtual employee is extremely economical for your company.
Wage $15/hour x 40 hr/week = $31,200/year
Social Security (.062 x 31,200) = $1,934/year
Medicare (.0145 x 31,200) = $452/year
Workers comp (.15 x 31,200) = $4,680/year
Sick time 1 week/year = $600/year
Vacation time 2 weeks/year = $1,200/year
Health Insurance Average = $7,800/year
FUTA (.008 x 7,000) = $56/year
Cost of hiring According to Business Week = $3,270/year
Office distractions* = $8,190 per year
Office utilities $300 per month = $3,600/year
Computer Computer for the assistant = $1,000
Desk and chair Modest desk and chair = $700
Add?l phone line Phone line install & monthly charges = $1,300
Office space Moderate office $900/month = $10,800/year
Total = $73,782 per year
Or
= $35.47 per hour
*A study by Basex, a New York research firm.
Wage $24.86/hour x 30 hr/week
= $38,782/year

Social Security N/A Independent Contractor = $0
Medicare N/A Independent Contractor = $0
Workers comp N/A Independent Contractor = $0
Sick time N/A Only Pay for Time Worked = $0
Vacation time N/A Only Pay for Time Worked = $0
Health Insurance N/A Independent Contractor = $0
FUTA N/A Independent Contractor = $0
Cost of hiring Team Double-Click? requires no start up payment = $0
Office distractions* Working from home there are no office distractions = $0
Office utilities N/A Independent Contractor – they pay their own utilities = $0
Computer N/A Independent Contractor – they buy their own computer = $0
Desk and chair N/A Independent Contractor – they buy their own desk and chair = $0
Add?l phone line N/A Independent Contractor – they pay for their own phone = $0
Office space N/A working from home = $0
Total = $38,782/year
Or
$18.65/hour
*Workweek is listed as 30 hours because Team Double-Click? only charges for time worked; the Virtual Assistant would still be on call 40 hours.
When all is said and done, you spend nearly double the amount for an in-house employee than for a virtual one.
Time is money. Hire a virtual employee and save on both.

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:

?In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.? This Eric Hoffer quote succinctly illustrates the importance of changing with and adapting to our ever-shifting industry.

To that end, we looked to some very learned industry experts who also happen to be some of our favorite ?learners? (and teachers) to explore their best advice for brokers and managers in today?s challenging times.

Here is what our special guests-Floyd Wickman, Mr. InterviewTM-Michael Krisa, Bill Barrett, Darryl Davis, Carol Johnson, Mr. Internet?-Michael Russer, Matthew Ferry, Walter Sanford, Dave Beson, Claudia Wicks and Judy Ladeur-had to say about keeping agents motivated during these trying times:

1. Industry icon Floyd Wickman: My best advice for management today? Start with accountability. If there?s ever been a time to raise standards, it?s now. If there?s ever been a time when an owner should say, ?In order to work on our team, in our family, we have basic requirements,? it?s now. I?m reminded of a broker who once said, ?My people wouldn?t live up to my standards, so I lowered them.? That?s the opposite of what needs to be done.
Second, insist that your people do the basics. Any broker who does a quick analysis of his or her agents by asking, ?How many prospective buyers, sellers or lookers have you been face-to-face with in the past two weeks?? will likely be shocked at the answer. Agents say they?re hungry, but are they doing what they need to do to move ahead? The solution is to get face-to-face with their customers. So many are face-to-face with the mirror, each other and their families right now-but the real answer is to see the people and get out there with customers.
Next, work as a team. ?Teamwork makes the dream work,? as they say. It creates synergy, and if there was ever a time when we needed synergy, it?s now. I?m on a quest to show brokers how to convert their office of individuals into ONE TEAM. We?re seeing some pretty powerful results because of it, so we know that it works.

2. Mr. InterviewTM, Michael Krisa: Now is NOT the time to cut back on training and marketing. Seek out the gurus with proven track records who know how to make agents succeed in tough times, and bring them in for webinars, seminars, etc. In tough times, agents are looking for leadership. Brokers and managers have to step up and fill those shoes or risk losing their agents to brokers who can.

3. Real estate and trends expert Bill Barrett: Brokers need to motivate their salespeople now more than ever. Bring in speakers, offer training and give them the best techniques in the industry. Practical ideas and real-world solutions are critical. Help them discover the best ideas on the market to move their listings. The typical reaction to tough markets is to STOP-marketing, working, everything. The ones who are making the impact and capturing the market share are the ones still investing in their marketing.

4. Noted speaker Darryl Davis: You need to show confidence in the upswing of the market. There?s an old adage that says if you?re on the front lines and the enemy is shooting at you, don?t turn to the platoon and say, ?What do we do?? Agents need four things right now: leadership, consistency, confidence and a plan! I recommend every 30, 60 or 90 days, have your agents focus on niche activity that forces them to be proactive rather than reactive. Next, create a family or team atmosphere, which minimizes the backstabbing and bickering.

5. Recruiting pioneer Carol Johnson: Communication and leadership are essential. Agents are desperate for guidance and leadership as to how to proceed in the market. Productivity is key-keep them focused on market potential and strengths in their area. Do the things that will give them immediate production so that they are set to come out ahead of competition when the market makes a turn.

Add extra classes, tools and meetings; your agents will win, the others will lose. Programs like Floyd Wickman?s that really put a target in front of people and help them move in the direction of that target are great. Tools like the ones from ProspectsPLUS! are essential, as well.

6. Mr. Internet?, Michael Russer: Well, I have a little different take. I suggest that brokers only work with certain agents, of which I believe there are three types:
Cool Cats – Coachable agents who see challenges and opportunities – These are the ONLY agents to work with and represent about 5% to 10% of the market.

Tom Cats – Agents who aren?t really in business. They go from transaction to transaction, which is much like a prison that happens to pay a commission.
Fat Cats – These guys have been in the business forever and have that ?don?t bother me? attitude. So you don?t and shouldn?t.

Find the Cool Cats who are making their successes visible, and you?ll see the Tom Cats who want to become one of them. Set your standards very high, and create an elite core group of agents that?s committed and poised to make it through tough times.

7. Industry coach Matthew Ferry: The dictionary defines motivation as ?provided with an incentive for action.? This means that the person taking the action doesn?t really want to do it. That?s why they need to be motivated. I prefer to work with inspiration defined as ?imbued with the spirit to do something.? The best thing a broker can do today is help each agent discover his or her purpose and insert it back into his or her real estate career. This will inspire them to take ?right action? and get back in the game. When people are inspired, they don?t need encouragement, they just take powerful action. I call this inspired action.

8. Real estate expert Walter Sanford: Quit waiting for the market to change; have your agents change instead. They need to know how to walk away from under-motivated buyers and sellers. They need to write tighter contracts, close transactions faster and know which business to walk away from. In most cases, they also need to triple their listing inventory to generate the same activity that they had in 2006.

9. Industry icon Dave Beson: Tighten your belt, then tighten your belt again. Cut costs, and focus on profitable activities. Focus on the ones who want to work and who want to win. Get the ?tigers? in the office, even if there are just two of them, to come in or to meet somewhere where you can share ideas. Bring treats, pour coffee, and have a fun hour. Then ask each of the tigers to nominate one person from the office who they think should be at the meeting. Make sure those people are invited next week. Go out of your way to get one or two people to join in. Have these meetings, say, at 2:30 on Thursday. Get noticed.

10. Speaker and trainer Claudia Wicks: Provide needed training: negotiating skills, prospecting skills, contracts, financing options and, most important, training on internet marketing and tech tools. According to NAR, 84% of consumers are going online to search for property. This is the time for agents to learn, while they unfortunately are not as busy as they would like to be. It is a chance for them to practice and prepare to handle the Gen X and Y consumers. John Tuccillo predicted at the NAR convention in Las Vegas last November that there will be a tsunami of Gen X and Y buyers beginning in 2010. We already see it happening; make sure your agents are ready!

11. Recruiting guru Judy LaDeur: It all starts at the top. Your agents will follow your example, so find something positive to feed them each week. Show the productive ones that they are in the top 10% of agents nationwide, or whatever the correct number would be for your staff. Right now, 80% of agents are doing very little or no business, which means that the productive ones are among the top percentile of agents in the nation. Create a great press release for agents to use in the local paper or in a letter to their sphere of influence. Bottom line: If your agents are discouraged and worried, take a look in the mirror, do a check-up from the neck up, and see if there is something that you could be doing to change the attitude and motivation in your office.
Thanks to all of our exceptional panelists for some great advice and insight on how leaders can take their companies and their agents? careers to the next level, regardless of the market. Their willingness to help us reach out to the thousands of real estate professionals seeking solutions to today?s challenges is priceless on a number of levels.

Keep an eye out for the other three parts of this series: Just Two Things?; The Smartest Thing You Can do to Build Your Business; and Motivated-Me? Our generous experts shared more than 20 pages of insight, inspiration and information on these vital topics. Visit our blog, visit our site at www.prospectsplus.com, or email me directly to learn more about this timely series.
ProspectsPLUS! provides the tools and information you need to find and implement the strategies necessary to propel your production in any market. Visit our blog at blog.prospectsplus.com, or discover the many solutions offered online at www.prospectsplus.com. Julie can be reached at julie.escobar@prospectsplus.com or (866) 405-3641

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:

1. How you?re helping clients. Talk about specific ways that your business helps clients and use their Twitter ID if you have their permission, i.e. ?Just finished @clientname brainstorm great Internet marketing plan for 2009? or ?Finally finished setting up Quickbooks for local hardware store ? now they can invoice their clients?

2. What you?re doing in your own business. This is a perfect time to tell others when you?re blogging, writing an article, creating your weekly ezine, recording your podcast, i.e. ?Had great interview with Jane Smith today on speaking to grow your biz. Great ideas! Subscribe to podcast & listen here ?

3. Useful tool or resource you?ve found. I run across these all the time in my daily activities, and Twitter is a perfect place to share,. i.e. ?Found great new Firefox plug-in to monitor & check multiple Gmail accounts at same time at ? or ?Read great blog post on working at home with kids under 5 at (URL here)?

4. Ask a question. Need some ideas or some quick brainstorming? Twitter is an ideal place to gather opinions, i.e. ?Help! Desperately seeking new laser printer. Recommendations?? or ?How do I find training organizations online??

5. Conduct a survey. What do your Tweeps think about a particular issue? Ask them via Twitter, i.e. ?Quick poll: Do you get more clients from Facebook or Twitter? Respond at (URL here)?

6. Report on live events. The latest Twitter trend seems to be tweeting what?s happening at conferences or workshops. In order for Twitter users to follow a particular event, it?s usually referred to by a name preceded by a # sign, as in #JVAlert, for example, to make it simpler for people who want to follow those posts. So, if you were at an event, you might tweet ?#JVAlert John Smith speaking on affiliate programs. Just got great idea on training affiliate managers!? Just don?t get so wrapped up in tweeting that you ignore the content delivered in the conference!

7. Product or service launch. If you?re about to launch a new product or introduce a new product, let your Twitter followers know, i.e. ?Pre-launch pricing for new DVD set about how baby boomers can start an online biz. Get $100 early bird discount at (URL here)?

8. Responding to others with advice or answers. The way to build professional relationships on Twitter is to help your tweeps. So, if someone asks a question, comments about something to which you have a response or an idea, or you want to ask a followup question, this is the perfect place to do so.

9. Acknowledging new followers. I?ve noticed a recent trend of acknowledging people who?ve decided to follow a Twitter user in the past day or so. I initially thought that others were doing this as a measure of popularity, but what I?ve come to realize that it?s actually helping out the new followers because it exposes their Twitter profiles to others who may have never heard of them and who might like to follow them. So, to thank your followers, you?d tweet, ?Welcome new followers @twittername, @twittername, etc.?

10. Automate your tweets. Many of my tweets have been automated and connected to other things I do. TwitterFeed turns all of my blog posts into tweets. aWeber turns each ezine issue into a tweet. EzineArticles.com tweets my followers every time I publish an article through their service. Typically all that?s involved here is connecting the particular service to my Twitter account. Once all the services are connected, I get free and automated Twitter posts with no additional effort on my part.

Twitter can be a great time-waster or a wonderful way to market your business and leverage your expertise online. Follow these 10 strategies and you?ll begin to attract more followers and get more clients through social networking.

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