How to get the best out of your phone

By Robert Warlow - Small Business Success

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, little did he realise the positive effect it would have on customer service – or the negative effect it could also have!

Yes, the telephone can be a great tool in helping to provide exceptional customer service but it can also quickly destroy a customer’s perception of your service. What steps can you take to ensure that, whenever you or your staff use the phone, it adds something positive to the customer experience? Here are some ideas.

Answer Promptly
It’s an old tip but one usually ignored! You are sitting at your desk, deep in thought, writing your monthly report and the phone rings. “I’ll just finish this sentence quickly" you say to yourself and before you know it, the phone has rung 10 times. The caller is unlikely to be in a good mood – assuming they haven’t already hung up!

Just try and remember the last time you sat on a phone with it ringing and ringing. What pictures came into your mind while you were waiting? An image of the person you are trying to call sitting at his desk chatting or casually drinking a cup of coffee? Didn’t get you in a good mood did it? So why put your customers through it?

Aim to answer your phone within 3 to 5 rings. A prompt pick up will get the conversation off to a positive start and also avoids you having to open your conversation with an apology. So, get to the phone as quick as you can.

Be Enthusiastic
When you answer the phone make sure your voice conveys the message, “really happy to be speaking to you!” Make your voice light, bring a feeling of enthusiastic emotion to your tone and most importantly sound eager. You don’t want the caller thinking that you would rather be doing something else - even if you do!

Get a real upbeat feeling into your opening greeting. Say your “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” with a strong, enthusiastic tone. This will immediately lift your caller’s spirits and get you both off to a good start.

If you really are having a bad day (and we all get them), and enforced enthusiasm is going to be struggle, stand up and take the call. This helps makes your voice lighter and the change in position and body language can have a positive impact. Try it out.

Listen To What They Have To Say
You may think that you listen intently to all conversations you have. It’s difficult enough to do this when you are face to face with someone, but over the phone without eye contact, keeping your attention is even more difficult. It’s too easy, especially if the caller has a habit of padding out every point he wants to make, to think about the task you were just interrupted on, or about that chat you had with one of your suppliers earlier. Before you know it, you’ve lost track of what the caller is on about.

Actively listening to what is being said is a skill everyone needs if they are to use the phone as a tool for great customer service. But how can you keep your attention focused on what is being said?

• First of all, commit to yourself that you will actively listen. Without a clear commitment nothing ever happens
• Take notes during every call, even if you don’t need to. The act of having to capture the caller’s key points, will force you to listen. Just focus on writing down keywords, not complete sentences otherwise you’ll be concentrating on writing and not listening!
• If an important statement has been made, repeat it back in your own words. This will force you to listen for the key points worth repeating
• Ask questions. Don’t go too far with a constant barrage of questions but ask just enough to keep your mind alert

Active listening is not just about making sure you pick up all the key points; it’s also about respecting the caller. They will feel they have been treated with importance and respect if it’s clear you have been listening. Relevant questions and the occasional “umm” can go a long way to making the caller feel they have been listened to.

Avoid Distractions
If possible, try and remove as many distractions as you can while speaking on the phone, especially if the call is important. If your office door is open and general office noise is affecting your listening, ask the caller to hold for a moment and close the door.

If someone walks into your office while you are taking an important call, indicate for them to stay outside or come back. It can be very distracting having someone sitting at your desk while you are talking.

If you were working on your PC when the call came through, turn and face away from it. You don’t want your eyes and mind wandering back to look at the document you were working on!
Respect the caller’s time and remove or avoid anything which may cause your mind to drift off.

Finish Strongly
When the call is coming to an end it’s important to finish in a strong, convincing way. Summarise what has been agreed, what actions are to be taken and by whom. Leave the caller in no doubt as to what the next step is.

Just as your opening was full of enthusiasm, so should your closing statement. A good, strong and positive, “good to talk you and speak to you soon” closer will bring the call to a satisfactory end. Your customer will hang up knowing that the call was worthwhile.

Answer Phone and Voicemail Messages
If you are not at your desk or in the office, any recorded message you leave is just as important in creating the right impression as the actual call itself. Some people don’t like leaving messages but if your phone has the capability then use it. By leaving a message at least your customer will have the opportunity to partly satisfy the reason he called. Not being able to say anything can be frustrating.

Here are some thoughts on how to record effective messages:

• Write out the message before you record it. Don’t do it off the cuff as it will probably be full of “umms” and pauses. It won’t sound professional
• When recording, speak slowly and carefully, making sure that the caller can understand everything you say. This is especially the case for telephone numbers where you can be reached in an emergency
• Make the message punchy and too the point. Don’t fill it with unnecessary information
• Call your number and listen to the message. If it doesn’t sound right record it again and again until it does
• Regularly change your message to reflect what you are doing. If you are going to be away on holiday, give a date when you will be back. If you are out only for the morning, tell the caller you will return their call in the afternoon. Messages which are up to date will make the caller more confident about leaving a message

If used correctly the telephone can be a great asset in building a reputation for providing exceptional customer service. Used incorrectly, it can damage your business and give another reason for your customers to go and take their business elsewhere.

© Robert Warlow - Small Business Successwww.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to the Small Business Success, a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles.

For more information visit http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

Here at CKPA we recognise that all calls are important and that if you don't answer your call, then your competitor will. That is why we offer our Virtual Receptionist service. Take a look now to see how it could benefit you and your business!

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

What is your time worth?

All businesses are set up to make money - it is a fact of life! But how much money are you wasting in your business by doing routine administrative tasks yourself? I imagine your hourly rate will be a lot more than that charged by a Virtual Assistant.

By outsourcing your tasks to CKPA and your own Virtual Assistant, you will be able to:

• Make more money by gaining new customers and developing your business
• Save money as a Virtual Assistant is more cost effective against full time office employee
• Prvide a professional image to your customers and be able to compete with the big companies

Contact us now to see how partnering with CKPA will benefit your business.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Happy Birthday - to CKPA

Well on Wednesday, I celebrated my first year birthday of operating CKPA full time. I established the company in May 2005 whilst working full time but I was unfortunate enough to be working for a company and boss who weren't very nice. However, I will always be grateful to them! Why, because they gave me the motivation to do what I am doing and see first hand how NOT to run a company!

Well, 12th July 2005 was the day I said enough was enough and left. I then began the journey of running CKPA full time trying to gain clients.

12 months on and I have some great clients, started writing (this Blog and some articles to be published soon), expanded my service offering (Virtual Receptionist), am happy and about to become a Mum for the first time in November.

So Happy Birthday to CKPA and well done to me for running a successful business that makes me happy.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

10 common mistakes start up businesses make

By Robert Warlow - Small Business Success

Unfortunately very few start up businesses make it beyond their 3rd year. Failure is usually down to a number of clearly identifiable mistakes, which if small business owners are aware of, can increase their chances of survival.

Here are the top 10 common mistakes which small businesses tend to make.

Lack of Market Research
When a budding entrepreneur comes up with an idea for a new business he assumes that because he would buy such a product or service then everyone else will. This may be the case for day to day necessities but for other items this is usually not so.

It’s important that when you start up you carefully research the market to check that:

• There is demand at a level which would lead to a sustainable business
• People are prepared to pay the price required for you to make a decent profit
  

Undertaking market research may appear time consuming but the effort will pay off.

Poor Record Keeping
Some business people are not born administrators; they feel more comfortable getting out there and ‘doing the business’. Paperwork is too easy to ignore but can never be put off indefinitely.
Sales, purchases and other expenditure must be carefully documented, so you know whether you are making a profit or not. Invoices must be issued on time and chased up promptly if there is a delay in payment. It’s all very well having the sales but poor record keeping can hold you back.

Having your paperwork in order will also save you time when it comes to your accountant doing your year end books!

Insufficient Capital
When starting off it’s easy to decide what capital is required for fixtures and fittings, machinery and stock. What many new business owners forget about is the cash needed to fund day to day requirements, i.e. cash to pay expenses before your customers pay you. This is known as your working capital requirement.

Small businesses can fail because they have insufficient cash to start off to meet these immediate expenses. If you wish to survive, make sure you set aside enough cash to meet all your needs for the first few months.

Ineffective Marketing Or None At All
You cannot afford to treat the cost of marketing as an unnecessary expense. A business with no marketing is like waving in the dark – you know you are doing it but no one else does!

There are many ways to promote your business on a small budget; it’s just a case of being inventive and creative. What ever you do, don’t assume that people will quickly know you are in business – they won’t, unless you tell them.

Ignoring Changes In The Market Place
As a small business owner it’s very easy to get immersed in your business and not see what is happening around you in the market place. Always keep your eyes and ears open to what the competition is doing and what your customers want. Don’t get left behind.

Owner’s Attitude
Attitude is everything in business. Don’t forget that the real boss in your business is the customer. Running a business may make you feel important but don’t let this develop into an ‘I am better than you’ attitude. Do this and you will quickly chase your customers away.

Spending On The Wrong Things
Being in business can be exciting, especially as the cash starts to roll in! However, don’t be tempted to spend it on a new car, a house or just a good time. If you are to own a successful business, then you have to keep some cash back to fund future growth. A business cannot grow without cash, so commit to spending business money on the business.

Dependent On A Small Number Of Customers
Don’t fall into the trap of setting up a business just because one person says they will buy from you every week or month. Setting up and running a business, which is dependent on one customer, is not a recipe for success. What happens if, one month after you have spent all your cash to set up your business, that customer says he has changed his mind and has decided to buy elsewhere? Unless you can find other customers very quickly you are faced with closure.

Before embarking on a new venture make sure you have a sufficient number of customers such that if a few go elsewhere you can still continue trading.

Growing Too Quickly
Surprisingly, growing too quickly can be a problem. You have to be disciplined enough to only take on work you can handle. If you are tempted to accept too much you could end up disappointing not only the new client but also your existing ones.

Also, don’t underestimate the impact rapid growth can have on your administrative burden. As I mentioned earlier, getting behind on the paperwork can have an equally damaging effect on your business.

Trying To Do Everything
Finally, the problem most small business owners have is the fact that everything falls on their plate. Inevitably this is how it’s likely to be in the beginning, when the limited budget means that staff are a luxury, but as the business grows be aware that you cannot continue to do all tasks. There will come a point when you become inefficient and not have enough time to complete everything in sufficient detail. Taking on an extra pair of hands will increase your costs but you will be surprised at how much time will be saved, allowing you to do what you do best – getting the business in.

Take a look at each of the mistakes and make sure that you don’t fall into these traps.

© Robert Warlow - Small Business Success
http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz/

Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to the Small Business Success, a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles.

For more information visit http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

To find out how partnering with CKPA could help free up your time to make more money and save you money, contact us now.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

People remember!

I recently wrote about someone I had the misfortune speaking to regarding my services and I declined to work with them - read the details here.

I wrote about this experience because I knew that I would meet this person at a networking group I belong to in the near future. Well, you'll never guess who was there on Tuesday but this particular person. I was contemplating what to do (as I am a member of the Leadership Team) when another member asked to speak with me. It turns out that the person I didn't want to deal with had actually 'ripped off' a number of other people and the member was warning me against him as a potential member and someone I might do business with.

People remember when you aren't professional and rip people off. By now, the majority of our 23 members will be warned off this particular person and won't do business with him. I totally agree with the saying "what goes around, comes around" and this person is now just reaping the benefits of his labour!

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Are your clients happy?

I run a Virtual Assistant business providing professional secretarial and administrative support to small businesses and individuals. Therefore, I am selling a service as opposed to a product. So how do I know that my clients are happy with the service that I provide - by asking them!

How on earth can you improve on processes, systems and even the service itself if you don't have honest feedback. I have produced a Client Satisfaction Survey which I send out and ask for honest answers. I then take on board all the positive and negative comments to improve my business for everyone to benefit.

I have even thrown in a couple of market research questions to ensure that I can reach my target market - killing 2 birds with 1 stone comes to mind.

Are you asking your customers about your product or service? Now might be the time to do somthing about it before it is too late!

To see how CKPA can help you in this process, contact us now.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Eight guaranteed ice breakers

By Jackie Barrie of Comms Plus

We believe that a fun introduction that makes people laugh is the best way to get any event off to a good start. This article shares some of our favourite ideas, all tried and tested and known to work!

Pass the parcel
Good fun for any number. Needs some preparation though, and music! You can probably take your own CD player and CDs, but better check this is OK with the venue and remember to take an extension lead, just in case. The game works just like the kids’ version but you put a question to be answered in each layer of the parcel to be unwrapped. They can be business questions e.g. ‘Describe your ideal client?’ or social e.g. ‘What was your best ever holiday?’ You can also put little prizes in, sweets etc, perhaps with a bigger prize in the middle e.g. the entrance fee refunded.

Networking bingo
This works best for groups of 20 or more. In advance, prepare a ‘bingo sheet’. Down the left hand column, list various characteristics of the people you expect to attend, e.g. ‘solicitor’ or ‘has blue eyes’. Leave a corresponding space down the right hand column. You can choose whatever categories you wish, as serious or silly as appropriate. Copy / print enough so there is a bingo sheet for everybody (plus a few over just in case). You may need to provide pens as well. On the day allow 10 minutes (yes, just 10 minutes!) for people to collect as many signatures as they can on their bingo sheet. One person can only sign once on any page, and you cannot sign your own. The first person to collect 20 different signatures wins the prize (if it’s a paid event, I give away a bottle of champagne / wine, if it’s a free event, I give away the chance to present your business for 1 minute to the audience so they all know who you are and what you do). If you run out of time, the person with the most signatures wins (count down from 20, 19, 18 etc.). Optional extras, you can insist that they exchange business cards along with signatures. You can go through the list afterwards with a show of hands so everyone can see who in the whole audience qualifies for each category. The benefits, it’s a great ice breaker, people can get really competitive and start climbing over chairs to collect signatures! It’s not ‘proper networking’ but you do learn a little something about other people and find random connections to follow up later. It’s fun!

Pennies in a basket
This ice-breaker works for any number of attendees. Give everyone 10 x 1p coins, and put an empty basket (or other receptacle) in the centre of the table. Go round the table with everyone in turn saying something they have never done. If other people have done that thing, they put a penny in the basket. Keep going round until whoever runs out of pennies first is the winner, for being the most adventurous person in the room! Get all the other pennies back and you won’t even be out of pocket!

Warm fuzzies
A good way of breaking a big group into smaller ones. Get some fluffy balls from a craft shop, about 20 for £1. Everyone takes a ball when they arrive, creating a nice sense of anticipation. On the organiser’s instruction, they have to find the other people with the same size and colour balls. They then present to their small groups for one minute each (as BRE /BNI) on who they are, what they do, why they are good at it, and what they are looking for. You need a whistle or gong to make a loud noise every 60 seconds to keep it moving along.

Key words
You can also achieve random small groups by putting an index card on each person’s chair with a key word written on it. The key words are in groups e.g. of 5 things to do with hamburgers, 5 superheroes, 5 soap stars or whatever. It’s interesting to see who chooses to sit where! On your command, people have to find the others in their group (although I’ve had people trying to match Julia Roberts with whipped cream before!) and present to each other as for ‘warm fuzzies’ above.

Snowballs
Each person writes their name and two unusual facts about themselves on a piece of paper. Then screw all the pieces of paper into ‘snowballs’ and throw them to each other. General mayhem ensues! After a few moments, you stop the throwing, and everyone has to find the person who wrote the page they are holding. They then have to find out one other unusual fact about that person. Finally, they introduce the other person (and their facts) to the rest of the group.

Categories
Each person in turn asks a defining question e.g. if you were an animal what would you be and why? It goes round the table and everyone has to answer what they would be as an animal, then in turn they choose their own category for themselves and the others to answer. You can set the tone yourself, e.g. If I were an animal I’d have to be a sheep because my boyfriend is Welsh (ahem).

Truth or lies
Go round the table and each person says 3 things about themselves, 2 must be true and the other a lie, the rest have to guess the lie. For instance, I didn’t get where I am today without being: a) a bar-maid b) a secretary c) a tea-lady!

Jackie Barrie founded Comms Plus in 2001. It’s a writing and design business that specialises in making complex information appear simple. You can find out more at www.comms-plus.co.uk

I thought this article could be of use to anyone new to facilitating meetings / workshops and wanted a few ideas.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

7 tips for a successful small business

By Robert Warlow - Small Business Success

Getting a small business off the ground is challenging to say the least. Here are some tips which will prepare the ground for running a successful small business.

Have Goals
This is where it all starts – the foundation for success. Know exactly where you are heading. What will the business ‘look’ like in the future? How will you know when your business is a success? When you wake up in the morning, do you know what actions you have to take to get you on the road to success?

Take Action
The difference between success and failure is down to the actions you take. The failures in life are the people who know what they have to do but never do it. The successful small business owners are people who take action on their ideas, ones who never say, “I wish I had done …”!

Seek Feedback
There is a saying that feedback is the breakfast of champions. During the early days of your business you must continually seek feedback about all aspects of your business. What works? What doesn’t work? What needs changing slightly? Speak to customers, suppliers, your bank manager, your accountant - anyone who can provide you with a fresh perspective.

Find Out What You Don’t Know
You can’t expect to know everything about running a business. Undertake your own skills analysis and find out your areas for development. Once you know your knowledge gaps seek out courses, books and advice, which will get you on track.

Be Focused
Let no one distract you from achievement of your goals. At the start of every day get yourself into the frame of mind that you will only do tasks which will get you closer to your goal – nothing else matters.

Take Risks!
You will never achieve anything if you’re not prepared to jump off the cliff a few times! We’re not talking about risks which will put the business in jeopardy; just risks which are planned and thought out, yet at the same time test the edge!

Think Positive
Yes, the oldest cliché in the book, but totally true. See the positive in everything. If something has not gone right train yourself to ask “What good has come out of this?” Understand that in every problem there is potential for good.

© Robert Warlow - Small Business Success
http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to the Small Business Success, a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles.

For more information visit http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

To see how partnering with CKPA and your own Virtual Assistant can benefit your business, please have a look at our website.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Be professional in all that you do!

I belong to an industry forum where wonderful people share their advice and experiences freely.
However, a new visitor to the forum posted a 'wanted ad' and gave the rate of pay offered. One of the responses she had was from a forum member telling her she was 'nuts' and would never get someone to work for that rate. The tone was rather unprofessional and, in my opinion, uncalled for. The original poster responded that you always need to be professional in all your business dealings - whether that be your forum posts or in person as what goes around, comes around!

I totally agree with this and had the 'pleasure' of dealing with an unprofessional business person over the telephone. A prospect for my Virtual Receptionist service left a message for me late in the afternoon (after 4.00 pm). I was out of the office and couldn't call him back until first thing the next morning. He wasn't happy that I didn't call him back within minutes and wanted me to beg for his business - I politely said thank you for your time and goodbye. I REFUSE to work with people like that who try to dictate to me how I run my business and I will always say thank you but no thanks each and every time.

The reason I am writing this story? There is every liklihood that I will meet this person at a networking group I attend. Do you think I will pass business to him? I don't think so!

I truly believe in the saying "treat people how you would like to be treated" and I endeavor to do that in everything I do. Do you?

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

4 great business card ideas

By Robert Warlow - Small Business Success

How often have you opened your office drawer to find a pen only to have to search your way through a pile of business cards collected over the past few months? Your immediate response is to throw them away and that’s the problem with business cards - they are usually unmemorable.

Here are some ideas on how you can make your business card a bit more useful.

Handy Websites
On the reverse of your card, why not list some web sites which your clients may find of use. They don’t have to be related to your line of business, for example you could print details on a site providing a list of jokes (useful for speech writing!).

Do You Remember?
Going to a networking event is the equivalent to a business card swapping club! Once your card goes into someone’s drawer they are unlikely to remember where you met. So on the back of the card, print “Do you remember we met at ………. and discussed …………” This should be a good memory jogger!

Print Your Picture
Our minds are more efficient at remembering pictures than words. Why not print your picture on your card? When the recipient looks at your card sometime later, he is much more likely to remember who you are and what you do.

What’s The Date?
People are always scratching around to find out what the date is. Print a calendar on the reverse of your card. This gives an excuse for someone to keep your card permanently in his pocket.

Take a fresh look at your business card and see what you can do to make it more memorable.

© Robert Warlow - Small Business Success
www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to the Small Business Success, a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles.

For more information visit http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

It's official - VA's have their own day

The Virtual Assistant (VA) industry started in USA around 1996 and has become a popular alternative to working in the corporate environment. VA's are huge in USA and are becoming more popular but it is a different story here in the UK as not a lot of people know what a VA is.

I was really excited to hear that our colleagues across the pond had established our very own International Virtual Assistants Day taking place tomorrow (19th May) in recognition to VA's across the globe.

What a great way to promote our industry to clients and I hope that us UK VA's can start to get the recognition we deserve from our continued efforts in educating the public.

So if you are a VA, have you took advantage of this? I must admit that I haven't but will definately include it in my marketing plan for next year.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Proud of myself

This post is more of a personal note this week.

I am a member of a BNI Chapter and am now on the Leadership Team as the Membership Co-ordinator until October. Part of my role is to chair the weekly meeting in the absence of the Chapter Director.

Well on Tuesday, I chaired my first meeting with the help of some other members and I was really pleased and proud of myself as it went really well. A visitor who has applied to join us even came up to me to ask if I was nervous as I came across all confident even though I was a bag of nerves inside.

My message this week is that things aren't always as you see them. I thought my voice was shaking and it was there for everyone to see that I was nervous - but to everyone else, I was confident and professional which is all that matters.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Why you should continually update your website

As someone who runs a business via the internet, I am always looking at other peoples websites to conduct business as that is what is comfortable for me.

However, the amount of times I look at a website to find it hasn't been updated for 2 years, the following thoughts go through my head:

• They are not in business any more
• They do not want my business
• They can't be bothered so why should I buy from them?
• They don't know they should be updating their website

If you have a website, you need to ask yourself 'what makes visitors keep coming back to my website?' People will only come back if there is new content which means you need to have in place an Online Marketing Plan to ensure that you review and update your website regularly.

Take the time now to look at your website through the eyes of a visitor and evaluate the good and bad parts so that you have somewhere to start.

If you need some help updating your wesbite or conducting a makeover, contact us to see how CKPA can help.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Another year has gone

The majority of businesses have their financial year running from April to March and I am no exception.

Another year has passed in our businesses and this gives us the opportunity to:

• Reflect on how business has been over the last 12 months
• Produce budgets and marketing plans for the new year
• Plan for the future growth of the business
• Relax and take time out for yourself

Have you looked at your business and planned for the new financial year? If not, you need to do it quickly to make sure your business is running to its potential.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

How can a Virtual Assistant help me?

I attend a weekly BNI meeting and have got to know the chapter members with a couple of them signed up for my services. However, it is always difficult to get across exactly how a Virtual Assistant can help.

During a conversation with 2 members (with one of them being my client), I was explaining that it was difficult to explain exactly how I can help but gave them some examples. My client then said in wonder "can you really do that?". I then proceeded to tell them that it was really important to have one to one meetings with members to tell them what I do and educate them in order to pass quality referrals.

So what do we do? We help people make more money by freeing up their time working as a Virtual Assistant. We do this by providing professional secretarial and administrative solutions to a range of clients. Some non recognised areas we can help include:

• Management of newsletters - this could be writing your newsletter to distributing it
• Internet marketing - SEO, passive income, affiliate programme monitoring, Blogs
• Accounts support - creating and sending out invoices, accounts organisation, payment facilities
• Marketing support - mail shots, follow up calls, advertising co-ordination
• Time management - create systems and processes to organise people and businesses

As you can see, most people would not be able to associate some of these tasks with your Virtual Assistant. That is why we like to talk to potential clients and ask them to draw up a list of tasks that they don't like / have time to complete etc. We then look at the list and give an honest answer of if we can help.

Remember, if you don't ask, you'll never know.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Volunteering as a marketing tool?

Now I am not a marketing expert but I have read plenty of books on the subject and am in the process of producing my marketng and PR strategy as I want to raise my profile significantly over the coming months.

However, money is always an issue for small businesses and I am already spending a large chunk on a fabulous looking professional leaflet (as opposed to one you can tell has been done on computer at home) so budget for other things is pretty tight. But I am also conscious that I need to spend money to make money (very wisely of course).

I am part of a BNI chapter and have been asked to become a part of their leadership team as the Membership Co-ordinator. I didn't hesitate accepting as it would raise my awareness and profile with other chapters in my area and also increase my confidence. I am really looking forward to the role as I can use all my skills as a Virtual Assistant to do the job.

It got me thinking though about other free profile awareness and advertising and I am researching other opportunities to volunteer as it holds a host of benefits to me personally and professionally. These include:

• Giving back to the community
• Providing my expertise and skills to organisations in need
• Increasing my contacts network
• Raising my profile and that of my business
• Learning new skills and gaining more experience

I am also beginning to talk to my network to research opportunities available for board members as this is another good avenue to take. If you know of any vacancies, please email me.

If you haven't considered volunteering before, now might be the time to do it. Speak to your contacts to find some worthy causes. You never know what might come of it for you and your business.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Presentation Tips

I thought I would share this article with you to give you a chance to incorporate the tips into any presentations that you do to make sure that you keep the attention of the audience.

The seven lethal mistakes that suck the life out of any presentation
By professional speaker Paul McGee

I’m staggered that after giving a presentation, some delegates remark “Yours was the only talk I didn’t fall asleep in”! What is it about some presenters that makes the audience wish they’d watch the grass grow rather than listen for a minute longer? Here are seven beliefs that lead to woeful presentations:

• Believing that just because you have a lot of knowledge about a subject that automatically makes you a great speaker (does knowing the words to a song make you a great singer?)
• Believing that the more facts and information you throw at a person, the more they are likely to retain it
• Believing that people prefer reading powerpoint slides as opposed to listening to another human being
• Believing stories are for children and that adults want just the facts
• Believing that speaking off the cuff is an adequate substitute for planning and preparation
• Believing that the ‘way’ you deliver your presentation is of little or no importance compared to ‘what’ you say
• Believing that all presentations must follow a standard format, where the audience listens passively and are only expected to contribute during question time

If you want to be a powerful presenter, it might be time to start changing your beliefs. For further information visit www.PaulMcGee.com

Some simple comments but I think if we look at these whilst working on an important presentation, we can't go wrong.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

PLEASE back up your PC

Within the last couple of weeks, I have had two colleagues contact me asking for an email to be sent to them again as their PC's had crashed and they had lost all their work because they hadn't backed up recently. Can you imagine the disruption that this will have caused to their business? How long would it take them to get back up and running?

At the moment, I have a recurring appointment scheduled in my Outlook tasks every Friday afternoon to do a full back up of all my work for that week onto an external data storage device. If anything should happen to my PC, it won't take long to restore all of my work.

You don't need to spend a fortune on your back up device, have a look at EBay for some bargains.

Also remember that you can back up your Outlook! Follow these simple instructions to make sure you don't lose any important emails or contacts.

• Select File - Import and Export
• Select Export to a file
• Select Personal Folder File (.pst)
• Select items you want to export (e.g. inbox) and tick the include subfolders box
• Select Browse to find location of your back up device. TIP: Choose a file name giving reference to date of back up for ease if having to do a restore (e.g. Inbox 22.02.06)
• Select Finish

By backing up regularly, you will minimise disruption to yourself, your business and most importantly, your clients.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Power of dreams - Part 2

Last week, I told you about my own 'power of dreams'. This week, I thought I would share another example of how following your dream can change your life.

By Preethi Nair

After three years of working as a Management Consultant, I decided that there was more to life so I told my boss I was resigning. “Leaving? To write a book?” she asked incredulously. She paused to give me a moment to retract what I had just said. I don’t really remember much else about that day, except that it was raining and I was crying all the way home and that people on the tube were trying hard not to stare at me. The hardest step for me I think was resigning and I had this blissfully naïve notion that the rest would follow effortlessly.

Enthusiastically buying all the Jiffy bags and affixing the pre paid stamps, I sent off my manuscript to various publishing houses thinking that soon I too would be holding a glass of red wine in one hand and signing copies of my bestseller with the other. It was not to be so. The first Jiffy-bagged copy came back with a “thank you but definitely no thank you” letter. It was swiftly followed by another and another, some Jiffy bags didn’t manage to find their way home and made their way to corrugated heaven with no acknowledgement.

Trying to put into words what I did next is not easy, as it seems the work of a mad woman so I will explain my reason for doing what I did first. Three years had gone into my manuscript; written from snatched moments on tube journeys, lunchtimes, weekends. Overcoming writer’s block, developing a passion for cleaning, only I knew how much of my heart and soul had poured into my book. To accept rejection from some people who hadn’t even bothered to read it or those who couldn’t manage to put the correct title on the rejection letter didn’t feel right. I think I felt so indignant to be just a part of someone else’s system and so completely at their whim that I decided to go it alone, I dislike the word but it is to self publish. I was in the process of buying a flat and instead of exchanging contracts I put the whole of the deposit into publishing my first book Gypsy Masala; a story of dreams.

Very early on, I realized that publicity was important but I didn’t have enough money to hire a publicist. So, I set up a PR company “The Creative House” and found a good feisty character to promote my novel. I created and developed a competent woman by the name of Pru Menon who did her job brilliantly. Pru secured many interviews and Preethi was busy doing them. Changing voices, making weird sounds in the background so people would think they were being connected through the offices of the multinational that was my back bedroom, we heard all sorts of comments about the book. My Pru character handled it all incredibly well. A few commented on the similarity of our voices “that’s what happens when you work so closely with someone.” She/I joked. Having not developed a severe personality disorder, I thought surely the rest would be plain sailing; not so.

The creative source that was responsible for putting this crazy venture into my head had other designs for me. The first print run (the whole of my savings) arrived with page 179 missing, the printer had made an error and it took weeks to sort out, press were waiting for review copies and things got so desperate that I had to give them copies with p179 glued in. When press articles finally appeared, there were no books in stores as I had overlooked the entire distribution network, I just assumed that copies would magically appear on the shelves. Rapidly, I had to learn the art of door to door selling and armed with a travel card, I pounded most of the bookstores in London and pleaded with store managers to stock the title. A few of them looked at me strangely and sent me packing promising that they would stock copies, only to put the sample copy that I had left safely under the counter. Others actually read it and placed orders. Then finally when it all came together, when interviews with the press coincided with bookstores supporting me, there was the oil protest. The creative saboteur had sent an oil protest complete with a lorry blockade so that the books could not move from the warehouse as orders came in. Momentum, so hard to capture had escaped me.

Exhausted, disheartened, jobless and completely blocked and in debt, I needed to take stock so I went away to reflect on the two years I had spent on the project. My greatest fear was rejection but I had put myself in a position where I was rejected time and time again. The extent of doing what I did was so I could be myself but the greatest irony was that being Pru had taken up most of my life. I did not regret a single moment because chasing the dream had made me stronger in ways I could never have imagined; I finally believed in myself in a way I never thought possible, I came back to London with clarity and confidence putting aside all that had gone before, I let everything go and I began writing again.

My second novel 100 Shades of White poured out of me in six weeks. I have always believed that when you decide whole heartedly to do something and follow it through by action, things happen, the creative source conspires to help you along the way and yes it lays down a few obstacles but this is merely to test resolve. A few weeks later, a literary agent by the name of Diana was sent my way (I assure you that she is real, not fictitious or any part of my alter ego). I won’t say that the story ends happily ever after because experience has taught me that this whole process is an adventure; it’s not necessarily about reaching the destination, it’s a cliché but it is about the journey and so it can’t always go smoothly but for the time being it ends happily. I won the Asian Woman of Achievement award for her endeavours and was also short listed as Publicist of the Year for the PPC awards. 100 Shades of White was sold as part of a three book deal to HarperCollins and the BBC have bought it for a 90 minute adaptation. Beyond Indigo, a fictionalized account of the whole adventure has just been released with a reissue of Gypsy Masala.

So I still maintain that dreams come true but only if you really want them to. Preethi also works as a freelance travel writer for the Sunday Times and is a contributor on Radio 5 Live's book panel. You can read more about the amazing Preethi at http://www.preethinair.com/

I thought this was quite an inspiring story and thought I would share it with you. Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Power of dreams - Part 1

I was working as an Office Manager / PA on a full time basis and hated the company I worked for. I used to come home totally drained and weary from having to tolerate the behaviour of the directors of this particular company.

I dreamed of escaping but didn't want to jump out of the pan into the fire by going to another employer. The only option was to go self employed and start a business - but what on earth could I open a business in?

I then, by accident, heard about Virtual Assistants and thought that this could be the answer to my employment problem. I carried out some research and learned as much about the industry as I could so that I could make an informed decision. To see what a Virtual Assistant is, have a look at our website.

I decided to take the plunge, leave my employer and start my business in July 2005, and haven't looked back since. I am now my own boss running a successful company with a wide variety of clients on board. I am achieving a better work / life balance and am the happiest I have been for a long time as I love my work and my business.

My message, dreams can come true. If you have a good business idea, go for it (even if it is only part time). What have you got to lose and even more to gain.

Watch out for an inspiring story in part 2.

Until next time,

Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions