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Absence makes the heart grow fonder
By Janice D. Byer, CCVA, MVA, Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services

However, in the world of business, this cliché may not necessarily be true. Sometimes it can be more like 'Out of Site, Out of Mind'.

Your existing clients are your most important business assets. They are already aware of the exceptional products or services that you provide and you have already built a trust with them.

These happy clients will be the first to recommend you and your business to others that may be in need of your services or products. It is essential to build a lasting relationship and keep in touch with these influential people…keep your name fresh in their minds. They have become 'business friends' and what kind of friend would you be if you didn't stay in touch.

There are several ways to build a loyal and lasting relationship with your clients, besides the exceptional customer service and support that you are already providing. You need to set yourself apart from the competition and give customers something that will keep your business in the front of their minds, thus producing repeat and referral business.

Your first step is to ensure that you make your client feel like they are number one. This should be something that you strive for with every client you acquire. Sure, there may be some that will take this to heart and put excessive demands on you when you are really needing to get work done for your other clients, but the majority of them will be just like friends and supporters and you need to show them that you appreciate them. You need them to know that they are not just clients, but that they are a value to you and your business.

A great way to get the ball rolling is to send a letter thanking the client for the chance to provide them with a quotation and let them know that you are here to help, if they need it. Include, with the letter, a copy of your brochure, any specials that you currently have running and, of course your business card.

Once the quotation has been accepted and you both agree on the details of the project, it's time to send a Thank You card. If the new client is a local business owner, send a card with a hand-written note and, of course your business card. If the quote is for an online client, you can send a hand-written note or try going to one of many greeting card sites and sending a personalized electronic card. My personal favorite is http://www.bluemountain.com. This is a nice touch as opposed to just a buttered up email.

After the project has been completed, I like to send a personalized, hand-written note on suitable stationery.

Now… where to go from here? Just because this particular project is finished, it doesn't mean that you should just put their file away and forget about them. On the contrary… you have to stay in touch with them. If they have used your services and are very happy with the outcome, they will probably need you in the future, or know someone who does.

If you happen to have the client's birth date, send them a nice card on their special day. If you don't have that date, there are still other ways to stay in touch. One is to send a card on special holidays, such as Christmas. With these special holiday cards, it is not recommended that you send a business card with it. These type of cards should show that you care and don't have an ulterior motive to your action.

So, what about the rest of the year? They say that you need to be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of some opportunities. But if you aren't in the right place, the forefront of you client's mind when they may need your services, you may lose out. You need to keep in touch with them throughout the year. You need to send them something that they will hang onto.

The most cost effective way to do this is to send them a newsletter. If you have a business that is online and you have cyberspace clients, start an online ezine and send it out on a regular basis. Fill it full of great links and articles to help your clients. And, it doesn't hurt to mention their business in an issue. For local clients, put together a print version of your newsletter and keep them informed about what is happening with your company and your other clients. Again, putting a free mention about their business will be something that they will really appreciate.

Staying in touch with you clients and contacts is vital for repeat and referral business. When the time comes that they, or someone they know, are in need of your product or service, make sure that they remember you, your business and how you can help them.

Janice Byer, owner of Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services provides professional, creative and affordable virtual office assistance and small business website design. She is a Certified Canadian Virtual Assistant (CCVA), certified Master Virtual Assistant (MVA) and co-founder of the Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection (www.cvac.ca). She is also the author of Surfin' The Net - Docu-Type's Virtual Collection of Links, as well a number of Business Building Ebooks. Visit her website (http://www.docutype.net) for more information.

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IAVOA Corner
By Clara Fyffe

Recently I was doing research for another article, but I just wasn't sure what I was looking for. So, in lieu of anything better to do, I typed one single word into Google - computers.

As expected, thousands of sites came up. I decided to scan for interesting headings. Surprisingly, on the very first page I hit pay dirt! I clicked on www.howstuffworks.com because I liked the name. I figured it would be a simple site for kids, but what an amazing site it is! I spent the entire evening just clicking away through the site.

HowStuffWorks was developed in 1998 by North Carolina State University Professor Marshall Brain. I love his name! It certainly reflects his site. The site is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is the exclusive online publisher for the Consumer Guide and Mobil Travel Guide brands.

In a relatively short time the HowStuffWorks site has been on the web, it has won awards as an amazing resource for millions of people. Its highly intelligent and expert editors attack each assigned topic with vigor, delving deep into their vast resources to completely and clearly explain the issue in language anyone can understand.

As the site states, their topics range "from car engines to search engines, from cell phones to stem cells, and thousands of subjects in between" The site also includes helpful graphics to assist in their explanations.

Not only does HowStuffWorks describe, in detail, the complete workings of computers, software, and peripherals, it also covers an incredible field of information on hundreds of other topics, too. The main searchable headings on the site are: Auto, Computers, Electronics, Entertainment, Health, Home, Money, People, Science, and Travel. Now, you click on any one of those headings and you'll be met by huge lists of articles on every conceivable sub-topic for that healing.

This site also has a segment called "Videos" where you can get to view videos on hundreds of topics. These videos clearly and visually show how your chosen topic woks. It's an amazing area to visit.

HowStuffWorks not only carries articles, as its name implies, it also has a section called "Expert Reviews." In this section, products are tried, tested, and rated as it says, by experts, and these experts write extensive reviews to help the consumer make an informed decision on a product he or she is considering for purchase.

Another important and interesting segment of HowStuffWorks.com is the "Opinions" page. Here, persons who register on the site are allowed and encouraged to write their personal opinions and reviews on most topics or products they have experienced.

This site has another area that excited me. It's under "Prices." Now, I clicked on it, thinking they'd be selling books or subscriptions to the site or maybe special informative articles. Nope! This section is filled with all kinds of products for sale, from computers to wheelbarrows, it seems! And there are "Buying Guides" here that help you decide if a certain product is really what you want or need. I've just kind of flipped through this section, so I can't tell you too much about it yet, but I have a sneaky suspicion that I'd better padlock my checkbook 'cause this is an area I really like!

Remember earlier when I mentioned that if you registered on the site you could then submit opinions, etc? Well, much to my surprise, registration on HowStuffWorks.com is free! No cost whatsoever! Even though the "unregistered surfer" can freely have access to the incredibly HUGE amount of information on this site, registering with them allows a more extensive search into additional categories.

I just love coming across sites like this. I love to learn. And this site offers just about everything! In all my years of computer use and personal sleuthing on the 'net, I don't think I have ever come across such an informative site. I am a voracious reader. I almost crave information and nearly devour well-done writings of interest. This site certainly fed my fire.

The first sentence on their "About" page helped seal my decision to bookmark this site: "HowStuffWorks is the leading source of credible, unbiased, and easy to understand explanations of how the world actually works." I strongly recommend HowStuffWorksl.com to each one of you. This is a fast-loading site just brimming with information. If you have anything you want to explore further, click on this site. You definitely will not be disappointed.

Clara Fyffe

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Outlook Productivity Tips: Drag and Drop
by Andrea Kalli

Sub Folders--- While you are able to create subfolders of your main contact folder as a way to separate different types of contacts, a feature you will be losing in your subfolders is the ability to get popup reminders on the flags you set. For example: you set a follow-up flag to call a customer at the end of the week about a quote you sent them. If the contact is not in your default contact folder, you will not get a popup reminder when you open Outlook that day.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of popup reminders for contacts, because the popups always seem to 'popup' when you are busy doing something else and you have to postpone it anyway. A better way to deal with flags for any contact folder is to set up a filtered custom view called 'Follow up List' filtered as such: Reminder Time is on or before today. This type of view is dynamic and will keep itself updated based on the follow up flag date you set.

So, a common process would be as follows...you open your Outlook for the day, you go to the contact folder of choice, you go to the view you created called 'Follow up List', you 'work' the list throughout the day at times that best suits your needs, as you open each contact record on the list and finish your business with them you update the flag date to another future date for follow up -- maybe 1 more week or 2 more years...it doesn't really matter. The point is to have a follow up flag date set for each and every contact record. The number one rule in contact management is that you will want to 'touch' each contact record at one point or another, so that no one falls through the cracks. If you want, you can even set up this filtered view to only show you Active contacts, as long as you have Active in the contact record somewhere...like as a category. Still, you have to go to each contact folder and 'work' each Follow up List.

Although some people have a hard time keeping all contact record in a single folder, by using Categories as the means to 'separate' records you can accomplish the same results, and it is really the purpose of the Category field. However, I think you should do what seems right to you as long as you know what to expect.

Click here to view Andrea's helpful videos from these tips!
Andrea Kali is a virtual Trainer and virtual Assistant. Visit her website at virtualassist.net

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Editor's Corner
by Kathy Ritchie

Procrastination… we all do it. Procrastination's consequences can be best summed up by this quote by Bernard Meltzer: "Hard work is often the easy work you did not do at the proper time."

Simple procrastination probably takes up more time in the workplace than anything else. If you're a procrastinator, you'll find the "Do It Now" philosophy helpful in identifying where it exists in your work habits and helping you overcome it.

"I don't have time," is the most common excuse, however, "I think they are out of the office," is also a good one, as well as, "Its not due until ___" are also popular.

One of the best ways I've found to overcome my own procrastination, is to eliminate all the little things that make me feel overloaded and tend to take my focus off of the bigger tasks. I set aside time each week to complete all those tasks that weren't done during the previous week, something I like to call Minesweeping. Minesweeping is a technique I learned from the simplyEffective program developed by Scott Wintrip and Jay Perry.

To perform Minesweeping, I make a list of the tasks I'd like to accomplish on my Minesweeping appointment-I will add to the list throughout the week-and on my appointed time, I don't take calls, I don't look at new email, and I don't allow distractions. I handle them all, and move on. (My personal Minesweeping time is on Wednesday morning from 6am to 7:30am-so you won't get me if you call!?)

When I practice my "Do it Now" philosophy, tasks that can be handled with relative ease, and in moments, are handled immediately. I Do them Now. All others are prioritized according to deadline, and other factors. Emergencies are handled as quickly as possible of course.

My day consists of a multitude of interruptions. First of all, I take live calls for 14 clients-and with that many calls, its paramount I'm focused not only on the calls, but the other important tasks.

For instance: Task #27: update calendar on SC's site…. While this is in progress, calls from clients 1-14 come in, some with registrations, others with orders, and for the newest, an HOA manager, it may be to dispatch maintenance to paint a door, or have a car towed.

Bottom line, hundreds of interruptions can distract you from your goal of completing Task # ___, but they don't have to stop you.

Complete the little tasks while they are still small. By getting in the habit of "Doing it Now" and Minesweeping, you'll catch problems while they're still small, before they become a big, time-consuming mess. As a result, you'll have more time to concentrate on the bigger tasks.

As you practice this, it will become easier, and make it a rule to do your Minesweeping each week. That is your time, and even though you may find there are no tasks you need to sweep… that time is still yours! Keep the Appointment!

Best wishes for a productive month!

Kathy Ritchie, RSS Herald Editor

The Art of Negotiation - Sopranno Style
by Cheryl Callighan, MVA/Mentor/Coach E-Office Assistants

My husband has been watching the reruns of the Sopranos on Comcast On Demand. They remind him of home. He grew up in New Jersey and went to school with several kids whose families were in "undisclosed businesses". To him, this is reality TV.

I watch because it's our "quality" time together.

Watching the Sopranos I began thinking about how Anthony "Tony" Soprano operates his business and why he is successful.

I know women are inherently born to please. We want to help other people, be liked by other people and most of all to nurture others often at the expense of our own self-care. We are more likely to say "yes" without hesitation or even thinking about what might be best for "us". We don't negotiate. It's just not what we've been programmed to do especially in business.

But I've learned some important things watching the Sopranos with my husband. I've discovered a few tips on the art of negotiation.

The Sopranos Art of Negotiation has taught me:

Ask for what you want. Be clear and specific.
Offer something in return.
Make it a win-win situation for everyone.
If you don't get what you asked for then it is okay to ask "Whadda ya gonna do 'bout it?" And renegotiate.

Anthony "Tony" Soprano is an opportunistic business man. Through his many power lunches/dinners (ever read the book Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz) with people of influence he keeps an open mind and listens for future business opportunities. He asks pertinent and hard questions (his way of researching), mulls over the pros and cons of each opportunity then decides if the risk is worthwhile and appropriate for his business.

Who says you can't an education from watching TV, even entertainment TV?