Issue 14 - November 15, 2003

Editor: Lynne Bullen
lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au

Publisher: Associated Secretarial
Copyright © 2003 Associated Secretarial

In this issue:

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1. Editorial

Hello! Good to see you've joined us again. Thanks for coming back. A warm welcome also to our new subscribers. If you're joining us for the first time, you can catch up by visiting our Newsletter archives by clicking on this link: http://www.associatedsecretarial.com.au/newsletter_archive.html

Although Wedge (our beautiful Australian Wedge Tailed Eagle, and our logo) is an Aussie, most of the information you will see in this and coming issues is relevant to small business, no matter where in the world you live.

Where we can, we'll provide a few links that relate to subjects discussed in each issue. If you know of some useful and relevant websites you'd like to share with us, please do. We'd love to hear from you. Not only will you be helping me, you'll be helping others in your situation ... a big THANKS in advance.

In this issue, we're exploring the "Global Village."

Not everyone will be familiar with that term, but when you think about it, all parts of the world are becoming closer through the evolution of travel via sophisticated aircraft, communication via email and information at your fingertips as you search the world-wide-web.

If you're about to travel for business, you'll need to do a little homework first. The Internet is a fabulous source of information about almost any country you can name.

Is your business trip taking you to a county you've not previously visited? If so, you'll need to know about the culture and the customs before you arrive there. In some countries, business is done in a very specific way, and only that way.

If you're taking holidays overseas, the same thing applies. You'll need to know about things like appropriate attire and how to address certain people.

You need to be aware that cultures and customs which are practised in countries other than your own are sometimes a little different, depending on whether you're holidaying or visiting on business. You'll need to know at least the basics, because you could hurt someone's feelings, or you may loose the business you
were attempting to acquire.

The old saying "Better to be Safe than Sorry" is to be headed when you're away from your own country.

Do your research, make your contacts, talk to your travel agent and ask others who have been "there" to give you a few tips.

Finally, remember that if you want to do business overseas, contracting a Virtual Assistant about a month before you leave is the best way to start.

Your VA will glean the information via her contacts and the " www". She can source the type of accommodation you require. She will make sure that your accommodation is easily accessible with
regard to your place of business, or a Convention you're attending. She'll make all of your bookings and make sure you have all you need before you leave.

When you've arrived at your destination, your VA will be as close as your email or the telephone and can keep things going at home, while making sure your overseas needs are also met.

What ever the reason for your travel, have a safe, happy and successful trip.

Until next month, take care of yourself and those you love.

Lynne

lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au

2. Article: You Can Take Your Secretary With You!

It's not just the large corporations whose staff travels overseas to do business. Even small businesses may need exposure interstate or overseas at some time.

Many small business owners and entrepreneurs will plan to visit a potential client/customer or business partner residing in another state, province or in another country.

Some of them will be looking for an agency or a distributorship for a product not yet available in their own country.

There are those who may be travelling to attend an industry or product related conference or seminar.

Yet others will be on a well-organised Marketing Campaign.

Many of these people who travel frequently or occasionally feel lost when they're out of the own environment. How do they maintain their standard of service when they're "on the road"?

If you find yourself in this position, how will you cope? You don't have a secretary when you ARE in the office.

When you're in your own environment, taking care of everything from the filing (yes, no trouble with A-Z) to typing up that report (ever so slowly) and answering the phone (which rings constantly) you somehow manage to cope. Can you feel yourself ageing? Is that another grey hair you found this morning?

Don't you wish you had a secretary?

There is a way! Contract the services of a Virtual Assistant. Your Virtual Assistant can help you whether you're in the office, or travelling the world.

Yes, you can take your secretary with you.

What a treat! Let's face it. That would be the perfect solution.

To find out more about how a Virtual Assistant can help you, read my article: What is a Virtual Assistant?

When you're half a world away and your every waking moment is dedicated to closing the deal, signing up a new partner or trying to win the agency or distributorship you've been after for the last 12 months, there isn't time for you to do all of those other day to day things.

Your VA will make sure you have the paperwork in time for your next meeting. She will look after your diary, take care of your emails, and find that telephone number you need right now. She will transcribe your latest report, remind you of a pressing issue and take care of liaison with your clients back home. She can transcribe the digitally recorded material you send to her via email, and she will email the finished cocuments back to you. Read What is digital recording and/or digital transcription?

How? She'll do it from her office!

While you're getting on with winning new business and closing the deal, not only is your VA "with" you, taking care of administrative tasks, she will also be taking care of things "back at the office". Sounds good, doesn't it!

You won't be paying for someone to sit in your office waiting for work. Your VA is available on an as-the-need-arises basis, in her office, with her equipment, whether you need her whether you're in your office or on the road.

Your Virtual Assistant is as close as your phone or email facilities.

Have a good look at how you are currently operating. What are your outgoings costing you? Is there any way you can minimise these cost?

If you're a solo entrepreneur, this is the way to do business more efficiently and cost effectively. Join the businesses that are here today and here to stay! Contract the services of your own VA.

Whether you're a solo business person in your own territory or you're travelling, not only will your Virtual Assistant save you money, she/he will be your best business asset.

"You CAN take your secretary with you!"

About the Author: Lynne Bullen is a successful businesswoman whose talents are many. She registered and launched Lynne Bullen Strategies in 1991. She is also the Founder of Associated Secretarial. Providing Executive Virtual and Offsite Assistance, Lynne offers Professional Secretarial and Administrative Services, which include Digital Transcription, Editorial and Commercial Copywriting, Coaching and Association Management. mailto:lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au You might also like to visit Lynne's other website at http://www.lynnebullenstrategies.com.au

3. Making Valuable Contacts Online

Remember the old saying: "it's not what you know, it's who you know"? It's true. Your contacts determine whether your business succeeds or fails, and for reasons of credibility, that's doubly true online.

Many people bristle when someone suggests that they network. If the term networking puts you off, then think of it as making friends. People do business with people they know, and your prospective clients need to hear your name many times before they buy from you.

Networking should be a cornerstone of your business. As my marketer friend Sally says: "Networking makes all your business activities more effective."

Sally loves using the Internet to develop new contacts. She believes that you can establish business relationships more easily online than you can offline. "I'd rather have someone email me a proposal, than phone me. And if I'm the one creating the proposal, I'll do a Web search on their business before I email them. The more you know about them the more effective your initial contact will be. I'm flattered if I know that someone has taken the time to find out about our business before they contact
me for the first time."

=> Making new contacts step by step

With several hundred million people online, no matter how tiny your niche market, you'll find it easy to make contacts online. Some of these contacts will be people who are in the same business you're in, others will be suppliers, or prospective clients.

Note: some people hesitate to make contact with competitors. When I suggested to a copywriting student of mine that she should contact local copywriters to see they were charging, she freaked out. She didn't want to have anything to do with her competition.

This is a short-sighted attitude, because:

whatever your business, it's a small world. People know people, and people talk. If people know you because they've had some contact with you, then when they're asked about you, they're more apt to speak kindly of you;
you'll learn what's happening in your industry: who's hiring, who's landed a big new contract, and who's slow-paying;
you've got someone to whom you can refer clients, if the clients want something that you can't provide (and with luck, your contacts will refer people to you);
it's educational: you can swap techniques, suppliers, and shortcuts;
and most importantly, you can find out what other local businesses are charging, and why.

So how do you start making valuable contacts online?

==> Step One: Do a search for people in the same business you're in

You'll need to know who's doing what you're doing. Check out their Web sites, bookmark their URL, and enter the names and contact details into your contact management program.

(Go to Better Whois, at http://www.betterwhois.com/ to get the business owner's contact details.)

See whether they offer services or products which are complementary to yours. You might be able to form a loose partnership.

If it's appropriate, you could offer them a link on your Web site in return for a link on theirs. However, be careful with this. Don't go linking here, there and everywhere online for the heck of it. Ubiquitous linking makes it look as if you don't know what you're doing.

==> Step Two: In what fields do you want to expand your client base?

When looking for prospective clients, think in terms of industries or professions.

If many of your clients are doctors, perhaps you want to contact more doctors, or perhaps you want to contact dentists or lawyers.

If you're a writer, maybe you've been targeting health and fitness magazines. What other interests and knowledge do you have? Perhaps you once worked for a construction company. Trade magazines pay quite well, so investigate construction magazines. Enter the magazines into your database, and send the editors a letter or e-mail message introducing yourself.

==> Step Three: Budget time for networking

Networking won't pay off with instantly, and too much networking can eat up a lot of time. So make a networking schedule for yourself.

If you're working in your small business fulltime, budget half an hour or so every couple of days for networking, or put in an hour a week. If you're a part-timer, try to put in a couple of hours a month.

==> Step Four: Don't be put off by a lack of response

If you send an e-mail message, and don't get a response, don't take it badly. Like most other people, I've got a rapid-fire delete finger, and I'm sure that occasionally I delete a valuable message by mistake. Blame it on the spam circus that e-mail has become.

Don't badger people, but if you're not getting a response via email, send them a fax or a letter.

Start making online contacts today, and watch your business thrive!

Veteran multi-published author and copywriter Angela Booth crafts words for your business --- words to sell, educate or persuade. E-books and e-courses on Web site. FREE ezines for writers and small biz: http://www.digital-e.biz/

4. Resources

Current local time around the world. Great website when you're travelling and or doing business "overseas". If you want to make sure that when you make a phone call to someone on the other side of the world you won't wake them the wee-small hours. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Julie Hallifax - Paragon Secretarial Services As well as professional secretarial support, Julie Hallifax
provides relocation consultancy support to a large international removal company assisting families relocating to South Australia from overseas and interstate. This assistance includes orientation of the city of Adelaide and surrounding suburbs, home search, school search and introduction to gymnasiums, sporting facilities as well as providing information necessary to help a transition occur smoothly. If you are relocating to Adelaide SA, here is first class assistance. Want to know more? http://www.associatedsecretarial.com.au/faq.html#reloc
Contact Julie: julie@associatedsecretarial.com.au

5. Article: Keep The Cash Flowing

http://www.digital-e.biz/

Without a steady cash flow, your business dies. This means that you need to be focused on your cash flow situation at all times: you need to know how much cash you have and how much is coming in. If you can see that you're likely to have problems, the time to take action is --- NOW.

This constant awareness of your finances is especially vital for creatives. Writers, artists and designers are in a unique situation. Not only are we creators, we're also marketers and salespeople. Combining these functions is so difficult that at times it feels as if it’s impossible. However, it can be done.

Whether you're starting your own business, or have been in business for a while, here are some ways to keep the cash flowing when business is slow ---

=> Start your business with six months' worth of expenses

If you're going fulltime in your own business, you need a cushion. It's best to have at least six months' worth of expense money to keep you going. Then, when you've been in business for a year, always keep at least three months' worth of expense money in your account. Do whatever it takes to get that three months'
cushion.

=> No cash? Moonlight until things improve

Business works in cycles. It's always either feast or famine. You either have more work than you can handle, or not enough. If you're going through a famine cycle --- and these can last for several months --- moonlight. There's a reason actors and actresses work as bartenders and taxi drivers. :-)

=> Consider working part-time for someone else

Just because business is slow at the moment, it doesn’t mean that your business idea is terrible. To ease the situation, take a part-time job. Although you'll be busier than you'd like to be, the fact that you have money coming in regularly lets you relax, so that you can enjoy working in your business again.

=> Get an anchor client or product

You need an anchor client. This is a client who brings in a quarter of your earnings --- you may need three or four clients to achieve this. These are regular clients, the bedrock on which your business is based. They pay your expenses, and keep you in business.

If you’re a writer or designer, you may also have an anchor product. This may be a book which brings in royalties every six months, or artwork you've sold under license for which you receive royalties.

It's worth working sixteen-hour days for a few months to create an anchor product. Once you've created it, the anchor product works for you.

=> Follow up on slow/no payers

You can't afford to let people owe you money indefinitely. This means that you’re providing interest-free loans. Worse, if someone owes you substantial money, you're an unsecured creditor. If they go down, they'll take you with them.

Chase up slow payers. Send a friendly reminder email or fax once a week --- every week, until they pay.

=> Don't pile up debt

Try not to go into debt. It's not worth it. It's better to work part-time for someone else, or to cut back on expenses, rather than go into debt. You don’t know how long the slow period will last, and saddling yourself with debt is a dead-end solution.

It IS possible to run your own business, and be relaxed about it, knowing that you can survive the bad times. If you need to go and work part-time, don’t look on this as failure --- it's a win. You're doing what you need to do, to keep your business viable until the sun shines and the good times roll. You can do it.

To read more articles by Angela Booth, visit the Digital-e Web site--Information for writers and creatives. Ebooks, free ezines, Creatives Club. Love to write? Turn your talent into a business! http://www.digital-e.biz/

6. Sponsors

Lynne Bullen Strategies ... Strategies for Better Business Lynne is a successful businesswoman whose talents are many. She registered and launched Lynne Bullen Strategies in 1991. She is also the Founder of Associated Secretarial. Providing Executive Virtual and Offsite Assistance, Lynne offers Professional Secretarial and Administrative Services which include Digital Transcription, Editorial and Commercial
Copywriting, Mentoring and Association Management. http://www.lynnebullenstrategies.com.au
lynne@lynnebullenstrategies.com.au

IPD System Services
Need to convert MAC files to PC or the reverse? Don’t know how to do it? IPD System Services does! Need one-on-one training in use of Microsoft Products or MYOB? Contact IPD. They also offer Computer sales and support (hardware and software), Internet installations and set-ups (Dial-up, Broadband - ADSL). If you
want to become master of your computer technology - rather than a slave to it, contact IPD System Services Pty Ltd -
dawnd@ipdsys.com or phone Dawn on 08 8331-7255.

JR Executive Services Specialising in MYOB and Minute taking as well as offering other secretarial services. http://www.jrexecutiveservices.com.au

Do you run a small business? Do you need a web site to help expand your business? Don't want to spend the equivalent of your mortgage to set it up? Contact B & P Thursby Digital Services for
a no-obligation quote http://www.bpthursby.com.au

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From the Eagle's Nest: Copyright © 2003 Lynne Bullen and Associated Secretarial (articles by other individuals copyrighted as indicated). Prior to using Lynne's articles please e-mail her at lynne@associatedsecretarial.com.au - she will provide her bio and a URL link. Thank you.

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