I hope you a great Holiday with your family and friends! My Christmas was spent with family where we had delicious food, some karaoke singing, loads of laughter and lots of memories to cherish.
Today here in Canada is Boxing day, a day full of great after Christmas sales. Who doesn’t love a good after Christmas sale no matter where you live.
…Before I get into that, tell me… are you ready for 2018?
Are you feeling good about the New Year and its possibilities?
Have you ever looked at a fellow entrepreneur and wondered how they manage to get it all done and organized, well the answer might surprise you.
They’ve got good systems.
It’s true. The most productive people all have one thing in common: they don’t reinvent the wheel, instead, they’ve figured out the best, most efficient way to do every task, and they create a system to do just that.
No matter what business you’re in and what projects you find yourself tackling, a systemized approach will help you:
Work faster and produce more
Produce higher quality results with fewer mistakes
Easily outsource the tasks you don’t like to do
Here are 2 tools that will help you get better organized for 2018
The Magic of Templates
Oh, how I love templates! How many times do you answer emails from potential clients? What about responding to customer inquiries? Or mailing your JV partners about an upcoming launch?
These tasks and more become effortless when you create fill-in-the-blank templates that can be re-purposed for specific situations.
Templates can be as simple as a “canned response” in your email client or help desk, or you can use software such as Text Expander (for Mac) or Phrase Express (for Windows). You might even create a template document in Dropbox or Google Drive to house all your templates for easier access.
While templates will undoubtedly save you time, the real beauty is that once they’re created, you can easily outsource things like email. Simply instruct your assistant on the proper use of your templates, and you’ll be free to do other, more important things.
Checklists Prevent Mistakes
It might seem counter-intuitive, but when you do the same tasks repeatedly, it’s easy to miss an important step. You might think you paid your affiliates this month—you might even remember doing it—only to look back and see it was never completed.
But when you create checklists, it’s suddenly much more difficult to miss an important task.
You can easily create checklists for all your common tasks and projects using nothing more than a text document or you can use Wunderlist, Google Keep or Todoist to name a few.
If you’re managing a team, checklists in your project management system such as Trello or Asana allow you to see exactly what tasks are complete, and which are still outstanding.
Templates and checklists turn smart business owners into productivity superstars, and it’s easy to get started. The next time you answer an email you’ve answered before, save your response. The next time you set up a new product in your shopping cart or create a new opt-in page, take the time to record the steps. These documents will make future projects easier and faster to complete.
Now back to boxing day… I want to help you get better organized for 2018, so, I am offering the 12-month marketing calendar program for only $77, click here to buy it now.
This 4-module program will help you plan your entire year, get clarity on when you’ll launch your programs, help you deliver high-value content that builds relationships, and helps you earn money.
PS: This course includes every step you need to take to make this year your best business year. It’s time to put your big ideas into a custom-fit plan without having to stress over when, where, and how – ever again (at least not for the next 12 months)! Click here to BUY the 12 month marketing calendar program Now!
Are you thinking of planning a telesummit or maybe you’re already in the midst of hosting one? Good for you! You’re in for an incredible experience: you’ll grow your list, make some money, show off your expertise, and make some important connections with other experts in your niche.
But you can’t do any of that if you’re making any of these mistakes.
Not planning ahead
A telesummit is a big commitment, there are all kinds of moving parts you need to coordinate, including:
Multiple speakers and their many scheduling conflicts
Email autoresponder connections
Upsell and downsell opportunities
Landings page and access page creation
Promotion schedules and marketing materials
Clearly, this is not something you can pull together in a few days. Take your time, and consider hiring an expert to help you keep everything moving forward, typically 3 months is a good time frame to prepare your telesummit launch.
Not getting out of your comfort zone
As the host of a telesummit, you might want to fade into the background but instead you need to make a commitment to put yourself out there, not only when it comes to promoting your event, but also when inviting your guests. Reach for the stars, and don’t be afraid to approach your “dream” guest. You never know who might just say yes.
Not testing everything
This is a big one, no single web page should be published, and no email sent without a thorough testing of everything, including:
Buttons—are they clickable and do they lead where you think they do?
Links—watch for broken links, placeholders and 404 errors.
Spelling and grammar—proofread everything, including the names of your presenters.
Upsell/downsell funnels—make sure products are buyable and easy to access.
Content delivery pages—do your videos and downloads work?
Guest offers—opt-in for all of your guests’ offers to be sure they work as expected.
Remember hosting a telesummit should be fun – not stressful or overwhelming, so enjoy the process, get organized or hire an expert, you’ll be glad you did.Have a great 24 hours,
Businesses of every type, need a business plan. Don’t think you can skip by on this important step because you have a service based business instead of a physical product. Every business can benefit from a business plan.
Here are some steps you can take
Focus.
When you create a business plan you need to focus on the reasons for the business:
Who do you want to serve?
What do you want to provide?
When do you want to start?
Where will you set up shop?
Why do you want to start such an endeavor?
How will you meld all these things together to create a prosperous business?
These are the primary reasons why you’re going into business and they should always be at the forefront of your mind when making decisions.
Something else to focus on is your big dream. How much money do you want to make over the next 5 years? Do you want to sell multiple products or have several locations? Everyone’s big dream will be different but you should write it down as part of the plan.
Plan.
Think of your business plan as a mountain. Your mission statement is at the base of the mountain while your big dream is at the peak. Everything in between is what you need to plan and these steps should also be incorporated into a business plan.
What products do you want to create?
How often do you want to produce a product?
How can you implement some passive income or affiliate income into your business?
Are there any speaking engagements or online summit opportunities that will expand your reach and your followers?
What can you add to your sales funnel for those not yet ready to commit to coaching?
Action Steps.
This is where your planning steps are broken down into smaller, actionable steps. Instead of just saying I want to write a book, break the process down further.
How much time can you dedicate each day to writing?
Do you want to self-publish or find a publisher?
You’ll need to hire an editor and someone to design the cover.
These are actionable steps that can easily be crossed off your to do list once completed.
Don’t be thrown off here, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. You don’t need to plan 5 years’ worth of action steps at one time. The idea is to plan a year at a time, keeping your focus in mind, so that the action steps become a pathway or a blueprint to your big dreams.
I think it’s important to plan the year ahead, I suggest you prioritize the time needed to put together a clear and detailed business plan for the next 12 months. This will help your business as well as your personal life because you will have more time for family, friends or whatever it is you choose to do in your off time.
In business? A website is a must have asset. It’s where potential clients will find and get to know you. It’s the first place referrals will turn to learn more about you. It’s where you’ll sell your products and services, invite contact requests, brand yourself in your niche, and show off what you know. It might also be where you host your webinars, offer group coaching programs, publish a podcast, create a blog, and even set appointments with clients.
Whew! That’s a lot of jobs for a single website to do. If you choose a versatile content management system such as WordPress though, you can easily incorporate those tasks and so much more.
Fast and Easy Website Setup
In the time it takes to finish your morning coffee, you can have a website created and live on the Internet using WordPress. Most hosting companies offer “one-click installs” for WordPress, meaning it will take only about 5 minutes to create your website. From there, it’s a matter of choosing a theme and adding content.
Even if you’re not technically inclined, WordPress is simple to use. And with a huge, helpful community of users, you can quickly find the answer for everything from “how do I install WordPress” to “how can I create a membership site” with just a Google search.
Your Site, Your Style
With thousands of free and premium themes available, it’s easy to find a look that’s just right for your brand and business. Want something more customized? Many themes offer easy, drag-and-drop editing of layouts, colors and more, but if you want something designed just for you, there are thousands of capable developers to build you a custom design.
Plugins add Greater Flexibility
Originally designed as a blogging platform, WordPress earned its early popularity by making this rather technical chore easy for thousands of new bloggers. Today it’s no longer known as just a blogging tool. Instead, site owners use WordPress as the basis for:
Shopping carts
Membership sites
Sales pages
Wikis
Personal journals
Online directories
Non-profit fundraising
Video blogging
Podcasting
News sites
Recipe blogs
Photography sites
And dozens of others
The combination of themes and plugins—small software add-ons that install directly into your WordPress site—make the possibilities nearly endless, so no matter what you need a website to do, chances are good that WordPress can handle it.
In my previous blog post, I mentioned making a list of potential VAs that you’d like to interview.
Now you’re going to put that list into effect and start using it to make your notes when you start interviewing your potential VA. Now this is very crucial that you do this and speak to each and every one of the VAs you wish to interview to see what kind of connection you have together. It could be great right off the bat! – OR – it could be ‘This person is definitely not for me!
Here is a list of questions that will help you to make an informed decision on whether they will be good for you and your business. Ask their opinions on certain subjects so you can see what direction they are going in. You may decide that their way of thinking is not for you and go your separate ways.
Have you been doing this for very long?
Do you have a specialty market that you service?
Where is your home base? (time zones are important to know)
Do you have a certain set of hours that you work? Or are you flexible?
Do you work evenings and/or on the weekends?
Do you have a set premium for rush projects?
What do you consider a rush job?
What is your normal completion time on projects I will send you?
Are you a one-person company? Do you have an assistant or a safety net in case you are ill or your computer is down? Can I still be comfortable knowing that my work will still get done and without delays?
Do you have references from your clientele and is it ok to contact them?
As for contact, how quickly do you reply to emails or voicemails?
How often do you invoice your clients? (once per month and is it beginning – middle – or end of month?)
How would you expect to receive payment?
Do we need to sign an agreement? If yes, what kind of conditions do you have? Is there a specific time-frame that requires us to work together? I.e. a minimum of 1 or 3 months before we can end our association together?)
Do you have a preference as to how we will communicate? Whether by phone or by email etc.
What type of work that you do for your clientele gives you the most satisfaction and pleasure?
Would you charge me for time spent on emails or telephone calls?
When would you be available and what hours would you be able to work for me?
Do you invoice immediately or do you wait until the project is finished?
What software/computer programs do you use? Are you familiar with AWeber and other Autoresponders
Do you work with a confidentiality agreement?
Will you be sub-contracting my work to another third party?
Can you show me one of your contracts that are not completed yet (just to get an idea of how you work?)
What type of precautionarymeasures do you have in place should you require to contract my work out?
How do you charge? Do you sell time blocks? Or is time billed in 15 minute increments per assignment etc.)
You might be thinking that it’s a lot of questions – but just remember, it’s your right to ask all of these questions and then some! Besides being beneficial for yourself, it’s also good for the potential VA as well.
Remember, it’s a 2 way street, just as much as you are interviewing the VA and deciding to see if you can work amicably together, they also get to see where you are coming from and what you expect from them so they can make an informed decision as well whether or not to work for you. It’s not absolutely necessary to ask each and every question listed here. After a few questions, you may already start to get a feel if they are a fit or not. It’s up to you to ask as many or as few questions as you think you need to, in order to get a good idea of who they are and how they conduct business.
In addition, you are not forced to make a decision immediately on the spot once you have had your free consultation with the potential VA. Just inform them that you will let them know within 24 hours – or whatever is a good time-frame for you to interview all the potential Virtual Assistants.
Naturally, if you’re talking to someone with whom you have a good rapport with and you like their personality and whose qualifications are just what you need, then go ahead and hire them! Just don’t feel that you have to choose somebody immediately, this is your business after all.
Robyn here! I’ve had a passion for technology for as long as I can remember. I bring a variety of skills and experience to any business, which have been gained with over 25 years of experience as an administrative and IT professional. Learn more…
