Wisconsin Virtual Assistants Blog

Virtual Partners Plus, LLC is Here to Help You Suceed

noreply@blogger.com (Lori A. McGinnis) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:07:00 PDT

Hello Everyone,

First and foremost, I want to apologize for the delay in blogging. In June, Wisconsin suffered a lot of flooding and many of my family members were affected. It took until now, September, to finally get back to normal! Family members have relocated, and hopefully FEMA assistance will be soon! For anyone else that has or is suffering from flooding issues, I truly feel for you, and can totally relate.

I also want to tell you that my website is currently "under construction and being updated," and my business telephone number has changed to 414.750.7966. Please be sure to make a note in your records.

Well, word has it that the Real Estate market is finally picking up! I have been noticing for the past several months that numerous homes in southeastern Wisconsin have been up for sale and nothing was moving. However, now things are "popping" and sales are being made. Yippee!

I am ready and willing to help you succeed in your sales and marketing endeavors! Please give me a call and I will be more than happy to assist you, and I could begin immediately!

It's sunny with blue skies here in Milwaukee today with a high of 72 degrees. This is my kind of weather. Have a great day!

Lori McGinnis
Virtual Partners Plus, LLC
414.750.7966

Happy Mother's Day to All Real Estate Moms!

noreply@blogger.com (Lori A. McGinnis) — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:15:00 PDT

I am hoping that all "Real Estate Moms" had a very nice Mother's Day yesterday, and were able to relax for a very well-deserved "day of rest."

I cannot believe that it's already near the middle of May! Where does the time go? At least there is no more snow or cold winds here in Wisconsin. We had a very rough winter this past season so I say, "Bring on the SUN and BLUE SKIES!"

Since Spring is now here ..... you know what that means, right? POTENTIAL HOME BUYERS ARE LOOKING TO PURCHASE A NEW HOME!

With that in mind, what can we help you with? Virtual Assistants are willing and able to provide you with that "extra hand" to get the job done expeditiously and cost effectively. Please give us a call right away .... we're waiting for your call. Talk to you soon!

Lori A. McGinnis
Virtual Partners Plus, LLC
Phone: (414) 897-7350

Real Estate VAs Are Here To Help You Achieve Success

noreply@blogger.com (Lori A. McGinnis) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:26:00 PST

Can you believe it's the middle of February already? I sure can't. Why do the days keep slipping by faster and faster, but the SNOW here in Wisconsin (Milwaukee area) has NOT stopped! As of today, we have had 79 inches of snow this season! I must admit that I'm very tired of shoveling, tired of high heating bills due to the frigid cold, and am truly looking for Spring! Supposedly the Ground Hog saw his shadow on Feb. 2nd so Spring is now 4 weeks away.........YIPPEE!

According to some of my Real Estate Agents, the housing market is starting to pick up again. Mortgage rates are roughly around 5.25% and had actually hit 4.85% a couple of weeks ago. With these low rates, potential home buyers should JUMP at the chance to buy as NOW IS THE TIME!

Real Estate Virtual Assistants (VA's) are more than capable of helping Real Estate Agents in many areas of their business. If you find yourself having less and less time to get things done each day and you could use some assistance, then give any of the Wisconsin Virtual Assistants a call. We would be more than happy to free up some of your time to tie up any loose ends that you may have, and allow you to focus more on your business!

If you are a Real Estate Agent whose business had slowed in the past few months, give a Wisconsin Virtual Assistant a call to discuss ways we can help you to get your business "up and running again -- full steam ahead" for continued success!

Lori McGinnis
Virtual Partners Plus, LLC
(414) 897-7350
www.virtualpartnersplus.com

Welcome! New Virtual Assistant joined VirtualCAS for Wisconsin

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Reiter, Virtual Support Specialist) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:56:00 PST

Kim Lepine is owner of Kim's Office Solutions and has 15 years of professional office experience enabling her to offer a variety of services administrative in nature for her clients. Kim’s professional skills enable her to help small businesses grow by eliminating time spent on tasks such as typing correspondence, transcription, desktop publishing, document creation, data entry, internet research and bookkeeping.

Send an RFP to Kim or to all Wisconsin Virtual Assitants (VA's)

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant: New Year's Resolution

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:24:00 PST

Happy New Year!

Let's get right to it. What is your New Year's Resolution? Have you set goals for yourself for the New Year? Better yet, have you laid out a plan as to how you will implement those goals?

Does a Virtual Assistant factor in in the success of your goals? In the corporate world, we are all handed a list of goals for us to meet for the next year. Sometimes our bonuses depend on how well we meet those goals. If you have a Virtual Assistant, your VA could be a part of your success. Have you laid out goals for your VA? Corporations have large main goals, and those goals are supported through subgoals down through each level of management. For example, if a large corporation wants to go international, maybe upper management's goal would be to attain CMMLevel 4 by the end of the year so as to effectively compete on the global market. Lower goals would then be attend training for CMM, build implementation teams, and report progress to upper management.

My point? The goals of your company (your New Year's Resolution) need to trickle down to your Virtual Assistant so they can help you achieve your goals. The goals must be SMART - Specific Manageable Achieveable Reachable and Timed. Your goals must be very specific: Increase revenue by 25% by third quarter by expanding our customer base via global expansion.

What would be your Virtual Assistant's goals? 1. Get Skype for International calling. 2. Attain a reading and conversation proficiency in Spanish. 3. Learn IContact to manage thousands of contacts.

...and so on.

Part of laying out your plan for success includes identifying all of the players involved. Get your VA involved and let her take on the next level for your business. You might be surprised at how quickly success comes to you. Communication with your VA is key.

Take care!

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
http://www.prairiebusinesspartners.com/

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant: Seasons Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:08:00 PST

Virtual Seasons Greetings to everyone!

Thank you for your subscription to my VA blog!

May you enjoy Peace and Prosperity this New Year!

You have opened your minds to all that a Virtual Assistant can offer, I look forward to providing you with more information, more answers, more thoughts, and more opportunities to open your minds further to Virtual Assistance to improve your own quality of life and the lives of your friends, family and professional contacts.

Take care and see you in 2008!

Very best wishes to you and yours,

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney

Prairie Business Partners LLC

http://www.prairiebusinesspartners.com/

Wisconsin Virtual Assistants: A VA - A Must Have for the Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:39:00 PST

Are you having trouble thinking of the perfect gift to give that person who has everything? Here's the answer: A Virtual Assistant!

Whether that person is a CEO of a major corporation, or a stay-at-home Mom needing a great idea for a kid's party, Virtual Assistants are the answer for all your hard to buy for people on your gift list.

If you are looking for gift certificates, contact Prairie Business Partners LLC. We can help you with that.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant: Business Travel: Yet Another Reason for a VA

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:27:00 PST

I just talked to my sister this weekend whose husband owns his own business. His drafting company requires him to travel a lot. He is currently located in St. Croix and they frequently experience loss of connectivity to the internet and even power.

His Needs: He needs to go to a restaurant and get food. He needs a rental car, and he needs cash. He even needs to turn in his timesheet! All of these are things a Virtual Assistant can do for him! Prairie Business Partners LLC in particular is his answer. He calls on the last battery power he has on his cellphone providing the address of his hotel and most immediate need: lunch. Prairie Business Partners LLC locates a restaurant for him within walking distance. Makes reservations and even prepays for him, or arranges for the restaurant to deliver if possible. Next, Prairie Business Partners LLC locates a car rental company such as Enterprise that will pick him up. Based on car requirements (compact, convertible, etc.) Prairie Business Partners LLC can even prepay or merely reserve the car for him. Prairie Business Partners LLC then locates a Western Union, American Express or other such office for cash wire. Finally, he relays his hours to go on his timesheet.

Prairie Business Partners LLC then calls CEO back and provides information and emails or faxes off the timesheet to his office in Illinois.

Why do people continue to struggle in this high pressure world? There is help out there! We are just a phone call away!

Take care,
Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin VA: Why You Need a Virtual Assistant

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:16:00 PST

Is this you? You need a Virtual Assistant to free up the 80% of your Marketing and Sales tasks you currently do. You need to concentrate on the 20% doing the actual work. If you are an up and coming company, staff member of a company or an entrepreneur, you need a Virtual Assistant. We are your silent partners in helping you get your leg up in meeting your goals.

Virtual Assistants work in your line of work:

Realty
Business and Personal Coaching
Business Travelers
Personal Assistance

We know how to help.

Take care,

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney

Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin VA - Personal Assistants: Not Just for Corporate Execs and Movie Stars Anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:57:00 PST

You are an up and coming Salesperson or Marketing person in your company. Or you own your own company but you sure don't feel like it. You are the first one in the office in the morning. You start the coffee going. You turn on the printers and copiers. You are usually the same person who shuts them off at night too after everyone else is long gone.

Are you feeling as special as you really are? JLo has 3 personal assistants. John Travolta has a Staff! And you??? Wouldn't you like to have the same level of personal assistance as the stars come to expect? Now with the augment of Virtual Assistants, that notion is not far from reality. Because you engage Virtual Assistants for only the amount of time you need, you can afford the same level of support for yourself when it counts. For example: When you arrive at a restaurant, your reservations have already been made for you, you get the best table and there are glasses of wine waiting for your when you are seated. How about getting arrangements for a limo to the airport. Are you calling 20 places or is someone else doing that?

What about that important PowerPoint presentation? Wouldn't it be nice to know that you could engage someone with almost 20 years experience in marketing/communications to write that for you for less than $100? Wouldn't it be worth it to advance your career? What would it cost to engage someplace like Booz-Allen? Would they even return your phone calls?

Virtual Assistants are here to make you look good, whether it is to advance your business or to advance your career in your organization. Virtual Assistants are definitely worth it because they will make you money and you will be treated like royalty.

Take care,

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant Business Travel - Pack Like a Pro

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:31:00 PST

Traveling for business is a pain and with the additional requirements of the TSA, here are some tips for packing well.

1. Wear your business suit on the plane and then take it off once you get to the hotel.
2. Bring wrinkle resistant shirts and pants. Folding shirts: button shirts every other button; hold up by the shoulders and fold back the arms; fold back the shoulders then fold back the shirt tail and then once more and set aside. Pants: Hold up pants by the cuffs (this makes the pants straighten out with the weight of the heavier part of the pants). Meet seams including inseams and outer seams. Fold over pants in half. Fold pants in half again.
3. Packing your suitcase: Shoes go on the bottom. In between the shoes, put in socks and underwear to make a flat surface; layer pants or sweaters or jeans (heaviest on the bottom); then layer shirts or lighter items on top; lingerie on top (slips, nylons, light nightgowns and the like).
4. Shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, and other liquids downsize and put into small bottles put them in a plastic zip top bag. Put this in the inside zipper section of your suitcase, it will be protected from leaking on your clothes by the zip top bag, and the zipper section.

5. Necessities while traveling: Downy Wrinkle Release, and your own Personal Assistant for those emergency times.

Today, it is easier to get through Security without a carry-on. Check whatever you can. The probability of the airline losing your luggage is pretty low. If the airline does lose your luggage, at least you have your suit (remember you are wearing it). Underwear and deodorant are easier and cheaper to replace than your suit.

Happy Traveling!

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Personal Assistant to Business Travelers
Prairie Business Partners LLC
http://www.prairiebusinesspartners.com/
847-476-2183

Time Management with a Virtual Assistant

noreply@blogger.com (Lori A. McGinnis) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:59:00 PST

Since the inception of E-mail, this type of communication was raved to be a time saver. But is it?

Studies show that e-mail communication has gotten out of control. You know as well as I do that there are so many spammers in the Internet world, that is can use up a lot of storage space, clog up our drives, and take too much time out of our day figuring out more ways to protect ourselves from any viruses, etc. Many e-mails lack professionalism, proper grammar, structure, and are usually missing vital pieces of information.

That's where your Virtual Assistant can come in handy! You need to look to your Virtual Assistant as your "partner." Real estate agents can have their e-mails forwarded to their Virtual Assistant to scan for the crucial information important to the real estate agent's success relative to the sale or purchase of their client's home. Real estate agents don't need to be bogged down with the the time wasting e-mails. Real estate agent's time is crucial to their success. Let's face it: TIME = $$$$. The agents need to keep their time free for more important aspects of their business such as marketing, direct client contact, etc.

With your permission, your Virtual Assistant can RESPOND TO YOUR E-MAILS ON YOUR BEHALF, which could actually FREE UP ONE to TWO HOURS from your day! IMAGINE THAT! Just think......what could you do with that extra hour or two each day?

To that end, your Virtual Assistant (partner) can also FIELD YOUR PHONE CALLS for you too, whenever you need a hand because your attention is needed elsewhere.

Please give me a call. I will be more than happy to help you begin adding more constructive hours to your day.

Lori McGinnis
Virtual Partners Plus, LLC (a/k/a VPP)
VPP..... giving you V.I.P. service every time!
O: 414.897.7350
F: 414.386.4665

Wisconsin VA: Training the Client

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:06:00 PST

Dear Client,
In my last post, I challenged you to challenge your Virtual Assistant and give them more work that will help you and your business.

In this post, I'll share with you some ideas for you to consider.

1. Corporate Holiday Greeting Cards. Have you finished yours yet? Have you asked your VA if your VA has done his/her own yet? You may be surprised to hear the answer. Did you even think that your VA might be doing Corporate Holiday Cards? Yes, Virtual Assistants are running their own businesses and as such have to foster relationships like all other Entrepreneurs and Business Owners. Your VA will probably have great ideas on where to find inexpensive well-made Holiday Greeting Cards.

2. Corporate Gifts. Where are the best places to purchase Corporate Gifts? What are the newest trends in Corporate Gifts? Your VA knows! Ask!

3. Personal Shopping. Just tell your VA what you need and she'll get it delivered to you! She could probably even do your Christmas shopping for you.

4. Emergencies. Yes, even corporate executives have emergencies. Your rental car isn't available and you need a ride from one hotel to another. Call your VA and she'll find you an inexpensive limo service to take you point-to-point. While you wait.
Missed a deadline? Did you know that there are On-Call Virtual Assistants who run on adrenaline alone and love deadlines? Prairie Business Partners LLC is one (shameless self promotion).

There are so many others that only you in the situation you find yourself can think of. How can you be more efficient? How can things be more efficient for you? Don't think of the technology; that is what the VA is there for. Your job is to get your tasks done and achieve your goal: Success!

May you have an extremely productive day!

Take care,

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Virtual Assistant, Project Manager and Business Analyst
On-Call Virtual Assistance; We're Ready When You Are 24/7!
Call and see! 847-476-2183
Prairie Business Partners LLC
http://www.prairiebusinesspartners.com/

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant: Training You, the Client

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:44:00 PST

Dear Client,
You are the reason we exist. That being said, we must make a living. If your VA is spending all of his/her time waiting for your email, that VA can not do all of those things other Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners must do to build a business.

VAs can do so much for your business. Little did you know that your Virtual Assistant may be a Certified IT Project Manager, a Business Planner, a Writer, a Bookkeeper or even a Computer Programmer. VAs have come from all industries and many have more than 10 years of experience in their field and have even branched out into other areas of expertise upon opening their businesses.

There is hope for you, Client!

You actually have the opportunity to push the limits of what you think is possible and ask your VA to do more! When we think of admin, we think of data entry, PowerPoint presentations and simple bookkeeping. We don't think of writing e-books, blogs, creating websites, updating technical manuals, writing technical proposals. We don't even think of any of the Personal Assistant tasks that are possible. Are you a busy person who needs to purchase holiday corporate gifts? Your Virtual Assistant can find just what you are looking for!

As a Client, you have the RIGHT to foster your relationship into more! Your Virtual Assistant can help you grow your business in ways you never thought possible.

In my next blog, I'll give you some great ideas!

Take care,
Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
On-Call VA, Project Manager, and Business Analyst
We're here when you need us: 24/7!
Prairie Business Partners LLC
http://www.prairiebusinesspartners.com/

Wisconsin VA: Clients, You Need to be Trained!

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:10:00 PST

I am dedicating this blog to all of my fellow Virtual Assistants out there who are struggling with clients. As a service to my fellow VAs I will attempt to setup some guidelines for CLIENTS to facilitate better communications and a better working relationship with you and your Virtual Assistant. Your relationship can be a great one and your Virtual Assistant can help you in so many ways. Your Virtual Assistant can help you:

Launch your business
Take your business to the next level
Bring in more clients
Provide the polish and professionalism you deserve in your business
...and many, many more!

Keeping all of these in mind, clients need to be mindful of how the system works. Clients of Virtual Assistants have the distinct advantage of hiring on a Virtual Assistant for a fraction of the hours that you would otherwise bring in a Full-time assistant or even a Temporary. Clients can have the professionalism that only experienced administrative professionals can provide for 20, 30, 40 and more hours each month. The problem is, Clients, that that administrative professional you've hired for 25 hours per month, is only obligated to work on your project for 25 hours per month. Those 25 hours can be divided up in any number of ways from 1 hour each day to 25 hours in one week. The time charged to perform the work is not only hitting the Forward button, answering the phone, but actually the time YOU, Client, require your VA to wait for that phone call or email. If you require your VA to wait for an email for 1/2 a day then that is 4 hours of time you could be charged essentially. As a former Department Manager of a major US Corporation, one that was very mindful of being conscientious when it came to charging time to a project, I have learned to be very meticulous to make sure all time is recorded and can be accounted for. This actually serves to protect You, the Client!

There is hope however! See my next blog to continue!

Take care!

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Virtual Assistant, Project Manager and Business Analyst
Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin VA: Business Travel Help 24/7

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 05:43:00 PST

How long does it take you to setup ground transportation from one hotel to another in your business travels? 4 hours? 2 hours? How much do you want to spend? Have you been tracking how much it should be costing you?

A virtual assistant can be doing all of that for you. At Prairie Business Partners LLC we are gathering that information all the time in our service for our clients. We are gaining the industry knowledge every day that makes us the best when it comes to knowing how much you should be charged, the type of service you can expect and we'll get you there with your proposals and PowerPoint presentations completed. What about that newsletter you've been needing to start? Prairie Business Partners LLC can help with that as well.

Virtual Assistants can help you with those items taking up too much of your time already.

Contact Prairie Business Partners LLC today at www.prairiebusinesspartners.com . We're there for you 24/7!

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant: Business Travel 24/7 Help

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 04:09:00 PST

Business Travel is a growing industry. In many cases corporate travel is a necessity with many jobs. The battle for the business travel dollar is a big one for hotels and they are offering many services such as free breakfast, a business center and so on.

One thing that hotels can use to differentiate themselves from other hotels is by expanding their business centers into 24/7 business services. Hotels can offer business services to their guests through Prairie Business Partners LLC and online virtual assistants, and many hotels are doing just that right now. Business services such as PowerPoint presentation support, proposal creation and proposal management, word processing, event management and project management are all key in making sure business travelers stay productive and keep earning money while they are on the road.

Concierge services help, event planners are often available at hotels too, but neither offer PowerPoint Presentation services at midnight! Virtual Assistants can do that and Prairie Business Partners LLC is doing that now. We have developed technical proposals in response to state governments and have delivered next day.

Prairie Business Partners LLC is there to help you while you are on the road. Differentiate your hotel services with Business Travelers when you provide virtual assistant services at your hotel 24/7.

We are on the road with you every leg of your journey!

Call for the business travel experts at Prairie Business Partners LLC: www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant - Emergency Business Travel Help for You

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:51:00 PST

Business Travel is hectic enough without having to worry about getting your work done.

Are you a Road Warrior? Do you travel extensively for work? Then you need to know Prairie Business Partners LLC. Prairie Business Partners LLC is with you very leg of your journey providing virtual technical proposal management, power point presentation creation and word processing services online for you. We are available on a 24/7 basis and we are here when you need us. Are you stuck in your hotel and don't know where to go? Call us and we'll get you to where the fun is.

Prairie Business Partners LLC provides 24/7 services when and where you need them.

If you are staying at the Amerisuites in Schaumburg, IL, then you are already exposed to the type of services we provide. Our services are displayed at many Chicagoland area hotels including Arc the Hotel in Ontario, CA.

Feel free to contact us at http://www.prairiebusinesspartners.com/.

We'll travel with you!

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant - Learning with Laughter

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:16:00 PDT

For this lesson, I will delve into the sticky subject of managing customer expectations. For example, if you get a very large project to work on, and you will be tackling it by yourself, you should let your customer know to expect the project's completion in accordance with the percentage of your time that you will be able to spend on it. For example, if your project will take 40 hours to complete, but you already have 20 hours of your time booked (and over time is not possible for you) then you will want to manage your customers expectations and let him/her know that even though today is Monday, it doesn't mean he/she will be getting the project completed by Friday. It will most likely be completed in a week and a 1/2 as your time is already allocated at 50% elsewhere.

If you manage their expectations, clients will be better able to gage how long projects will take and you will have happier clients in the long run.

On to the laughter: At my last position, one of my clients wanted to participate in weekly meetings for a project I managed. I asked her to provide me with acceptable times and days she would be most accessible for a weekly standing meeting. She offered that she is always available on Monday afternoons. I scheduled a standing project meeting for Monday afternoons and she immediately turned down the meeting invite. Why? She was going on vacation for the next three weeks and then she'll be away at meetings for 2 additional weeks.

Lesson? Even though we go out of our way to manage to customer's expectations sometimes they can't be pleased. HOWEVER we went through the steps so that if there was any question later we would have backup. Therefore, the exercise was still a worthwhile endeavor.

Take care,

Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:09:00 PDT

In May of 2006 I was doing some research on the VA Industry and wanted to know what the climate was like. Being a complete newbie, I turned to a source a lot of us use as a trusted source of business information: The Wall Street Journal.

The Small Talk section of the newspaper features questions posed to Kelly Spors who investigates and answers questions via her article. You will be interested to know what she found out and how she answered my question. This article was published in the May 2006 Wall Street Journal. Please see attached.

http://www.prairiebusinesspartners.com/files/StartupJournal___Office_Work_Moves_Out_Of_the_Office.pdf

I hope everyone had a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Take care,
Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant Business Services

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:36:00 PDT

If you are a night owl entrepreneur, you have spent your day meeting with clients, meeting vendors, managing staff, schedules, and budgets.

How much time does that take? Now that it is nearing midnight, how much more will you get done? Wouldn't you rather be sleeping? Why not bring on a Virtual Assistant to get as many of those tasks completed as possible? Technology has advanced so far that you can have help in a different state or even country.

A Virtual Assistant can access your email and can collaborate with you on projects all online. How are your leads? Have you followed up with them as diligently as you should? Do you use IContact or Constant Contact or Aweber or OneShoppingCart? Do you publish an e-newsletter? All of these tasks are items that a Virtual Assistant can do.

It is all about the technology which can be very daunting, but not to a Virtual Assistant. Talk to one. If they don't know about a particular piece of software they will research it and report on its positives and negatives.

Take care,
Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
http://www.prairiebusinesspartners.com/

EVER WONDER . . . WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

noreply@blogger.com (Lori A. McGinnis) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:07:00 PDT

Have you ever jotted down every single thing that you did in a day and feel overwhelmed because of how many things you need to accomplish in just one day? What are you doing that is taking up so much of your personal or business time? Could someone else help you get these jobs done? For example, how much time did you spend for that “quick phone call with Sally?” I have wondered about these same questions in my own mind several times, and I decided to document every single thing I did for three days straight. The results were amazing and eye opening. It made me realize HOW MUCH TIME WAS WASTED –and/or—TASKS THAT I COULD DELEGATE TO SOMEONE ELSE.

When I told family and friends that I had started my own Virtual Assistant business, they would all comment with envy in their voice, “Wow, you’re so lucky work from home. You must have all the time in the world to get things done. I sure wish I was able to work from home!” Little do they know that working from home is just as hard as working out of the home in a business setting, if not more difficult.

Family and friends would continually call me throughout the day expecting me to have time to talk to them. I would have to explain to them that I had work to do and they would ask me, “What work?” I told them that I am marketing my business and working out the kinks and I could tell that they didn’t understand. I would tell them that I could call them back later in the evening, after my daughter went to bed.

I must admit that when first starting out, it was hard to stay focused because I would look around my office space and outside of the four walls and see ALL KINDS OF OTHER THINGS that I could be doing “just for a minute or two.” Well, ONE HOUR LATER I would still be “straightening up” and found it to be never ending! I knew I couldn’t let this continue, so I began timing myself on certain tasks and would schedule my day to include one or two 5‑minute breaks to just get up from my desk and stretch, and then a 20‑minute break for lunch. I ended up closing my office door so that I couldn’t see the rest of my house. What a difference that made!

So, if you find yourself in the position that I was in when working at home or in the office, time yourself for every task you do for a few days (both business and personal) and start thinking about the changes you could make. Once you see YOUR amazing results, why not give a VIRTUAL ASSISTANT ("VA") a call? The VA can help you prioritize your tasks, provide you some relief, and will be very cost effective for your business. Professional VAs have fine tuned their time management skills and bill you only for “actual minutes/hours worked” (no idle time like breaks or lunch), and you don’t have to worry about office equipment or furniture, health & dental benefits, sick or vacation pay, etc. When you work with a VA, they are your partner. YOUR SUCCESS = THEIR SUCCESS

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant On-Call 24/7

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:18:00 PDT

Ever remember a proposal deadline for today but it is 10:30 PM? There are Virtual Assistants who are on-call to help you out in a pinch.

Virtual Assistants are encouraged to identify a niche and new niches are coming up every day. From Real Estate, to Medical Encoding, to Construction, to Coaches and so many more. There are also VAs who strictly do web design and development. VAs are here to help and there are so many options now that there is no need for you to be out in the cold the next time you have an off-hour deadline.

Do your homework and make sure you have resources such as 24/7 on-call Virtual Assistants for when you go out of town, or out of the country traveling on business so you are still connected even when you are away. Book them early so they can connect with your current VA as they will work together for you, not in competition.

Take care,
Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Wisconsin Virtual Assistant Getting all You Can from Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Your 24/7 Emergency Virtual Assistant) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:04:00 PDT

Networking is the lifeblood of entrepreneurs especially Virtual Assistants and this even applies with online networking and one great way to get all you can out of your networking is to set some ground rules first. Ensure everyone in the networking group follows the ground rules and everyone will get more out of the networking event. Here are the rules:

1. Give your elevator speech (Name, company, and what you do)
2. Relay what you need now. Maybe you need a service, a newsletter, better business cards
3. What you will be buying in the next month or couple of months.

To put structure around your networking helps you organize your thoughts, helps others help you by being able to better visualize your needs. Now that the secret is out: to structure your networking discussions, you can come up with more refined questions and in your own networking events and situatios. I will be organizing my own networking event and will be setting these ground rules.

Take care,
Gretchen Koehler-Swaney
Prairie Business Partners LLC
www.prairiebusinesspartners.com

Welcome Lori McGinnis--New Virtual Assistant Directory Member!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Reiter, CRESS, PREVA) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:10:00 PDT

Lori McGinnis is a transaction management specialist and owner of Virtual Partners Plus, LLC. Lori manages the many details and time sensitive documents from contract to closing. Lori also assists Realtors and small business professionals alike with various marketing campaigns and ongoing support.

Submit an RFP to Lori or to all our Wisconsin Virtual Assistants