Thwarting the spoof/fake emails

Personally, I stupidly exposed myself to phishing when I clicked on a rather convincing email stating that they wanted me to check copy before going to press in a business magazine.

As I'd been doing some PR and press announcements it didn't strike me as odd at all, I clicked on what looked like an entirely innocent PDF and nothing happened. DOH! I realised almost immediately that something wasn't right and managed to get hold of Alan to sort it out ASAP. This guide is for all of you who don't have an Alan to call!!!

http://www.cmmc.co.uk/Thwarting%20the%20spoof%20email.pdf

Caroline

Mind your Ps and Qs

Funny saying – what does it really mean and do we hear it much any more? It does hold true though in correspondence and communication in all shapes and forms (or is that formats?!)

As technology continues to advance and speed seems to be the order of the day for everything, sometimes things like good grammar and spelling are thrown to the wind. It’s a ‘get it done, get it off the desk’ attitude, rather than one of ‘let’s do it right first time’. How sad is that?

Of course, as IQPS members, we have the latter attitude. Don’t we?

It’s not just communication which goes outside your office, but internal communication is equally important.

Whether you’re sending a memo or email to a colleague at the other end of the building, or at the other end of the country, you should take as much care over your spelling and grammar as you would if it was an external item. The fact that people don’t use this same attitude for internal communication not only shows a great lack of respect for the recipient, but it also shows you disrespect your own work!

Yes, people have trouble with spelling and grammar these days. And yes, most of us rely heavily on the spellchecker installed on the PC. It’s not infallible. Having blithely added a mountain of misspelled words into my computer dictionary, my former partner was not pleased to learn I removed everything, but it was a ton of work I shouldn’t have had to do.

If you know you have trouble with a word you use regularly, take the time to check it in a dictionary, add it to your custom or other dictionary on your PC, but learn how to spell it too.

Remember too that there can be two spellings of a word which sounds the same but which have very different meanings. A recent press release issued by a leading business mixed up the meaning of ‘hoard’ – to keep; with ‘horde’ – crowds of people! How embarrassing for the person who wrote and checked that release!

I am lucky in that I can’t even remember learning to read and write, so spelling has no terrors for me personally, and it’s a personal bugbear of mine that people still can’t or won’t take the trouble to spell and use correct grammar. Don’t get me started on apostrophes!!! But even I have one word which causes me problems – that’s ‘consensus’. I do know how to spell it now, but when I start to type it, my fingers pause as I try to decide whether I should be typing a ‘c’ or an ‘s’. ‘Consensus’ or ‘concensus’? Once it’s typed, it’s clear. It is, of course, the former. But it’s taken me a long time to get that one into my head. Why? Well I have this thing called a subconscious which knows I will spell check whatever document I’ve produced and it will find it and sort it for me.

Why should you spend time checking something manually when the PC will do it for you? As I’ve said before, it’s not infallible and you can easily miss something. Here’s a classic example: an American PA once described her ‘manager’ as the ‘manger’ in a lengthy document. Her flying fingers had missed the middle ‘a’ and when the document had been spell checked - you’ve worked it out, as ‘manger’ is a word, the computer didn’t flag it up. The document was widely circulated in the company, and the PA was extremely embarrassed when the error came to light. So much so, she eventually removed ‘manger’ from her PC dictionary to avoid any repetitions. Computers haven’t yet learned to understand what we mean.

So take a little longer, get things right first time. If you don’t have pride in your own work, who else will? That’s got to be worth an extra five minutes or so, hasn’t it?

Jackie Grant FIQPS

Dealing with Late Payment Excuses

The following article appears in the Better Payment Practice Campaign website, which offers a wealth of practical help and advice. I came across this piece and thought that the information would be of great interest as it prepares anyone calling about an overdue invoice for most eventualities. Meekly accepting feeble excuses is a thing of the past.

When you’re chasing invoices you come across excuses all the time. They’re never very creative and more often than not are just delaying tactics. Everyone tells white lies from time to time but here are some tips for addressing the most common and least credible.

“The director who signs the cheques is on holiday.”
A common excuse, especially during the summer months and before and after bank holidays, but it is frequently used to delay payments. The arguments given by debtors can be reversed and used to secure payment. If you are told the director is on holiday, find out what provision has been made for signing salary cheques and paying utility bills. Normally in these circumstances signed cheques will have been left to settle important accounts. You can put pressure on the person dealing with you by stressing how important your account is, making them feel they will be going against the wishes of their boss by withholding payment.

“The computer is down.”
Find out how often these problems occur and how long faults generally last. If this is a genuine problem the debtor ought to be willing to send a manual cheque. If they refuse, it will become apparent they are trying to avoid payment.

“The cheque is in the post.”
Ask for cheque and postage details. If they have not sent payment, they won’t be able to answer your questions.

“We are waiting for funds from a large customer and can only pay you when these funds are received.”
Ask the name and address of their debtor and the expected date of payment. The company should be able to arrange some form of credit with the bank on the security of the debt. Suggest they do this and find out how quickly this can be done.

“We seem to have misplaced your invoice - can you send a copy?
Ask whether this is the only reason for late payment and offer to fax a copy immediately. If the debtor does not agree to pay straightaway, they are admitting that their requests for copy invoices were a delaying tactic.

Supplied by Sally Blewett, Stonetext Online Admin Services, www.stonetext.co.uk

Article originally appears in the Better Payment Practice Campaign website:
http://www.payontime.co.uK

Your Website!

Every website owner wants to appear on the front page of Google, so here's a handy ten step guide to achieving Listing Nirvana:

1. Be Owner of your Domain - none of this freebie rubbish. If you want a decent listing, you need to be hosted on a proper server with a proper domain name. The most it will cost you is £100 a year, so get rid of that freebie ISP web space now, OK?
2. Redirection? Indirection - not only do redirects and splash pages annoy your visitors, but they annoy the search engines too. At best they'll make the robot spider ignore you, at worst, they'll get you banned. GET RID OF THEM.
3. Text, Text, Text. Yes, your fully Flashed up site, or your fantastic front page graphic looks great. Really great. Just a shame no-one is going to see it, don't you think? Google can't index it properly, so what's the point? Your pages need text, so get writing.
4. Great navigation - we all know that men don't like to ask for directions, right? Then I'm guessing Google is a guy, because neither does he. Help the little guy out by making sure that your navigation is clear and obvious, and there are no scary dead ends (he's not much good at 3 point turns, either)
5. Titles are King - just like those poor people that buy a Lordship, each page of your site is yearning for a title. And not just any title, oh no. Does the front page of your site actually WANT to be called "Home Page"? Of course not!! He wants to be called something grand and important, and above all, useful. So think about the titles of each of your pages - they're more important than you think.
6. META is Better - OK, some people say that META tags are old news and don't count anymore. Well, I’m saying that they're wrong. So there. Include a META description and keywords tag in every page of your site. Why? Because I tell you to, that's why!
7. Be Intent on Content - ok, ok, some short sighted readers could read that as saying 'be incontinent', but I’m sticking with it. This is probably one of the most important things I’m going to say to you, so come closer... no, closer... IF THE PHRASES YOU WANT TO BE HIGH FOR AREN'T IN YOUR CONTENT, YOU WON'T GET LISTED FOR THEM!!!!. Ahem.... sorry, got a bit carried away there. But it's true.
8. The Links Effect - this is no revelation, we've known for ages that links to your site help drive you up the listings. So off you all went, and signed up to a million link sites, swapped links furiously, and then wondered why it did you no good. It's simple; a good linking campaign is like great sex. You take it slowly, make sure it's focused on great results, and choose your partners wisely. Jumping on anyone and everyone is rarely satisfactory. Qualities, not quantity, remember?
9. Map it out - are you using Google Sitemaps yet? No? Why on earth not? Oh, because no-one has told you about them? That's because people like me want to keep the information to themselves. Google sitemaps is a Google run project that allows you to find out so much about how Google sees your site. Go to http://sitemap.google.com and sign up.
10. Track and Change - so you want to be in Google, but you're not using Google Analytics? You want to be in Google but you're not tracking your listings, changing and tweaking your pages regularly and testing the results? Then you don't want to be in Google that much, now do you?

So there you go, ten steps to Google Heaven.

Easy, right?
So, right now, what are you thinking?
"Wow, what a great article, that's really helped me!"

"That's rubbish, it's no different to any other article I’ve read on the subject"

"But how does it relate to MY website, it's too vague"
The chances are you're thinking either number 2 or 3, or a combination of the two (of course, some of you will be still be wondering how I managed to relate a linking campaign to sex, but that's because I have a certain type of audience...)

Let me tell you this - if you follow all of the steps above and work out how to make them fit your website, you WILL get better listings in Google. I guarantee it. If you don't, I’ll give you your money back. OK, OK, I know its cost you nothing, but you get the picture.

Articled produced by Nikki Pilkington of http://www.nikkipilkington.com/

Articled supplied by Michelle Borders of http://www.executiveassistance.co.uk/

Cold Calling

Tips

• Prospecting can be miserable and people saying no stops you picking up the phone.
• Make only 5 calls per day; this will be 100 per month (your likely to get 2 clients by doing this).
• Prepare in Advance.
• Know your phone script (keep it by the phone and read from it if you want).
• Use the prosepects name frequently.
• Limit your converstaion to your name and your company's, state the purpose for your call and request the appointment for interview.
• Ask Questions, Don't Interrupt, Don't Argue.
• Ask for the appointment after each question answered.
• Be prepared for stalls and objections of Time, Interest, Money, Mail, Cost & References.
• Give propect two choices of dates and times.
• Remember: Some Will - Some Won't - So What - Next!

Stand up when you are on the phone and call when the Decision Maker is likely to be in.

A real cold call may go like this:

Hello, Mrs. Smith. This is Michelle Borders from Executive Assistance. Do you have a minute to talk to me? Mrs. Smith, we specialise in helping busy people like yourself organise their busy schedule etc......I would like to request about 20 minutes of your time to discuss the benefits you may gain by using our services. Could I drop by tomorrow or perhaps Tuesday at 10am may be better for you?

Obviously you would substitute my name for yours, but you get the gist…..

supplied by Michelle Borders - http://www.executiveassistance.co.uk

VA Tips

Tips provided by Carmen Macdougall of CMA Coaching

Invest in an external data storage device to back all your work onto and schedule a recurring task into your Outlook as a regular reminder. I currently do a back up every Friday afternoon but I will start to back up daily should the need arise. You don't need to spend a fortune, I purchased mine from EBay for a fraction of the retail cost and it has more than enough storage capacity for me.

Invest in the purchase of Traxtime from spudcity - only a few pounds and well worth it for keeping track of your work for billing purposes. More information onthe VAMC pages Useful Links/ Software and Technical Information.

Smartstamp from the Royal Mail - again excellent investment and saves you hours in the Post Office queue. £4.99 per month for the privilege of using it plus postage at cost. Download the software from the Royal Mail website and then everything is done via the internet including topping up your account. You can also add your logo to the postage giving a very professional image. Invaluable. Link is: http://www.royalmail.com/smartstamp

Make use of the Useful Links, Software and Technical Pages of the VAMC website pages: Here are some hot off the press to be added -LOOK AT... BlackBerry® which is a leading wireless connectivity solution, providing access to a wide range of applications on a variety of devices around the world. It is a combined phone and email system, have a look at - http://www.blackberry.com/products/handhelds/demo

Thinking of providing Digital Transcription, I have been told the best equipment to use for this is the Olympus Digital Transcription have a look at http://www.dictationsupplies.com/products.php?category=Digital-Transcription&manufacturer=Olympus

Successful Recording Tips

Remember the microphone will record everything at the same level, so what is heard on the tape is not 'as heard live' through your ears - ie there is no filtering out of the background stuff.

The point of recording the interview is to make a clear record of what is said - if you don't do that, everybody's time has been wasted! For this very reason alone, focus groups (ie medium sized groups of people gathered together, usually for market research purposes) do not record well due to extraneous noise, two or more people speaking at once, reticence of some members of the group to speak up, etc).

The Room and Interviewee

• Quiet room with no noisy background - ie traffic, music, people shouting. If it is possible, close the window.
• If there is a phone in the room, either switch to silent or unplug. This also goes for mobiles!
• The room should not be too large - ie recording one person in a church would be a bad move!
• Extraneous cups and saucers and teaspoons should be removed.
• If interviewees seem to have a table kicking habit, or any other type of habit which will inhibit recording (jingling coins in pocket, clicking on and off of a pen, etc) please ask them to try not to do it while you are recording!
• If your interviewee is using notes, either teach them how to turn pages silently, or ask them not to rustle the paper.
• If you have a microphone or lapel mic, use it.
• Test the recording with your interviewee, not your voice - get your interviewee to speak into the mic – what they had for breakfast or lunch, rather than just 1-2-3 or a-b-c, LISTEN BACK to it, and make appropriate adjustments to improve levels etc.
• Make sure your recording levels are set quite high (check there is no 'boom' or distortion - your transcriptionist will only have a certain additional amount of volume control to play with.
• Your interviewee should be encouraged to keep their voice levels steady, and if they turn away from the mic at any time, ask them not to speak while doing so. If they do, you will need to ask them to repeat what they've said into the mic.

Recording equipment

• Tapes - any size - make sure they are still ok. If you think the quality of the tape is eroding through constant use, replace them with new.
• If using battery operated equipment, ensure the batteries are new – but preferably use mains powered equipment where possible.

For the future

• Would recommend investing in a Sony Pro Walkman (no longer sold new, but probably available on Ebay!) which records professionally with a microphone (standard cassettes) or get a recordable minidisk with microphone and use that. Older recording versions for micro and mini cassettes are still available with varying degrees of quality.
• Digital recording – there are lots of different systems with varying degrees of compatibility, so check before starting work that your transcriptionists will be able to transcribe from your system.

General

A good rule of thumb is to ALWAYS CHECK FIRST with your transcriptionist before starting the work to ensure that they can do it, and in case they have any last minute tips / advice for you. If they do, please heed it – they will have given you that information for a very good reason – in order to ensure that they give you the best possible results from your recording.

Article provided by Jackie Grant of http://www.essentialbusiness.co.uk

A Virtual Assistant May Just Be What Your Business Needs!

Who can use a Virtual Assistant (VA)? Everyone! Outsourcing to a Virtual Assistant can increase productivity, reduce costs and save you and your company time.

Virtual Assistants are highly qualified, experienced business owners who basically do the same work as a typical Secretary, Personal Assistant and Office Administrator combined.

So what’s the difference between a regular Secretary, Personal Assistant, Office Administrator and a Virtual Assistant? The main difference is that a Virtual Assistant is just that, Virtual! A VA completes your projects or tasks at her own office, using her own equipment, and carries out the work through email, fax, telephone and the post office. Therefore, the location of your VA is not important.

The types of services that a VA offers vary and include:-

• General administration services
• Database development and maintaining
• Presentation preparation
• Call answering
• Travel arrangements
• Bookkeeping
• Desktop publishing….. the list is endless!

Not all VA’s offer all of these services. However, by being part of the Society of Virtual Assistants network, your VA can guarantee client satisfaction by a qualified VA. If your VA cannot complete your task, she will find a VA who can.

The benefits of outsourcing to a qualified VA are plentiful. VA’s only charge for actual time worked or services provided. VA’s use their own equipment so there is no wear and tear on your office equipment. By outsourcing to a VA rather than hiring an in-office assistant, you will never need to pay holiday pay, sick pay, or pension contributions.

• There is no cost for training new or existing employees; VA’s are already qualified.
• There is no need for extra office space; VA’s do everything from their own office.
• There's no need to worry about in-office employees requesting time off; VA’s are available when you need them.
• Like you, VA’s are entrepreneurs and understand the needs of businesses today, ensuring the success of their clients.
• VA's value each and every client; it is because of these clients that VA’s can ensure the success of their own businesses.

How else can outsourcing to a VA save you money? Often VA’s offer special discounts to new clients and to existing clients they offer free service hours in return for referrals. Many VA’s even offer monthly retainer plans, which not only ensure their availability, but also save you money. VA’s are experienced individuals with the ability to catch mistakes made in-office, not only saving your business money but also protecting your business reputation.

And for those in-office employees that you cannot go without, a VA can take a little of the never-ending workload or less-important projects off their shoulders to ensure you, as a successful business, maintain your quality reputation and increase employee productivity.

So the question really should be, why not outsource to a Virtual Assistant?

10 Ways to Reduce your Business Costs

1. Barter – If you have a business you should be bartering goods and services with other businesses. You should try to trade for something before you buy it. Barter deals usually require little or no money.
2. Network – Try networking your business with other businesses. You could trade leads or mailing lists. This will cut down on your marketing and advertising costs. You may also try bartering goods and services with them.
3. Wholesale/Bulk – You will save money buying your business supplies in bulk quantities. You could get a membership at a wholesale warehouse or buy them through a mail order wholesaler. Buy the supplies you always running out of.
4. Free Stuff – You should try visiting the thousands of freebie sites on the Internet before buying your business supplies.
5. Borrow/Rent – Have you ever purchased business equipment you only needed for a small period of time? You could have borrowed the equipment from someone else or rented the equipment.
6. Online/Offline Auctions – You can find lower prices on business supplies and equipment at online and offline auctions.
7. Plan Ahead – Make a list of business supplies or equipment you will need in the future. Keep an eye out for stores that have big sales. Purchase the supplies when they go on sale before you need them.
8. Used Stuff – If your business equipment and supplies do not need to be new, buy them used.
9. Negotiate – You should always try to negotiate a lower price for any business equipment or supplies. It doesn’t always hurt to try.
10. Search – You can always be searching for new suppliers for your business supplies and equipment. Look for suppliers with lower prices and better quality.
    

Advertising Methods to Promote your Business

In order to buy your product or service, customers need to know that you exist. Promoting your business takes time and effort and you must be prepared for broken promises from those customers that seemed genuinely interested in what you have to offer. I have listed some methods of advertising below – maybe you have already thought of them – maybe you haven’t. I hope they help.

• Create a Website – it acts as an online brochure for your company;
• List your company in an online Business Directory – many offer free listings;
• Join both on and off line Networking Groups – scary but worth it;
• Target potential clients through Email Lists – although please read the small print and ensure the company you buy the list from are reputable;
• Advertising in Newspapers, Magazines etc – inform the media about your new business and what you have to offer;
• Direct Sales/Cold Calling – you’ll either love it or hate it;
• Trade Shows, Conferences, Seminars, Launches and Exhibitions;
• Newsletters and Blogs;
• TV appearance.
  
  Article submitted by Nicola Jones of www.virtuallypersonal.co.uk
  

Networking Tips

A few networking tips. Feel free to add your own tips!

1. The best way to get something from networking is to give something. Don’t expect to get leads, if you never give others leads;
2. When someone asks what you do, say something memorable. This makes it easier for the other person to think of you when they meet someone who needs your services;
3. Qualify the people you meet into three categories: potential clients, source of referrals, interesting-but-nothing-more. Realise that not everyone will be a prospect. Networking is more then prospecting. It is also finding people who could lead you to potential new customers.
   

Press Release: Society of Virtual Assistants Form New Organisation - www.societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk

The Virtual Assistance industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK, yet most of the resources for Virtual Assistants (VAs) are very US based. Things like taxation, starting up in business, phone companies, postal services, and computer programmes are all completely different in the UK.

To help new and established VAs in the UK (and their clients!) a new organisation, Society Virtual Assistants (SVA) has been formed.

For clients:
The SVA has created a database searchable by skill-set, so you can find a virtual assistant who has all the expertise you need. We also ask that all VAs listed in the directory adhere to a strict code of conduct so you can be assured that your VA will perform to the highest standards.

For Virtual Assistants:
The SVA offers:

• Member resources
• Free website listing
• Help with starting a VA business
• Online networking forum
• Advice, tips and help for new and established VAs

The SVA's website has an area for clients, where they can search for a VA with the services they require. All listings have the VAs complete contact details.

What is a virtual assistant?
A Virtual Assistant (VA) provides administrative support and specialised services to businesses, entrepreneurs, executives, managers and other busy people. They are highly skilled independent contractors who make use of the advances in modern technology to complete assignments via the Internet, email, floppy or CD. Traditional methods such as regular mail and overnight courier are also used.

Virtual assistants are available whenever you need them but, unlike a temporary employee, guarantee you the same great service from the same dedicated people every time without the problems associated with employing staff. The majority of virtual assistants have many years’ experience as senior secretaries or personal assistants and who choose, for a variety of reasons, to operate as a virtual assistant, virtual PA or virtual secretary.

For more information: www.societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk