Category: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

10 Networking Tips

Post author By Caroline
Post date October 28, 2020

10 Networking Tips

Networking has been a lifeline for me so I thought I would put together 10 tips that may help...

1. Prepare your elevator pitch. Be enthusiastic and Smile. Be concise when explaining your business and what you have to offer. You may want to focus on just one of your services rather than bombarding everyone with everything you do. Usually you have 60 secs, so keep it upbeat and interesting, don't ramble.

2. You may want to use a testimonial or a story about how you have helped a customer or client. This will get people to imagine you helping them and how they can use your service. You can describe your ideal customer too.

3. Try not to gravitate towards the people that you already know. Reach out to people that you don't know and make New connections.

4. Use the business cards and attendance sheets you receive to write notes for each person you meet. What did you talk about? how can you help them? how can they help you? A sharpie pen is best to use when writing on business cards as some have a shiny layer which is difficult to write on with a normal pen.

5. Real business starts when you leave. Make contact within 48hours, the sooner you reach out the easier the conversation will flow. Even if you have got business cards that you have had for a while, still reach out, although this is not recommended you never know you could still be contacting them at the right time.

6. Connect with people using LinkedIn, Facebook and all their other social media platforms. Write a personal note, this is a great way to start a conversation and remind them that you met at a certain event, what you spoke about and how you can help each other.

7. Arrange a 121, 60 seconds isn’t a long time, this is why 121’s can be so valuable. You can find out so much more about each other which could potentially benefit you both.

8. Remember to get permission before adding anyone to your email list, if you find someone may benefit from being on your email list, make sure you ask first.

9. Add new contacts to your CRM system or contacts database. You may find that someone you have met will not bring you business today or you may not be able to help them right away but it’s worth keeping their information for the future.

10. Always keep referrals and introductions in mind. You may be able to introduce 2 people that could help each other, you can cc them into an email or message them both on LinkedIn.

Happy Networking!!

Contact

Virtual Assistant Services in Chelmsford

Uncategorized

You’ve been networking…

Post author By Caroline
Post date October 26, 2020

You've been Networking but what do you do with the Business Cards & Attendance Sheets?

So, you have signed up and paid for the networking event, you have spent time preparing your pitch, making it interesting and engaging and off you go either virtually or in person.

Your pitch goes great, you make some potentially brilliant connections, you even make notes on the business card or attendance sheet about each person. Notes on what you spoke about, how you can help, how they can help you, who you can introduce to them. You leave with lots of future 121’s, possible clients or collaborations, You have a Great time, then what do you do?

What do you do with those new business cards do they get stuffed into “that draw” you know, the one that you will definitely sort out tomorrow or do you strategically place them on your continuously growing To Do pile? All waiting for that day that it all gets too much and it all ends up in the bin. What happens to the emailed attendance sheet, does it even get opened?

I have been given many boxes full of business cards from clients, saying “I’ve been meaning to connect with these people and add them to my CRM for months, I can’t even remember where I met them now?” Only to find some of these connections would have been extremely valuable in many ways.

With most networking events being online now, it has been even easier for my clients to forward their attendance sheets to me, or some print it off, write all over it, take a photo and send it over to me. I will then connect with each one, with a personal message and add them to their contacts database.

I have helped many clients keep on top of their new networking connections and whilst these events are fresh in each of their minds, conversations are easier which can generate more opportunities.

The reason you attend these networking events is to make connections and show off your business, but the real business starts when you leave, why don’t you be the one to make the first move.
Get the most out of your networking, let me help you build your connections.

Contact

Virtual Assistant Services in Chelmsford

Uncategorized

Why, Sometimes I’ve believed as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast

Post author By Caroline
Post date October 12, 2020

Why, Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

Who has had that Big Idea or that little nugget of information that could help your business grow, only for other things to get in the way and it gets forgotten?

Being a business owner comes with all sorts of responsibility and decision making, new ideas are being pushed your way to help your business grow but how can you keep up with it all.

Most people I speak to struggle with their social media posts and keeping consistent. They have all had that Big idea which they do for a couple of days and then the momentum drops and that Big Idea gets lost.

Don’t be that person that posts all of the time and then vanishes, only to come back a few months later when things have quietened down. This gets people wondering about you in the wrong way, somebody may have been watching your posts and just as they are about to contact you, you disappear and they look for someone else to do the work instead.

By staying consistent, not only are you staying in the front of people’s minds you are staying relevant and keeping your customers wondering about you for the right reasons.

There is no magic formula as to how often you should post on your social media, I think the most important thing is to at least post regularly, even if it is once a week, so when a potential client, customer or new connection looks at your profile they will see you are active. If your last post is 3 years ago this will make them wonder if you are even trading anymore.

If you find yourself having those great ideas and haven’t got the time to put them into action, please get in touch and we will get a strategy in place so you can stay active online whilst you carry on doing the job you trained for…

I am here to listen to your ideas and act on them so you can get back to the jobs you enjoy. I wouldn’t attempt to fix my electrics in my house, I would get an electrician, so why not get someone else to do your admin…

Contact

Virtual Assistant Services in Chelmsford

Uncategorized

My Husband laughs when I use the Phonetic Alphabet

Post author By Caroline
Post date October 2, 2020

My Husband laughs when I use the phonetic alphabet.

One of my first jobs was working at a Car Auction, the use of the phonetic alphabet was standard practice. This has been something I have carried on to use and still after 12 Years and 12 months of marriage, my husband still looks at me with a smirk in the same way he did when he first heard me say my postcode over the phone using the phonetic alphabet.

It has become natural for me to automatically turn away from him when I’m about to say anything in this way before he peers over and pulls “that face” the one that says “Ooooo look at you!”.

It does save confusion, when quoting letters over the phone, a postcode, an email address. I was on a call the other day with a client and she was reading out a code I needed to take from her and her phonetic alphabet was brilliant, it including H for Hello, S for Smile and Y for Yippee.

Who else uses the phonetic alphabet? Do you have your own one? Or do you make it up as you go along?

Contact

Virtual Assistant Services in Chelmsford

Uncategorized

Have You Got a Favourite Piece of Stationery?

Post author By Caroline
Post date September 1, 2020

Have you got a favourite piece of stationery?

I have always loved stationery, one of my favourite places as a child was "The Stationery Shop" in town. I would love looking at the rows and rows of pristine coloured pens. I would try them out on the ripped, scraggily piece of paper sitting on the edge of the stand.

One of my husband's first presents for me was a Parker pen with a pink case a gold lid, I still have it and I still love it, it's a special pen I use on special occasions. Since then he has bought me lots more, all of them special in their own individual way.

My husband got me a pen for my birthday!

I was telling a close friend what I got for my birthday, when I casually said "I got a Pen" in horror she said "a Pen? I would go mad if I got a pen from my husband". This got me thinking I can't be the only person who loves stationery, can I?

Getting my children prepared to go back to school brings back the warm memories of picking my special pens, pencils, pencil cases, note pad and the rest of the exciting things I "needed" to start my new year. I would spend ages organising which pen goes in which case and finding the "best" colours by writing my signature over and over comparing the colours. I watched my daughter do this the other day and felt her satisfaction as she got everything in order, all ready and perfect to start her new year.

You can imagine my excitement when I found out you can now buy highlighter pens that can be erased? I had to get them, so when a job has been done and you need to change the highlighted colour or you make a mistake you can erase it out! Well I was in heaven trying them out.

Have you got a favourite piece of stationery? Or am I on my own here?

Contact

Virtual Assistant Services in Chelmsford

Uncategorized

Find Your Missing Piece…

Post author By Caroline
Post date August 31, 2020

caroline payne, virtual pa chelmsford essex, va chelmsford, pa essex

Find Your Missing Piece by Doing What You Enjoy

Helping my Mum with her puzzles as a child is a happy memory, I would be in awe as to how quickly she would find the pieces and put them in their space. She would casually place a piece next to a gap in the puzzle for me to add, so I could feel the sense of achievement, a gesture I have followed when my children help me now.

As a Mum and business owner, “wasting time” on a jigsaw puzzle is rare and usually only enjoyed during the Christmas holidays or when all my jobs are done, are they ever done? These were my own restrictions as I would feel guilty that I could be spending this time on Mum Stuff or Making Money.

Until chatting to a lady a few days ago (who I found out is a fellow puzzler, yay!) we were talking about the things we would do if we had the time, I explained my guilt when thinking about doing a jigsaw and she simply said “Why do you like them so much” after a bit of thought I said “Well, it relaxes me, I love the sense of organisation and achievement, my mind gets taken away, I feel happy”.

She casually said “Do you know how much a therapist would charge to make you feel those things?” I laughed as I knew exactly what she meant! What a Gem to carry with me.

If you are wondering, Yes, the lady I was speaking to is a Therapist. I could tell you so many “gems” she has given me.

Judy Hoskins from Mind Shift Coaching helps so many people in so many different ways. All members at her WIBN Groups love her and her Mind Shift Coaching is invaluable. Judy has a way of making you feel good about all the decisions you have made even when you didn’t feel happy with them yourself. She effortlessly shows you how to make your future better and How to Feel Good Fast. Thank you Judy Hoskins

Contact

Virtual Assistant Services in Chelmsford

Uncategorized

How long do you wait until you know you have been stood up on Zoom?

Post author By Caroline
Post date August 28, 2020

How long do you wait until you know you have been stood up on Zoom?

It has never happened to me before!

I was ready, notepad, pen, diary and cup of tea.

11.00 - Start Meeting, No one there, Ok, I’ll check my phone and keep an eye on the screen in case I need to click Admit.

11.03 - “I’ll wait till 11.05 and I’ll send a polite message to let her know I’m Here”

11.05 - send message

Sitting staring at myself through the camera on my computer. Waiting, “the colour of my top looks different on screen”, check phone. Waiting, send message to school friends group. Waiting, check I still have pen. Waiting, check the polite message has been opened, nope. Waiting, send another message to rearrange meeting. Waiting

11.15 - Leave Meeting. Bitter Sweet – I have gained an extra hour Woo Hoo.

15 minutes I waited is it long enough? I guess it was in this instance as I never heard back, I could still be waiting!

How long would you wait? Is there a rule?