About Ouray County, CO

If you're like most small businesses in today's economy you're probably looking for new and innovative ways to cut costs while still maintaining your day to day business activities. This is a common problem that we hear every day from small business owners and entrepreneurs in a wide variety of industries.

Many small businesses, self-employed individuals, and even large corporations are turning to a virtual office assistant to stay on top of administrative tasks while eliminating the need to fund a full-time staff. As USA Today wrote, "The savings come from being able to concentrate efforts on building the business instead of balancing the checkbook and typing envelopes."

Your time and money are worth more when you are able to concentrate on what you do best and leave the rest to an assistant.

What exactly is a virtual office assistant?
"Virtual Assistants (VAs) are independent entrepreneurs providing professional administrative, creative, managerial, technical, business office and/or personal support services. Virtual assistants use the most advanced means of communication, and the newest and most efficient and time-saving office products and work delivery, regardless of geographic boundaries. Virtual Assistants work from their own offices, on a contractual basis, and abide by an established Code of Ethics requiring integrity, honesty and due diligence."

~The Alliance for Virtual Business

What tasks can a virtual office assistant do for me?
Here are just a few tasks that a Virtual Office Assistant can handle for their clients:

§ Appointment Setting
§ Cold calling
§ Answering Phones
§ Database management
§ Newsletter preparation
§ Lead qualification
§ Internet marketing
§ Social networking activities

How much money can I save by hiring a virtual office assistant vs. an employee?
Although exact dollar amounts will vary, you can expect to see a huge savings in the following areas:

§ Avoid buying an additional computer for your assistant.
§ Avoid buying a desk for an assistant.
§ Avoid paying FICA (Social Security Tax) - legally!
§ Avoid paying unemployment tax - legally!
§ Avoid paying for holiday, vacation, and sick time.
§ Have happier workers who are more efficient at their jobs.
§ Pay ONLY for the time used/work produced - not several hours a week more due to a "9 to 5" workweek.
§ Finance your payroll with your credit card or PayPal account.
§ Get highly-skilled workers from around the country for a fraction of the cost of hiring locally.
§ Stay on budget with your staffing needs-you can set a cap with the virtual assistant.
§ Get daily reports from the virtual assistant so you can see where your money is going every day.

These things alone can add up to a substantial savings for any small business but at Team Double-Click® the savings don't stop there. For a limited time we're offering a 15% rate reduction on all of our virtual office assistant services in order to help clients combat a poor economy. We understand that if a company cuts costs too deeply it can no longer grow and so we're reaching out to small businesses everywhere who are interested in saving money without taking away from their business.

If you would like a free consultation to see how a virtual assistant can save money for your business please visit us at www.teamdoubleclick.com. Talk to one of our experienced Virtual Services Representatives and start saving money today!

You are welcome to reprint this article as long as the following byline is included: Team Double-Click^® provides virtual assistance for small and home-based businesses. Visit Team Double-Click's Web site at http://www.teamdoubleclick.com or phone 888.827.9129.

In today's economy small businesses are looking for new and innovative ways to cut costs yet still maintain their day to day business activities.

Many small businesses, self-employed individuals, and even large corporations are turning to a virtual office assistant to stay on top of administrative tasks while eliminating the need to fund a full-time staff. As USA Today wrote, "The savings come from being able to concentrate efforts on building the business instead of balancing the checkbook and typing envelopes."

Your time and money are worth more when you are able to concentrate on what you do best and leave the rest to an assistant.

What exactly is a virtual office assistant?

"Virtual Assistants (VAs) are independent entrepreneurs providing professional administrative, creative, managerial, technical, business office and/or personal support services. Virtual assistants use the most advanced means of communication, and the newest and most efficient and time-saving office products and work delivery, regardless of geographic boundaries. Virtual Assistants work from their own offices, on a contractual basis, and abide by an established Code of Ethics requiring integrity, honesty and due diligence."

~The Alliance for Virtual Business

What tasks can a virtual office assistant do for me?

Here are just a few tasks that a Virtual Office Assistant can handle for their clients:

•§ Appointment Setting

•§ Cold calling

•§ Answering Phones

•§ Database management

•§ Newsletter preparation

•§ Lead qualification

•§ Internet marketing

•§ Social networking activities

How much money can I save by hiring a virtual office assistant vs. an employee?

Although exact dollar amounts will vary, you can expect to see a huge savings in the following areas:

•§ Avoid buying an additional computer for your assistant.

•§ Avoid buying a desk for an assistant.

•§ Avoid paying FICA (Social Security Tax) - legally!

•§ Avoid paying unemployment tax - legally!

•§ Avoid paying for holiday, vacation, and sick time.

•§ Have happier workers who are more efficient at their jobs.

•§ Pay ONLY for the time used/work produced - not several hours a week more due to a "9 to 5" workweek.

•§ Finance your payroll with your credit card or PayPal account.

•§ Get highly-skilled workers from around the country for a fraction of the cost of hiring locally.

•§ Stay on budget with your staffing needs-you can set a cap with the virtual assistant.

•§ Get daily reports from the virtual assistant so you can see where your money is going every day.

At Team Double-Click® the savings don't stop there. For a limited time we're offering a 15% rate reduction on all of our virtual office assistant services in order to help clients combat a poor economy. We understand that if a company cuts costs too deeply it can no longer grow and so we're reaching out to small businesses everywhere who are interested in saving money.

Please visit us at www.teamdoubleclick.com to get your free consultation from one of our experienced Virtual Services Representatives. Let us help save you money today!

Team Double-Click® provides virtual assistance for small and home-based businesses. By using Team Double-Click® virtual assistants, clients can cut costs and increase revenue by hiring virtually. Visit Team Double Click®'s Web site at www.teamdoubleclick.com or phone 888.827.9129.

NOTE: You may publish this article for your magazine, trade journal, newspapers, business journals, website and/or Ezine provided you keep it in its original

Want your business to grow? What kind of question is that, right? Of course you do. Unless of course you're already making all the money you want and have all the free time you need. But then who in business ever has enough of either? That's right - business owners are ambitious people who are always looking for more, more, more. And correctly utilizing your virtual assistant is just the way to get it for you!

So what can you do to make more money and gain more free time? How about putting your virtual assistant to better use for starters? Quite often we find that even though our clients are very interested in and concur with the virtual-working concept, they don't quite know how to use their virtual administrative assistant to his or her fullest potential.

Avoiding the "it's-easier-to-do-it-myself" syndrome

It's important to first remember that your virtual assistant is there, period. And she's there to assist you. She's there to take things off your plate that are keeping you from contributing to the bottom line. This can be difficult when you don't see her smiling face each morning. Here are some ideas to help you remember that your virtual assistant is there:

When your virtual assistant sends her daily reporting to you, use that as a trigger to think of other tasks she could be doing to free up your time to sell more, make more deals, or spend time with family.

Keep a journal of your daily activities. This will help you to pinpoint your virtual assistance needs. Jot down some notes throughout the day or use a small tape recorder to track the tasks you're doing. Look (or listen) back through those notes and take a critical look at what items you shouldn't be spending your time on. Then decide which ones your admin can do instead.

Remember: a virtual administrative assistant can do almost anything that an in-person assistant can do. It's just a difference of how you send tasks to her.

Getting work to your virtual assistant should be easy. Instead of buzzing the intercom button, program her number into your speed dial. Instead of walking a paper folder to her office, hit the attach button in a new email and send it to her.

One of the biggest traps is thinking that "it will just be quicker and easier to do this task myself". Not so! Yes, it will take you a few minutes to show your virtual assistant how to do that particular task. However, the next time it needs to be done, all you need do is say "Jane, please do task XYZ - just like I showed you last time." Voila, time saved!

There are probably a lot of things you're doing each day that your virtual assistant could take over for you. Decreasing your workload means you'll have more time to spend growing your business and making the connections you need to make. It means more money in your pocket. It'll also mean more free time for you to spend with your family. It's all about consciously remembering that your assistant is there to help you grow your business.

If you're ever unsure of how to make good use of your virtual assistant or what things you can have her do, don't hesitate to talk to your Virtual Services Rep. We're all here to serve you and help you get the most out of working with Team Double-Click®.

Matt Fein
Fein Properties

What industry do you work in? How many years have you been in that industry?

Real estate, 5 years

How long have you been Team Double-Click®?

About a year and a half.

Why did you choose Team Double-Click®? How did you learn about us?

Was referred by another agent in my office - Lorita Kimble

Was it difficult getting started with a Team Double-Click® Virtual Assistant?

It took a little time to get the VA trained on some things, but it was much easier than when I had in-house assistants

How do you get work to your VA?

Email/fax

What work is the VA managing for you?

Listings and closings management. Returning some calls. Coordinating advertising. Vendor management

Is there any special software you use to manage your VA's tasks?

Top Producer

What systems did you have in place prior to bringing on a VA, or did you change any in order to work with a VA?

I was using Top Producer before using the VA - it was easy to train her on the software and get her up and running.

Did you have to overcome any obstacles to working with your VA?

Not really, the work she does is easily done by phone, online or by fax.

What impact has the VA had on your business?

It has freed me up from doing administrative stuff - allowing me to grow my business (or take time off).

Has your VA been receptive to additional training opportunities? If so, have they helped in the success of your business?

Yes she has - very eager to learn new things. She has helped the success of the business too - one example is a suggestion she had for marketing that greatly increased the number of calls we received.

How are you combating a poor economy while using a VA?

I am actually using the VA more now than from last year, since I am busier. So even though the economy is not doing well, my business so far is doing OK.

Here is a great article that I came across!

Organize and Search Twitter Tweets Quickly and Easily
© Shelly Hokanson

Twitter is a fantastic communication tool, but it is easy to be overwhelmed with messages. Organize tweets with TweetDeck and never miss another message.

Twitter is all the rage - the micro-blogging service that allows users to post short messages online and on the go via text messages. Its simplicity is apparent. Users are encouraged to answer one simple question: "What are you doing?"

The trouble is, Twitter's interface is purely chronological. Whether accessing Twitter via the web or via text messages on a mobile phone, users see nothing more than a chronological list of messages (or "tweets"). TweetDeck was designed to make it easier to organize, search, and post tweets.

Tweet Deck Features : What is TweetDeck?

· Groups

· Reply Tracking

• Search

The most handy feature of TweetDeck is the "Groups" feature. It allows users to create groups for sorting Twitter friends. One approach to sorting friends is to create groups to separate the chatty types from those whose posts are of the "must see" variety.

Another is to sort friends based on interests, such as sports, technology, poker, photography, etc. Local friends can be grouped separately from internet friends, work friends separately from personal friends - the possibilities are endless. Grouping in TweetDeck makes it much easier to keep up with the must-see tweets.

In keeping with the theme of organizing tweets, TweetDeck has an impressive reply tracking feature. Replies sent directly to you from friends automatically show up in the Replies column in TweetDeck, as well as any messages that mention your username via the @username syntax. Simple buttons allow users to quickly reply or send a direct message back to friends.

The Search feature in TweetDeck is a handy way to keep up with interesting topics. Searches can be performed locally to find matches within existing tweets from friends, or globally to find matches from all public posts on Twitter. The search terms will remain in effect until the Search column in TweetDeck is closed. This is a great way to find new friends with common interests on Twitter.

TweetDeck collects tweets as long as it is running. Users can step away from the computer (such as, to sleep at night) and come back to find all of the evening's tweets waiting to be read come morning. It can save up to 48 hours worth of tweets.

Interface and Integrated Tools

Aside from these useful organizational features, TweetDeck also makes it easy to post tweets to Twitter. The interface includes a character count so that messages don't exceed the 140 character limit.

TweetDeck is integrated with several common Twitter tools:

· Bit.ly - a built-in tool to shorten web URL's for posting to tweets

· TwitPic.com - a tool that allows users to post photos to Twitter

• TwitScoop.com - a tool that displays a cloud of keywords that are currently popular on Twitter

TweetDeck's interface is customizable and allows users to display anything from a single column to a full screen multi-column layout. A multi-column layout is particularly useful running full screen on a second monitor, for users with dual monitor configurations. It shows its status as well as Twitter's network status, and can be configured to sound audio alerts when new tweets arrive.

Downloading and Installing TweetDeck

TweetDeck can be downloaded free of charge at TweetDeck.com. It is an Adobe AIR based desktop application available for Windows Vista and XP, Mac OS X, and Linux. If the Adobe AIR runtime is not already installed, the TweetDeck installer will prompt users to install it. (Adobe AIR is a tool that allows developers to create internet based applications that run on the desktop).

At the time of writing, TweetDeck is in a public beta testing stage with version 0.16.1. It is a free application, but its developers gladly accept donations via PayPal for the continued development of TweetDeck.

Source: TweetDeck.com

The copyright of the article Twitter Tools: TweetDeck in Social Networking/Tagging is owned by Shelly Hokanson. Permission to republish Twitter Tools: TweetDeck in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Read more: "Twitter Tools: TweetDeck: Organize and Search Twitter Tweets Quickly and Easily" - http://social-networking-tagging.suite101.com/article.cfm/twitter_tools_tweetdeck#ixzz0AmvtV3Oh