According to Blog Energizer, one of my favourite sources of blog inspiration, September is Shameless Promotion Month. Although you should be shamelessly promoting your business all the time, you might be shy about “tooting your own horn” or feel that you have nothing new to say, so in honour of Shameless Promotion Month, here are three ideas from Michael Fletcher’s Shameless … A Business Coach’s Guide to Success.

1. Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Your USP explains what makes you different from your competitors by answering three questions:

1. What do you have to offer?
2. What makes you unique?
3. Why should anyone choose to do business with you?

The answers to these questions should be clear in all of your marketing materials and in the way you introduce yourself to others. I’m constantly refining my self-introduction, but it currently goes something like this:

I am a virtual assistant specializing in supporting professional organizers. I help my clients to enhance their online presence by creating and maintaining their websites, blogs, and social networking profiles. As a former professional organizer, I understand the challenges faced by my clients, and by their clients, and am familiar with the resources available to deal with those issues.

I’m looking forward to this month’s Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group meeting, when we’ll be discussing ways to enhance your 30 second introduction to capture people’s attention and make them remember you.

2. Continuity Programs

A continuity program is a way of motivating people to do business with you again. Here are a few examples:

• Lots of stores give you points every time you buy something, and you can use your accumulated points towards a free product.
• When you purchase a copy of The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers, you receive coupons worth 50% off 31 Days to Build a Better Blog and Practical SEO Copywriting.
• At Organized Assistant, we offer a discount to clients who purchase more than 25 hours of services in a 12-month period.

3. Video Brochures

These days, video is becoming a very popular marketing tool. Today’s technology makes it really easy to create your own videos and upload them to YouTube, Facebook, your blog, and many other places. I admit I’m a little behind the times on this one, but I have a couple of videos on YouTube, thanks to Marie Mushing of People in Connection.

Marie’s been telling me about a cool service called ComF5 that she’s started using which lets you embed videos in email and other exciting things, and I’m looking forward to learning more about it.

What “shameless promotion” strategies are you using for your business?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Shameless Promotions: 3 Ways to Market Your Business.

When I first started my virtual assistant practice, administration was a tricky business. I had to create an agreement in Microsoft Word, save it as a PDF, and email it to my new client. The client would then have to print it, sign it, and either fax it back to me or scan it and then email it back to me.

At the same time, I would create an invoice in Excel, save it as a PDF, and email it to my client, who would then send me a cheque or pay by PayPal. In some cases, the client would email to ask how to make a payment using PayPal, generating yet another step. If I knew ahead of time that the client preferred to pay by PayPal, I could use the PayPal invoicing tool, but then I didn’t have the option of including my business logo on the invoice.

Once Scott assumed responsibility for these tasks, the burden shifted to him. He tried using PayPal’s Payment Request Wizard for Outlook, but found that it didn’t really eliminate any steps, it just changed what the steps were. For myself, although I was freed from doing the work, I no longer had easy access to the information when I needed it.

Fortunately, I learned about some free online resources that have simplified both of these functions, and they just might work well for your business too.

EchoSign

EchoSign is a secure online signature service that makes things a little easier at our end, and a whole lot easier for our clients. We still create our agreements in Word and save them as PDFs, but after that, the entire process is automated.

When we upload the PDF to Echosign and enter the client’s email address, a copy is sent to him or her. Once they’ve reviewed it, they only need to click to indicate their acceptance, and a copy of the “signed” agreement is emailed to us. It’s that easy!

The only drawback is that the email shows as coming from echosign.com and not from us, and is occasionally blocked by our client’s spam filter, but it hasn’t been a big problem.

We’ve been using the free version for over a year, which allows for up to five signatures per month, but if at some point it no longer meets our needs, we will happily upgrade to the paid version, because it works so well. In addition to unlimited signatures, the four premium versions offer a variety of additional features to meet the needs of small business through to global enterprises. It can even be integrated with other applications, including Google Apps, Salesforce, and eFax, for even further streamlining.

Billing Boss

If EchoSign is the best thing since sliced bread, then Billing Boss is the best thing since… bread. It is exactly the tool I’ve been looking for since day one.

With Billing Boss, you simply upload your logo and enter your business information, and you’re ready to start sending invoices. There are only eight styles to choose from, but some are quite basic, so with the addition of your own logo, it’s not hard to find one that’s suitable.

You can either import your client list or enter the information as needed. It will then be stored within the application for future use.

Select the client, enter your invoice details, and send it by email. If you accept PayPal, there will be a space on the client’s copy where they can click to make a payment. Other online payment methods may be added with an optional upgrade. Mobile payment processing is another optional upgrade that would be useful for professionals who don’t always work from their office.

By using the system to track when you receive payments, you can see at any given time which invoices are outstanding or overdue, and generate reports to track your income. Because the invoices are all stored within your account, you can easily resend an invoice if the client needs another copy, either for payment or for year-end tax purposes.

You can also give read-only access to your bookkeeper or accountant, eliminating the need to hand over printed copies.

I am just thrilled at the ways these tools have streamlined our operations. In an ideal world, we could integrate the two processes, but who knows… that day may come!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on How to Streamline Operations without Breaking the Bank.

I recently spent the night at a hotel whose corporate website declares their commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, and was pleased to see this commitment in action.

There were cards in the room that explained how much energy is consumed when towels and bedding are washed every day and outlined the procedure to follow if you wish to reuse these items. Since I was only staying one night, it wasn’t relevant to my stay, but I was happy to see it none the less.

Our room was equipped with china coffee mugs and real glassware, which is much more pleasant to use than disposables, in addition to reducing waste.

When we checked in, the climate control in our room was set to Fan Only, and we had the ability to adjust the settings and even to turn it off and open the window. They even used energy-saving light bulbs!

Overall, I felt it was a good reflection of the company’s stated policy and satisfied my personal environmental concerns as well.

It was a marked contrast to my stay at a different location of that same hotel a few weeks earlier. Upon arrival, I noticed a poster in the lobby stating that the hotel had implemented green initiatives, but I can only hope that the owner-operator of that location is purchasing carbon offsets, because that poster was the only indication of eco-awareness that I saw.

There was nothing in the rooms to indicate how to request that the maid leave your sheets and towels in place for you to reuse, or even to suggest that this was an option. The room was equipped with paper cups and Styrofoam coffee cups, and this bothered me not only on an environmental level, but on a comfort level. When I pay to stay at a hotel, I expect it to be at least as nice as home, if not nicer. Throwaway dishes just don’t cut it!

To top it off, the air conditioning was cranked so high that the room was freezing cold, and looking out the window, you could see the curtains blowing in the other vacant rooms as if there was a tornado in there.

As a business owner, this experience reinforced how important it is that we do what we say we are going to do, whether it’s about environmental responsibility or anything else. Customers may or may not care whether you donate a portion of your income to charity, but if you say that you do, you’d better do it! Otherwise, it’s better to say nothing at all.

Unless your heart, your soul, and your whole being are behind every decision you make, the words from your mouth will be empty, and each action will be meaningless.

~ Author unknown

How about you? Do you walk the walk, or do you just talk the talk?

Photo copyright 2009 Janet Barclay

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.

I hope you’re having an awesome summer – busy enough that you don’t get bored, but taking lots of time out to make the most of this season that is all too short!

I’ve been making weekly trips to the Hamilton Mountain Farmers’ Market and enjoying fresh local produce, including peaches, corn on the cob, tomatoes, and much more. Scott and I have also had some outdoor fun with friends and family and even went down to Port Dover for a day; here’s one of the photos I took – click on it to see a few more!

Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.
– Ada Louise Huxtable

Don’t let the fact that Labour Day is around the corner make you think that summer is nearly over… the nights may be a bit cooler, but there is still a lot of summer weather left for you to enjoy.

Photo copyright 2010 Janet Barclay

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Summertime.

The kids will be going back to school in just a few weeks and whether you have students in your household or not, your routine is likely to change dramatically. For one thing, there will be a significant increase in traffic on the roads, so you’ll need to allow more time to get places.

For many small business owners, things slow down during the summer due to vacations and other factors, but start up again in full gear in September. If you don’t have good systems in place before you get busy, you’ll find it hard to stay on top of things, as you’ll basically be operating in survival mode, dealing only with immediate concerns. Now is the best time to get yourself and your business organized so you’re ready when fall arrives.

The specific actions you need to take will depend on the nature of your business, your personal work style, and your current situation, but the following four steps will help guide you through the organizing process.

Step 1: Self-Assessment

Identify the problems you hope to solve by getting organized. Are you constantly running late? Do you typically reach the end of the day before you reach the end of your to-do list? Do you waste too much time looking for paperwork in your office or information on your computer?

As you recognize your challenges, try to determine why you have these problems and to think of possible solutions.

If you don’t seem to have enough space in your office, ask yourself if your office is too small, or if you simply have too much stuff! Perhaps you need some proper tools such as a filing cabinet or some type of desk organizer.

Sometimes it’s your own personality traits that stand in your way. Many people who struggle with perfectionism will spend hours fine-tuning a task that is already technically complete and would be considered “good enough” by others.

If you find yourself spending countless hours on work that is outside your area of expertise, weigh the value of taking a course to enhance your skills, or even hiring a professional to handle it for you, so that you have more time to focus on what you’re good at and really enjoy doing.

Albert Einstein once said

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

If you don’t look at new approaches in your business, you’ll never get ahead of where you are now.

Your self-assessment doesn’t just involve what isn’t working. You also need to identify what has worked for you in the past , so you can do more of it, or adapt it to fit your current situation.

Step 2: Planning

It’s not realistic to try and make too many changes at once, so decide what changes are most needed and focus on those.

Research your options. Find out what products and systems are available that might suit your needs and how much they cost.

If you need help getting organized, consider hiring a professional organizer.

Plan what you are going to do, and when you will do it. Schedule it in your calendar.

Purchase any supplies you will need in advance – don’t leave it until the last minute in case they’re not available and you have to delay your organizing project.

Step 3: Implementation

On the date or dates that you’ve set aside, get to work on your organizing project. Treat this appointment the same as if you were working with a very important client – no phone calls, no visitors, and no checking email.

If it’s difficult for you to sit and focus on a task for long stretches of time, set a timer for 1 hour, 30 minutes, or even 15 minutes – whatever is realistic for you – then take a short break.

Regardless of what you are organizing, the process mainly consists of:

• Sorting objects into categories – things you need to access on a regular basis, things you need for archive/storage only, things you can sell, things you can give away, things you should throw out, etc.
• Organizing the things you’re keeping so they are easy to find and access when needed
• Placing those things in suitable containers such as file folders, binders, or boxes, appropriately labelled, so they stay in their new homes

Step 4: Maintenance

The most important thing to remember is that getting organized is only the beginning. It takes effort and commitment and proper systems to stay organized.

You will need to review your system periodically to make sure it is still working for you, and adapt it as needed.

The above post contains the highlights of a presentation I gave yesterday for the People in Connection Burlington Network Group, and to thank you for reading my blog, I am sharing with you a special offer that I made to that group. From now until Labour Day, you can save 40% off all of my products by entering the coupon code PIC2010.

If you’re in the Golden Horseshoe area, you can pick up some additional tips for getting organized and ready for the fall business season at the following upcoming events:

Monday, August 9 – 12:30-2:30: Oakville

Wednesday, August 11 – 8:00-9:30: Hamilton (with guest speaker Julie Stobbe of Mind over Clutter)

Wednesday, August 11 – 11:30-1:00: St. Catharines

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Getting Your Business Organized for the Fall.

While speaking to a group about the correlation between personality type and organizing style, I said that Intuitive types are frequently multi-taskers, and that working on one thing at a time may be counterproductive for some. One of the audience members disagreed, stating that no one can be an efficient multi-tasker, and to think otherwise is self-deception.

In my presentation, I wasn’t really talking about a person who reads their email while talking on the phone, knits while watching television, or (shudder) texts while driving. I was actually thinking of the description in the Larry Demarest’s Looking at Type in the Workplace, where he says,

A person who prefers intuition… works in bursts, awaits inspiration, may skip around, pursuing what “strikes my fancy”

Since only about 25% of the population are Intuitives, it’s not surprising that the idea that this work style can be effective would be foreign to the remaining 75% who are Sensors. The majority of time management experts stress the importance of making a prioritized list and working through it sequentially, and for most people, this works well, but it’s important to realize that we’re not all the same.

If your brain just won’t connect with the first item on your to-do list, you could waste hours trying to get it done while your mind keeps considering other possibilities. Instead, if you allow yourself to work on what most inspires and excites you at the moment, you can be very productive. There is a chance that you’ll fizzle out before you finish, but rather than banging your head against your desk in frustration, you can put that project aside until it calls you again, and move on to something else.

I suppose this isn’t technically “multi-tasking” since you are only working on one task at any given moment, but what should we call it? “Serial tasking” perhaps? The important thing is not to label it, but to recognize it as a valid work style that may or may not be right for you.

To learn more about personality type and organizing style, order my e-book, Organizing Your Life, Your Way.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Is Multi-Tasking a Valid Work Style?.

Since one of my favourite activities is creating new WordPress sites, I was thrilled when Sharon Graham asked me to develop a new blog for Career Professionals of Canada (CPC).

The project presented me with some unique challenges, as the blog needed to match the look and feel of the CPC website as much as possible, and we needed a way for non-registered users to submit job postings and events for career practitioners. In addition, Sharon had some very specific requirements around the way the information is presented, which could not be accomplished by using standard WordPress widgets.

For the design, I decided to start with the iThemes Builder theme. Although I’d been using Headway as the basis for my recent custom designs, including this blog, I’d enjoyed working with some of iThemes‘ other premium themes and was eager to put Builder to the test. In some ways I like Headway better, but in other ways I prefer Builder, and I’ll share my detailed comparison in a future post.

For the forms, we decided to go with Gravity Forms, which is the most powerful and user-friendly contact form plug-in I’ve ever worked with, even better than Contact Form 7, which I’ve always found to be quite good.

To accommodate the other requests, I found some other plug-ins that did the trick quite nicely, but I can’t give away all my secrets now, can I?

If you are a career professional, especially a Canadian one, you will want to subscribe to the CPC blog and receive expert advice for you and your clients and up-to-date industry information, including career opportunities.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Introducing the CPC Blog.

In addition to using Facebook to promote my business, Organized Assistant, I create and manage Facebook pages for many of my clients, so I am always eager to learn new tips and techniques. After attending Mari Smith’s two sessions on Facebook at Social Media Success Summit 2010, I found myself hungering for even more information, so I ordered a copy of Facebook Marketing an Hour a Day, which she wrote with Chris Treadway.

Before reading the book, I had thought it would explain how you can maintain a strong presence for your business in only 60 minutes a day, but that’s not quite what it’s about. It is actually a sixteen-week program, taking you from planning to implementation and evaluating your results. Every day has an assigned task which should take approximately one hour to complete, making it ideal for readers who prefer a practical, structured approach to learning.

The “course outline” is as follows:

Month 1: Create the Plan and Get Started

Month 2: Establish Corporate Presence with Pages and Groups

Month 3: Create Demand with Facebook Ads

Month 4: Advanced Tactics and Campaign Integration

The principles are the same whether you are a solo entrepreneur or in charge of marketing for a major corporation, however, it is my impression that much of the material in the book would be more relevant to the latter. Quite a bit of space was devoted to how you can justify to management why Facebook marketing is important, and although this might be useful to me if I’m trying to sell the idea to a client, most of the people that I deal with simply can’t relate to a $10,000 marketing budget, and simply scaling down the numbers doesn’t necessarily make sense.

I was hoping that this book could teach me how to create the beautiful custom tabs you see on so many Facebook pages. It did not address that, but it provided enough insight that I have been able to learn the basics on my own and create a simple one for Kathy Stinson, and I’m looking forward to doing more in this area.

Even though it wasn’t quite what I expected, I am pleased to report that there is a wealth of valuable information in this volume, much of which is not limited to Facebook but is relevant to any form of social media marketing. As was discussed at WordCamp Toronto 2010, it’s next to impossible to talk about any component of social media in isolation, because they all work together so closely.

Facebook changes so often that no one can know for sure what the future will hold, so the Appendix containing the opinions of six industry experts on “The Future of Facebook” was particularly fascinating. It is clear that social media in general, and Facebook in particular, are going to continue to play a major role in people’s lives, so it’s going to become increasingly important for businesses to get involved if they don’t want to get left behind.

Whether or not you choose to follow the daily steps, this book is an excellent guide for anyone wanting a better understanding of how Facebook works and how they can leverage it to promote their business.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Book Review: Facebook Marketing an Hour a Day.

Since we Canadians have a reputation for being more introverted than our American neighbours, I can’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate our nation’s birthday than by spending some time enjoying a great Canadian book.

There is no shortage of titles to choose from, but here are a few that I’ve enjoyed, including some that you may not have heard of before.

Before Green Gables

Originally published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables is one of the bestselling Canadian books of all time. Even if you haven’t read it, you’re probably familiar with its imaginative red-haired heroine, as the book has inspired movies and TV mini-series, as well as a musical stage play.

What you may not have heard is that the heirs of author L.M. Montgomery asked Budge Wilson to write a prequel to tell the story of Anne’s life before she was adopted by the Cuthberts. I received a copy as a gift a couple of years ago, and I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about reading it. After all, Anne of Green Gables was my very favourite book when I was growing up, and I’ve read the entire series multiple times (with the exception of The Blythes Are Quoted, which I’ve just learned about), so I know Anne nearly as well as I know myself.

Much to my delight, Budge Wilson did an amazing job, both in her writing style and content, of convincing me that this was “the real deal.” In fact, several times I found myself nodding in delight to discover the stories behind the stories that I know and love so well.

If you’re a fan of Anne of Green Gables, you will not want to miss Before Green Gables.

Marie-Claire

I suspect that you’ve read Red is Best, by Kathy Stinson, either as a child or to your own children, but are you familiar with Kathy’s Marie-Claire books, written as part of the Our Canadian Girl series? If not, or if you haven’t read the whole series, you are in luck, because Penguin has recently published all four novels in one volume. It’s a great glimpse at life in Montreal in the 1880s that’s suitable for readers aged 8 and up.

Jalna

As a teenager, I thoroughly enjoyed Mazo de la Roche’s story of a Canadian family over a 100-year period, the Whiteoak Chronicles. Unless you’re prepared to commit to reading all 16 volumes, I don’t recommend reading Building of Jalna first, even though it is the beginning of the saga. You are probably better off starting with Jalna, which was the first one published, in 1927. Then, if you like it, you can go back and read all the sequels and prequels in the order that they take place, from Building of Jalna to Centenary at Jalna.

In case you’re wondering, Jalna is the name of the Whiteoaks family’s home, named for the place in India where Captain Philip Whiteoaks had been stationed.

Do you prefer non-fiction? I’ve got some suggestions for you too!

Organizing Outside the Box

If you’d like to be more organized, or you provide organizing services to others, I highly recommend this award-winning book from Hellen Buttigieg, who is possibly Canada’s best-known organizing expert. It begins with tips to help you assess whether you or your client is a visual, kinesthetic, or auditory learner, and offers strategies for each of the three learning styles, including photos of suggested products. It even includes recommendations for handling those tricky situations when people with different learning styles share space at home or at work!

Photography for the Joy of It

I love photography, and although I don’t have as much time for it as I used to, I’ve read a lot of photography books of all kinds. Many were practical manuals that explained technical terms like f-stop and focal length, things that are useful to know, but not exciting to read about. The books I found most inspiring were those that taught me to see pictures in the world around me, and many of my favourites were written by Freeman Patterson. With today’s highly automated cameras, although it can still be helpful, it is no longer essential to understand the technical side of photography, but books like Photography for the Joy of It will always be needed and appreciated by photographers at all levels.

If you’re curious about what I’ve been reading lately, check out My Recent Reads widget at the bottom of my Lifestream page.

What are your favourite Canadian books? I would love to know!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Five Ways to Celebrate Canada Day.

Earlier this year, Allison Maslan visited my blog to tell us about her Blast Off! Dream Career Questionnaire and her new book, Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality. At that time I said I’d be posting my review of the book, and today I’m going to make good on that promise.

Maslan’s book is based on the Blast Off! Coaching Program which she developed to help others achieve their goals, after turning her own life around, both personally and professionally.

The first chapter provides an outline of the program and describes the tools that you will use as you work towards your goals. The remaining chapters are each dedicated to a specific goal area, including career, relationship, health, and prosperity. This is a real time-saver, because you can choose to read only the chapters that pertain to your specific goals. I do, however, recommend reading the whole book when you have the time, because it’s full of nuggets that you may find helpful, even in areas of your life where you generally feel satisfied. Some are real eye-openers, some may be difficult to accept, and others are simply reminders of things we already know but aren’t putting into practice for one reason or another. For example, here’s an excerpt from the chapter Blast Off! to a Life of Passion and Meaning:

Four Ways to Build the Back End of Passion

1. Establish good nutrition. It’s easy to fall into fast food or snacking when you are so engrossed in your passion that you’re not taking the time to eat right.
2. Eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep is one of the most healing, energizing medicines, and it is absolutely critical for a creative mind. Did you know that sleep deprivation is used as a brainwashing technique? Without sleep, you are living in survival mode, which is the opposite of a passionate life.
3. Take a passion break once a week. Most of my creativity comes when I’m not working. When my mind is clear and I’m exploring or having fun, the ideas have room to appear. Turn off your phone. Shut down your computer. Go spend the day outdoors in nature, go to a movie, take a bike ride, or visit some friends. Talk about things other than your passion. (For a few minutes, anyway.)
4. Get physical. Especially if your passion is of the intellectual persuasion, you must get into your body. If you’re living from the neck up, your body needs to be enlivened. Choose exercise that you can sustain by doing activities that you will enjoy, such as dance, running, swimming, biking or boxing. Mix it up! It’s more beneficial to incorporate more than one activity to stimulate various muscle groups in the body. You will also stimulate the serotonin in your brain for more creativity and mood enhancement. You will prevent fatigue and burnout as you stimulate your cardiovascular system, get your blood pumping, and your billions of cells moving. Ahhhhhhh.

I ask you, do you know anyone who couldn’t benefit from taking this advice?

What I liked best about the book is that it doesn’t just tell you what to do. Instead, each chapter includes a series of practical exercises to help you identify the changes you want to implement and the steps you need to take to reach your ultimate goal. Furthermore, the exercises are unique for each chapter, and not just re-worded to suit the topic. A lot of people may resist doing the exercises because they require effort, but I’m a firm believer that the more you put into something, the more you’ll get out of it.

Readers can follow the program independently, with a partner, or with a Blast Off! Group. Guidance around forming a Blast Off! Group is provided in the book.

If you’d like to try out Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality for yourself, you can order a copy from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Book Review: Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality.