KeyNotes Newsletter
September 2006

Greetings,

Several readers contacted me, wondering where their August issue of KeyNotes was. Thank you for your nice emails of concern. As you now know, KeyNotes was on hiatus while I enjoyed some trips up to coastal Maine and down to coastal Rhode Island.

As a virtual assistant, my clients trust that I will handle things for their businesses while they are away. I felt it was time to trust my assistants to handle things here for me so I could take some off, too.

Running a business doesn't have to mean endless hours of work upon work. Start delegating, trusting, and remember one of the reasons why you went into business for yourself - freedom!

We're back now. And we hope you all enjoyed your summer!

I would like to share this article on autoresponders. They're used more widely now, and NOT just when a business owner is out of the office. Enjoy.

Coaches and Speakers: Still not using autoresponders?
by Donna Toothaker

Boy are you missing out!

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve subscribed to a coach’s, speaker’s, or any online business owner’s eNewsletter that did not generate an immediate autoresponse to thank me for subscribing. Instead, later that day or the next I’ve received an email, obviously from the business owner him/herself. While I love the personalized effort as much as the next person, this procedure just strikes me as somewhat odd; it’s not exactly a very valid use of that business owner’s time. After all, since today’s autoresponders make such an effective use of personalization tools, why would a business owner still feel uncomfortable using them?

An autoresponse is also true for electronic products like ebooks, ecourses, and the like that are purchased online. Whether the eproduct is free or for a fee, it, too, should be sent automatically to the person who requests and purchases the product. In the event you haven’t yet switched to using autoresponders to sell ebooks and other electronic products, you really lose twice; owners who opt to personally process eproducts at the end of a purchase compromise their time and profit margin.

In fact, when a coach or speaker takes the time to personally send the most recent request for a new free article, what aren’t they doing? That’s right! Coaching or speaking! This isn’t exactly cost-effective.

At one time autoresponders were used solely if a person were to be out-of-town or out of the office for any extended period of time. However, in today’s age of speed and ease, this is no longer true; in fact, it has become the norm to generally expect an almost immediate response to any email. So what does a business owner do? Simple: USE Autoresponders!

As a virtual assistant who regularly encourages its use to, and subsequently “automates” my “coach and speaker” clients with, autoresponders, I’ve seen first-hand the benefits for them (and anyone, actually) to utilize this technology for their businesses.

Autoresponders are an amazing, time-saving, marketing tool! Are you familiar with how they work? Imagine this! A website visitor requests a free article; they immediately receive the article and a warm, friendly email. Three days later, they receive a personalized email that invites them to ask questions and to share their comments. This is a win-win for them and for you.

In today’s market, a wide variety of available autoresponders, some of which are free, have a different degree of functionality and ease of use. Thus, you’ll want to be sure to investigate them to assure they suit all your needs.



Donna Toothaker is an expert Virtual Assistant and founder of www.1stVA.com. Donna specializes in providing marketing and administrative support and services to Professional Speakers and Life and Business Coaches. To discover how 1st VA can help your business – visit http://www.1stva.com .

Resource of the Month

Recently I had some scary pc issues that I needed some expert help with. In the past, a technician would come to my office, 'clean out' (so technical, aren't I?) my computer so it goes back to running like a dream. This time, my regular pc 'guy' was busy so he gave me the name of another fellow who works right out of his office by remotely connecting to his clients' computers. The program he used to connect to my pc was www.LogMeIn.com.

Now, this program (and similar programs) isn't new to Virtual Assistants. We use programs like these all the time to access our clients' pcs remotely. I have used other programs in the past. However, this has become a new favorite of mine. I loved the ease of use, speed and the capabilities it had. Try it for yourself.

Business Building Tip of the Month
by Jenn Givler, of www.JGivlerCoaching.com

Two of the best things you can do for your marketing efforts are to be consistent and persistent.

Let's talk about consistency first. You need to be in front of people on a consistent basis so that they will get to know you, trust you, and they will remember you when the need for your products or services arises. The first time people see your message or your business, they may not be ready to purchase from you. But, they may be interested in you, and they may have a need down the road. If you keep yourself in front of them, they will remember who to go to, when they need you.

When I talk about persistence here, it's not about being pushy or being in someone's face. It's about sticking with your business until it is the success you want it to be. It will not happen over night. It will take staying in front of people until you connect with them, and until they come to know, like and trust you. It takes time to get your name out to the point where people know it, like it, and trust it. But keep at it.

I liken persistence to tenacity. Have the tenacity to stick with your business. Really put a stake in the ground with it and say, this is what I'm doing and I will be successful. There is no failure unless you give up.


Jenn Givler is a Business Empowerment Coach who specializes in teaching her clients how to get out of start-up phase and into growth phase. Sign up for her e-zine and receive a free e-course: The 4 Keys to Effectively Marketing Your Business.

Happy Labor Day!

Have a safe and happy long weekend!

Until next month...

Warmly,

Donna Toothaker