Hilltop Secretarial

The All-In-One Communication Tool Every VA Needs

The All-In-One Communication Tool Every VA Needs The phone rings and you dash to grab it before your toddler – newly able to answer with a barely understandable “Hewo?” – can get to it. After all, it might be a client, or worse, a potential client. Such is the peril of publishing your phone number on your website. Yet many virtual assistants find that offering a phone number increases the inquiries, and consequently, new clients, they receive. Having a separate office line would be a good solution to the toddler-as-receptionist problem, were it not for the cost. The solution? Skype. You’re likely used to using Skype day in and day out to chat with friends, IM with colleagues, and perhaps talk to online clients as well. But did you know you can use Skype as a phone replacement? Skype offers two types of services: Incoming and outgoing phone calls, and you can purchase them together or separately, for maximum flexibility. Make Phone Calls If what you really need to do is call out to clients or others, and don’t want to eat up your cell minutes or reveal that number to the public, then Skype credit is just the answer. Purchase a monthly or annual subscription or a pay-as-you-go plan, depending on your needs. With Skype credit you’ll have the ability to place a call to either cell phones or landlines right from your Skype app. And if you need to call internationally, options are available for a variety of countries starting as low as one cent per minute. Accept Incoming Calls Want to publish your number on your website and answer it at your desk? The answer is to get a Skype number. For as little as $30 per year, you get your own phone number that rings right to your Skype desktop or mobile app. You don’t have to reveal your home or cell number, and you don’t have to worry about anyone else answering your calls, taking messages, or tying up the line. When you sign up, you’ll have your choice of available numbers, so you can choose one that’s easy to remember and that shares your area code. Combine with Google Voice for ultimate flexibility. Having an office number is nice, but what if you’re not in the office? A Google Voice number (available only in the United States) will allow you to control your incoming calls. You can forward your calls to your Skype number when you’re at your desk, or to your cell phone when you’re out of town. A Google Voice number also gives you the ability to block certain numbers, send others right to voice mail, or forward some to your home phone and everything else to your Skype number. You can even set a call schedule, so you only receive incoming calls during business hours. Google Voice is free, and like Skype, you can choose your own number from the available pool. You can also use Google Voice as a stand-alone solution, and make outgoing calls right from your Gmail account. Having a phone number on your website helps visitors feel more secure, but publishing your home phone isn’t always a good solution. With Skype and Google Voice, though, you can have the convenience of an office phone without the high costs. ]]>

Plan Your Time More Effectively With Shared Calendars

Plan Your Time More Effectively With Shared Calendars We’ve all been there—stretched too thin, with more work than we have time, and suddenly an important deadline is missed. And if you’re a busy VA with lots of clients, that might happen more than you like, unless you have a trusted system for tracking due dates. Google has the answer for you: Shared calendars. All Your Important Appointments in One Place Few things are a bigger time-suck than having to check and reconcile multiple calendars and apps just to see what’s on task for the day. When clients use different project management systems to record their deadlines, it can be challenging to remember to log in and check on your due dates. But Google calendars synchs with any app that creates an iCal feed, so you can easily “subscribe” to your task lists and have them appear all in one place. Not only that, but by sharing a calendar with clients, you can see what projects and appointments they have in the works as well, so you can plan accordingly. If your client is presenting at a telesummit, for example, you’ll know ahead of time and can keep that in mind when scheduling her social media or creating blog posts. Time Blocking Ensures Critical Work is Completed On Time Aside from knowing what’s on everyone’s schedule for the coming days and weeks, a calendar is a fantastic tool to help ensure all your important work is done. By setting aside time in your day to actually complete projects using a system known as time blocking, you’ll know exactly when you can get to that next project. No more guesswork or late nights trying to catch up when you overbook yourself. Time blocking works by actually setting appointments with yourself. If you have a project to complete, and you know it will take you two hours to do, you make an appointment. The key though, is that these appointments are sacred. You cannot use time blocking as a suggestion, you have to treat it as an unbreakable appointment, otherwise it becomes just background noise that you’ll ignore. Set your “appointments” with a reminder (either a pop-up or an email) and you will never have to ask yourself “What’s next?” You will always know, and you’ll find that you’re much more productive and efficient, too. Access Anywhere for On-the-Go Productivity Not in your office? No problem. Google calendars are available at any time from any of your devices, so you’ll always know what’s happening. Unlike printed planners, you won’t have to remember to take it with you, you can’t lose it, and you can check appointments and tasks not only for yourself but your clients as well, no matter where you are. A calendar is a basic tool that every productive virtual assistant should master. Sharing calendars with your clients will make your job easier (and make you a superstar in their eyes), but you have to make use of it. Getting in the habit of using a calendar can be a challenge. If you’re not accustomed to it, then make it a point to check your calendar first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Set reminders for yourself if necessary, until it becomes a habit. You’ll soon find that you truly cannot live (or work) without your calendar.]]>

Turn your Passions into Pursuits

Join Avon Today![/caption] My most recent passion involves my love of makeup. Yes, I’m a girly girl… I have always loved makeup, nail polish, and so on. When I lived in California, I even completed manicurist training in a cosmetology school and opened a mobile manicurist business that thrived until I sold it and returned to my home state of Colorado. I still do nails but these days, only for myself. But I have always loved the entire process of beautification.

Get signed up today – Make extra money for the holidays, and make friends for a lifetime!

Currently, I turned my love of all things beauty into a new venture and became an Avon Representative. I’m thrilled to say that I’m loving the entire process. I’m realizing its not that much different than my Virtual Assistant business in that I have clients, and I try to be sure they have the exact thing they need and I try to provide the best customer service I can to them. Avon is amazingly empowering. It is truly THE Company for Women. I have seen positive changes in my ability to interact with ‘real live’ people instead of only via the internet. I’ve even been able to use some of the techniques I’ve learned while selling Avon in my other businesses and have seen very positive results. To me, my business Hilltop Secretarial and being an Avon Representative are a perfect combination! I can work both during the day. During off moments from virtual assisting I’m working my Avon business. Win-win for me and my day speeds by! Why Avon? It costs $15 to start, people love the products as much as I do, and they have a solid record of supporting cause that are close to my heart. You get a suite of tools and an estore – Where else can you get all that for one $15 startup fee? Right now it doesn’t take too much time but I’m hoping it will grow much larger and will someday take over in the income I will lose I and when I retire from virtual assisting. I highly recommend Avon as a revenue stream – It is very rewarding and I love helping people feel beautiful and empowered. Get signed up today – Make extra money for the holidays, and make friends for a lifetime! I’ve also turned my love of photography into a business and sell my images when we show our products at craft shows and festivals. I am a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, which has enabled me to turn my hobby into a viable revenue stream. Mostly my images sell online so there is some passivity to it. I became obsessed with herbalism after the medication I took when a migraine hit was pulled from the market – for no real reason other than corporate greed – and I had to begin anew the oddysse to find a new effective medication. It only took ten years to find it in the first place! Two medication changes later, both included horrible side effects, I turned to researching herbal remedies. I created a very effective blend I call Migraine Buster Tea. It’s so amazing I can get rid of a migraine generally within an hour with NO SIDE EFFECTS! That was absolutely HUGE for me since I’m entirely too sensitive to medications. This obsession with herbs has resulted in a lucrative revenue stream called Hilltop Herbals. I’ve added to my original Migraine Buster Tea and created a number of other remedies to help you in your daily life. I’m proud to have completed study in Herbalism and am constantly continuing my education with research in off moments. I give consultations, and we sell the remedies with we show at craft fairs and festivals, and on our online store, Hilltop-Arts. Another passion that’s become a revenue generator is my woodworking. While it’s not as steady as my herbal remedies, it’s still income. I love the smell of the wood, the creation process, and the sense of satisfaction I get when I’ve created something I never thought I could build. Other passions that have turned into services I offer include research, graphic design, website and blog design, talking on the phone (I think I’m a born receptionist!!) turned into my Virtual Receptionist service, and when it comes down to it, my love of office work (but hating to go to traditional offices!) turned into the career of over 19 years! Take an inventory of your passions, do some quick research about how to turn them into money makers. You never know when you might discover hidden income potential. ]]>