EVA - Electronic Virtual Assistant

Okay, so I may be a virtual assistant, but I actually leave my office on occasion and get out and see a bit of this beautiful country. Even though I drive an economy car, I am extremely aware of the price of fuel these days and recently received a few tips about fueling up from my significant other who is a mechanic.

1) Make sure your vehicle is properly maintained: tuned up, clean air filter, and proper tire inflation.

2) Pump in the morning when the ground is coolest. The gas is more dense when it is cool and you’ll get more gas in your tank. Gas expands when it is warm so you’ll actually get less when it is warmer.

3) Fill up when your tank is half full - not on empty. There will be less space for the fuel to evaporate if the tank is half full.

4) Fuel up slowly. If you fully squeeze the trigger and pump fast, it creates more vapors which are sucked up back into the underground storage tanks! That’s why all of the filling stations have the fuel vapor recovery hoses.

5) Don’t fill up when the tanker is delivering gas. It stirs up all the sediment in the bottom of the storage tanks and it will go directly into your tank.

Hope you find these tips helpful.

Best to you,

Jan

It is difficult to be a business owner and make some of those unfortunate and uncomfortable decisions when the budget gets tight. Regrettably, it seems as though we are dealing with that situation more and more these days. Often times those positions cut from the budget are administrative. Having been in administrative positions for many years in the non-virtual world (although my position was never eliminated), I have seen the consequences of management losing their “right-hand” person and it isn’t pretty.

Luckily, we have a fabulous solution for this situation today. Hire a virtual assistant! You/your company will save money because you only pay for the actual time spent on your tasks. Interested? Contact me today to discuss the ways EVA – Electronic Virtual Assistant can collaborate with you on your next project and/or every day undertakings. Everything from word processing to web design – let EVA take the load off of your shoulders so you have the time and ability to concentrate on the components most important to you – business or pleasure.

Best to you,

Jan

Virtual assistants help their clients with many aspects of business. One of the services I offer to my clients is helping them get their businesses up and running. With many, many facets to be addressed, I help them make choices that are the right fit for them and their clients - such as a client-friendly toll-free telephone number.

Here are a number of resources to look into if you are interested in obtaining your own toll-free telephone number.

I encourage you to visit these options to see which best fits your needs. (As in my past posts, these are in no particular order.)

www. ringcentral.com

www.AITech.com

www.ureach.com

www.kall8.com

www.accessline.biz

www.onebox.com

www.tollfreelive.com

www.smart800now.com

www.freedomvoice.com

Let me know if you have any questions or feedback on these vendors or their services.

Best to you,

Jan Clark

I have a motto to never stop learning. In the virtual business world, we are continuously in the forefront of new technology, products, and services. I love the fact that online training is available sometimes at low to no cost. Luckily, I am affiliated with some great groups of like-minded business professionals who strive to gain knowledge.

I am curious to learn what types of training, products, and services you have recently found and your feedback on such. Whether you are a virtual assistant or not, would you be willing to share this information with me and the world? Have you recently taken a fabulous course, found a collaboration tool, or a new product that works and cannot imagine what you did before you had this tool in your repertoire?

Looking forward to your comments and feedback!

Best to you!
Jan
EVA – Electronic Virtual Assistant

Use a subject on every email you send. By using a subject line that pertains to the email content, recipients will be better able to determine which emails to read first.

This is important: when you change the email content or add a topic, adjust the subject line to reflect the new changes. For example, if your original email contained information regarding a new real estate listing and you responded but added a question about the time line on updating a calendar, modify the subject line thusly - Original subject line “New listing 123 Main”; Adjusted subject line “New listing – calendar update ?”. At a glance, the recipient can ascertain new information is included.

As a virtual professional assistant, the preferred method of communication by most of my clients is email. Utilizing the change subject line technique takes only moments to complete while making certain all parties are alerted to any changes.

Best to you,
Jan

As a virtual assistant, often times I am asked to provide options for different aspects of business. Through my various affiliations, I learn about different sources for a multitude of business requirements.

Latest case in point, the need for faxes be sent and received without a fax machine. Faxes are sent and received via your email account eliminating the need for a fax machine and its associated expenses (extra telephone line, ink cartridges, paper, etc.). Complete faxing solutions are available for individuals, small businesses and even large businesses. Prices range from free to pay per use or pay per month. Many accommodate an array of files types i.e. .doc, .pdf, .csv, .bmp, .gif, .tif, .html.

Although, I personally haven’t tried them all, one or more colleagues and/or their clients have used the services below for their faxing needs. I encourage you to visit these options to see which best fits your needs. (They are in no particular order.)

• www. trustfax.com
• www.efax.com
• www.myfax.com
• www.k7.net
• www.faxaway.com
• www.ringcentral.com

Let me know if you have any questions or feedback on these products.

Best to you,

Jan Clark, EVA

Here are a few tips on sending emails.

• Always use the subject line relevant to the topic when sending an email. If the topic changes as you correspond back and forth, edit the Subject line accordingly.
• Do not use all upper case letters when writing an email. It is the equivalent of shouting.
• Refrain from using sarcasm and in some cases, humor, as they can be easily misinterpreted.
• Don’t use abbreviations or acronyms unless you are certain the recipient knows the meaning. (Unfortunately, I used IMHO which caused the recipient to ponder a series of possible meanings before actually asking what it meant! IMHO = in my humble opinion.)
• It is best to request permission from the recipient before sending email with large attachments or numerous large emails. The capacity limits of some inboxes can reach the maximum in the blink of an eye. Believe it - not everyone has high-speed internet, even today. It’s still unavailable in some rural areas (although there are a few excruciatingly high cost alternatives).
• IMPORTANT: When forwarding an email, take a moment to delete the previous addressees. The only exception is when you want your recipient(s) to see the thread associated with email for informational purposes.
• IMPORTANT: Use the blind carbon copy (BCC) when sending email to multiple people. It is considered impolite to list everyone in the TO: field. Additionally, you should consider the issue of privacy. As a rule of thumb, use the BCC field unless there is a specific reason (project management, etc.) others need to know who you are addressing.
  
• People expect a quicker response with email messaging. Be sure to check your email regularly. Use an auto-respond message if you will not be checking email for several days (while on vacation, etc).
• Spell check an email before you hit the send button.
• Avoid discussing sensitive or confidential information.
• Be professional and concise with your content.
• If your message is lengthy, break it into paragraphs or even better, separate emails.

These are the tips at the forefront of my mind at this moment. I hope you find them to be useful.

Jan ~EVA~ Electronic Virtual Assistant

In my opinion, when it comes to email, there are few things more frustrating than receiving those “must forward” messages.

Let me assure you, if you receive an email and DO NOT forward it…

• bad luck will not fall upon you
• your long lost love will not mysteriously call
• your computer will not spontaneously combust

And, no matter how compelling it sounds…

• Bill Gates and Microsoft will never send you any amount of money for forwarding an email
• neither Ford nor GMC will give you a 10 percent discount if you forward an email to 10 people within 10 minutes
• there is no pending Congressional bill to charge you five cents or pay you per email you forward so don’t do it

Do not let others guilt you into forwarding email by calling your true friendship or your belief in Jesus Christ into question.

Stop the madness. Be a responsible internet email user. If you would like to verify the legitimacy of information received, there are several hoax-buster sites - my favorite is www.snopes.com. If an email has been forwarded to you with the disclaimer, “I don’t know if this is true or not…” provide the Sender with the Snopes web link.

Let me wrap up by saying it is very important to keep up to date virus protection on your computer. If you do not recognize a Sender by name, do not open the email or click on links within email you receive. Not everyone plays nice and there are people on the world-wide web with nothing better to do then to create havoc. For the most part, if you practice smart internet exploration, you will be fine.

Happy Surfing!

Jan

Finishing up this quick series of posts, here is part 3 of 3 to get you moving in the right direction for 2008! Again, this is geared toward my clients in real estate.

Ideas for your Blog / Newsletter:

- Buying real estate in your town
- How the closing process works (local / state laws)
- Anything newsworthy in your area (fires, road construction, crime reports, job markets, etc.)
- Remodeling ideas to instantly increase the value of your home
- Average energy prices for your subdivision / farm area / local market
- What life is like in local area
- Dos and don’ts of buying investment properties
- Should you rent out a property or flip it?

Looking for ideas to promote your business type in blogs or newsletters? Feel free to contact me and we can work on suggestion that fit for you!

Best of luck and wishing you a prosperous 2008!
Jan
EVA - Electronic Virtual Assistant
www.eva-colo.com
“Administrative support only when you need it!”

Continuing on from my last post, here is part 2 of 3 to get you moving in the right direction for the coming year — and it’s never too early to begin! Although geared toward my clients in real estate, determine what you can do to exceed the expectations of your client(s). If you need assistance, contact me - we can brainstorm to build a plan for you / your business.

Can you believe it? 2008 is just around the corner.

Go that extra step with your buyers by providing:

~ utility company contact information

~ local maps noting: city offices, parks, post offices, libraries, hospitals, golf courses, hiking trails, gyms

~ school information (local school report cards and ratings)

~ motor vehicle department contact information

~ 20 great things to do in the area

~ area history and places of interest

When you go the extra step and provide your clients with unexpected, valuable information, you let them know you are looking out for their best interests. Building that kind of relationship will prove to be priceless.

Until next time,

Jan