Bringing “Visual” to Virtual Business

Posted on 10. Nov, 2011 by officebeam in Marketing Tips

The way we do business has changed significantly. We often make transactions with people and businesses that we have never met in person. We are connected to people on all kinds of social Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media outlets. Sometimes new clients are  tad bid uncomfortable with working with web designers, consulting professionals, social media gurus, and even me as a Virtual Assistant– all because they want to see a face. Although you may be all over the Internet with profiles, kudos, a BBB A+ rating, even Recommendations on LinkedIn, people want to see your face, body language, and hear your voice all at once.  What I’ve been doing is inviting my clients to meet me on Skype. Our initial complimentary consultation is held on Skype at an agreed time. My clients get to see my smile, hear and see my confidence, and witness my professionalism for themselves. They can also put a name with a face and this helps build a great foundation for the relationship.

I’ve discovered that sometimes clients get nasty when they’ve never seen you. I can’t tell you how many rude emails I’ve gotten IN ALL CAPS, and unfriendly demands come through via text, email, and even over the phone. It’s amazing that I never have that problem when I’ve seen my clients face-to-face via Skype or otherwise.

I though about it and it hit me, I guess it’s sort of the same thing that bill collectors or customer service representatives experience when they are on the phone at a call center. How many of us have gotten ugly with someone we’ve never met and know that we don’t have to face?

I think its very important to connect visually with clients. When doing business, remember we are still human (even though highly dependent on technology) and we still have a natural tendency to want to use our eyes to see how things are. Our visual perception is there for us to interpret information, don’t forget to show people who you are, especially if it will make them more comfortable with doing business with you.

Of course Officebeam is on Skype. You can find the owner Aqeelah on Skype doing EST business hours, just search for “Aqeelah.Taheerah” and someone from Officebeam will be available to chat with you live.

We can’t wait to meet you!

Invoicing

Posted on 12. Feb, 2010 by officebeam in Marketing Tips, Office Management, Officebeam, Uncategorized

When you are running your own business it’s important to have a professional and useful billing system. When it comes to money, you’ll definitely want to have your ducks in a row. This is necessary for accounting purposes and also to assure your clients that you mean business when it comes to being paid for your products, services, and time. There is a system that I use and that I really love, most of all it’s free to use for your first three clients. You can create customized invoices with your logo and company information, send them in electronic format, or send them via snail mail. There is no software to download, and everything is online. It’s called FreshBooks, this is also what I use for all of my invoicing. If you are a virtual assistant, as I am, you can really appreciate the program and its wonderful uses. My clients can log in to see where I am on any given project, how much time I’ve spent on a specific task, and more. FreshBooks is the easiest way to get your invoicing done in my opinion. You’ll be able to keep accurate records and actually see where time is spent and keep track of cash flow within your business. My clients love it! And the best part about it is that when they log in, they see my name, not FreshBooks. This gives the appearance of being very a sophisticated and professional virtual assistant. And that is how I like to present myself and my business.

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant

Posted on 30. Nov, 2009 by officebeam in Marketing Tips, Office Management, Officebeam, Uncategorized

Too Busy to Function?

Being swamped is bad enough. Bringing a new hire on board to help you can is another task and headache. You may want to hire a personal assistant, but think you can not afford it. Here is what Businessweek has to say about hiring part-time help. To read the article click here.

Hire a Green Virtual Assistant | Virtual Buzz Assistant

Posted on 16. Oct, 2009 by officebeam in Marketing Tips, Meetings and Events, Office Management, Officebeam, Uncategorized

Hire a Green Virtual Assistant | Virtual Buzz Assistant

Posted using ShareThis

Hire a Green Virtual Assistant

August 24, 2008

It is no surprise that a virtual assistant is cost-effective. But just for giggles, lets think through how a virtual assistant compared to an employee effect the environment. Are Virtual Assistants Green?

#1 No commute – Your virtual assistant usually works from their home. Not only are you saving the earth from all those emissions, you are also enabling someone to work from home that might have had to go out and get a job with a commute with someone else. Bravo!

#2 Electronic Communications – Since everything is virtual, the need and temptation to print things is much less.

#3 Clarity – Since you do not see each other face to face, you are forced to be very specific and clear in your instructions. This will reduce errors that could have a negative impact on the environment as well as an additional cost to redo the project.

#4 Utilities – Chances are your virtual assistant was going to have heat and utilities in their home anyway. When you have fewer employees in an office and have more people in homes where the utility use does not change much more, you get a great environmental bonus.

#5 Sick Leave – OK, this one is more of a proficiency issue, but if you do not have everyone in one office, you cut down on illnesses getting past around. And when people work from home, they can suffer though some issues that may have required them to call off if they were going to come into the office.

#6 Relocation – If you have a fast growing business and everyone is in an office, you will find that when you outgrow that office you lose a lot of hours moving as well as the negative impact on the environment when you need to move.

#7 Less Printing – A virtual assistant is going to be much less likely than an in-office employee to print things out. After all, when they need to send their client something, they will usually use email. Keeping documents and reports electronic is the only option that makes sense.

I do not know how big the GREEN impact is. However, it is not hard to see that replacing some of your staff with virtual assistants will have a big impact on the environment and on your bottom line.

Are you worried about work at home issues? A virtual assistant that is contracted will usually go to great lengths to achieve results for you because they want to maintain the relationship. So hiring a virtual assistant is going to give you leverage that you may not have with work at home employees.

This is probably the best example of green also making fast financial sense. You just have to be ready to make a shift in your thinking.

Marketing Monday: Twitter, plain and simple.

Posted on 05. Oct, 2009 by officebeam in Marketing Tips, Meetings and Events, Office Management, Officebeam, Uncategorized

If you are not using twitter, you should be! It’s pretty simple to get started and you will be able to gain direct access to all of those who actually want to hear what you have to say. To see how it works visit our twitter page| www.twitter.com/officebeam|
What I like about twitter the most is being able to keep all of my “followers” informed about my services, specials, and promotions. To launch your twitter send out an email to all of the people on your email list. Then let them know about a special promotion for signing up. You may also want to do this frequently. For example: The first 5 responses to @Officebeam, receive 2 free hours of service.
Your customers will be happy to hear about the good news, and most likely will look forward to hearing what you have to say. You can blast about your new products, services; let them know to check their emails for the new newsletter, and more. Now is the time to be tangled in the web. Remember, your customers are behind the computer– especially with the colder months approaching and the economy in slow progress.

Keeping up with the Clients

Posted on 11. Sep, 2009 by officebeam in Marketing Tips, Office Management, Officebeam

Customer Relationship Management

Keep up with your client database is important to your business success.

When business is good we become more involved with running the business and less involved in interacting with our clients. Unfortunately, this can leave your customers feeling unappreciated. You have to be strategic in communicating with clients, old and new. Remembering birthdays, anniversaries, and other special days are important to building and maintaining healthy relationships with your customers and helps increase brand awareness and presence. Officebeam is always happy to assist our clients with these tasks. Additionally, we strongly suggest signing up for Salesforce.com’s FREE CRM software for individual businessperson. Salesforce.com offers a system is that does not require you to download any software. You can use Salesforce.com to keep track of the communication between you and your customers, send requests for contact updates, log calls, and more.

Sign up for your free CRM program. But hurry, Saleforce.com is no small fry; this offer may end soon— unless you have the link, the free individual version hard to come across. Consider this an inside scoop. It’s free, so you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Good luck, and let us know how you like it.

Company Culture

Posted on 28. Jan, 2009 by officebeam in Marketing Tips, Office Management, Officebeam

Company Culture Anyone?

Today, I was asked, “What is your company’s culture?” I had to stop and think about it, I had no clue what my company’s culture was. If you find yourself asking the same question, try to figure out what type of people work for you and/or what type of customers you easily retain. Before you know it, you will be able to pin point what defines your company culture. Once your company culture is clearly defined, you will be able to associate with your company culture to help gain and retain customers. You will also be able to share cultural similarities with your current clients as well, and ultimately strengthening your business relationship with them!  So, “What is your company culture?” Feel free to share your thoughts.

Officebeam.com

Posted on 01. Jan, 2008 by officebeam in Marketing Tips, Meetings and Events, Office Management, Officebeam

Virtually Yours

For over a decade owner, Aqeelah Abdul-Rahim, has provide office solutions, planned events, and shared marketing advice to close friends, family members, and employers.  In Jan 2008, Aqeelah officially launched Officebeam.com. Specializing in Office Management, Meeting Planning, and Marketing Services, she plans to assist small business in those areas, as well as provide general office assistance. Please visit the services page for a list of services that Officebeam offers.