A Virtual Administrative Assistant Can be Your Productivity Partner

Small business owners often find themselves mired in administrative tasks the take them away from their true function as CEO of their company.  You might be spinning your wheels doing day-to-day tasks that need to be done, but don't generate any revenue for your business.  Hiring a good Virtual Administrative Assistant, like Administrative Business Consulting, can help move you from overwhelmed employee to super-productive CEO.

First you will need to determine what your core functions are.  What are the activities that

are billable, actually bring in revenue, or set your business up for growth in the future?  Those are the things you should be concentrating on, and you should be delegating the rest.

Many productivity management techniques recommend a "brain dump" activity. This is meant to be a time where you simply capture all of the items in your head and on your to-do list, either hand-written or typed. Those items can become task lists, calendar appointments, or project folders.  A Virtual Administrative Assistant can help by organizing all of the information you've captured in to their appropriate locations.  Simply email your notes to the VAA, and she does the rest.

Blogs and social media are activities necessary to build your business, but the minutia of putting them together may not be a productive use of your time.  As the CEO, you should focus on the content of those posts.  Your VAA can then be assigned to handle the formatting, editing, tagging, SEO optimization, and final posting.  This same idea can be used for presentations and email campaigns.

Other activities that may be eating up your billable time and that are tasks that can be outsourced include:

• Travel and event planning
• Research for articles or marketing
• Setting calendar appointments for meetings and sales calls
• Anything that can be automated

Part of being a productive CEO is to identify your strengths and delegate the rest.  Fire yourself from jobs someone else can do and promote yourself to jobs only you can do.

 

Joining Up to Grow Your Business

As professionals, we get asked frequently to come to meetings or sit on boards of business and civic groups in our community.  We obviously don't have time to be part of all of them, so it's important to sort out what kind of group it is, how it fits in with your business or philosophy, and how it can help you grow your presence in the area.  There are generally six different kinds of business organizations that can help you grow your organization through networking.

Casual Contact Networks
These are business groups that usually have large membership bases, with no restrictions on how many people from each profession can join.  They often meet monthly at large luncheons where guest speakers discuss things like current business issues, upcoming legislative sessions, community affairs, or other local interest topics.  Evening social mixers are usually a part of belonging to a casual contact network.  An example of this sort of organization is the Chamber of Commerce.

Belonging to the Chamber of Commerce does give you an opportunity to meet a large number of contacts from your area at one time.  You can spread the word fairly quickly by attending their events.  However, that means that you may often be face-to-face with your competitors when networking at Chamber events.  Also, fees for joining are based on the number of employees in your organization, so make sure you've calculated the costs up front.

Strong Contact Networks
This sort of group generally meets once a week and restricts membership to one person from a given profession.  The meetings are very structured for the main purpose of passing referrals between members.  A great example of a strong contact network is Business Network International (BNI).

BNI meetings open with a free networking session, then go on to short presentations by all the members.  Then the focus turns to referrals that have been given out during the past week.  I personally belong to a local BNI chapter, and I cannot say enough good things about my experience there.  Joining BNI requires a solid weekly attendance commitment, as well as a requirement to speak at each meeting and share referrals.

Community Service Groups
Community service groups serve the dual purpose of letting you give back to your community while making business connections and getting great PR.  The primary purpose of these organizations is to serve the community, but working on service projects exposes you and your business to other professionals interested in the same issues.  You get the chance to start building long-term friendships that become the solid backbone of word-of-mouth businesses.

Examples of community service organizations are The Boys & Girls Club, Rotary Club, Habitat for Humanity, and the Lions Club.  Think about what personal concerns or causes you're interested in, and find a club that fits that philosophy.  Be aware that joining a community service group will often have volunteering requirements, so take that in to consideration.

Professional Growth Groups
Groups of people often gather based on a training or growth need they have.  Professional growth and development groups might focus on a specific are or on leadership as a whole.  They offer a great forum to show other professionals the skills you have and the skills you are willing to work on.

I belong to Toastmasters, and it has made a huge difference for me professionally.  I have learned the speaking and leadership skills needed to step out of my comfort zone and be a business owner.  It has also provided me many opportunities to network to members within my club as well as members from all over the state.  Toastmasters is a self-paced program, but you are expected to participate in meetings as often as possible.

Professional Associations
Professional organizations, or "knowledge networks", have existed as long as there have been professions.  The primary purpose of these organizations is for people in a certain industry to get together and exchange information or ideas from that field.  If your goal is to use this type of group for networking, look for ones that contain your potential clients or target markets.  Ask your best customers what groups they belong to as a starting point for your research.

Some examples of this type of group are:  Certified Life Underwriters, American Bar Association, and National Speakers Association.

Women's Business Organizations
Obviously, these groups are not going to be for all business professionals.  Women's business groups can be both casual or strong contact networks, but they are focused on networking first and foremost.  They often offer a non-threatening forum for woman who are new to business and networking.  Check for organizations based in your local area such as Women Entrepreneurs of Alaska, to get the most from your membership.

In your time-strapped week you may not feel that you have time to participate in any of these associations.  But if you're serious about building a word-of-mouth business, there is no quick fix.  Consciously consider all of the options and what will be the best fit for your business mission and your personality.  Check with your peers and mentors to see what groups they belong to, and visit a meeting.  Get out there and join up to grow your business.

Ending the Scourge of Unproductive Meetings

We've all been there: you've just sat through a 3 hour meeting that never seemed to get to a point and leads to no actions or decisions.  It basically wasted everyone's time and didn't accomplish anything useful.  But what about those rare occasions when we're party to an effective meeting?  It's a night and day difference.  We leave energized and fired up, as well as having a sense of direction and accomplishment.  There are a few easy things that you can do as a facilitator that can turn your meeting from the first kind to the good kind.

Good meetings do not just happen because the key players all get together in one place.  They have to be structured to be successful.  During meeting planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up, think about these criteria:

• The meeting should meet an objective
• The meeting should take up a minimum about of time
• The meeting should leave the participants feeling that a sensible process has been used

Be very clear about the objective and have a good idea about what a good outcome would look like before holding the meeting.  Use this sentence as a starting point:

"At the close of the meeting, I want the group to..."

The last part is your objective.  Also really think about who should be in attendance at the meeting.  Identify your key people and eliminate people who don't have a part to play in this particular project.

Everyone's time is very valuable and limited these days.  A productive meeting is one that is streamlined as much as possible.  Have an agenda with clear start and stop times that drive the meeting activities toward your objectives.  Ask all participants to come prepared to discuss their portions of the meeting or with any questions they have about others.

If your participants don't feel that any thought has been put in to a meeting, they are far less likely to be engaged.  This will stall the whole thing and leave people feeling that it was a waste of time.  Show the group that there has been a sensible process utilized by sending them the agenda BEFORE the actual meeting date.  Ask for their feedback on the times and the topics, you might be surprised about what they really want to talk about and accomplish.

During the meeting, there are some things the facilitator needs to handle to ensure that everything keeps moving smoothly.  Make sure no one person is dominating the conversation.  If that happens, make a point of asking others for their input.  At the end of each agenda item, summarize the discussion and ask for confirmation from other participants.  Make note of other items that are off topic but that need further discussion.  Watch the participants' body language for clues on when to take a break.  If you don't take those clues, you will lose their attention and the momentum of your meeting.  Keep the group on topic and make a list of tasks generated with the names of who is assigned to them.  When closing the meeting, summarize the next steps and let the participants know that you will be sending out a written summary.

The written summary is a critical follow-up piece to a successful meeting.  Collect any notes that were taken, and use the agenda as your guide for writing the summary.  The summary should include what was discussed, things that will be discussed at the next meeting, action items, and assignments.  This will also be the road map for your next meeting on the same topic.  You will be able to go directly to the action items and hold the assignees accountable.

Sometimes meetings are not in person affairs, but web based collaborations.  All of the same rules listed above apply, as well as a couple of extra considerations.

• Multi-tasking is a no-no during a web conference - Your attention should be on the meeting just like it would be at an in person session.  Don't take phone calls, check emails, or social media.  If participants are not paying attention the meeting will take longer and be less productive.
• Remind all participants to choose a quite location for the meeting - Sitting through a web meeting at a noisy cafe is a bad idea.  You'll miss important information and others will be able to see (and possibly hear) everything that is being discussed.  Ask participants to use their offices or some other quiet location for logging in and taking part.  You, as the facilitator, should also observe this rule.
• Get to know your platform beforehand - The day of your meeting should not be the first time you log on to the system and try to navigate the tools.  This is a time waster and lowers the confidence your participants have in the meeting.  A few days before, run a test meeting with all of your facilitators.  Figure out any glitches and how to solve those during the test meeting.
• Clearly define the roles of the facilitators - Often during an electronic meeting, there are multiple facilitators: someone presenting, someone running the question board, someone driving the screen, someone taking notes, etc.  Have the responsibilities of the different facilitators clearly defined during your test meeting.  This will give a more professional appearance to the meeting.

Meetings can be tedious and pointless, but they don't have to be.  With a little forethought and attention, they can be a useful time for your business or organization.

Being More Effective on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the number one professional networking site on the web.  There are currently over 160 million users worldwide, with an average age of 45 and an average income of over $91,000.  It is a potential gold mine of referrals for your business.

LinkedIn is intended to be a place where you present your professional image, as opposed to your personal image that you use on facebook.  There are are several ways that you can use this vast network of professionals to do this:

• Maintaining business contacts
• Getting introductions
• Posting recommendations for contacts
• Getting referrals for your business
• Checking references on potential employees or associates
• Receiving industry news
• Finding, posting, and forwarding jobs

The main tool to connect with people on LinkedIn is your profile page.  It is important to make it BEEFY!  What I mean is that it needs to be rich in content and engaging to get noticed.  Tell your story with details including all of your accomplishments and milestones.  Include any references to your business in print and on-line media, any awards you or your business has received, and any certificates or credentials that show you are an authority in your industry.  Every word in your profile is keyword searchable, so be sure and include your top terms somewhere in the profile.

When potential customers look at your profile, they will be comparing it to the profile of your competitors.  You need to be current and engaging to keep yourself on the top of the list.  Use a photo that is a true representation of yourself.  The most effective profile pictures will be professional head shots done recently.  You can also add videos to your profile using the Google Presentation or Slideshare apps within LinkedIn.  This adds extra pop and sets you above the competition.  Also, take a minute to personally welcome and acknowledge your new connections.  It develops the relationships you're trying to cultivate through LinkedIn and gives you an edge on your competition.

Joining professional and interest groups on LinkedIn lets you share in professional conversations about your industry or those that you're looking to get in to.  Taking part in groups will also grow your sphere of connections to include people you might not have had a chance to talk to previously.  When you do join, participate in the conversations to help get you and your brand notice.  These are also a good place to share info on events you might be putting on or blogs that you write.

This may seem like a lot of extra work to add to your already full plate.  But if you set aside a little time each week to work on it, you will reap great rewards.  You can also hire a virtual assistant service, such as Administrative Business Consulting, to help you set up a manage your LinkedIn profile.  That set up would let you have the best of all worlds.

Making the Most Out of Working From Home

In today's technologically advanced world, more and more people are taking the opportunity to work from home.  It could be a telecommuting situation or actually running a home-based business.  While working this way removes stresses, it can also add them to your daily work life.  Here are some simple tips for making the most of your home/work arrangement.

Having a routine is an essential first step in establishing your home office environment.  When I first began working from a home office, I really struggled with this.  I was getting up at different times, randomly tackling tasks, and basically finding myself stressed at the end of the day with not a lot to show for it and maybe not even showered.  Getting up at the same time every day, eating breakfast, exercising, and getting dressed for work set me up to be more productive and successful in my home office.  You should pick a routine that works for you and stick to it.

Set up a space in your home dedicated to your work.  This could be a separate office in a spare room, a section of your own room, or even the garage for that matter.  It is wherever you feel comfortable and productive.  Make sure you have adequate lighting, a fairly quiet environment, and access to the equipment you need.  Define this area as your work space, and make that clear to your family or housemates.

Staying organized can be one of the biggest challenges of working from home.  When I left a traditional office to the home office, I went from being extremely organized to letting things go a little bit.  My papers were beginning to just be in piles all over and I was losing focus on what I wanted to accomplish each day.  Setting up my calendar on Google so that I only had to enter appointments in one location (phone or PC) was a huge help.  Now my phone and my computer say the same thing.  Using a task list program, such as Outlook, keeps me focused on what the priority actions are for the day and the week.  I also bought a label maker to get my file folders neat and organized.  A disorganized work area can add to your stress and make it difficult for you to be productive.

Clearly defining your work hours to yourself as well as to your clients, family, and friends is helpful in creating a good home working environment.  I often find myself continually looking at my email well in to the night instead of spending that time winding down.  This is frustrating to those around you and makes you feel more pressure.  On the flip side, don't let distractions available at home deter you from accomplishing your work tasks.  Be clear with your clients that you will be available during specific times, and stick to it.  Scheduling yourself breaks during the day, such as lunch, is part of defining your work hours.

Working at home can sometimes feel like being alone in the world.  If most of your interaction during the day is electronic, you can start to feel isolated and less satisfied with the home office situation.  I belong to both Toastmasters and Business Network International.  These two memberships serve a dual purpose: they each get me out of my home office once a week to interact with other people and they give me an opportunity to network with other professionals.

Lastly, double check your homeowners insurance coverages when setting up your home office.  If you will have clients or coworkers come to your home for business purposes, you might need to add some specialty riders depending on your policy.  The time to do this is now and not after someone slips on your front walk.

Working at home is a privilege that many of us have been lucky enough to have.  If you set yourself up for success by thinking ahead and doing some planning, you will love it as much as I have.

What Can a Virtual Administrative Assistant Do for Your Business?

When the idea of hiring a virtual administrative assistant comes up, the most common question that occurs is "what would I have a VA do for me?".  The answer will be different for each individual client, but here's a list of possibilities to get your creative juices flowing:

Administrative Support
Email organization                                                 Travel arrangements
Voice mail response                                              Coordinate conference calls
Coordinate appointments                                      Contact updates & tracking
Calendar management                                          Business card scanning
Data entry                                                                Excel spreadsheet building
PowerPoint creation                                              Report generation
Email & mail campaigns                                       Thank you & greeting cards
Website content updates                                       Blog posts
Internet research                                                     Supply ordering
Management of team meetings                            Communication management
Mail merges

Meeting & Event Planning Support
Create & send email or regular mail - announcements, invitations, thank you letters
Set up logistics - meeting rooms, AV needs, meals, overnight rooms, vendors
Manage guest lists
Receive & track responses via phone, fax, or email
Track attendees
Follow-up with non-responders
Create meeting agendas & support materials
Collate & ship materials
Research & order giveaways

Marketing & Sales Support
Social media management                                    Mailing label creation
Email newsletter sending                                       Sales packet mailing
Compile mailing lists                                               Distribute & track surveys
Follow-up calls

This list is in no way exhaustive, but you can see that a Virtual Administrative Assistant can be a valuable right-hand person in the operation of your business.  For more information about how to hire a Virtual Administrative Assistant and how the arrangement works, check out the web site of Administrative Business Consulting.

Using Technology to Stay Competitive

As a small business owner in today's fast paced world, it is vital that you understand and utilize advanced technologies that are available to you and fit with your business.  Technology, used correctly, can help increase your business efficiency and even expand your operations.

Accounting
Gone are the days where a one-man shop had to keep financial records in a hand-written ledger book.  There are a myriad of options in accounting software and services that can help you see your profits and losses at a glance as well as set-up and track a budget.  Even if you use a CPA or bookkeeper, it is nice to have all your records in one place to give those professionals at tax time.  Some of the great options available are:

• Freshbooks - On-line and easy to use (my personal favorite)
• Quickbooks - Both on-line and hard copy available
• Outright.com - On-line service

Calendar & Email Management

Most business owners are reliant on functional calendaring and email solutions.  The advent of cloud-computing technology has made it possible to access your calendar and email from either your laptop, smartphone, or tablet equally well.  These new services also allow you to delegate your calendar and email management to your virtual administrative assistant like Administrative Business Consulting.  Here are the most popular options:

• Outlook.com
• Gmail and Google Calendar

File Sharing Platforms

Many teams are not located in the same building, let alone the same state, anymore, but you may not have the need (or capacity) for a stand alone network solution.  You may be working with clients and contractors, like your virtual administrative assistant, spread over large geographical areas and in different time zones.  This requires you to have a good, central place to share files and work collaboratively.  Cloud-computing has made these services easy to access and use across your different devices.  Some options include:

• Microsoft Office Skydrive
• Google Docs
• Dropbox

Technology is an integral part of every successful business.  There are solutions available for not only the large corporations but also for the small operations like yours and mine.  Most of these services are either free (to a certain point) or will allow you to run a free trial to see if it is a good fit for your business.  Embracing possibilities and new ways to be productive will help you secure your success in a rapidly changing business environment.

Creating Outlook Email Templates

Has this happened to you recently?  You're typing an email and you get the feeling that you've done this exact thing before.  When you look back at your sent items, you realize that you have typed this email message before.  Actually you've typed it about 10 times in the last week.  Outlook has a quick and easy way for users to create email templates that allow you to speed through those standard emails.

The first step is to write out your standard email.  It could be information that you send to potential new customers, the thank you message you send to colleagues after a meeting, or the appointment reminder that you send before meeting with a client.  If it is something that you send frequently with only minor changes for personalization, then it is a great candidate for an email template.  Open a message pane in Outlook and type out your email with a subject:

Next, instead of hitting the "Send" button, click on "File".  Choose "Save As", then "Outlook Template" from the "Save as type" drop down menu:

Now you're ready to start using your new Outlook email template.  Next time you need to send out this standard email, choose "New Items" from the ribbon at the top of Outlook.  From that drop down menu, you will opt for the "More items" and "Choose form".  Change the "Look in" field to "User templates in file system" and you will see the email template you created.  Double click the name of the template, and your email pops up ready for editing and sending.

If you don't want to spend your time setting all of your standard email templates up, you can outsource this task to a service such as Administrative Business Consulting.  Hiring a virtual administrative assistant can help get your Outlook organized and get you back to the core of your business.

Setting Your Business Apart in the "Thank You Economy"

Gary Vaynerchuk's 2011 book "The Thank You Economy" showed business owners that the rise of the Internet and rapid fire social media has given customers their voices back.  Their opinions, positive or negative, are communicated immediately and vastly on places like facebook and Yelp.  This new paradigm requires that businesses project authenticity, originality, creativity, honesty, and good intent in order to created loyal customers.  Loyal customers refer more business by word of mouth, spend more money with you, forgive mistakes, and offer real suggestions for improvement.  An easy way to start building that relationship is by expressing appreciation to those customers with thank you notes.

Saying "thank you for your business" sounds obvious, but think about this: when is the last time you received a thank you card from someone you do business with?  Or really any communication that wasn't about your bill being due?  The simple strategy of sending a hand-written thank you note will make a huge impact with your customers and lets them know how much you really value their business.  While this seems like a no-brainer for new business, don't forget about your existing customers.  Those long-term buyers need to be given the VIP treatment as well because we all know it is cheaper to keep customers than it is to try and bring in new ones.

In this high-speed, electronic world, there is something special about a hand-written note.  It makes your customer (or vendor, employee, excellent sales person, etc.) feel like they matter to you and your business.  Keep short notes on customers you've interacted with or vendors you've recently met with.  Then you can go back once a week and write out those notes to be mailed.  You can also email that information to a virtual administrative assistant service such as Administrative Business Consulting to have the cards written and mailed.  Services such as ABC will provide cards, hand writing, and mailing for a per card fee.

Once you have thank you cards down pat, consider personal birthday or other seasonal cards for your top clients.  Try to touch customers at least once a quarter with a message that is not just a mechanism for selling products or services.  You will set yourself apart from your competition and your customers will think about your business in a whole new way.

Work/Life Balance Hacks from Liz Pearce

This is officially the first weekend of summer in my book, and that means I'm thinking about ways to achieve that ever elusive work/life balance.  As a business owner, parent, spouse, etc. that can sometimes be a struggle.  Geek Wire writer Liz Pearce has compiled this list of great hacks for reaching that holy grail of all busy people.

1. Invest in your relationships the way you invest in your 401(k) - Make small, regularly scheduled investments with your spouse, friends, and family.  Have weekly date nights, monthly girls night out, and specific activities with your kids.  Use the same rule of thumb that you use with your dentist or hairdresser: never leave one social appointment without scheduling the next.
2. Pay for services, not stuff - I don't have much of a handbag budget, but I do have a budget for someone to help me with the yard.  You might only have one pair of boots, but you have your administrative tasks contracted out every month with Administrative Business Consulting.  As a rule, try to spend your resources on things that free up time instead of take up space.
3. Treat your home like you do your inbox: get rid of everything you don't truly value - Trying to save every birthday party goody bag toy, outdated magazine, old t-shirt, and random piece of paper adds a small amount of friction to tasks you try to accomplish at home.  And that can add up to a significant emotional burden of guilt when you're trying to spend quality time at home.  Try to get rid of 15 things every single day.  They could be pieces of junk mail or old leftovers in the fridge.  Each little, frequent act of de-cluttering will also lower your stress levels.
4. When it comes to parenting, comparison is the root of all unhappiness - The constant deluge of advice and product recommendations from email lists, blogs, and books can add to your anxiety.  Try to shut most of them out and focus your energy on what is actually going on within your own house.  You can pick puzzles together over more costly lessons, drawing pictures at the kitchen table over elaborate trips to Disneyland, and bowls of warm popcorn while watching a family movie over dinners out.  Quantity time is just as valuable as quality time.
5. Conquer meal planning and you can conquer the world - That question of "what am I going to make for dinner" is a huge stress point in the lives of most working parents.  You may have to run to the store or you just end up picking up fast food.  To cut down on this issue, take one day and and plan your meals for the week.  You can download many helpful one-page planning sheets that then turn in to your shopping list.  This will allow you to go to the store once and not have to think about what you're making for dinner each night.
6. Allow yourself at least one vice - Remember that no one is perfect and allow yourself at least one indulgence for whenever the stress gets to you.  Mine is watching Dr. Who, put it could be chocolate, reading, taking a bath, or whatever makes you feel better and gives you time to recover and get back to your to-do list.

Now that you're armed with some great tips on getting a little calmness back in your life, go out and enjoy the summer!!

Tips for Planning a Successful Meeting

In business life, we are often called upon to put together a meeting.  It could be a department level one day event or even a multi-day event that requires hotel rooms and dining options.  If you've never been in charge of planning and executing an event, don't panic!  There are some simple steps to follow that will help you come out looking like a star.

Ask Questions
The very worst thing you can do when planning a meeting is assume that you know what is expected.  You will need to ask questions, lots of questions, in order to put on a successful event.  Some basics that need to be established are:

• Budget of event
• Date(s) and time(s) of event
• Preferred location and second choice
• Theme of meeting or event
• Number of attendees and guests
• Meals that will be provided
• Any special entertainment or decorating needs
• AV needs for presenters
• Materials needed for participants
• Meeting room set-up
• Hotel rooms needed

This will give you an excellent starting point for planning, but do not stop asking questions.  The event will continue to evolve as planning goes on, so always be clarifying the details.

Set Up Agenda and Get RSVPs
One of the most difficult things to manage when putting on an event is keeping track of attendees.  It is best to get the agenda set up and sent out to the proposed attendees as soon as possible.  You should plan on having to send this out at least twice, and possibly more, in order to get the most accurate head counts for meals, seating, and hoteling.  It is also very effective to get it out in more than one way.  Send it via email, snail mail, and even by phone in order to reach the most people.

Track Budget and Attendees
Once you have the basics figured out and have made contact with your location, then you will need to start tracking the budget and attendees.  Administrative Business Consulting has put together a great budget and rooming list template that automatically calculates your meeting budget.



Double Check Everything Before the Event
The final tip is to always double check your plans at least a week before the meeting and once more a day or two before.  This will help you get a handle on what items are still unsettled and need to be finalized.  Make sure you know who your site contact will be and meet with that person before the meeting begins.  And last but not least, take a deep breath and enjoy yourself.

Color Coding Outlook Messages for Greater Organization

When sorting through a crowded Outlook Inbox, it is sometimes hard to tease out important emails that need action or response.  Color coding emails based on the sender's name or certain words can make this a little bit easier for users.  This technique can be used for Outlook versions 2003, 2007, 2010, and 2013.

Conditional Formatting
Color coding your incoming messages can be done using the Conditional Formatting dialog menu.  That menu is accessed through the Inbox by:

• View -->  View Settings  -->  Conditional Formatting

Once in the dialog frame, press the "Add" button and give the rule a name.  Now you're in the filter dialog frame and you can start building your conditional formatting rule.

For this blog, we'll use the example that you want to color code any messages that come to you from your immediate supervisor.  So click on the "From" button and search for the appropriate email address for that scenario.  Click "OK" and you will be taken back to the Conditional Formatting dialog box where you can choose the color you want applied.

Highlight your new rule, and click on the "Font" button, then choose your color (or even font) that will be applied to all emails that come from that address.  Now this rule will be applied immediately to all messages which correspond to your settings.  This technique can be used to separate out messages with specific phrases, of a particular size, or with a special category applied.

Things to Remember
While this is an extremely easy and helpful hack for Outlook organization, there are a few things to remember when setting up your conditional formatting rules.

- Conditional Formatting rules can be sorted by using the "Move Up" and "Move Down" buttons.  The higher listed rules take precedence over the lower ones.

- When using a name to apply the rules, it must exactly match the name as displayed in the "From" field of the message.  Double check who's messages you are trying to highlight.

- If the rule doesn't do exactly what you're looking for, delete it and try again.  Make note of what your current rule is doing so that you don't duplicate what's not working.  These things are not permanent and don't be scared to try things out.

- Be careful with the application of colors to your Inbox.  If you use it too liberally, you will lose the organizing effect.  You will have a nice rainbow effect though.

- Only "touch" your emails once.  Either delete it, take action on it, or file it.  That way you are not reading the same emails multiple times and clogging up your Inbox.

Hiring an Administrative Consultant

You've taken the leap and decided to hire an administrative consultant to help take that work load off your plate.  But chances are that you're not clear about what you want done and how to find the right organization to delegate those chores to.  Here are some good things to think about when looking for that perfect fit.

Simple administrative tasks are the easiest to delegate and quality or timeliness of work is the key measure of success.  These tasks tend to revolve around documents or files and can include things like:

• Typing, document formatting and proof-reading
• Producing presentations, newsletters and fliers
• Web research, data gathering and to-do lists
• Maintaining tracking spreadsheets

Small and medium sized businesses often outsource tasks requiring special skills that they either don't have the expertise or time to do themselves.  It might be something that is done only once a year or something that is very time consuming.  Examples could include:

• Planning a large meeting or event
• Creating a facebook page or blog
• Updating a web site

The administrative professional you hire will offer a variety of skill sets that can be used to accomplish these tasks and more.  Now you will need to find the right fit between that professional and your business.  Here are a few tips for finding that resource:

• Check the web site of your potential administrative professional - The web site of an administrative consultant represents her business.  Is it organized and well-designed?  Does it feel welcoming and professional?  Was there helpful information and resources available on the site?  This can be a good clue as to what sort of service you will receive from the consultant.
• Look in to the experience of the administrative consultant - You will want to seek out a consultant who is committed to serving your needs and expectations.  Check to see how long she has been in business or how her background lends itself to what you are looking for.  Testimonials are a good way to gauge the abilities of the administrative professional, but if she is new to the business a solid resume can give you the same information.  Referrals from  others you know is also an excellent source.
• Have an in-person consultation to establish personality fit - Most administrative consultants will offer potential clients a free initial consultation.  She will meet with you to go over what your specific needs are and the services she offers which can handle those tasks.  During that consultation, ask questions and listen to her questions to make sure that you are on the same page.  If it doesn't feel like a good fit, be up front and accept the same from the consultant.
• Be aware of pricing - Administrative consultants generally charge anywhere from $35 to $100 per hour or on a monthly retainer based on a certain number of hours per month.  This may seem like a large range, but remember that you are hiring a right-hand person to represent your business and take on those vital administrative tasks to keep you going.  Think about your own business: you know you aren't the cheapest and you wouldn't want to be.  You want to deliver quality and that expertise comes at a price.  An experienced, professional, discreet administrative professional will allow you to focus more on your core business and save you money in the long run.

A good example of an administrative consultant web site and service is Administrative Business Consulting.  Explore the web site and see what things you like and what things would fit well with your business.  There are a lot of things to consider when making this fundamental change in your business.  But the benefits can certainly outweigh the cost and consideration when you find just that right fit.

Play to Your Strengths and Delegate the Rest

Many professional and personal development plans focus mainly on building acumen in areas where we either are deficient or are not truly interested in.  That strategy can often lead to spinning wheels and not really improving your performance. Consider the professional athlete.  Michael Phelps does not try to win gold medals in every sport at the Summer Olympics.  He concentrates his time and energy towards the area where he has natural ability and the greatest chance of being successful. It may seem counter intuitive, but you often may get better results by playing to your strengths and delegating the rest.

Everyone has a natural aptitude in some area.  It could be math, writing, artistic endeavors, or any number of things that come up in the work place and during leisure time.  Often we don't know where our true passions and talents lie.  A major clue is to watch for signs of excitement when you are engaged in an activity.  If calling customers or interacting with your employees makes you feel energized and fulfilled, that is a great sign that people skills are something you are naturally good at.  Start making a list of things that are easy for you, things that make time fly for you, things that make you smile, and things that are interesting for you.  This is a great starting point for finding your strengths.

There are some other tools that can help you determine what your natural strengths are.  Multiple Intelligences has an on-line assessment tool that can help you find the areas where you have a natural tendency for excellence. A great book that helps focus your energies on strengths is Now Discover Your Strengths by Donald Clifton.  Several years ago, I used this book to hone my idea of where my talents were and where I could make the most use of them.  The lessons I learned after taking the assessments and reflecting on the results have enabled me to make a move to a new career and business.

We all know that your day is not only full of things you like to do.  There are still necessary things that have to be done in order for a business to run smoothly.  You can take advantage of services such as Administrative Business Consulting in order to remove those items from your day and keep you focused on your favorite things.  Outsourcing your administrative tasks can put more time in your day to focus on building those strengths in to an unstoppable force for good in your business.

No matter how hard you work on areas where you do not have a natural aptitude, you probably will never get beyond average in your performance.  However, by working on building your natural talents will allow you to reach higher and higher levels of achievement and success.  You will find your professional and personal life to be more rewarding and satisfying in the long run.

How Are You Spending Your Time?

Have you ever gotten to the end of a busy day and said to yourself, "what did I actually get done today?"  You feel like you've been running for hours but you have not accomplished the tasks that you really needed or wanted to have done.  We've all been there.

According to the 2011 Intuit Small Business Survey, average small business owners are spending their time in this way:

• 14 hours per week conducting business services (i.e. travel arrangements, document preparation, etc.)
• 6 hours per week on sales
• 5 hours per week on communications
• 3 hours per week on financial management
• 3 hours per week on web marketing
• 2 hours per week getting paid
• 2 hours per week on contact management
• 2 hours per week on employee management
• 2 hours per week on other marketing activities

All of this time is money.  One in four business owners believes that having just one extra hour per day would be worth more than $500.  But with all these different roles and duties, how do you squeeze that extra hour out of your busy schedule.  A simple way to figure out where your time goes and how to fix it is to complete a time management tracking exercise.  Administrative Business Consulting offers this form for download on our website (www.adminbizconsulting.com).

First come up with five to ten activities that you do during your day.  Split the day in to half-hour intervals and keep track of how many of those intervals you use for each activity.  You will need to dedicate yourself to tracking your time usage for a couple of weeks.  This will give you a more accurate picture of how you are spending your time.  Now look for patterns that show what you are avoiding and what activities are taking away from you accomplishing your goals.

Now you are ready to start determining how to get that extra hour per day you need.  Using a task list each day can keep you focused on what the priorities for the day are.  Outlook has an excellent task function that will even allow you to assign those tasks to others.  Another way to gain time is to delegate or outsource those activities that you do not like to do or are not good at.  Administrative Business Consulting has monthly retainer contracts for administrative services and social media maintenance.

Use these simple techniques to gain insight on where that time goes each day and how to get it back.  There is time to get back in to your business and what made it fun in the first place.