Taming the Tech

Posted by execva on January 24, 2012

As we begin a new year, now might be the time to review whether your tech is working for you … or controlling you.

It seems that managers and executives are busier than they’ve ever been, working longer hours, burning out faster, and complaining they have no time. And this seems to correlate with advances in technology. But isn’t tech supposed to make our lives easier? So what’s going on?

Remember the ‘old days’ when a manager had a secretary who filtered all the work? She looked after all the calls, correspondence and document production, allowing the boss to get on with what he was supposed to be doing – business generation. Then along came computers, followed shortly by personal (or desktop) computers and every desk had one – including the boss. That brought with it document production software that not only enabled the boss to start doing some of the document production, but also a self-imposed expectation that he should.

Next came email – the supposed saviour and time-saver – and everyone in the office had an email address. Now the boss was looking after about half his incoming correspondence. Secretaries then morphed into project managers, office managers and customer service officers because half their traditional job was now being done by the boss.

And finally we move into today – where just about every manager or executive has a smartphone at the very least, or a Tablet or iPad. No wonder they’re time poor. They carry their office with them everywhere they go!

So here are some tips for taming the tech to allow you to get back to what you are supposed to be doing – generating business!

1.  Remember: You control the tech – not the other way around. Every device has an ‘off’ button. Use it.

2.  Ignore the beep. Just because a text or email comes in doesn’t mean you have to answer it immediately. It’ll still be there when you finish whatever it is you’re currently working on.

3.  Set aside time for emails, checking them maybe two or three times a day (morning, lunch, before leaving). Seriously if something is THAT urgent the sender should be calling you.

4.  Better yet, don’t have your email publicly available. I can’t believe the number of websites that list the emails of all the partners or the CEO of the business. Allow your people to do their jobs. Your team – and your assistant – should be filtering all email and passing through to you only what is most important/critical for your attention. You don’t need to see everything and people should not be able to access you too easily. Your website should list only a contact for information (eg contact@, info@) managed by your assistant or receptionist. Depending on the size/type of your business, you could also have one for sales/marketing, HR, and media. But you don’t need to manage them all. Same goes for your phone number. Relinquish control!

5.  Don’t have an assistant? Get one. It’s money well spent. You should be like the guru on the mountain – no one should be able to get to you without first passing through the nine circles of hell. Okay maybe not but just because the tech enables you to do it all doesn’t mean you have to, or that you should. And with a virtual assistant you don’t have to employ one – they’ll only be there when you need them – but you still need to relinquish some control to them (see step 4!).

6.  Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. I hear it all the time. “I don’t need an assistant because I can type”. More and more executives are looking after their own correspondence, documents, presentations – because they can type. There’s a lot more to document creation (as the name implies) than typing. But remember, you’re the boss! You worked hard to get there and you’re not being paid to do the job of the staff. And you know, let’s be honest – sometimes you’re doing those jobs because it gets you out of the ones you don’t like or want to do …right?

It’s all about working smarter, but that has to come from you because the tech can’t do it for you. Tame the tech, relinquish control and allow your support staff to do just that – support you – and you just may be able to get some free time back.

 

©Lyn Prowse-Bishop, www.execstress.com

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OIVAC 2012 – Call for Speakers

Posted by execva on January 20, 2012

For anyone who fancies themselves as a speaker here’s your opportunity!! Note if you’re in Australia times are May 18 to 20. From the OIVAC organising committee:

 

Online International Virtual Assistants Convention Speaker Application (May 17-19, 2012)

The 7th Annual OIVAC is designed to help VAs navigate the pressures and complexities associated with creating and maintaining a profitable virtual business. This year’s convention will challenge participants to act strategically by addressing three core principles of business growth and development…

**Innovation: take the lead or initiative in showcasing ideas and trends to assist with the development of a virtual business.
**Integration: incorporate cutting-edge technologies, processes, and services into a Virtual Assistant business.
**Motivation: incite and motivate VAs to take action to achieve goals throughout 2012 and beyond.

We invite VAs and business experts interested in sharing their knowledge, skills and experience with the industry to submit the below requested information to speakers@oivac.com by Friday, January 27, 2012. Don’t delay as slots will fill quickly! A representative will be in touch after the deadline.

Name:
URL:
Email:
Phone #:
Which of the 3 Principle Categories will your presentation fall under:
Presentation Title:
Brief Presentation Description:

Don’t forget. Submit your information to speakers@oivac.com by Friday, January 27, 2012.

Note: Selected presenters will be asked to provide additional information and all decisions will be made at the discretion of the OIVAC Steering Committee.

 

 

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New Year Changes to SME Regulations

Posted by execva on January 10, 2012

Is your business across the regulatory changes affecting SMEs in 2012? Here are the top ones, according to the Smart Company website.

Queensland is one of four states set to be ready for the national harmonised OH&S laws where companies have broader obligations to consult with people performing work, including contractors; officers of a corporation will be required to exercise due diligence to ensure the organisation complies with OH&S responsibilities; and prosecutors will need to prove the employer did not take all reasonably practicable measures to prevent the risk to health and safety from taking place. It has been suggested businesses need to spend some time doing a gap analysis to ensure they comply with the amended laws. See http://bit.ly/workplacelaws

The end of 2011 saw a rash of industrial relations disputes which called into question the efficacy of the government’s Fair Work Act. The Act is up for review this year but since significantly altering it is an admission of fault in the first place (remembering PM Gillard authored the Bill) we’re unlikely to see much movement in fixing the mess the Act seems to have created for employers with increased Union powers and entitlements, and protected strike action. From BHP to Qantas, the waterfront to XXXX Brewery, Union officials are buoyed by an Act that enables protected walk outs and powers to interfere in genuine business management and corporate restructuring that leads to protracted negotiations. Something has to change in 2012. Not surprisingly the ACTU is lobbying the government for changes to the Act before other interest groups get to have their say, with the unions negotiating with the government before the ALP national conference took place on 2 December. According to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Peter Anderson whilst the big companies grab the headlines, the system regulates employers in the SME industry just as much if not more so with higher labour costs under awards, new adverse action and unfair dismissal litigation and the compliance nightmare when Fair Work laws are added to other regulation being daily issues for SMEs. We’re in for interesting IR times ahead. The report from the review committee is expected to be with the Minister by May 2012.

I’ve written before on the new Australian Consumer Law (Warranties – Who’s Responsible?) but it was interesting to see the number of retailers over the Xmas period still failing to comply with obligations. From 1 January fines of up to $1.1m can be imposed for non-complying retailers so it’s important businesses get across the consumer guarantees. Primary amongst them is a consumer’s right to refund or exchange on faulty products regardless of whether they are on sale or not. ‘No refund’ signage, including ‘no refunds on sale items’ signage, is illegal. Additionally, the new laws also make the offering of extended warranties a tricky area since the law now covers consumers for what an extended warranty may have offered. Sales staff must be careful not to suggest that an extended warranty offers benefits not already available under the consumer law. And consumers should ensure they understand exactly what their rights are under the law and what they are paying for if they decide to purchase an extended warranty.

Tax changes will apply from 1 July with a reduction in the company tax rate to 29%, an increase in the instant write-off threshold to $6500 for all business assets, the replacing of two depreciation pools with a single depreciation pool, and an immediate write-off for the first $5000 of the cost of a motor vehicle purchased from 1 July. But remember the entrepreneurs tax offset will be scrapped which had provided an automatic tax rebate of $2750 to micro-businesses.

 

© Lyn Prowse-Bishop, www.execstress.com

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Question of Ethics?

Posted by execva on December 20, 2011

I just turned down a job offer that was probably the best of my VA career so far.

A potential client offered to bring me to their location to show them how to set up and use social media for their business. They indicated they weren’t much good at learning online and would prefer meeting face-to-face. They were located in one of the world’s most beautiful locations, and one I have longed to visit. And I said no.

Why?!

I’m the first to admit there is a bit of bravado in business – especially when you’re starting out. ‘Fake it till you make it’ does the rounds in every avenue of business. You might tell a potential client you can look after something for them, even though you may have limited experience in that particular area. You then quickly go about skilling up and getting on with the job. But I think when it’s likely to cost the client – as it was likely to in this case – then the decision is a moral and ethical one, and not purely a business one.

This potential client knew their limitations – and I know mine. Sure, I could have taken the offer, jetted over there and shown the client what they wanted to know – up to a point – and jetted home again after a nice holiday. But where does that leave the client? Even if they weren’t actually aware of it, I would know they didn’t get their money’s worth because their requirements were not something I could meet 150%! So I referred them to another VA who I knew was a master in what they needed.

Whilst there may be certain jobs you can quickly get a handle on and provide an excellent result for clients, it’s important to also be aware of your limitations and know when to say no and refer to other practitioners who do have the required skills. You’ll find this concept included in industry codes of ethics – but in this case, I acted from my own personal ethics. I couldn’t stand knowing that a client had received a half-baked job – even if they thought they got the best advice and training ever! I just couldn’t do it. Could you?

 

©Lyn Prowse-Bishop, http://www.execstress.com/

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Recruiters Using Social Media

Posted by execva on December 14, 2011

If you’re one of the people who thinks social media is a fad at best, the devil reincarnate at worst then the following might interest you.

It was reported recently that Facebook is now being actively used to recruit staff by laser focusing ads that target specialist skills.

There is a misconception that Facebook is only for the young, but statistics have shown that people who spend more than 15 hours a week on the site are actually in the 40 to 65 age range.

British recruitment consultant Bill Boorman, who spoke recently at the Social Media 2011 conference in Melbourne, said recruiters have to get smarter about attracting people.

With Facebook, employers are able to target very small numbers of highly suitable people with advertising that appears on their personal Facebook pages. This method is fast, cheap and effective.

Boorman used the tactic to recruit 120 people for the opening of the Hard Rock Café in Florence, Italy when he arranged for ads to be launched to those who had nominated ‘rock and roll’ and certain bands as their interests. For US$75 he set up a community page with info, videos and pictures and collected 1000 fans in a day and 4000 applications in four weeks – even though none of the applicants were on Facebook to look for work. Interviews were conducted with 1000 applicants over 26 hours with a total cost per hire of $16. In addition, Boorman said there was a 95% acceptance rate.

In another campaign, he used Facebook games (eg Farmville, Cityville) to find high-achieving graduates for a client. He used targeted advertising within the games asking players to send their résumé in return for a cow or assistance with building a hospital. Applications from the target market of candidates rose 400%.

This also shows that potential applicants MUST be aware of their online brand. I’ve mentioned before how important your online brand is. I’ve heard stories of people who have lost clients, or have not been engaged directly as a result of something they posted on Facebook or tweeted. If you wouldn’t want your mum to see that picture or read your post, don’t put it up there because someone who you may not know yet, will eventually see it … and it may just cost you!

 

 

©Lyn Prowse-Bishop, http://www.execstress.com/

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