Cybercletch LLC

Tuesday’s Time Saving Tips: Keyboard Shortcuts

Pat — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:43:15 +0000

If you’re like me and spend a lot of time at the keyboard, shortcuts can shave seconds off your work immediately, but have you thought about how much time they save over the long term?

Here are my favorite shortcuts because I use them several times a day:

Windows
CTRL C: Copy
CTRL X: Cut
CTRL V: Paste

Mac
Command C: Copy
Command X: Cut
Command V: Paste

Press the ctrl or command button and the c, x, or v when you want to copy, cut or paste any files, images, or text.

Real Estate Videos – Which Style Do You Prefer?

Pat — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:13:33 +0000

I’m requesting your feedback and thoughts. As more and more agents begin to create videos of their listings, I’m wondering which style is preferred. Do you like the more formal, but potentially sterile, stitched professional image videos or the casual first person tours that may display the home’s blemishes?

The following videos are the perfect examples to evaluate because the subject is the same house. One video was created by Circlepix, a company that takes great still photos and creates a video from them, the other by the homeowner who walks you through the house with a handheld video camera.

Which style do you prefer? Why?

Thanks to The Columbus Team for allowing me to use these videos on this post.

Tuesday’s Time Saving Tips: 6 Recommendations for More Effective Meetings

Pat — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:32:45 +0000

The work day is crazy. We book a meeting and all of a sudden the date and time is looming, and we’re not prepared. So much time is wasted in meetings!

Whether your meeting location is across the conference table, over the phone or on the web, here are some quick tips to make your meetings more effective:

Plan, plan, plan! Book the meeting and jot down your agenda ideas. Keep the document on your desktop so you can add to the points of discussion/consideration between scheduling and the meeting day. Planning includes determining whether a meeting is required in the first place; consider whether the same results can be achieved via email.
Send an agenda out to all participants 24 hours to a week ahead of time. Request their feedback in advance or ask them to be prepared to present their input during the meeting. Give/ask for a time frame to complete their presentation.
Create the schedule and final agenda prior to the start of the meeting.
Stick to the agenda and to the task at hand. There’s nothing more frustrating than late start because social time between participants delays it.
Keep attendees on task throughout meeting so the pace is maintained by ensuring all are actively participating.
Finish with an effective follow up plan. Be clear on who is responsible for what. Document decisions and email a summary to each attendee with necessary deadlines.

Following these 6 meeting recommendations will create more effective meetings while freeing time for you and your attendees to accomplish other important tasks.

The Need for Perfection Can Cost You Business

Pat — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:44:02 +0000

“Do not let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress.”

I had a client who wanted me to build a temporary three page site to use as a business calling card. It was temporary because she was planning to replace it with a larger site once she determined the content she wanted included.

This temporary site has never been published.

Why? Because it will never be perfect. The graphics and layout have been completely redesigned three times, the content has been rewritten several times as she’d find new ways of describing her business… and then she’d require new colors. The money she spent on this “temporary” site could have easily purchased her final site had she been able to determine what she wanted. I wonder how many clients she’s missed because of her inability to make a decision and move forward?

We’re raised to believe that mistakes are costly. Inaction costs us more.

“You cannot afford to wait for perfect conditions. Goal setting is often a matter of balancing timing against available resources. Opportunities are easily lost while waiting for perfect conditions.”
~Gary Ryan Blair

Photo Credit: jilles / CC BY 2.0

Tuesday’s Time Saving Tips: Think Delegation BEFORE You’re Buried

Pat — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:40:17 +0000

As an entrepreneur and business owner, you started out loving what you do. The job is exciting, you’re passionate about your work. Why else would you work so hard for such long periods of time?

Long term, you can’t maintain that initial start up pace or you’ll eventually face burnout. You’ll become tired and find yourself buried in tiny tasks required to accomplish the big picture. The tasks you’ll no longer enjoy doing.

If you let yourself get to this point, you’ll lose the passion for your business.

Consider delegating BEFORE you’re buried.

As you work on your business, contemplate the steps you’re performing and evaluate the following:

Do I enjoy doing this?
Is this task part of my skill set? Will I spend a lot of time learning how to complete this task rather than doing it?
Is this the best use of my time? Could I be earning more money or would I be happier and more efficient performing a different task?
If I don’t enjoy this task, how much time do I waste avoiding it?
What are the steps I perform so I could pass all or a portion of of this task onto someone else?
What type of skills would someone need to complete this task effectively?

If you evaluate your tasks before you’re desperate for help, you’ll be halfway to actual delegation. Too many of our clients come to us when they are overwhelmed and too busy to slow down to determine HOW they want us to help them.

You may even consider delegating smaller tasks BEFORE you actually require help. This way, when the need to delegate is critical, you’ve already tested and found a reliable assistant who is ready, willing and CAPABLE of delivering the results you expect.

And if you’re already buried? Call me, I’ve got a shovel.

Photo Credit: vernhart / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Tuesday’s Time Saving Tips: Plan Each Day for Success

Pat — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:33:55 +0000

“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.”
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Let’s face it, if you’re the person who can create lofty goals without breaking them down into smaller tasks to accomplish, you are in the minority.

Each day is a bite-sized piece of my larger plan.

Recently, you may have made some New Year’s resolutions. Or like me, you may have chosen not to. I make goals. Annual goals. Then I break them down into plate sized chunks and then again into bite-sized pieces. Depending on the type of goal, I may also start with bite-sized pieces until I build the plate and eventually meet the larger goal. Either way, it’s the daily achievement of the small pieces that creates the end result.

Daily goals, when realistically set, also stop those feelings of overwhelm that easily discredit your efforts.

The behaviorist in me knows those daily goals should be easily achievable in order for you to WANT to reproduce your efforts. You know what that means? Ensure successful completion!

My coaching partner at the Golden Apple Center for Inner Excellence suggested, “Pad your schedule for shit happens time.” It was some of the best advice I’ve received to date.

If creating a plan and failing to achieve those daily goals is frustrating, remember to pad your time for rush hour traffic, last minute deadlines or surprises. At the beginning of each day, prioritize your tasks and decide which ones can be shuffled to tomorrow’s list, if necessary.

Hold yourself accountable but give yourself a break when needed.

You will be far more productive if you include downtime, personal time and family time in your daily plan. They are important to your success and well being – make time for them!

Plan to succeed!

If you work your time management plan to ensure the achievement your daily goals, the success quickly builds to effectuate your long term goals.

Photo Credit: light_arted / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Tuesday’s Time Saving Tips: How a VA Can Free Up Your Time

Pat — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:47:45 +0000

This is the first installment in a Tuesday’s Time Saving Tips Series. The time saving tips will focus on ways you can become more productive, whether it’s through technology, business knowledge or office and home organization. They’ll be short and to the point – because that will save you time reading!

The first time saving tip should be obvious…

How Can a Virtual Assistant Free Up Your Time?

The ultimate purpose of hiring a virtual assistant is to free up your time for what’s truly important in your life. Here are the top five reasons my clients use my Virtual Assistant services:

They are able to focus on the part of their business that brings them joy and money.
They have more free time to spend with loved ones.
They spend less time trying to complete tasks that are not in their area of expertise.
They spend less time trying to find the right person to complete a particular task. If I can’t do it, I know someone who can.
I stay on top of technology and business trends so I can share the key information with my clients which keeps them on top of trends in their business.

Can you use a little more time?

Photo Credit: Leo Reynolds on Flickr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Collaboration Not Competition

Pat — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:15:08 +0000

I recently joined a networking group. I’ve attended a couple of meetings but my schedule won’t allow me to be more active until the end of January. I was very excited about this group because the limited members I know are fantastic people.

The past few days there have been rules flying around via email, “3 missed meeting and you’re out”. I was told I couldn’t promote my virtual assistant business because there are already a few people offering VA-type work. I began to think this group was not for me. I understand rules are important, I realize participation is key to the success of any group but not being able to talk about my business makes me feel like I can’t be myself. I wasn’t even asked what type of VA business I had so they don’t know what kind of work I do. How are they to know if the other VA businesses are similar? That’s like suggesting a divorce lawyer, a tax lawyer and a criminal lawyer all do the same job.

My business philosophy is collaboration not competition.

When I look at another virtual assistant, I consider how we may work together, I keep them in mind should I come across a client who is not a fit for my team but may work well with theirs.

Aside from skill differences, I also believe there has to be a personality, style and work-ethic fit. I only want to work with people who understand the value I bring to the transaction. I only have a limited number of hours in the day, I don’t want ALL the business, I only want the business that best fits my lifestyle. If you’re a potential client and you choose to work with someone else – I’m okay with that! I know I’m good at what I do, I’m very ethical, and I want to see you succeed. If my company is not what you’re looking for, then who am I to stand in your way?

Recently, when trying to follow a twitter account back, I was notified he had blocked me. Blocked ME? I’m not exactly a political or controversial tweeter! I checked my most recent tweet:

“I love when I get to work on SEO for my real estate clients”

He was in the business of search engine optimization. I can only assume he didn’t want me following him and learning all his secrets! What he doesn’t realize is he may have missed an opportunity to acquire more business. My time is limited and if I were to take on more clients needing this service in the future, I’d be looking for someone who is a thorough as I am. It could have been him.

Are you losing clients because you’re intimidated by competition rather than open to collaboration? Understand what makes you unique, offer quality services and you’ll never worry about competition again.

Photo Credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ / CC BY 2.0

6 Questions Your Online Profile Should Answer

Pat — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:02:19 +0000

You know you should become involved with social media but before you do, consider your online profile first, because once you make a connection they’ll want to learn more about you before requesting your services.

Consider the following when creating your online biography:

Who are YOU?

Business cards are no longer enough. The tech savvy consumer wants to know more about you before they chance picking up the phone to call. Not only do they want to research homes online, they want to research service providers too. Even those who are new to the internet will follow a link to investigate you before deciding to make contact. Make research easy for them by having your information readily available.

Where are you?

In the past, when businesses advertised, they always offered a way for consumers to reach them by including a brick and mortar address. An online page serves the same purpose, except people don’t have to leave the comfort of their homes. Whether it’s a web site or blog bio, Google profile, or facebook fan page, the people you connect with need somewhere to learn about your services. Where this page resides will depend upon your online marketing strategy. (You do have an online strategy, don’t you?)

If your only online presence is a company sponsored template web site, use the bio page there. You’d be surprised how many websites serve blank or default profile pages! If you blog, pay special attention to the ‘about’ page. For advanced users who have multiple online portals to content, consider pointing a domain or sub domain name directly to a profile page with all your contact info consolidated. Include phone numbers and addresses for your physical office, email, web sites and active social media platforms. Increase your potential customer comfort levels by allowing them to choose how to contact you.

What are you?

Once you evaluate where the majority of your online efforts reside, turn your attention to creating a bio that represents YOUR personality. Consumers want to learn about you and the skills you bring to the negotiating table; this is your opportunity to set yourself apart. So many biographies are professional – but boring. You are more memorable if you explain why you’ve developed a love of cars and how that hobby has enhanced your career over the years.

Why you?

Make the profile compelling. Do it in a way that reflects your personality. Humor or story telling can be used to engage the reader. If you’re not a great writer, hire one! A well written bio can make the difference between a casual consumer using your services – or not. Allow potential clients to find a common interest, at the very least they will remember you! It’s your opportunity to stand out in a sea of sameness.

How are you different?

Whatever you do, don’t plagiarize someone else. Understand there are many who perform the same job, but we are all unique with a different combination of strengths and skills. Capitalize on those differences. By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard you should choose a marketing niche, the same can be said for your bio. Understand what makes your skills and services different and you will attract the clients who are looking for YOU.

When to contact?

Make it easy for consumers to get to know you by adding your online address to all your literature, emails, and your social media profiles. Provide opportunities for them to give you their contact information. If you’ve done a good job making your information available, they’ll approach you when in need of your services.

Characteristics of Personal Assistants in the Real Estate Industry

Pat — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:40:34 +0000

The following statistics were taken from the 2008 National Association of REALTORS® Member Profile.

14% of REALTORS® use at LEAST one personal assistant
51% of personal assistants are unlicensed
50% of personal assistants are employed part-time
53% of personal assistants work exclusively for one REALTOR®

If you are a Real Estate Agent looking for an assistant, determine what your basic needs are:

Licensed, unlicensed
Full time, part time
In office or virtual
Generalist or specialist
Experience required and renumeration
Determine tasks to be completed

Then begin your search either locally or virtually. Online sources for assistants can include:

This is just a starting point in the decision making process. If you need clarification or assistance with any of these steps, don’t hesitate to call, I’d be happy to help and guide you in the right direction. Skype: 248-419-4898

There are many more online sources for VA’s – please add any you’ve had success using in the comment section.