10 Ways to Use a Virtual Assistant

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Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way to improve the overall productivity of your business, and can save you time to focus on the more important tasks. Check out these 10 invaluable ways to use a virtual assistant and improve your business overall.
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1.     Bookkeeping
A virtual assistant can help you keep an eye on your accounts payable, accounts receivable and download or enter transactions into accounting software for you.  At RJS Mayne Services Ltd we use QuickFile easy to use accounting software to manage our clients bookkeeping.  A virtual assistant can also help you invoice any clients you may have, and keep track of any billable hours ready for invoicing.  A virtual assistant can also send your collated financial records onto your accountant ready for legal filing
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2.     Research
Your personal virtual assistant can help you with research for marketing and social media, seminars, competitors, advertising, and plenty more. They can analyse, summarise and present you with their findings to assist you in streamlining your business.
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3.     Event Planning
They can set up a webinar for you, research venues for your next seminar or conference, contact speakers, keep track of RSVPs, arrange for a greeter, find appropriate rental equipment and even stay in contact with you and your staff during the event to ensure everything runs smoothly.
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4.     Database Management
A virtual assistant can enter information into your contact database for you, produce follow-up letters and send out letters to your contacts. They can also monitor your marketing follow-up program, and provide you with detailed statistics.
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5.     Secretarial and Telephone Services
A virtual office assistant can help you plan your route, timetable and provide directions to various meetings and appointments.  They can complete routine paperwork, confirm your weekly appointments, back up your computer, make travel arrangements & plans and cover duties while you are on holiday (vacation) as well as answer your phone calls to maintain business continuity.
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6.     Website Design
A virtual assistant can also help you design, build, maintain and edit your website, keeping its content current. They can also help with the site promotion and by increasing traffic to your site.
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7.     Marketing Support
A personal virtual assistant can help you administer a marketing plan by submitting ads, coordinating payments, writing and submitting press releases, issuing sales brochures and creating, sending and collating the results of customer feedback questionnaires.
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8.     Email Services
A virtual office assistant can ensure that you take full advantage of your email software program and retrieve, sort, forward and respond to various emails and notify you of any urgent messages or To-Do tasks while you are out & about.  Plus, they can also set up an auto responder for standard requests that don’t require that personal touch.
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9.     Word Processing
A virtual assistant can type up your notes from a meeting, prepare letters, proof read / edit & update company policies & procedures currently in place.
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10.  Project Management
A virtual assistant can also work with you to ensure that your projects run smoothly by overseeing all aspects of the project.  And, staying in contact with all stakeholders / employees and subcontractors by utilising scheduling tools, calendars, managing correspondence and making sure all deadlines are met within agreed budgets.
 
These are just 10 of many ways in which your business could benefit from an experienced and proficient virtual assistant service.  Can you afford not to take advantage of what a virtual assistant could do for your business? Remember, there are no overheads, office space or unworked hours to pay for, and they even take care of their own tax obligations so what more could you ask for?
See here for more details of how your very own virtual assistant service can work for you.

Expanding Your Small Business Internationally

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When running a successful business, it is highly likely that you will search for ways in which to move your business forward. One of the most sought after ways to grow a business is to expand it into international markets. With technology forever evolving a lot of the previous barriers that hindered such expansion have neigh on disappeared.  Has your business got what it takes for this next step? And are you prepared?  Find out whether your business is ready for international expansion and consider the options of doing it.
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Signs Your Business is Ready for International Expansion
1.     You are receiving international requests or enquiries. If you find that you are getting an increased volume of enquiries from potential customers overseas about your products or services, there’s a good chance that your services or products are in demand and an indication that your business could potentially expand internationally.
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2.     You realise new products or services may do better (more profitable) in other markets. Perhaps you’ve received requests for a new product or service from international customers that in comparison may fare better in their market than your own or, fare just as well.  If you feel it is appropriate and the timing is right, consider the opportunity to test this new service or product initially without fully jumping in feet first or putting all your eggs in one basket!  Research and due diligence is the key here and no new venture or decision should be made without either.
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3.     Your business is going well and you’re looking to the future. Knowing your business has been doing well for quite a while and realising that it might continue flourishing or could ultimately slow down is a sign that you should consider alternative revenue streams for your products or services. One of the possible ways to do this is to expand and take your business into the international arena.
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4.     You have saturated the local market. If you notice that your sales have been pretty flat or indeed down on previous periods / years and all marketing efforts exhausted, it may be the push needed and the ideal time to look further afield for new business opportunities.
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How to Expand Your Business Internationally
1.     Create an international business plan. Determine why you want to expand your business internationally and develop a strategy to enter foreign markets. Keep in mind what additional costs you can expect, as well as the amount of revenue you plan to allocate to the effort
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2.     Identify potential markets. The first step in expanding your business internationally is to do research on countries where you might consider expanding your business to, whilst deciding which have the greatest demand for your services or products. You may want to look into developed countries that have a heightened need for your products or services as well as developing countries that may not currently have the products or services you readily offer.
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3.     Know the legal requirements. Make sure you know all of the rules for exporting your products or services internationally. These can vary greatly depending on the markets you are hoping to expand into so, research, research is the key!
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4.     Determine the capabilities of your business. Be aware of what capabilities your business has for expanding internationally. Make sure you understand which of your services and products have potential for success overseas. Also, bare in mind the strengths and weaknesses of your business and its potential growth rate.
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5.      Choose which international markets to enter. Once you have a good plan in place for expanding your business and feel that you are ready to take the plunge, select the markets you want to enter and get yourself ready for international expansion.
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Pros of International Expansion (to name but a few)
1.     Expansion and growth of potential customer base
2.     Spreads risk by customer diversification beyond local market
3.     Provides firsthand experience and awareness of how international business is
conducted
4.     More cost effective running costs
5.     Worldwide status and recognition
 
Cons of International Expansion (to name but a few)
1.     Insufficient research or due diligence which could result in unexpected risk to
currency fluctuations, or political instability in some international markets
2.     Disruption of cash flow due to payment delays
3.     Potential for lost or damaged goods in overseas transportation
4.     Foreign regulations and standards
5.     Increased operating costs ie additional staff, specialised transport networks etc
however hiring a virtual assistant could turn one of these Cons  into a positive.  See virtual assistant services for a solution to that problem.
 
Ultimately, with the right focus and commitment, businesses can succeed in the global marketplace providing they do business with secure trading partners regardless of where in the world they are located

Advantages of a Small Business in the International Market

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Bringing your small business into the international market can be a daunting but very exciting prospect, as there are a wide variety of benefits for your company in doing so. Check out the many ways you can benefit from expanding your business on an international level, opening your company to incredible opportunities you otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
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A Bigger Market
As you expand your small business in other countries, you open yourself up to larger markets that your company otherwise couldn’t reach. This in turn can provide you with a larger customer bas thus, larger profits.
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New Markets
When you expand your small business internationally, you may be able to get your company into new markets that are not yet familiar with your type of business or offering. This gives you the advantage of being the first business of your kind in a market that is just developing, which may prove to be very profitable in the long run.
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Brand Reputation
By expanding your business into international markets and increasing your company’s presence overall, you can greatly improve the reputation of your brand, credibility is key.  Companies that have an international reach are often considered much more successful than companies that solely operate in one country. This heightens the image of your business and overall awareness, creating increased potential for more customers and ultimately profits.
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A Fresh Start
Opening your business to international markets allows you to present your services or products to a brand new audience. This audience doesn’t have any preconceived ideas or possible biases to go off, allowing your company to have a completely fresh start.
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Favorable Government Regulations
When expanding your business into other countries, you may find that there are favorable government regulations that will allow you to save money on fees and taxes when compared with regulations that your country has. The lower amount of taxes and fees you have to worry about, the more profits your company may have.
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Tips for Expanding Your Small Business Internationally

  1. Do your research & due diligence. Bringing your small business into the international market requires plenty of research to make sure you know all of the logistics to heighten your chances of future success.
  2. Plan carefully. Make sure you have a thorough plan set in place to make sure you know what to expand as you enter into the international market.
  3. Consider local vendors first. When thinking about expanding your business internationally, you may want to consider using local vendors that you have authorized to supply your services or products in order to see how things go before taking the plunge in expanding your business internationally.
  4. Choose the right markets. It is vital to ensure that you choose markets & countries where there is a demand for your services or products to have the best chance of success in the international arena.
  5. Band together. You may find it easier to expand your small business internationally by partnering with another business, networking, or working with a marketing company to reduce the likelihood of some logistic or financial issues occurring.

Overall, expanding any business into the international arena has its drawbacks but ultimately this may well be a risk worth taking in the long run!