Sue L Canfield recently released her book, The Commonsense Virtual Assistant – Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee. Today, she’s stopped by my blog. 

Janine:  Sue, why did you write this book?

Sue:  My husband, Joel D Canfield, and I co-authored the book to help newer and aspiring virtual assistants understand what it takes to run a successful business. Over the last two years, I found that many newer and aspiring virtual assistants were asking for and following my advice on how to run their business. Though they had the skills to be a virtual assistant, many had no idea how to run a business, write a business or marketing plan, how to market, and other basic business skills. Since my husband had already written a book for small business owners on how to be the best foundation for their business, we decided to add to the material and focus on the virtual assistant industry in our new book. 

Janine:  Sue, Please tell me about yourself

Sue:  I’ve worked as an administrative assistant for over 25 years and began my virtual assistant business in 2005 before I even knew there was such a thing. This past year I added virtual assistant coaching to my services to help newer virtual assistants succeed in their businesses. My husband and I work together from home along with our five-year old daughter in Roseville, California. 

Janine:  What qualifies you to write this book?

Sue:  Joel and I have more than 50 years of combined experience supporting and operating small businesses. My success as a virtual assistant is in large part due to the advice I received from Joel. Our success in our businesses provides testimony to our qualifications. 

Janine:  What is the book about?

Sue:  The book helps virtual assistants to understand that they are now business owners, entrepreneurs, no longer employees. Successful business owners need good business sense and a good understanding of what it takes to run a successful business. The book provides basic, commonsense information every entrepreneur needs to know along with advice specific to virtual assistants. 

Janine: What do you want the readers to get out of the book?

Sue:  The most important concept I would like my readers to understand is that they are now business owners and what that means. After reading the book, readers will have a clear understanding of how to set rates, manage their time, and market their business. 

Janine:  How can the readers contact you if they want further information?

Sue:  Joel and I can be reached toll-free at 877.771.7746 or by email at Contact@BizBa6.com. They can also visit our website athttp://www.bizba6.com. 

Janine:  How much does your book cost?
$19.95.

Janine:  Where can the readers purchase your e-book?
Sue:  They can visit our website at www.bizba6.com.

JanineL  Sue, thank you for stopping by my blog.
Sue: You are very welcome. Thank you for having me. 

About the Authors:

Joel and Sue have more than 50 years of combined experience supporting and operating small businesses. They operate BizBa6 Small Business Support Services and love not only their work but the life it allows them to live. This book (Joel’s third business book, Sue’s first) shares how they think about business–it’s a ‘why to’, not a ‘how-to’ because it focuses on how people think and what they want–not just your clients, but you, too. 

Book Summary:

So, you want to be a virtual assistant. The virtual assistant industry is growing rapidly. Just about anyone can say they are a virtual assistant. You have a computer, internet access, and the desire to work from home. Voila! You’re a virtual assistant. But is that enough to succeed as a virtual assistant? Do you have what it takes to run a business? Yes, a virtual assistant is a business owner. Successful business owners need to have good business sense. As a business owner, you, the virtual assistant, need to understand what it takes to run a business. Pick up your copy for $19.95 at http://www.bizba6.com.

Lately, I have seen so many missed opportunities for local businesses to rectify bad services complaints from customers and turn these instances into repeat sales or even referrals.  I’ve been the victim of bad service more times than not lately as I have been working with contractors to complete projects on my home. So, this  topic was worth a blog entry. 

It is not a secret that competition in the Florida construction industry is fierce. When we decided to install a swimming pool and install a fence this summer, many of the companies I received quotes from had either gone out of business or did not have the funds to complete projects. (One installer told me that if I did not make a decision by a particular date, my quote would go up $2000.) If a construction company can survive, the only factor I see is that good service is the only means which sets one company apart from the other.  Otherwise, they lose the referral business so necessary to survive.

After completing the swimming pool, we decided to fence the entire yard. We called a reputable and homeowner-referred Florida fence company and received a quote. 6 weeks later when we made a final decision to fence the yard, the salesman came out with a quote $500 dollars more than the original. As his quote was still lower than other quotes we received, we renegotiated the price although he really should have honored the original quote, which by-the-way did not indicate an expiration date. (He kept mumbling—-yes, mumbling about ‘getting yelled by the owner if he returned to the office with a quote which was too low’. ) This was the beginning of a myriad of problems with this company, which I will not itemize here but suffice to say that after installation was complete, I sent a typed note listing all of the issues that had gone awry. Along with that note, I mailed my final payment, which was promptly cashed so I know that the note was received.

Do you think the owner of the fence company would have called me to discuss what I addressed in my note? I have not heard one word.

As a result, I will not recommend this firm. My home sits at the end of a street which leads into a 1200 home brand new subdivision so the fence is quite visible. This is a missed opportunity for more fencing business.

As I mentioned, we put in a swimming pool. The project has been fraught with problems but each issue had eventually been worked out with some reasonable solution. The main problem is that I had to be vigilant and ‘on top’ of every step of the pool installation which became cumbersome (scheduling time off from my work, being available at a moment’s notice, etc.). I felt as if I was labeled ‘the homeowner who was difficult to satisfy’. My arguments with the pool contractor were valid but had I not been vocal many of the mistakes would not have been corrected. (I documented the installation of this pool so I plan to write about it in a future blog.) The bottom line is that none of the subcontractors (tiler, deck texturer, deck painters, cage installer, concrete subs) had my best interest in mind. That is what a contractor was hired to do–oversee the subs! Well, the subs asked no questions of me and simply fulfilled the job requirements. Without someone ON SITE during every phase of the construction, mistakes were bound to be made, which meant that I had to be the one to bring these to the attention of the pool contractor. It did not make for a good relationship. The contractor kept saying, “We want to please you” but that became a burden to him. I could feel that tension. I told him he needed to be here every step of the way.

I visited a local salon to make a hair appointment the other day. I had a bad experience at this salon about a year ago, which was fixed by another hairdresser but it required another visit back to the salon and another monetary tip. I had not been back to this salon since that incident occurred but decided to give the business another try. (I met the owner outside the shop one afternoon and she convinced me to try her services again.) Well, when I made a new appointment last week one of the hairdressers (not the one in question) became defensive when I explained why I had not patronized this salon in some time. It was as if she was calling me a liar. A better way to have handled this was to just simply say that this time the salon would guarantee the work they would do with the new appointment I had made. But,that did not happen. I left there wondering again what the results would be with this new appointment. No customer should leave any place of establishment wondering what lies ahead.

You see, I want to get the most from my money. Every dollar counts. If I am going to pay $100 for my hair to be lightened, I want value for that price. If I am going to pay tens of thousands for a new swimming pool, I want the tile to be installed in some kind of fluid pattern and expect that the tile-guy will have that expertise. I do not want to come back and say, “That’s not the pattern you showed me in the catalog”. If I am going to pay a few thousand for a new fence, I expect that the installers will have the survey in their possession when they arrive. I also expect that I will not get a call the day of the installation to say the construction crew is on its way despite asking for a phone call one day in advance.

And, I expect when I have a concern about work that is being done, paid for by me, out of my own pocket that this will be addressed in a professional manner and not be ignored.

Perhaps I am asking too much. Mistakes are bound to happen. I say to the construction and small business industry–do not blame the economy entirely for your downfall. It is survival of the fittest and that means Good Follow-Up and Excellent Customer Service is your ticket to survival.

Janine Gregor

1) Have a good understanding of what you want the VA to do for you before you search. Keep an ongoing list next to your desk of responsibilities you really want to delegate. List those items which keep you from doing the work you enjoy.

2) Prioritize that list. Break the list down to three categories: Items which should have been done yesterday; those which need to be done this week and those which can wait until next month.

3) Decide how much your budget will allow to contract with a VA. If you can spend $200 a month then stick to that budget.

 
4) Post a request for proposal (RFP) on the Virtual Assistant Forums for free. (This is the premier virtual assistant forums website. VAs are not charged for services here, so the site is open for all VAs and business owners with diverse backgrounds.) Make your RFP as detailed as possible and do not forget to include your website address and alternate email address. Most VAs will research your business online before posting for a position so any information you offer ahead of time only helps to weed out those who may not meet your needs.

5) Give a timeline as to when your request for proposal response has to be submitted but give a fair amount of time to respond. Anyone who is really interested will respond right away but it does take time to reply properly to RFPs as they are often customized to clients’ needs. Specify what you want the VA to send you in the first pass…i.e., links to sites, blogging samples, graphic samples, articles, etc. It is not necessary to ask for a resume. This is not an employee-employer situation. A VA is a business owner as well.

6) Ask for references. And by all means send out for those references asking for feedback on the VA’s work and turnaround time.

7) If you know someone who uses a VA, then ask for a referral from that colleague. Many VAs handle multiple clients. If you like the work you see, then this can be indicative of a VA you might wish to work with.

8 When you have decided upon the right person for the job, expect that in the beginning you will need to ‘hand over’ passwords and usernames and business information to get started. Be sure that your VA has a confidentiality agreement. You will need to open up your business to another person with whom you have never been physically introduced. Trust will grow over time.

9) Review the service contract needed to begin and return back to the VA in a timely fashion. If you are not in agreement with something in the contract, say so upfront.

10) Communicate…communicate…communicate…Set aside time during the work week to answer your VAs emails and questions. The faster you return your replies, the faster the work will be completed. Share ideas…send your VA articles and blogs which spur conversation and brainstorm to grow your business. Suggest that the VA read online newsletters or mail her/him publications which are related to your business.

You will have more time to do the work you enjoy. You can focus on your business plan. Best of all you can partner with someone who has an interest in the growth of your business.

Janine Gregor

It’s the VA in me…always seeking ways to simply improve my virtual-ness… searching for virtual resources to assist in my clients’ businesses and for new ways to improve my own methodology.

I look for plug-ins and free programs to allow me to run faster, jump higher and improve creativity. Here are five of my most recently used free resources I recommend.

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1) Xobni – (Inbox spelled backwards) For Outlook users, I believe this plug-in has become one of the most powerful email tools ever created, really! Xobni is easily downloaded. All emails are automatically categorized by conversation. Viewable in a separate frame, one email is selected from my Inbox and then all emails pertaining to that particular sender or topic are listed by date and categorized together.

When I need to find an email or an attachment, I just click on the sender’s name and all emails line up. A brief synopsis of those emails appear in a separate frame so it is an at-a-glance set-up which allows viewing and sorting in far less time than finding and searching myself. I am particularly impressed with Xobni when I have several emails from a client which need to be sorted by topic. So if I am working on a newsletter, all the emails pertaining only to that newsletter are grouped together.

The greatest time saver has been the ease in finding attachments sent via email. Connected to Facebook and other social networking sites (optional selection) the sender’s social networking info and Facebook photo appear in the heading. Additionally…any connections I may have with the sender appear in another column as well (under the Facebook photo) so I am able to see who I have in common with the sender of the email. Clever, clever.

Oh, and one more feature…if I click on a sender’s Xobni frame, I can view a chart which offers a line graph when the sender replies to the most email. This is a great tool for deciding when someone might open my email and to send it at a time when the recipient is most likely to answer the email.

2) If you are looking for a list of contacts to use for your next project or direct mailing, I recommend a site called Jigsaw which is an online directory of free, downloadable Company information and more than 12 million business Contacts. Copied from the company site: “Think of it as an exchange of Contacts you have for Contacts you need. The more you contribute, the more you earn. That’s it. This makes the Jigsaw system self-correcting, rewarding you for doing what you would do on your own. Points are also awarded when you update incorrect Contacts or challenge bad Contacts, keeping the system timely and accurate.” Easy sign up and a great option to buying mailing lists.

3) If you are looking for a way to make a website page printer friendly so that I can add as a pdf to my website or blog, Print Friendly is the way to go. When I find a page I think will be helpful for my blog readers, I insert the URL into the program and Print Friendly copies the document for you to edit to a readable format. You can remove images and make edits, while any edits can also be undone.

4) Remote access to my own computer and my client’s computers has been useful on many levels. I have used Logmein for about 3 years now. I use the free version for my home use but I have used the Pro version for client use. The main difference between the two versions is that the Pro version allows me to print from a client’s screen to my own printer. Once Logmein is downloaded, I can access my computer using any other computer from any location. In my case, I access my desktop located in my office which holds most of client programs and files doing so via my laptop from anywhere I go. If I want to step into another room with my laptop or take this with me to the library to work, I can easily access my desktop and work with all the programs I need from wherever I am! I collaborated with a real estate client in California using her ACT! database and did so from my location in Florida. Great for the time spent waiting in a doctor’s office. And…I recently read that Logmein is available as an iPhone application, which was the clincher for me to purchase an iPhone this fall.

5) www.Openoffice.org If you do not have Microsoft Office, you can use this program which is an open source program to open and save any document using the Office extensions such as .xls, .doc and .ppt. (Excel, Word or PowerPoint documents). The only program that Open Office does not work with is Microsoft Publisher. Email me if you want the link for an open source desktop publishing program.

Bonus Links: Did you ever want to take a screen shot of something on your computer an convert it to pdf to send as an attachment to someone or post to your blog or website? If so, then I recommend Screenhunter 5 and PDF995 . Once you have the image you want to take a snapshot, click Screenhunter 5 and it will save the document to wherever you indicated. The free program even allows for some editing and saving as a jpg file. Once you have that image, PDF995 easily converts any documents to pdf format to use as you wish. I have used both of these for years and have never looked for an alternative.

Next week I will post an additional 5 free resources (maybe more!) to help you grow your business. Please subscribe to my blog here for updates. For even more tips and resources, subscribe to my newsletter.

Please feel free to email me with any questions.

Thanks,

Janine

Hello Readers,

Please take this short survey? Looking forward to hearing what agents
like best about their jobs.

Janine Gregor

When a business owner is need of a virtual assistant, the protocol is to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP).  This online document format varies from posting-site to posting-site but the main components are:

*Software or Hardware needed?

*Expected date of completion if one-time project work

*What do you expect from a virtual assistant?

Here are 5 basic recommendations I have compiled when submitting an RFP to better help the virtual assistant assess your needs:

1)    Unless the proposal is anonymous, submitting your website address is helpful to the virtual assistant choosing to respond.  Even if the online format does not ask for your company URL, consider adding this information.  I prefer to research the company for which I am submitting a proposal beforehand, so any industry information will only help the virtual assistant send an informative introductory letter to the potential client.

Janine Gregor

I’ve had it with pool contractors, dealers and salesman. The entire pool buying experience has been a nightmare.

We (husband and I) have been trying to build an in-ground pool for more than a year and a half. We have exhausted nearly every dealer in our area.

What We are Looking For

I’m a virtual assistant and I work with real estate agents regularly. I did my due diligence in deciding whether the addition of a pool to our 2005 Florida home would be a valuable asset to the resale of the property. We live in a small, slightly upscale subdivision with larger lots but no amenities. Nearly every neighbor has a pool and when I calculated the potential resale value of the home (with the help of an appraiser), we would definitely gain significant value in the home as well as attract more buyers in a year-round warm-seasoned climate. Additionally, since most in-ground pools in my area are installed with a cage (fancy name, lanai) this outdoor, enclosed space becomes a value-added addition to any warm climate home. So my search for a pool quote included cage, pool and deck.

Looking for Quotes to Compare

I’m also a business owner dealing in client-VA contracts and quotes regularly. This is the 3rd home we have owned and the 2nd we built from scratch. I’m all about quotes and comparing amenities. I want to know what I am buying. However, that is not what the pool industry, from my perspective is all about. In fact, I’ve lost the interest of a number of pool contractors simply because I shop around and I question pricing.

Look at the Details

It is nearly impossible to compare quotes from one pool contractor/designer to another. If the homeowner does not know what it is that is being quoted many important quality construction details may slip by undetected. For example, I noticed one pool dealer quote included 3500 psi ShotKrete (the cement that is blown into a concrete pool after it is formed with rebar supports) while another was 4000 psi and yet another quoted 5000 psi. The higher number in the pressure per square inch (psi) ShotKrete, the denser the cement will be therefore, it will be more durable over time. This does not always mean that the 5000 psi pool contractor will charge more for denser cement either! But the 3500 psi pool quotes were often more expensive than the 5000 psi quotes. Another example in crafty pricing is the difference in handrail costs. I added a handrail to the quote, and the same pool handrail can vary in price from $150 to $350 as well. Same handrail design, same manufacturer, bigger markup. Sometimes the markup was so extravagant that it bordered on pure greed.

Our pool design request is very basic. We are not installing any pavers, fountains, planters, etc. We are planning a simple concrete deck but every single dealer I have encountered tries to sell you the extras no matter how hard (and loud) you state that this is a basic pool. It is very annoying and pushy and creates a tenuous relationship. No consumer wants to feel pressured into making a decision.

Unprofessional Behavior

Last week a pool dealer emailed me that prices were increasing April 1st and after that date the pool would cost $2000 more. The original quote was offered for less than 30 days. Most quotes are ‘good’ for one month. Abominable.

When I have asked dealers to itemize the quote, I have either been brushed off or have had to wait months for the information. They simply do not want to itemize but there is no other way to compare apples to apples. When I asked several dealers if they would modify the contract many pulled out before I could finish my sentence. For example, I wanted to add some type of safeguard clause that if the pool was not finished in a reasonable amount of time (I did not specify any timeframe) barring the rainy season (or mother nature in general) that there would be some type of penalty. I never heard from that dealer again after working with him for over 3 months on a pool design!

I Want to Know You are Paying the Subcontractors

Same dealer also did not want to add to the contract my request that I receive copies of the payment receipts made to the subcontractors. With so many pool dealers closing down due to the poor housing economy, it’s imperative that contractors pay the subs because if they are not paid, then a lien can be placed on the homeowner even though the homeowner made payment to the contractor. I never heard from this guy again. Actually, his salesman sent an email (he could not even call me) offering stale rhetoric that he was unable to reach a mutual agreement and that they terminated all negotiations. Crummy way to do business. Why not talk to me? I do not bite. In fact I wanted to develop a relationship with the dealer and build trust.

Use the Opportunity to Educate the Consumer

Being a good sales person involves educating the consumer. When potential clients question my virtual assistance per hour fee, I educate them on the benefits of working with a VA as opposed to hiring a part-time employee in-house. I show them my VA calculator. I explain that business owners do not have to pay for vacation, coffee breaks, downtime, social security, equipment or sick time. Why is it that not one of the dealers could explain to me from his perspective why my requests were being denied? Perhaps I might have understood. I am willing to listen.

References Do Help

I checked references but you know pool dealers are only going to give references for the folks that they did a good job for. (In fact it was one homeowner reference I checked out that advised me to get the paid receipts for the subcontractors.) So I take the references from other homeowners lightly. But I did listen carefully to other homeowners because sometimes a reference will say something that the dealer was not expecting the homeowner to say.  Some dealers do not use the Better Business Bureau as the fees are too expensive. That was bothersome. The only real credence I received was from the local county building permit department and the state, which is a must-check for anyone looking to build anything using a contractor.

Show Me Updated Pool Design Technology

One particular pool designer/salesman came to our home…now as I mentioned I run a virtual company and I use a laptop; this man travelled with the same. He came with a really slow Dell, and no battery so he had to hook-up in my home (not really a big problem, but I do look for updated technology) and a pool design program that he struggled to work with. He thought that creating the pool in front of us in 3-D would make us excited to sign the contract on the spot but I already knew what we wanted. I was unimpressed. I had 10 quotes and plans. He wasted our time. The computer was as slow as molasses. I could have drawn the pool faster on paper.

Another contractor sent me the plans using Microsoft Works, a program that is a pain to work in. He did not send me any pdfs or attachments. Everything had to be faxed, which is a pill as often the information I received was not dated (references need to be dated by the last few pools installed…not references from 2004 when pools were installed a plenty and construction was good). Often the faxed documents came through illegible. I was surprised at how many quotes, reference sheets, copies of workman’s comp and liability insurance were sent to potential customers either illegible or unable to open in most common document attachment software programs. Has this industry not updated its technology at all?

Pricing is All Over the Board

My last beef has to do with pricing. It was all over the board. This was a basic pool with a basic cage and deck. Nothing fancy and no extra cage supports to purchase to fit in an irregular square space. The space is simple and square. And yet, quotes for the same sized pool and cage ranged from a $1000 difference to over $5,000 difference.

I had to pick through the quotes to see what products they were offering. Some offered cartridge pool filters (be careful, replacement cartridges can be $130 or more) or diamaceous earth filters, which are less expensive to operate but are more expensive to sell. Bigger filters does not always mean better. When I mentioned my budget and what I wanted included such as Pebble Tec (colored pebbles that are blown into the ShotKrete) and a handrail, some could conveniently fit that into our budgeted price, while others charged extra. One dealer fit those items into the budget but got around that by telling us that he would dump the fill dirt into our yard (over the sod) instead of hauling that away. That was not on the quote. He only mentioned that in passing.

This is not one or two pool dealers I am referring to…this is many. Nearly all had some issue in pricing or quality or professionalism.

Buyer Beware.

Final thoughts of what I learned:

• Most contractors do not want to deal with anyone asking too many questions. If you ask too many questions, the assumption is that the homeowner does not want to work with you.
  
• If there were any questions about price, most pulled out the ‘…we have a good reputation…’ speech instead of taking the time to educate me on why their price was as stated.

• Most contractors make their money from the extras so any small-time pools projects are considered insignificant. Expect to be pushed a bill of goods and stacks of slick brochures.
  
• If contractors know you are working on other pool quotes, they will drop you in heartbeat.

• Most homeowners do not shop around for quotes so when a dealer shows up, they expect that you will sign the contract. When I called the references, nearly every homeowner stated they did not shop for quotes. That actually surprised me.
  

We have one last pool contractor appointment this Friday, as I have exhausted every dealer who is still open for business in our area. I’ll follow-up this blog with a final assessment. Perhaps this pool dealer might be the one. If not, then another hot, Florida summer will be spent indoors…
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Janine Gregor

There is a lovely home in my neighborhood which recently went on the market ‘For Sale’. The problem is that one cannot read any of the details in the sign. I had my camera with me this morning, so I snapped a quick video to give folks a view of what it is that drive-bys can actually see from across the street. 

This home is poorly signed by the homeowner, no doubt. Further, the second sign located at the entrance to the home indicates, “Open House” which I find to be quite odd.  It seems that the Open House is perpetually OPEN.  Is someone there all the time to take knocks on the door from looky-loos?  I wonder.

Open House Sign

There are several other homes available in this neighborhood and my guess is that this one will just be a drive-by…in other words…buyers will just continue to drive-by.

Even though the home is a FSBO (for sale by owner), there is so much more an owner can do to advertise simply from the front lawn.

If you have not signed on with a real estate agent (recommended by this virtual assistant!) to take advantage of all of the benefits, such as good signage, I would suggest to FSBOs to at least do this much:

1)  Place the signs closer to the street and sidewalk where people can actually view them without straining their eyes. This may mean using two signs:  one at the far end of the lawn at the property line to gain attention from folks driving one way and using a second sign in the front of the property reasonably close to the sidewalk to stand out to drive-bys who do stop.

2)  Buy a double-sided For Sale Sign or make your own and take into account that folks might be coming toward the property from more than one direction.

3)  Use a thick black Sharpie marker to write your home’s stats.  This homeowner used a thin Sharpie that one would need a magnifying glass to view.  People will not want to get out of their car to run over to see how much the home is priced or how many bedrooms it contains. 

4)  Create a website and post photos of the home.  Microsoft Office Live is a free hosting site with templates that can be used to create a site in just a few minutes.  Buy a domain at GoDaddy featuring the site’s address (about $7.00) and connect that address to the site. By all means, advertise that website address on the sign in a clear fashion.

5)  Make a few flyers and buy a tube at a local hardware store.  Microsoft Publisher and Word feature easy-to-use templates for making flyers.  Go to Kinkos to have them printed in quantity. 

 Janine

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Winner of the Virtual Assistant Forums February 2009 Blogging Challenge

I am honored to receive the recognition for creativity. The prize is a book from the Virtual Assistant Forums library. ~Janine 

 

Throw on my sweats, brush my teeth, wash my face,
Feed the cat, feed the teen, 'Yes, it’s oatmeal for darn sakes.'

'Leave the iPod at home, don’t even ask.
And please don’t forget your books and school lunch pass.'
(Help me this day, as I ignore his morning sass!)

We’d better get going;
I’ve got much on my plate; emails, Twitter,
social networking won’t wait.

Already my head is a-spin;
I may be going berserk,
but I can’t sit down ’til I finish my mom-work.

A quick drive to school, 'Good luck on your test!'
A kiss and a hug, 'And, please do your best.'

He turns with a grunt and then pauses to say,
'I love you too, Mom but please go away.
My friends are all looking, you see,
so please go to work, you’re embarrassing me!'

The drive back home, I’m thinking of work;
a new client today, perhaps a contract to sign,
This is a great job, with so many fun perks.

I take off my taxi-cap and up to my door,
smile to the neighbor,
(oh, that man’s an incredible bore!)
Pick a few weeds, in the box goes the Netflix,
I’ve arrived right on-time,
oh, this office is a mess!

Phone conference at 10, computer goes on;
I must prepare.
Toss in some laundry, oops, that sweater’s mohair.

Heat up the first coffee now cold from before;
only one cup remaining, shall I make some more?

Click on my Inbox, checked only 12-hours-past.
Emails pour in like a flood,
I’d say, 20 mbps is rather fast.

Check boxes for client-rush requests,
check VAF for new posts,
comment LinkedIn, post Twitter
I’m working hard to deliver.

Look at my calendar, I’ve got real estate work,
new listings are posted with virtual tours to stitch.
I’ll have to redo my weekly to-do list.

A client has emailed me she wants something fast.
A newsletter copy; she can’t know I’m behind.
I’ll open the attachment, what will I find?

Newsletter copy that needs more than a tweak,
bad spelling and formatting,
it does look rather bleak.

I get started on this rush project, in comes new real estate listings.
Get these up on the ‘net, the agent is insisting.

Time moves quickly and I’ve completed all three tasks.
Sent off that newsletter, will the client approve fast?
Now I’m writing a blog post and stitching photos again,
I have to push hard, client conference awaits
and it’s already 10.

Break away from my work to make my call,
new client is pleasant and seems rather fine.
Will he sign my contract and do so on-time?

Yes, I can update your ads and post listings to your sites,
write your blogs, articles and newsletters;
and make them look right.
Yes, I can help you for as long as you like, but remember,
your budget is really quite tight.

My day continues, finishing work as it comes in.
The newsletter copy is returned no changes! Great, it’s a win!

New client sent contracts, we’ll get started the next day.
Set up new folders, passwords and names.

(This is a real business and I don’t play games.)

Email correspondence is an extremely powerful communication medium and with power comes responsibility. Poorly constructed e-mails have been known to ruin careers and cause mistrust among clients and employees.  It can be difficult to rebound from the effects that bad e-mail has on a business’ reputation because e-mails do not just ‘go away’.  People remember the bad e-mails and they are often saved for posterity in other e-mail folders, which also do not ‘go away’.  E-mails live, breathe and multiply across cyberspace so it is truly important to keep nine basic rules of e-mail net etiquette in mind:

1) Overuse of the ‘urgent’ exclamation tells the same tale as ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’.  If every e-mail you send is tagged with the red ‘urgent’ button, eventually your readers will ignore this tag.  Use the ‘urgent’ tag sparingly and only when it really is a matter of urgency.  Even then, do not expect your readers to open the e-mail even if it is tagged as ‘urgent’.  E-mail can be opened at any time.  If a matter is truly urgent, better to pick up the phone and let the recipient know the important information is on its way.

2) Be cautious of unseen recipients. Never use unsecured e-mail to send confidential documents.  A misstroke on the keyboard to the wrong-named person and the documents can make several trips around the world landing in e-mail boxes whose recipients could possibly hurt solid business relationships.  A quick slip in the use of ‘autocomplete’ in the TO line of an e-mail to someone with a similar name as your intended recipient and your documents can creep through communication channels you never knew existed.  Review the TO line before you hit send.

3) Make the last sentence of your e-mail count.  This is the sentence or question most readers will remember.  If you have numerous questions which need to be answered in an e-mail, collect them into one section and use a bullet or a number feature. Spotty questions throughout an e-mail may not be answered unless the reader is a meticulous e-mail-reader, and many people are not. E-mail is a fast medium, open one e-mail, move onto the next, so streamline the content and leave the ‘action’ question or statement for last. Your reader will more than likely remember the last item they read and act on it much more quickly.

4) Never forward e-mails addressed to you to someone else without the permission of the initial sender.  Truly the highest form of etiquette! It takes a few extra minutes, but the best method is to create a new e-mail with a new subject title.  Some people will edit an e-mail before forwarding to the next person, but even this practice is questionable.  Sometimes the subject title does not match the forwarded topic and there are some unedited items left in the e-mails which can still be damaging (and embarrassing) to the initial sender.  Edited forwarded e-mails always look like they have been edited and that too can lead the initial sender to mistrust the recipient as well as the extended recipient wondering what it was that had been edited and why.  Forwarding e-mails without the sender’s permission is just plain bad business manners.

5) My time is as valuable as your own.  Sending e-mail to everyone, including those who do not need to read your e-mail is also bad business manners.  Adding a disclaimer such as “If this e-mail does not pertain to you, please ignore it” does not justify having sent an e-mail to someone who had to take the time to read this e-mail only to find out the information had nothing to do with them at all.  In fact, people get paid to read e-mail so if you send unnecessary e-mail to those who do not need to receive them; you are in the end, paying them for doing nothing. Take a few minutes to look at your TO line and rethink whether everyone in this line really needs to read your information.

6) Send bad news on a Thursdays. All too often Monday morning e-mail is filled with bad company news which can set the mood for a difficult work week. If you must send negative company news such as termination announcements, departures, decline in profits or stocks, budgetary cuts, company closings, etc. try to send this information later in the week, if possible.  Thursdays are a good day because it gives the recipient time to absorb the information; perhaps another day to respond and/or read what others might have to say and then offers two weekend days to soak it all in. When the new work day starts on a Monday, stress levels are lowered and people can begin the week on a more positive note.

7) Use ‘return receipt’ sparingly. If it is important for you to know whether someone has received your e-mail, the best method is to pick up the phone and let them know the e-mail is on its way. Overusing ‘return receipt’ implies that you do not trust the recipient to either read your e-mail and/reply to it. If you need your recipient to reply to your e-mail, politely ask within the body of the e-mail if they would reply via directly by hitting the reply button.

8) Never terminate someone’s employment via e-mail.  As intonation, facial and body language expressions are not transmitted via e-mail; this is the worse way to deliver bad news.  Out of respect for your other employees, department heads and the individual being terminated bad news should be delivered by telephone or if possible, in a one-on-one situation.  These more humane methods offer the individual an opportunity to ask questions and respond to the astonishment of being ‘let go’.  In the event that a wrongful termination suit might follow, notification by personal means would cast a more professional image on the company than using electronic notification.

9) K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid. Remember this slogan from the 1980′s? The same concept holds true 25+ years later when constructing an e-mail.  Keeping sentences clean, brief and without a lot of unnecessary chatter will give the professional impression you need to offer your readers in your e-mail.  Your e-mails represent not only you and your mark of professionalism but also that of the company you work for.  Keep fancy fonts, colors, backgrounds, extended closing advertisement and photos out of e-mails (for some industries such as real estate, and entertainment photos are important to the image, but it must be a professional photo.)  Photos in business e-mails playing with your pet should be left out of business correspondence.  Not everyone is a dog-lover and would only wish to view you as a well-groomed professional and not in overalls and a tee-shirt.  If someone wants to print your e-mail and its content is filled with pictures, colored background and fonts, this can be annoying as these types of correspondences ‘eat up’ expensive printer cartridges.  Play it safe and construct your e-mails in an easy-to-read black font, Times New Roman, Verdana or Courier on white with as little closure information as possible.  (Ever get an e-mail thread with closure information one page long per e-mail reply…this can become quite a task to scroll through this information to find the original message!) Your client in Peoria may like the polka-dotted background but the Los Angeles client may think it to be a bit ‘odd’ in your color selection. You would not want a potential client to doubt your professionalism based on a color scheme. Colors also create moods and give impressions of the type of business you are trying to project. If you sell baby products, it would be ‘cute’ to use blue or pink e-mail background if your recipients are new mothers.  But that same color combination may not be acceptable in an e-mail to your baby products sales people or company director.  Keep it white and there are never any color choice or font distractions in your e-mail to take away from what it is you really want to say.