Welcome to the first newsletter from JMVA!

You may have noticed that we have had a facelift. This has been quite a task to undertake but with the help of a great graphic designer, copy writer and web designer we got there and we hope you like the new look as much as we do. Click here to take a look! We can however assure you that if it had been left to just us to do this it would have taken a lot longer to complete. When you run your own business you need to know where your expertise lies and what you can pass on to someone else. We all know that time is valuable and more and more sole traders, entrepreneurs and small business owners are realising that they just don’t have to do it all! >Each month we will be sharing with you our top tips on how to make the most of your working day, how to streamline your processes and how to make your business run more smoothly and efficiently.

Monday Blues

How do you start your working week? Does the thought of a Monday morning fill you with dread; you have far too much to do and just do not know where to start? Or do you feel very organised and raring to get going on your well planned week? If it is the latter then congratulations! Unfortunately for most of us it is the feeling of dread, you still have a back log of work to catch up on from the week before, you have also just realised that you have to present to a new client on the following day and you haven’t even confirmed that your colleague is also free to join the meeting!

JMVA tip #1:

On a Friday of each week allocate an hour in your diary and make sure it is a time that will rarely get moved! Use this time to review your diary for the week past and the following week. That way you can ensure you have carried out any follow-ups or client requests and this will also allow you to prepare for the meetings taking place during the following week.

JMVA tip #2:

Prepare adequately for each meeting - do you have to present, do you need to provide information or has the client to provide you with information, have you received this? As mentioned, by allocating some time each week this will allow you adequate time to pull together the information needed. We would also suggest that you confirm with each person you are meeting that the meeting is still taking place and where you are meeting, especially if it is a meeting that has been in the diary for some time. Try out these tips for a few weeks and we promise you will notice a difference!

Free Consultation!

We are currently offering a free one hour consultation, to review with you ways in which you can become better organised. Call now on 01344 314444 or simply reply to this email to book!

Please feel free to pass on our newsletter to any contacts you feel would benefit from this information.

We hope you have had a lovely Easter and enjoyed the numerous public holidays over the last couple of weeks. The good weather definitely made the difference and here at JMVA we even managed a couple of days camping in Exmoor, the days were gloriously warm but the nights still quite chilly!

If like many of us, you find that the hours seem to be flying by and that your “to-do list” is never ending, we hope you will find our next set of tips useful. We had some great feedback following last month’s newsletter; have you put the tips we included into practice and more importantly have they made a difference? We would love to hear from you!

JMVA tip #1: To Do or not To Do – that is the question!

The majority of us keep a list of tasks that we need to complete, but how many of you actually refer to it on an hourly or daily basis? The longer the list gets the more daunting it appears; eventually we give up looking at it and put it under a pile of paper, or close our notebooks altogether in the hope it will just go away.

One way to work your way through the list is to break your tasks up into achievable chunks, perhaps grouping together five items at a time. Focus and complete those five items first, then move onto the next five and don’t deviate from the five tasks you are concentrating on. If you need to prioritise certain items on the list then ensure that these are in the first chunk to be completed.

At the start of each new day re-write your list and add any new items, unless they are a priority, at the bottom.

If you find that you keep putting off a certain task, either because it is a mundane job or not that important, then make that the first task you must complete at the start of the day – you will get such a sense of achievement when it is completed and the list will certainly look a lot more manageable.

There are many ways to keep lists, the obvious one being on paper, but in today’s business environment there are more technical ways of creating and tracking task lists such as; using the task list in Microsoft Outlook, creating a list in excel or in word or using one of the many applications that are available for the Smart Phone market. Remember though it has to work for you, so if pen and paper will ensure you get the list done, stick to the tried and tested method.

JMVA tip #2: Reminders – snooze, dismiss or action!

This tip unintentionally leads on from the above. If you are using one of the electronic methods of keeping a To Do list then you automatically have the option to set up reminders against each task. These are great if you wish to set up reminders for a task that you have started but doesn’t actually need to be completed until a few days or weeks later. The one recurring problem is that we have the option to “snooze” and similar to the alarm clock buzzing in the morning we will always hit the snooze button if we can put off getting out of bed!

If you wish to use an electronic task list with reminders, be realistic with the time it will take you to complete the task - is a day or week enough? When the reminder appears on your screen, don’t hit the snooze button – open the reminder and see what you actually have to do, can it be something that can be completed now? Alternatively, each morning print off your task list for the day and prioritise what can be done or what can be rescheduled to a later date, again be realistic with your time.

Good luck with this month’s tips! Here at JMVA we have tried and tested the use of the “chunk” method for our lists after receiving valuable coaching from Christine Griffin, Accredited Coach and Master NLP Practitioner at Griffinity www.griffinity.co.uk Christine specialises in helping leaders (including small business owners) and teams to excel by getting the best out of themselves and others.

Free Consultation!

We are offering a free one hour consultation, to review with you ways in which you can become more productive and organised. Call now on 01344 314444 or simply reply to this email to book!

Please feel free to pass on our newsletter to any contacts you feel would benefit from this information.

We‘ve had an exciting month here at JMVA!

We have been talking to several new prospects with a view to helping them with their administration. We love spending time to really get to know and understand our clients. This helps us to establish the most cost effective way that we can work with them to help them achieve business success.

We also celebrated International VA Day and attended the UK VA Celebration event. It was lovely to connect with new VA’s and to listen to the excellent and motivating speakers.

As the title of the newsletter states, this month’s topic is Delegation! We all know that delegating tasks can save us time and enable us to focus on more important business issues, such as growing our business. However, we recently attended a networking event where one delegate commented that they were sure they could use our services, by delegating their time consuming admin tasks, but they weren’t sure how they would be able to delegate these tasks effectively!

As a result we thought it may be useful to list some key tips to help you delegate effectively to your Virtual Assistant:

1. Take time to clarify the task you want completed:

A headline in an email “send to Joe” doesn’t make sense to the receiver and this will no doubt result in questions being asked which will take up your time! Take time to state what you wish to be done. E.g. please tidy up the attached proposal and send to Joe Bloggs on my behalf!

2. Create a job specification of the tasks that you wish your VA to complete:

This provides clarity around what you expect your VA to do and in turn what they expect to be requested by you This will also ensure a routine is in place whereby certain actions will happen either on a certain day of the week or month e.g. send request to team for monthly reports

3. Have a structure in place:

This can be a daily or weekly call with your VA – this will ensure that they have the opportunity of asking questions about any tasks you have delegated and also to confirm to you what task’s have been completed

4. Don't waste your time micro managing your VA:

Give them the responsibility to accomplish the tasks that you have set, that way you can concentrate your time on doing what you do best - running your business

5. Agree how tasks will be delegated

A document or checklist can be set up on a file sharing system that allows you both to view the list of actions. It can also allow you to add to it and for your VA to confirm when tasks are completed.

Most importantly, be concise with your instructions and welcome questions from your VA. They want to get it 100% correct and effective two way communication will make this possible!

Special Offer for June & July!

Are you taking time away from your business this summer? Have you thought about what cover you will have in place during the time you are away? Do you really want to spend your time on holiday reading emails on your Blackberry or Ipad? For the month of June and July we are offering a 10% discount on admin cover and support to new clients (e.g. checking your incoming emails, answering calls on your behalf etc…) That way you can go on holiday knowing that your office will remain open to your clients!

Please call us on 01344 314444 or simply respond to this email to find out more about this offer. Alternatively, click here to visit our website to view the areas we can help you with.

Please feel free to pass on our newsletter to any contacts you feel would benefit from this information.

We believe here at JMVA that when you go on holiday, you really should be on holiday! Do you sit by the pool with one eye on your Blackberry, or take calls whilst you and your family are trying to enjoy lunch together? It really doesn’t need to be like that!
Does the thought of a holiday fill you with a sense of impending relaxation or a sense of dread?
Can you really switch off whilst on holiday? No phone calls or checking emails? Your voicemail is set up and your out of office is on so you have nothing to worry about. Right? Usually this only applies to people who have a team around them who will ensure the office is running smoothly in their absence.
But... what happens if you don’t have that great team of people – what if you work on your own? We deserve a real break too, a chance to switch off and de-stress for a couple of weeks!
Do you really wish to return after a 2-3 week holiday to 300+ unread emails? Do you want to have to listen to 20+ voice mail messages on your office phone?
By thinking ahead you can avoid these situations and ensure that your holiday is the relaxing time that it should be, it really isn’t too late!

Tip #1 - Plan

Contact your clients and advise them that you are going to be away on vacation. Ensure that all their requirements are up-to-date and that they will have enough supplies etc., whilst you are away.

Tip #2 - An extra day's holiday...honest

To give yourself time to catch up when you return, add an extra day to your holiday so that you can catch up on emails and phone calls. This means that when you do return you hit the ground running and not trying to play catch up for the rest of the week. You can prioritise what needs to be done urgently and what can wait.

Tip #3 - Hire a VA!

By outsourcing to a Virtual Assistant you can go on holiday and completely switch off! Have your office phone calls forwarded to them, they can then ensure that any urgent messages are passed on to you if need be. They can also oversee your emails, answering any queries or advising that you are in fact on holiday and could arrange to see them when you return.

Special summer offer!

So – do you have your office covered for your forthcoming holidays? If you’re interested, for the month of July and August we are offering a 10% discount on admin cover and support to new clients. That way you can go on holiday knowing that your office will remain open to your clients and that you can ENJOY your holiday!
Please call us on 01344 314444 or simply respond to this email to find out more about this offer. Alternatively, click here to visit our website to view the areas we can help you with.
We look forward to hearing from you!

JMVA Team

Please feel free to pass on our newsletter to any contacts you feel would benefit from this information.

Welcome to JMVA’s monthly newsletter!

If you have missed previous editions, we have now uploaded these to our website and they can be viewed under our “Newsletters” section. Click here to take a look.
The month of July has really whizzed by at JMVA. Some of our clients are starting to wind down for their summer vacations and we have been ensuring that their offices are sufficiently supported whilst they are away. We’ve also had some great feedback from last month’s tips on how to make sure your holidays are quality time away from the office – thank you to those who got in touch. If you have any feedback on our newsletters we would love to hear from you.
This month we are talking about business cards.
The majority of us attend networking meetings and are given approximately 10 to 20 business cards, or even more, at each event. What do you do with these? Do you send an email to each new person you have met to make that extra connection, do you file them in a business card holder, do you add them to a database or do you just put them in your middle drawer, along with the other cards you have picked up and forget about them? What if one of those people’s cards was your next big client?! Or if they had a connection to someone who could be your next big client – it doesn’t bear thinking about does it?
So, I hear you saying – how do I ensure the cards I receive are put to good use? Well, I am sure our first response would be “Hire a VA” :-), but by following the tips below you will find that your contact list will grow and you can nurture it to ensure you start to reap the benefits of having all these contacts, at hand and organised.

Tip #1 - Set up a system

Record the contacts you have met, whether this be an excel spreadsheet or by using your Microsoft Outlook Contacts. Spend 15 minutes after each meeting adding the contacts to your contact list, adding notes of where you met them, the date and if there was any other useful information that you learned. If using Outlook Contacts you can create categories to sort the contacts even further, by a specific network group or by “prospect” or just as a “network contact”. That way if you need to quickly review how you met someone their details are close to hand. If using excel spreadsheets, you can create a column to show the various categories and then by using the “filter” option you can sort through your contact list in a second!

Tip #2 - Connect with your contacts

For most people the idea of creating and sending a newsletter is a daunting prospect, we know – it only took us 3 years! Your newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with your contacts as well as imparting either industry knowledge or advice. Setting up a newsletter is also a simple process, the systems available now are really straightforward and they guide you step by step as well as being really cost effective. Mail Chimp, AWeber and Constant Contact are an example of mailing systems.
So – take a look at your pile of business cards, could your next client be sitting there!?
Wishing you all a great summer and of course remember our great summer offer....
For the month of August we are offering a 10% discount on admin cover and support to all new clients. Simply call us on 01344 314444 or simply respond to this email to find out more about this offer. Alternatively, click here to visit our website to view the areas we can help you with.
Best regards,

JMVA Team

Please feel free to pass on our newsletter to any contacts you feel would benefit from this information.

Welcome to this month’s newsletter from JMVA!

September was a great month here at JMVA. Not only did we enjoy the fabulous spell of late summer weather but several months of helping one of our clients to arrange and plan their annual Partner Conference came to fruition when the group met for three days at the end of the month. To have the opportunity to meet with people whom you correspond with on a regular basis is invaluable, the phrase of finally putting a face to a name really does ring true. We had a fantastic three days with the team, not only helping the event to run smoothly and to relieve the headache of facilitating the event, we even managed to fit in some Archery and Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting. The team are already looking at dates for next year! We can highly recommend the venue The Elvetham Hotel, Hook, Hampshire and also the events company we used to arrange the team event; Firebird Events.

On the topic of planning and preparing, we have already been asked by two of our clients to start preparing for Christmas! With this in mind, and yes it does seem unfair to start already talking about the “C” word, we wanted to share with you some key reminders and tips to help you ensure that you are prepared!

Tip #1 - Christmas Cards

You may already have been contacted by your printer asking you to select which cards you wish to use this year, if not then now is the time to start planning. Ensure you know what lead-time your supplier requires to have your cards ready for you to send out. If this is the first year that you will be sending out cards think what message you wish to have, do you wish to have your signature and company name pre-printed or will you personally sign each card; remember though how many you will be sending... a lot of cards to personally sign can take up a lot of time! You can also use this as an opportunity to advise if your office will be closed during the festive season.

Tip #2 - The 'Green' Alternative

Over the last few years, more and more companies are choosing to send out e-cards as a greener alternative and perhaps choose to donate the cost difference between sending out e-cards vs a physical card to a charity. If you do choose this option ensure your contact email lists are up-to-date, choose a good CMS system and the design and message you wish to use. Always set up a test e-card prior to sending out to the full list to ensure it is working correctly.

Tip #3 - Corporate Gifts

If you are sending a corporate gift to key clients, contacts or suppliers then ensure you budget for the cost, allow an adequate lead-time and order well in advance. Some suppliers such as Selfridges, Harrods, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer are already accepting orders for hampers.

Tip #4 - Diarise

If you are planning to hand deliver your gifts to local clients then set aside a couple of days in December to achieve this, it is amazing how quickly your diary will fill up during that month. Contact the client in advance to ensure that they will be in the office on the day you planned to visit, perhaps even arrange to have a coffee with them – it is a great way to informally have a meeting with them.

And finally...if you are planning to be closed during the festive season – make sure your clients are aware!

Christmas Preparation Special Offer!
JMVA can help you to plan and prepare for Christmas. From ordering and sending your Christmas cards to purchasing your corporate gifts and organising delivery, we are here to help. To find out more simply reply to this email or call us on 01344 314444 quoting “Christmas Prep”.

Happy planning!

JMVA Team

Please feel free to pass on our newsletter to any contacts you feel would benefit from this information. .

welcome to our monthly newsletter have you had a good month at jmva we very exciting month with  the signing of two new clients and member in growing team associates.
This month we also facilitated a series of conference calls and webinars for a client who was delivering a new training programme to one of their client’s global partners. The main objective was to reach a large number of people, globally, without the expense of travelling and more importantly doing this within a tight time schedule.

You may be reading this and thinking, “I don’t have clients with global contacts so not sure how using a conference calling facility will be of benefit to me?” So, we have set four questions below which we hope will change your mind!

Q1. Do you or have you a need to regularly talk to more than one person at a time?
Q2. Do you wish you could keep in more regular contact with your clients or colleagues?
Q3. Do you wish you could share and work collaboratively with clients or colleagues?
Q4. Do you wish you could record a presentation so people could listen at a more convenient time?

If you have answered “yes” to one or more of these questions then a form of conference calling will definitely be of a benefit to you!

Conference Calling

A conference call allows you to hold a virtual meeting with multiple people and can be set up in an instant, simply by dialling a number (which can be a free phone number) or calling via the Internet with applications such as Skype. (Which incurs no call charges if all members of the call are on the internet and using Skype.)

Webex or Webinars (document sharing calls)

These are great if you need to share documents either to develop them collaboratively or use them as part of a training/knowledge share. A webex/webinar adds the facility to share your PC’s screen live with other members of the conference call. Members will need to be connected to the internet to view the documents and you will need an account with one of the many webex/webinar providers such as BT Webjoin, Cisco webinar, or Go To Meeting. You can also share documents on Skype, again free of charge if everybody is connected to the internet and has the Skype application.

Using Conference calls can greatly reduce your travelling costs, save time and enable you to be more productive by keeping better informed and more up to date. By setting up webinars to view presentations, proposals or any type of document you maximise not only your time, as in you don’t need to travel to the client, but it also means that if necessary you can reach multiple people if they are not all based in one location.You can also record them so people who were unable to attend can review them at a later date.

Finally, if you are using these facilities whether as the Chair person or as an attendee, there are a few etiquette guidelines that you should adhere to:

 1. Join the call on time. If you are delayed do not announce yourself, wait until a suitable time in the
     conversation and then introduce yourself.
2. Always put your phone on “mute” if you are not speaking – background noise can be such a distraction
    to the other participants. (We recently joined a conference call only to have half way through the sound
    of one of the participants yawning!!)
3. If you are joining via a mobile phone, ensure you are in an area where you have a good connection – if
    you keep dropping out of the call you will not only miss the content of the call but will also distract the
    other participants.
4. Pay attention and try not to ‘multi-task’ else you may miss critical points or miss the opportunity to
    ‘have your say’.
5. If you are organising a meeting make sure that the joining details, ‘dial-in’ numbers and pass codes etc
    are clear in your invite.

Is conference calling something that you might consider using for future meetings, but don’t wish to have to set up the relevant accounts. At JMVA we have these all set up ready to be used so that you don’t have to! Contact us today on 01344 314444 to find out how we can help with your conference calling.

We finally leave you with a link to a very amusing video which shows how if you don’t adhere to the etiquette, you can end up on one of those annoying conference calls. Click here to view. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!
JMVA Team

Welcome to this month’s newsletter! We hope you have had a good month in November and are now looking forward to the forthcoming festive season. We always think December is a slightly strange time, everyone starts to wind down for Christmas and those projects that are waiting to be completed end up being shelved until January when we 'think' we will feel more motivated and raring to start afresh. There are lots of festive events taking place and so the working week is broken up and routines fall by the way side which also doesn’t help. This month we wanted to share with you our tips on how to stay motivated when all around you is grinding to a slow halt during December. Also, if this is the end of your financial year e.g. January to December, what you should be reflecting on and also planning for in 2012.

Tip #1

Remember to create a new action/to do list each day. This will help you prioritise what needs to be done and also ensure you don’t forget anything. Are there actions or projects that need the input or assistance from colleagues, suppliers or other businesses? When do they stop for Christmas? Ensure they are aware that their input is needed before they stop work. Manage their expectations as well as your own

Tip #2

One thing that I love as Christmas draws nearer is the chance to have a good clear out. I know this is for some of you the idea of hell, but for someone whose business is built on being organised, there is nothing better that a VA loves than to have a sort through! I take the opportunity of sorting through all my files and drawers, shredding or recycling documents that I no longer need and also reviewing the filing system that I have in place. I know, I know – hell! Remember this is where, we as VA’s, can come into effect – setting up the system that will help you work more effectively in 2012!

Tip #3

If you know that December will be a quieter month, use this to work on your 2012 business and financial plan. There are some great online tools and books that, if you are creating this for the first time, will help and guide you through the process. The best piece of advice that I received was, “It doesn’t need to be “War & Peace”, two pages maximum! It should be a guide for you to review each month and amend as appropriate.

Tip #4

Reflect on the year that is about to end. Again, if you find that December is a quieter month for you and your business, use this time to also reflect on what has worked in 2011 and more importantly what hasn’t. Did the networking events you attended provide new contacts or new clients? If not, why not?! Did the marketing you undertook provide you with new clients? Did you undertake any marketing? Are your clients happy with the service you have provided? In 2012 we will be launching some new products that we are sure will help those of you who have been thinking about using a VA but aren’t quite sure what or how to make this work. If you would like to know more about this or would like a chat about how we can help you to work more effectively in 2012, then please do get in touch.

JMVA Team Tel: 01344 314444
Mob: 07590 047611
Web: www.jmva.co.uk

Happy New Year!

We hope you have had a nice relaxing time over the festive season and if you are like us, you have found that the washing machine has shrunk our clothes ever so slightly since we last had them on before the festivities started!

What is 2012 going to hold for you and your business? Are you all set for the year ahead, with your list of goals and objectives, and of course your New Year’s resolution list? One of our clients has decided that 2012 will be the year when he stops using his paper diary and embraces all things technological. So far so good and by using JMVA to support him he knows that his diary is in safe hands and that he will be just as prepared as he was when using his paper diary.

In the New Year many of us start off with good intentions; to be more organised, to stop working late or stop working at the weekends and more importantly to be more pro-active with our contacts and clients. The first month or two start off well but then we get busy and our days melt away. Before you know it,all those good intentions have ceased and we are back to our bad habits of not preparing enough for meetings, working late to catch up on paperwork, and the newsletter that we had started has been sitting there for a couple of months.

STOP!

That is just being too negative... or is it?? Think back to last year and how many of those good intentions are still in place?

Having a Virtual Admin Assistant onboard will not only help you to become more organised, freeing up your personal time and also ensuring that you are more pro-active with your contacts and clients, they will also be able to ensure that the list of objectives and goals that you put in place will remain a priority for you and your business.

So... do you want to still be trudging along in the same muddle of organised chaos or do you want to have that self assured calm in your working day? We know which one we would prefer to have!

Using a VA doesn’t need to break the bank – we offer flexible solutions to help you and your business. Contact us now to find out how we can help you with your list of New Year resolutions!

Have a great week!
JMVA Team

Do you know of someone who is constantly struggling with their admin, who never appear organised or always complain there just isn’t enough time in the day? We always appreciate referrals. Please contact Jill to find out how our referral system could provide rewards to you.

Tel: 01344 314444
Mob: 07590 047611
Email: info@jmva.co.uk
Web: www.jmva.co.uk