Simplify Your Life: Hire a Virtual Assistant

How much is your time worth to you? Every minute that you
spend doing paperwork is a minute lost for developing your
product or service, networking with potential clients, or
making sales. In simple terms, every minute you spend on
administrative tasks is a minute you could have spent
growing your business. But, without the resources to hire
an Administrative Assistant, how can you get the help you
need?

Virtual assistance is an industry that has grown immensely
in the past few years. This development is due in part to
the growth of the internet and new technologies, which have
made working with an Assistant, as simple as sending an
email. It has also grown as a result of the number of
entrepreneurs that simply don't have the space and/or the
money to hire an in-house Assistant. More and more small
businesses are coming to the realization that the solution
to this problem is virtual assistance.

Outsourcing administrative work allows entrepreneurs to
focus on the income earning aspects of their business while
saving the money that would have been spent on hiring an
Administrative Assistant.

Most Virtual Assistants offer two options for acquiring
their services. For those who need help regularly, most
VAs offer retainer plans, which allow you to purchase their
services in monthly time blocks. This is a good option
when you need multiple tasks performed each month. For
example, if you have a customer database that needs regular
maintenance and weekly invoicing that must be performed,
then hiring a Virtual Assistant on a retainer basis will
enable you to outsource those tasks and get them off of
your own to-do list. If you need ten hours of service per
month, you only pay for ten hours of service. If you need
twenty hours of administrative work completed per month,
you pay for twenty hours, and so on. Most Virtual
Assistants offer discounts for clients who purchase their
services on a retainer basis. Usually, the more hours
purchased, the larger the discount.

For clients who only need an occasional project completed,
such as a document typed or the completion of a
spreadsheet, services can be purchased on an hourly basis.
This means that if your project will take only an hour to
complete, you will pay for only one hour of service. Your
Virtual Assistant will be able to give you an estimate on
the amount of time the project should take to complete.
Some VAs have a minimum hourly requirement however, so it's
best to inquire about this first.

When working with a Virtual Assistant for the first time,
it is always best to start with a small project to see if
you and the VA are compatible. Once you have established
that he/she provides quality work and that you communicate
well, you can decide whether or not to continue sending
projects or retaining their services.

The growth of the Virtual Assistant industry has made it
possible for anyone to have their own Assistant. Whether
you are an office of one or one hundred, virtual assistance
might be the answer for you. Acquiring quality assistance
will free up your time and simplify your life.

----------------------------------------------------
Kelly Sims is a Virtual Assistant and President of
Virtually There VA Services. To find out more about
virtual assistance and how using a Virtual Assistant can
simplify your life, visit her website at =>
http://www.virtuallythereva.com
While you're there, don't forget to sign up for her free
monthly newsletter providing useful information that
enhances and simplifies the lives of busy entrepreneurs.

Formatting Your Press Release

Once you know the basics involved in writing a Press
Release, you'll find it's a pretty simple process to put
one together. In fact, if you conform to "industry
standards" and include the information that reporters and
editors are expecting to find, your press release stands a
very good chance of actually being used.

Here are the formatting rules you need to follow:

Use mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER
CASE LETTERS. As you can see, it's much more difficult to
read that way.

Always follow the rules of grammar and style. Errors in
grammar and style affect your credibility. Excessive errors
will cause your press release to be rejected.

Don't use HTML. When sending your press release to online
Media, do not embed HTML or other markup languages in it.
Including such formatting will negatively impact the
readability of your press release.

Use more than one paragraph. If you can say everything in
only a few sentences, then chances are you do not have a
newsworthy story. (*Note: You may hear that your press
release should "never" be more than one page long. I have
found that a press release should be as long as it takes to
tell your story. If that means one and a-half or two pages,
then that's how long it should be. Do your best to keep it
short and sweet, but don't take out important information
just to make it fit on one page.)

Include a summary paragraph for online submissions. Some
online news services request that you include a one-page
summary of your press release. This is because some
distribution points only receive your headline, summary and
a link to your press release. If you are submitting to
online services, not including the summary paragraph may
reduce the effectiveness of your press release. This is not
usually necessary with print, television or radio media.

Write your press release on a word processor instead of
composing it online. When you've finished writing it, print
it out, and proofread it. Rewrite, edit, and proofread
again, until you've got it exactly how you want it, and
there are no mistakes. Because most people have a harder
time proofreading their own writing, ask someone you trust
to proofread it for you.

Do not include your e-mail address in the body of your
release -- especially when submitting your press release
online, or publishing your press release on your Website or
in your blog. You can include your email address in the
contact information if you wish, but if it goes online, be
prepared to be spammed, since it's going into public
domain. Most online media services will have a place for
your email address in the submission process, for your
protection, and most of your local media will prefer a
telephone number to contact you with.

Here is a basic template you can use when writing your
Press Release:

Starting at the top of the page, on your company
letterhead, write the words "PRESS RELEASE" in all capital
letters, centered and bolded.

Hit the enter-bar twice, so you go down two lines. On the
left hand side of the page, write the date you want the
information to be released, or if it's "FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE" write that, again in all CAPS and bolded. On the
same line, but to the far right, write the words "CONTACT
INFORMATION" again, bolded and in capital letters. Go down
to the next line, and list the contact person and their
phone number.

It's always a good idea to have two contact people whenever
possible and two phone numbers for each of them -- for
example, the office number and cell phone numbers. You can
also put your email address here.

Hit the enter-bar twice again, and type in your headline
next. (It needs to be centered and bolded, but not
necessarily in all CAPS). Your headline needs to be short,
snappy and relevant. You want it to grab the reader's
attention.

Go down two spaces again. The body of your press release
should be double spaced, and typed in an easy to read 12 in
font, such as Times New Roman or Arial. Leave lots of white
space in your press release -- use at least one to two inch
margins around your page.

The first paragraph of your press release needs to provide
the reader with enough basic information to make them keep
reading. It should answer the "W" questions -- who, what,
when, and where and why. Because you've only got a few
sentences, make every word count.

The second paragraph of your press release will answer the
"so what" question. It needs to explain who is going to be
interested in this information, and why they should care
about it. The second paragraph is an ideal place to include
a quote, or a touchie-feely "Kodak" moment, to add human
interest to your story.

The third (and often final) paragraph of your press release
should answer any other questions the reporter or
journalist might still have about your story. Here is where
you can include information about your company, or any
technical stuff.

Make your press release long enough to say what you need to
say. If it goes beyond one page, then centered under the
last line on the first page, write the word "MORE" in all
caps and bold it.

Then on the second page, on the top right hand side of the
page, write "Page 2" and on the line under that, write the
title of your press release again.

Continue where you left off. When your press release is
finished, put these symbols centered under the last line
"###" (without the quotation marks.) This lets the reader
know that you're done.

That's all there is to it. Although the information you
provide will be different each time you write a press
release, the basic format will always stay the same. Now
you've got enough information to be able to write your
first press release.

----------------------------------------------------
Dr. John E. Neyman, Jr. is owner of Leaders Excel in which
he specializes in coaching, websites, and optimization. If
you would like to grow in your leadership ability contact
Dr. John at john@LeadersExcel.com or
http://LeaderExcelSolutions.com

Top Review of Marketing Guru Bob Proctor

Bob Proctor $1,995 for Instant Access to the Science of
Getting Rich Program and the Law of Attraction! You are
going to have to show me a lot more than a good long sales
letter and a couple of video clips to get me to throw down
two grand.

Bob Proctor is a marketing / motivational speaker guy that
has been around for a long, long time. Nearly forty years.
He is now the vice president of sales at the popular
electronic publishing and self improvement company, The
Nightingale-Conant Corporation.

The Nightingale-Conant Corp. was put together by the very
famous Earl Nightingale and equally well known partner
Lloyd Conant. Some popular products offered on CD include
Psycho Cybernetics, Think and Grow Rich, and The Strangest
Secret (Earl Nightingale) along with so many others. These
programs by the way are offered at a realistic price point.
You can build yourself a great collection of knowledge for
a small percentage of what's being charged by Bob Proctor
to teach the same thing that is on these CDs.

All of this motivational, you can do whatever your mind and
heart desire stuff is great. Unfortunately Bob Proctor is
not the one who came up with most of the ideas that are in
the programs or The Little Green Book which is basically
Earl Nightingales Strangest Secrets. Nothing wrong with
that, he is the V.P. of sales. It is his job to sell.

Bob Proctor him self does has a very successful story to be
told. His own company, Life Success Productions has worked
with some giant corporation like Metropolitan Life and IBM.
He teaches "the Midas Touch, where everything your heart
desires becomes reality." They have helped sales staffs to
become more positive and productive in there selling
approaches. His trainings are highly sought after by many
individuals and large companies all over the world.

As of lately I personally am only interested in the real
down to the bone, money making programs. I do not like to
beat around the bush when it comes to making money. Find a
good money making program or course and then get "your mind
in harmony with the law of attraction," if Bob Proctors
teachings are what really interest you. When I found a way
to make more money that worked, it was all the motivation
that I needed.

The Science of Getting Rich and Life Success Consultants
are a couple more programs that Bob offers. Again, the
information and general content is good but for me it is
not delivered at a pace that I can bare. I want a direct
path to the money at light speed. To get through all the
motivational and uplifting exercises before telling me what
I really want to know kind of drives me crazy.

The slogan is "make it happen fast" and they state that you
can retire this year. That is a bold statement although,
and of course a very motivating one. In my opinion, this is
what the whole course and program being offered is all
about. I like this kind of stuff but to me it is not worth
the high price tag.

Bob Proctor is a great motivational speaker and a lot of
what he teaches is solid. I give him a good report based on
what he is teaching, a motivational course. At this he is
one of the best.

----------------------------------------------------
We review Internet Gurus and Marketing programs every day.
What program or marketing guru interests you? see what the
reviewers have to say befor you get involved at:
http://www.ultimatebizreviews.com

Jawbone Bluetooth Headset

Jawbone Bluetooth Headset is the clever product of an
electrifying combination of Bluetooth and noise eliminating
DARPA technology. This foresight fused futuristic design
and real time convenience. Talk about the cutting edge in
technology. Jawbone Bluetooth Headset beats them to the
finish line and more.

What's with Jawbone Bluetooth Headset? Well, consider
these scenarios: scrambling to the shrieking phone and
stopping dead on your tracks because it stopped ringing
when you were just about an inch away? Fumbling and almost
stumbling while fishing out your mobile phone from your bag
or pocket? Dropping everything just to answer the phone?
Shouting yourself hoarse just to be heard (amid the noise
and ruckus) on the other end of the line? Forget those
blues with the smartest headset of this generation.
Jawbone Bluetooth Headset, had all these outdated gizmo's
archived in the gadgets museum.

You can take it with you anytime, without any excess
baggage. Slip on the ear loop, and off you go. Whether
you are jogging or doing your sit-ups, you can answer a
call without missing a beat. This headset gives more
freedom on the road. You just press the talk button and
chat away. You get all incoming calls from your mobile,
which transmits calls to your headset. It is lightweight
and comfortable to wear. Really sounds great too. The
Bluetooth superiority adds up to the many convenient
features of the Jawbone Bluetooth Headset.

Each purchase comes with four variants of ear buds and ear
loops, a wall charger unit, USB charger cable and an
instruction manual. You can see the Jawbone Bluetooth
Headset in its entire splendor in the simple but elegant
package. It does not seem like a techie gadget; there are
no visible buttons and springs, making it the must-have
wear anywhere. There are no distracting blinking lights.
It will go along with any of your outfit. It is there;
snuggled along your jawbone, ready to alert you to take
incoming calls.

In the workspace, the Jawbone Bluetooth Headset makes it
easier for secretaries to take their personal calls without
fuss. Just imagine people appearing talking to themselves
while working without batting eyelashes. Driving a car
with a hands free phone like a Bluetooth Headset will make
it the best option. Your voice will carry clearly despite
the hum of a running motor. In case of emergencies, this
can be the best tool to have around. With voice activation
dialing you can call an important number real fast.

Being compatible with most Bluetooth enhanced phones and
other media, the Jawbone Bluetooth Headset ends the search
for the ideal mobile phone. The device measures 1 oz with
the ear hook. It has a talk time of 6 hours and a standby
time of up to 120 hours. The rechargeable battery makes
life with a Jawbone Bluetooth Headset easier with only two
hours of charging time. This is not much trouble,
considering its great features. Well, there is only one
find way to find out – get one now.

----------------------------------------------------
Online retailer offering consumer electronics products,
including cellular phones and accessories, personal
computers, and computer components. To view a wide range of
Bluetooth Headsets including some of the latest inovations,
please visit
http://www.netfreez.com/catalog/Headsets-47-1.html

The Secrets of Writing an Effective Press Release

Does the thought of trying to get publicity for your
business seem like something that you can't do yourself,
and would have to hire a professional for? Do you think
that writing a press release is totally outside your
ability to do? Does the thought of talking to the media
about your business make your mouth go dry and your stomach
clench? If so, take heart, because you're about to learn
how you can take care of your own publicity, simply and
easily.

Getting publicity for your business can seem like an
impossible task -- something that only happens for "big"
companies that can afford to hire publicists.

The reality is, getting free publicity for your business
isn't that difficult. Welcome to The Secrets of Writing a
Good Press Release". By the time you finish reading this
article, you'll not only understand the basics, you'll know
what goes into the process, and what you have to do to get
started writing your own press release.

First of all, let's go over some basic terminology you need
to be familiar with.

Press Release: A statement with useful and relevant
information that is written for distribution to the media.

Hook: The information or larger story that you can use to
attach your press release to. Using the right "hook" in the
right way can help you to get more publicity for your
business.

Spin: Telling your story your way.

The good news about learning to write a Press Release is
that there is an established format that you need to
follow. And once you've learned the basics, writing a press
release is a kind of "cookie cutter" process. Here are some
basic ideas to keep in mind:

Make your news "newsworthy". A press release is not a sales
advertisement. A good press release answers all of the "W"
questions (who, what, where, when and why), and sometimes
"how." Your purpose in writing it is twofold: to provide
the media with useful and relevant information about your
organization, product, service or event and to get your
name out to your target market.

Begin with a strong headline. Your headline and first
paragraph need to grab the reader's attention. Without
being flowery or overly dramatic, you have only the first
few seconds to grab your reader's attention and get them to
read your story, and decide if it's worth running. So don't
blow it by being vague or weak. The rest of your press
release can give them the nitty-gritty details.

Tailor your story to your Primary audience – the media.
Your secondary audience is your target market, but if the
media doesn't decide that your story is newsworthy and runs
it, your potential customers will never know about it!

Pay attention to your writing. Sometimes, especially in
rural areas and online, the media will run your press
release in their publications with little or no
modification, so make sure you've used your spelling and
grammar check before sending it, and keep to the facts.
Most of the time, journalists will use your press release
as a stepping off place for a larger feature story,
especially if you can show larger relevance to other
current events. Always develop your story as you want to
have it told – put YOUR spin on it. Even if your story is
not reprinted verbatim, always remember what YOUR purpose
is in writing it – to provide exposure for you, and to help
brand you as an expert in your field.

Not everything is news. Just because you are excited that
you made your first big sale, or started a new product
line, or wrote your first article, doesn't necessarily mean
that the press are going to think you have a newsworthy
story. From the time you start your first draft, keep your
audience in mind. Who will find your story interesting? Why
are they going to find it interesting? How is it relevant
to something else that's going on right now?

Identify a problem, and show how you're solving it. Use
real life examples about how your company or organization
solved or is solving a problem. Give examples of how your
service or product fulfills needs or satisfies desires.
What benefits can be expected? Use real life examples to
powerfully communicate the benefits of using your product
or service.

Stick to the facts. Always. Tell. The. Truth. Avoid fluff,
embellishments and exaggerations. It is part of a
journalist's job to be skeptical. If you want to use
publicity effectively, then you're not looking for a one
night stand. You want to gain the trust of the media,
establish your credibility, and build an on-going
relationship with your local media, so that you become a
resource for them within your industry.

Find your "hook". Try to make your press release timely.
Keep informed about what's going on in your community, in
your state, region, the country or the world. Is there a
local, regional or national news story that somehow ties in
to your industry or your business? If you can hook your
press release to current events or social issues, you
increase your chances of having it picked up. If not, then
make sure your story is relevant to the needs, wants or
problems of your community or target audience.

Use an active, not passive, voice. Use strong verbs that
will bring your press release to life. If there is
controversy, describe it. There is an old adage in the news
business: "If it cries it flies, and if it bleeds, it
leads." (Not very nice, but it's often true.) So, while you
may not be crying or bleeding, make what you're writing
about stand out. Use active verbs. Write "partnered" rather
than "entered into a partnership" or "engaged" rather than
"interested", etc. Writing in this manner will help
guarantee that your press release will be read.

Use only enough words to tell your story. Avoid using
unnecessary adjectives, flowery language, or redundant
expressions such as "added bonus" or "first time ever".
Paint a strong, vivid picture in the minds of your audience
by making each word count.

Use jargon sparingly. There are times that some jargon is
required if your goal is to optimize your news release for
online search engines, but whenever possible, speak
plainly, using everyday language. Avoid words like
"capacity planning techniques" and "extrapolate".

Avoid hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy. You
will destroy your credibility by using hype. If you must
use an exclamation point, use one. Never do
this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get Permission. Most people and companies are very
protective about their reputations. Be sure that you have
written permission before including information or quotes
from employees or affiliates of other companies or
organizations. If there is a hint of a dispute in this
area, chances are your press release will be tossed aside,
and never used. And you will lose your credibility.

If you follow those simple rules, you'll be able to put
together a newsworthy story that will help you achieve your
goals of getting the word out about your business.

----------------------------------------------------
Dr. John E. Neyman, Jr. is owner of Leaders Excel in which
he specializes in coaching, websites, and optimization. If
you would like to grow in your leadership ability contact
Dr. John at john@LeadersExcel.com or
http://LeaderExcelSolutions.com

Types of wholesale distribution and sales channels

When you are selling products through different channels
you have to know your customers and how they sell and what
they sell. While you want to be able to provide as many
customers as many products as you can – you can't sell
everything. By learning about the various kinds of
wholesale distributors that there are, you can find out
where you may be able to step into the business.

There are many types of distributors but for now we'll talk
about 2 basic ones; those that sell consumer products and
those that who sell industrial or "business to business"
goods. Those that sell consumer products are much greater
in number and are often where many people begin their
wholesale business. Those that sell consumer products act
as a go between for retailers and the manufacturers of the
products. In the industrial wholesale business, you would
act as the intermediary for manufacturers and industry
service providers.

Consumer goods wholesalers might work with products such as
apparel, jewelry, beauty products, shoes, and electronics.
Things like groceries and paper products are also
considered to be smaller goods that do not fall into an
industrial category. These are generally the products that
you find in stores and online. A customer would be able to
simply go to the retailers that you are selling these items
to, and then purchase the items. You would also see these
kinds of products on Internet auction sites – such as eBay.

Industrial or "business to business" goods are larger
profit items, but also require more effort on the
wholesaler's part. These can include items such as
ceramics, hardware, building supplies, and more. Things
like machinery and equipment would also fall into this
arena as well. You could also establish a motor vehicle
parts business or work with petroleum products. Likewise,
you could also sell lumber and other construction
necessities. These items tend to be larger in quantity as
well as size, requiring the wholesaler to have a larger
storage space as well as equipment to move them from their
warehouse to the retailer.

While the industrial goods wholesale business requires more
effort, it will also reap a larger profit. However, it can
be confusing when you are first establishing yourself as a
wholesaler. With such large and complicated items, you may
not feel as confident at pricing the products or even
relating information to the retailers. It can be helpful
to begin with smaller goods in order to keep your overhead
costs minimal – you can usually just use your car and a
spare room in your house. And once you begin to make a
profit from your initial business, then you can move into
the larger goods.

If you already have a background in larger goods, you may
find that dealing with retailers that want to purchase
these kinds of goods is an easier task than most. And with
the proper research and time, you can become successful in
passing on your knowledge to others – making yourself a
profit in the process.

No matter what kind of products you sell or what kind of
channel you target you always have to learn and know all
distribution and sales channels. Once you learn about the
general types of distributors you have to learn about
specific sales channels. Channels such as convenience
stores, supermarkets, beverage distributors, cash and
carry, OEM's, etc.

----------------------------------------------------
Jorge Olson is a consultant, speaker and entrepreneur and
owns several Wholesale Distribution companies. Learn more
about Distribution and Sales Channels at
http://www.DistributionBusiness.com

Jorge is also the
create of the Greatest Marketing Strategy on the Planet
found at http://www.ShotgunMarketing.com