Social Media Serenity
Ning Vs BuddyPress

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In this episode Cliff and Erik talk about having your own social network for your own community. There are many options out there for this. However, the conversation is very much focused on Ning.com and BuddyPress.org.

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Virtual Assistant Podcast
Interview With Jason VanOrden Part 01

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In this episode of the Virtual Assistant Podcast, I’m excited to have Jason VanOrden of InternetBusinessMastery.com join me to share some of his experience with using virtual assistants in his own internet based business. This episode is part 1 of 2 of our conversation. Learn what type of work Jason has delegated to virtual assistants and how he found that help.

Some of my notes from this first portion of the conversation include:
* Elance.com
* oDesk.com
* GetReplaceMyself.com
* BestJobs.ph

One thing is for certain. You definitely want to tune in next week for the conclusion of this conversation. During the second half of our call, the conversation got into some pretty deep topics that were very helpful to me as I am at a crossroads in my own business journey.

Special thanks to Contemporary VA for sponsoring this podcast. This is the firm I, personally, use for my own business. I would not have had the time to produce this show without it making financial sense for me to do so. Their sponsorship has made this show possible. If you get a chance, thank them in any creative way you can think of. If you desire, this is the link to their contact page.

Please call TODAY with your questions on our voicemail hotline at 859-795-4067. Or use your voice memo application on your iPhone to record feedback or questions. Simply email it to feedback@gspn.tv.

Know someone else who needs to hire a VA? Send them an note with a link to http://VirtualAssistantPodcast.com.

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In this episode, Fr. Roderick and Cliff discuss recent episodes of Losing It With Jillian. They talk briefly about the topic of smoking. Maggie called in to ask about whether or not there was a good recommendation for a pedometer iPhone app. Cliff suggested using an actual pedometer and shared the one that he uses at http://gspn.tv/pedometer. Several folks called in about the Jillian Michaels iPhone App, which Father Roderick said he will give a try this week.

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Virtual Assistant Podcast
What Do I Do With All This Free Time?

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In this episode, Cliff shares his thoughts on what you could do with all the free time you have after achieving great success in delegating tasks to your virtual assistant. Also, in this episode, Cliff shares several ideas on how you can involve your Virtual Assistant in services that are offered directly to your clients to bring additional value to what you offer. These articles were taken from the e-course titled “Delegate Effectively In 21 Days” which you can get for free, from our sponsor’s website at ContemporaryVA.com.

Be sure to tune in to the next two episodes which will include interviews that will provide some valuable insights that you don’t want to miss.

Here is the text from the articles that were shared in this episode:

What Do You Do With The Free Time After You Delegate Things To Your VA?
Having all this free time isn’t a license to go play Guitar Hero for several hours each day. (Well, I suppose you could but then you wouldn’t get a lot of value out of your delegation!) In general, I’d suggest that there are 3 good things you can do with your newly freed time.

1. You can use the time to enrich your life. This might include spending it with family or friends, taking some much-needed time for yourself (but go easy on Guitar Hero!) and maybe cross some of those things off of your list of to-do’s that you keep meaning to get to (there’s that closet in the hall that needs your attention, right?). For example, Amanda enjoys marketing her business through social networking but she knows she could spend all day doing it. So she delegates 2 hours of it each day and spends that new-found time with her family.

2. You can use the time to generate new revenue in current billing cycles. If you recapture 2 hours of time by passing off work to your assistant, you can fill those hours with additional billable time that you might not have had time to do before. For example, Sam delegates his invoicing to his assistant and uses that extra 2 hours a week for revenue-generation by taking on 2 new coaching clients for an hour coaching each.

3. You can use the time to build your business to improve its value and the opportunities for the future. This might include more marketing, more vision-casting, more positioning, more branding. In other words, it’s not immediate revenue-generating effort (as in number 2, above) but rather it is work that is focused on the big picture of your business… which will have an impact on the long term revenue generation of your business! For example: Janice delegates a major portion of her customer service interaction, freeing up two and half hours each day. She uses that time to grow her business and lay a foundation for a stronger future.

The secret is: You need to do something more valuable with your time. When you do, you’ll derive the most value from your relationship with your assistant.

It’s all about the service
Growing your business rarely happens because you do the same thing today that you did yesterday. Rather, businesses grow because you offer better service, more services, and a higher rate. A combination of expertise, reputation, and value somehow conspire to bring in more customers at a better rate.

Delegation can help here.

Often, the thinking is that a business’ administrative work is for their VA while the value added work (the services offered) will be performed by the business owner themselves. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you had employees, you wouldn’t think twice about including them on value added work. It’s no different with VA’s. It just feels different because we have years of ingrained habits that say employees have more to offer.

So, if that’s the case, what can a VA do to help you deliver expanded value-adding services to help your business grow?

Here are a few ideas for you:

• You can improve the odds of converting prospects to customers with a newsletter or ezine. Have your VA evaluate several autoresponder software choices and report back to you. Then, set up the newsletter and have your VA write, upload, and distribute the newsletter. You might even have them work directly with your webmaster to get the sign-up form installed onto your website.

• You can strengthen relationships with current customers by providing an “insiders only” newsletter that your customers receive. Include discounts, affiliate recommendations, and premium advice. Have your VA create the newsletter and send it out.

• Offer 24/7 telephone, email, or chat response service. You might want to cover your communication channels during the day, but you might want a VA to cover them when you’re away. (Note: This might require multiple VA’s).

• Add even more value. While you’re working on a project, have your VA researching opportunities or risks related to your clients. Review the report and add your own recommendations, then submit a report to your client with the information.

• Offer additional services but, if appropriate, have your VA do the work. One example might be that of a freelance writer who writes an ebook for a client and has their VA write a handful of articles at the same time.

• If your VA is really dialed in to your business and the work you do for customers on a day to day basis, work with them to create a proposal template and have them spend a bit of time each month or each quarter recommending additional work you can do for the client

Special thanks to Contemporary VA for sponsoring this podcast. This is the firm I, personally, use for my own business. I would not have had the time to produce this show without it making financial sense for me to do so. Their sponsorship has made this show possible. If you get a chance, thank them in any creative way you can think of. If you desire, this is the link to their contact page.

Please call TODAY with your questions on our voicemail hotline at 859-795-4067. Or use your voice memo application on your iPhone to record feedback or questions. Simply email it to feedback@gspn.tv.

Know someone else who needs to hire a VA? Send them an note with a link to http://VirtualAssistantPodcast.com.

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Business Tech Weekly:
The Perfect Software Package

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In this episode, Cliff and Andy have a discussion on whether or not there is a perfect software package out there. Also, they discussed how Kmart and Old Spice are doing some things right. Actually, you should certainly check out the videos mentioned in this episode on the Old Spice YouTube Channel.

Cliff’s Tech Tip: Doc Sign for the iPhone

Andy’s Tech Tip: Air Display

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Family From The Heart Podcast
This Week in Entertainment

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