Tag Archives: getting it done

Blogging – Where Do You Start?

  By Patty | February 21, 2012 - 4:13 pm | ,
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We think the folks at CopyBlogger are awesome!  We read their blog quite often and sometimes we post their articles on our Facebook Page!  But they have outdone themselves with this cool InfoGraphic.

It’s based on one of their blog posts titled 21 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue.  I’m sure you’ve feel this way sometimes, and so have we!  Now we can share with you our little secret from CopyBlogger – and you’ll know what to do next time you’re not feeling creative or have a little writer’s block!

Enjoy the graphic and let us know your favorite tip!

 

22 Ways to Create Compelling Content - Infographic
Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

 

 

4 Tips for Working with a Virtual Assistant

  By Patty | January 30, 2012 - 7:42 am |
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Working with a Virtual Assistant doesn’t mean you “dump it and forget it.”  Having a great virtual working relationship is really no different than having a great working relationship with an on-site team member. It takes time, communication, and a little bit of effort!

Here’s what we at AnotherME know to be true for our successful clients and how you can make sure your virtual working relationships will be successful too!

1)  Understanding your big WHY behind the what.  A virtual assistant is a trusted member of your team. (or they should be)  They are not little robots or time clock punchers. Typically they are the “get the job done” – results oriented types versus work my hours/week and go home.  It’s important for them to know the WHY of this new project or program you are asking them to complete or set up on their behalf.  Everyone likes to have meaning in what they are doing.  Understanding the WHY makes your VA feel a part of the team and gives them the framework to find and offer suggestions or improvements to what they are working on.

2)  A virtual working relationship must start with mindset of TRUST.  No one is perfect! Admit it, you’ve had your share of mistakes, typos, delays, etc.  It’s easy to point the finger when your virtual team member slips and doesn’t meet your expectation or when they miss a deadline. When that happens, it’s time to TALK with your virtual assistant – no emails that can be misunderstood.  Actually get on the phone and find out what happened…if your directions were clear and understood or if the task was not within their skills/abilities. Assume the best in your VA first; not the worst.  By doing so, you can develop a culture of trust and a sense of ownership and “team.”

3)  Virtual working relationships can be long lasting and productive – sometimes better than an on-site working relationship.  It’s a FACT.  More and more savvy realtors are opting for working with a Virtual Team where the strength of a relationship isn’t measured by proximity.  Do you really need someone sitting in your office and taking up space to work on programs and websites that are all internet based?

4)  Use technology to get face to face. Phone calls, texts and emails are great, but consider a monthly or quarterly chat with your virtual team members via Skype.  Include your buyer’s agents or other office staff so that everyone can be part of the experience.

The best virtual relationships take time and some effort.  By implementing the four ideas listed above and leading your virtual team like you would an on-site team, you will develop a results oriented, efficient and successful business!

 

Image Credit – traffikmarketing.com

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7 Shopping Tips (when the clock’s ticking and your wallet’s getting thin)

  By Patty | December 21, 2011 - 7:44 am | ,
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With Christmas just 4 days away and Hanukkah already here, most of us are finishing our last minute shopping or maybe just starting! Are you are feeling the pressure to spend but want to avoid long lines and all the other crazed shoppers?

At AnotherME, we’re all about saving time and saving money!  That’s what we do for our clients every day.  So of course, we have a few tips for those who have waited until the eleventh hour to get your last few presents… and a few tips for saving some money in the process!

7 Shopping Tips (when the clock is ticking and your wallet’s getting thin):

1. Free Expedited Shipping
Most retailers offer free rush shipping in the last few days leading up to the holidays, look for codes before paying expensive overnight delivery charges.

2. Re-gift
It’s a dirty secret, but there are many who just put a new bow on an old gift.

3. Ship-to-Store Specials
For those who want to avoid long check-out lines of shoppers or the shame of offering your gift post-holiday, quite a few retailers these days offer free delivery to their brick-and-mortar stores.

4. A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Words
Avoid rush charges and purchase a present online, then print out a picture and wrap it up for under the tree.

5. Magazine Subscriptions
There’s a magazine for every interest! Find a monthly publication at the book store, order and wrap the December issues!

6. Gift Cards
They’re everywhere!  They’re easy to purchase and will save on shipping fees!

7. Best times to hit the Mall
If  you just want to go to the mall, the best times to go are early in the morning, mid-afternoon and after 7PM!  And why not plan to meet a friend for coffee, lunch or dinner to make your trip worthwhile!

 

Wishing you Happy Holiday Shopping …and while you’re in the hustle and bustle, don’t forget the real reason for the season!

 

It works for Righties or Lefties – DocuSign

  By Patty | November 12, 2009 - 1:21 pm | ,
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You know the drill. Just sign here, here, here …and initial here, here, here and here… and when your fingers are cramping and numb, we’ll have ourselves a legal document.

The paperwork in a real estate transaction – from listing to closing – can be a real time-drain for all involved.  On some deals, all those signatures and initials just might necessitate a physical therapy appointment.

DocuSign offers a legal, secure electronic signature service guaranteed to reduce the wear-and-tear on schedules and fine motor skills.  Did you know that an electronic signature is enforceable and legal. (even in California!)

Better yet, DocuSign Lite is a free service anyone can use right from DocuSign’s homepage! There’s no paper, no account to set up, no cost or credit card number to provide. Simply upload the document that requires a signature and enter the email address of the recipient. Your recipient gets an email message from DocuSign notifying them of a document to be signed and you receive an emailed receipt confirming that the process is complete.

For more information, here is a link to the DocuSign blog.  If you’re a Mortgage professional, an REO Professional or a Real Estate Professional, take a moment to read through the section dedicated to the real estate industry.

Learn how DocuSign can speed up the process for everyone on both sides of a transaction.  And if you’re headed to NAR – you can check out their booth.  Tell them AnotherME sent you!

Pen

So when you hear, “where do I sign?”… now you can tell your clients, just click here, here, here and here…

Playing the Voicemail Game?

  By Patty | October 6, 2009 - 8:46 am |
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Do you feel like a pawn in the voice mail chess game? Call – Call Back? Message – Return Message? Check – Check Mate? Well, technology has come to our rescue!

SlyDial (www.slydial.com) is a free service for your land or mobile calls that allows you to connect immediately to your recipient’s mobile voice mail without waiting for four to six rings, their outgoing message, inevitblue phonesable prompts, blah, blah, blah.  SlyDial lets you go directly to voice mail.  Check Mate!

SlyDial is a real time-saver when when you need to share a bit of information and just don’t have time for a full conversation. It’s also a tool for discretion and consideration – ever disturb or distract someone when all you wanted to do was leave a quick voicemail? Like the times you remember that you need to return someone’s call… at midnight!  I hate it when that happens.

So here’s how it works: to use Slydial from a land line or a cellular phone, dial 267-Sly-Dial (267-759-3425) to leave a message for your intended recipient. The service is free to users who don’t mind listening to a little advertising, or you can pay a very modest subscription fee to avoid ads (look for the words “MYslydial Premium”.)

2 cell phones

You don’t have to join the premium service to use SlyDial – just enter the 267-759-3425 number on your phone and you’re in business. But if you want to use SlyDial apps for your iPhone (www.apple.com/iphone), BlackBerry (www.BlackBerry.com) and Windows Mobile Smartphones, you need to be a MYslydial Premium subscriber.

There’s lots of great information (check out the FAQs) at the SlyDial website that clearly explains the value of this very simple, very convenient communication solution.

I’m always looking for ways to save time here or there and to become more efficient in my business.  Slydial is a winning deal!

Playing the Voicemail Game?

  By Patty | September 30, 2009 - 5:17 pm |
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Do you feel like a pawn in the voicemail chess game?  Check – Check Mate?  Call – Call Back?  Technology has come to our rescue!

SlyDial (www.slydial.com) is a free service for your land or mobile phone that allows you to connect immediately to your recipient’s mobile voice mail without waiting for four to six rings, their outgoing message, the inevitable prompts, blah, blah, blah.  SlyDial just lets you go directly to voicemaget_smart2il. Sweet!

Talk about a time saver!  Use SlyDial when you need to respond or share a bit of information – but you really don’t have time for a conversation. It’s a tool for discretion and consideration.  Ever disturb or distract someone when all you wanted to do was leave a quick voicemail? I hate it when that happens.

So here’s how it works: to use Slydial from a land line or a cellular phone, dial 267-Sly-Dial (267-759-3425) and leave a message for your intended recipient. The service is free to users who don’t mind listening to a little advertising, or you can pay a very modest subscription fee to avoid ads (look for the words “MYslydial Premium”.)

You don’t have to join the premium service to use SlyDial – just enter the 267-759-3425 number on your phone and you’re in business. But if you want to use SlyDial apps for your iPhone (www.apple.com/iphone), BlackBerry (www.BlackBerry.com) and Windows Mobile Smartphones (www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/default.mspx), you need to be a MYslydial Premium subscriber.

Find more information on the website FAQs – http://slydial.com/faq.php.  You’ll see the value of this very simple, very convenient communication solution. I’m always looking for ways to save a little time here or there to help me run my a little faster and this is one slick deal!

Is your Laptop Hot?

  By Patty | September 6, 2009 - 9:33 pm | ,
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Over the summer months, I’ve been using my laptop in the evenings to update my Facebook and Twitter accounts. And let me tell you, a laptop is hot!targus - lapton

Did you know heat is the probable a cause of some those annoying performance issues, like ‘lockups’.  And it might even be the cause of permanent damage. Yikes! What I’ve learned is that with a laptop, heat issues can be even more of a concern. (now they tell us!) All those heat producing components are tightly arranged inside a small space…so there’s not much room for a cooling system. (think tiny exhaust fan)

Use your laptop for an extended period of time and feel the bottom of it. Or feel your legs!

Well, I found a “COOL” solution for the “HOT” laptop! It’s a laptop cooling pad! I had no clue there was a product like this.

One day browsing for a thumb drive at Office Depot, I ran across this little gem. It’s a lightweight, thin “platform” that houses 2 cooling fans. (It’s the same footprint as a laptop) It plugs into your laptop and doesn’t create a big drain on the battery life either! Bottom line – less heat makes for a more efficient computer.

In case you’re wondering, I purchased the Targus brand Chill Pad, but there are others on the market as well. After using this “Cool Tool” for the past few months – I am singing its praises. I’d recommend this $30 investment (average cost) for any real estate professional who uses a laptop.

It will improve your overall computer experience and extend the life of your laptop.  While keeping you from heating up!

5 Personal Tasks You Can Delegate to your Virtual Assistant

  By Patty | August 25, 2009 - 9:29 am |
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A Virtual Assistant is a valuable resource in your Real Estate business for help with listings, contracts, marketing and general admin tasks. But, have you considered asking your VA to help out with some of your personal tasks as well.  When you have a relationship and a trust with your VA, handling personal tasks is just one more way you can leverage your time and resources.

Being that your Assistant is “Virtual”, she’s not available to pick up the kids, drop off the dry cleaning or deliver cupcakes to the brownie troop.  But she might be able to help you with any or all of the following!

Birthday Cards/Presents: With so many on-line programs that keep up with birthdays, a Virtual Assistant can easily log into your Plaxo, Facebook or SendOutCards accounts and send an E-Card or even a paper  Birthday card to a contact in your database.  Take a few minutes to create a custom/personal message for each of your groups: acquaintance friends, church friends, networking groups, neighbors, etc. and let your VA send the cards on your behalf.  You can vary the message every few months or once a year.  Ordering gifts, flowers or gift cards on-line is one of the easiest ways to delegate.  “Please call X store and order X for my nephew.  Address in my Top Producer database. Thanks!”  That was Easy!

Research pricing and ordering: Are you the one who always volunteers to order or get pricing for a party, meeting or event?  Flowers, invitations, decorations, awards, promotional items, catering, signs, flyers, printing… the list goes on and on.  Of course you can call and get 3 quotes for a catering company along with their menus for your Rotary Club meeting the next day… but don’t you have to meet clients, attend an inspection or negotiate a contract?  Try handing it over to your VA.  She can research, organize the info and quotes and then put all the information in a nice presentation format!  You’ll be the hero in your group.

Virtual Assistant
Confirm/Reschedule appointments: If you’re on the go with a car full of people or an out of town client, it’s not easy to confirm or reschedule your personal appointments.  Text your VA and have her call your Dentist, Nail Salon, Accountant or next client to let them know you’re running late or need to reschedule.

Community, church or civic groups:

DataBase – Do you manage the database for your “group”?  This is an ideal task to delegate to a Virtual Assistant.  She can update the info, create a mailing list or labels, set up your database in an email program or do a search to find addresses for members.

Mailing – Just because your Assistant is “Virtual” doesn’t mean she can’t help with a mailing.  It takes a little coordination – which is easy for a good VA – and she can handle it all.  Printing, labels, stuffing, stamping and mailing!

So next time you are stressed out, wondering how you’re going to get it all done – ask your VA for a little extra help.

Delegate So You Can Celebrate

  By Patty | November 24, 2008 - 3:06 pm |
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As a real estate professional, you know that during the holiday season, your business begins to taper off while the stress of your personal life builds up.

Have you done your holiday shopping yet? What about wrapping all the presents? Which parties, company get-togethers, school functions and family gatherings will you attend? And of course, you’ve got to send your holiday cards, calendars and gift items to clients and prospects, as well as your family and friends.AnotherME Virtual Assistants

Back to your business… With the phone not ringing quite as much, this is the best  time of the year to take on all those administrative tasks you’ve been meaning to do; like working on your 2009 marketing plan, updating your contact database (crucial for holiday cards), revising your listing presentation, updating your buyers’ packet. Are your Listing and Closing checklists up to date? Do you have a “New Client Information” form?  Now’s the time to create one! (this is a great way to gather birthdays and email addresses)  Or perhaps get to work on that email campaign you’ve been putting off.

The holidays are for family and fun… and the perfect time to delegate those administrative tasks so that you can enjoy the season and all the special occasions. It’s a good time to start working with a Virtual Assistant who can  handle all the above-mentioned tasks, plus mailing cards and calendars. If you’ve hesitated in the past, why not prepare for the New Year by calling AnotherME and “Delegate so you can Celebrate!”

Let AnotherME help you put the “Happy” back in “Happy Holidays.”