Connect | Inspire | Empower
Three Days :: A Dozen Amazing Entrepreneurial Women

The purpose of the retreat is to focus on getting clear about our business goals for the upcoming year and beyond, to foster new and renewed relationships and perhaps, build a joint venture partnership or two… you never know! Learn more at http://www.elitemastermindretreat.com

Happy customers are your best advertisers.
If people like you and what you do, they will tell their friends.

Lesson 1: The Definition of Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of Mouth Marketing is a) giving people a reason to talk about you and b) making it easier for the conversation to take place.

It’s C to C Marketing – when a consumer tells a customer about you. Actually, it’s B to C to C. When it comes out of the mouth of a marketer, it’s marketing. When a real person repeats it, it’s word of mouth.

It’s more than just marketing–it’s also product design and customer service. People talk about fantastic stuff and great treatment they get from companies they like.

Lesson 2: The Four Rules of Word of Mouth Marketing

Rule #1: Be Interesting

Nobody talks about boring companies, boring products, boring ads. Everyone can be interesting. Before you run an ad, before you launch a product, ask your spouse about it. Trust me…if he or she finds it interesting, you’ve got a winner.

Rule #2: Make People Happy

Create amazing products. Provide excellent service. Go the extra mile. Make sure the work you do gets people energized, excited, and eager to tell a friend.

Rule #3: Earn Trust and Respect

Nobody talks about a company that they don’t trust or don’t like. Earn the respect of your customers. Be good to them. Talk to them. Honor their intelligence. Fulfill their needs. Stay honest. Every company can be nicer, and every one of us can work to make our company a little better to its customers.

Rule #4: Make It Easy

Find a simple topic that is easy to repeat. Not your fomal brand statement, not your product description. Forget elevator pitch…it’s the pass-in-the-hall test. What can people tell a friend about you in one sentence?

Then do everything you can to make it easy to share that topic. Use tell-a-friend forms on your web site. Put it in an email. Pass out flyers. Blog it. Stick it on a t-shirt.

This stellar information comes from Andy Sernovitz, from the book Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking

My Microsoft Office products will not open! Can you believe this?????  Talk about frustration!!!!!

I shouldn’t have celebrated in such earnest the last time around.

I called Adobe back and they sent me to a web page that has instructions for fixing the particular error that I received, and told me that they couldn’t help because it was a Microsoft issue. Ah-hem, I didn’t have this problem BEFORE Adobe changed all kinds of registry keys and other Windows files to get CS3 reinstalled.

Now, I’m going to have to call Microsoft and spend another wasteful amount of time on the phone trying to get this resolved.

Wish me luck!

Today, doesn’t it all in a sudden corrupt on my old laptop. Arghhhhhhh! Windows decides to install an update and reboot while my unsuspecting computer was idle and just minding its own business. When it restarted and I tried to open my Photoshop again, it told me I must uninstall and reinstall. Grrrrrrr…. (of course I was in the middle of a project). Ok, so I go into the control panel, uninstall the programs and followed its request. Ay carumba…as it did on the other compuer, only 2 of the many programs installed and I’m still stuck on the phone with A….e, while they’ve taken control of my computer to try to figure it out. I’m on hour 2 on this call to India now and while the fellow I’m dealing with in tech support is really nice, patient and determined, it’s wearing a little thin for me.

Rohan told me a few minutes ago, it’s not A….e’s falt – it’s a problem with Windows. Not that that would really surprise me but hmmm…that’s kinda strange when it’s happened on TWO computers now – one has Windows 7 and the other Window Vista. Hrumph…

I don’t want to have to shell out tons of moola for the latest suite – this must work – I paid a small fortune the first time ’round!

Problem really is – I use these programs pretty much every day to create graphics, manipulate photos and design website and ezines for myself and my clients. FRUSTRATING!

While on this call, and the tech has had control of my computer, I’ve made and eaten dinner, done the dishes, vacuumed the top floor of my house, and handwritten this lengthy blog post. Hopefully, I won’t have to wear my headset to bed!

I’ll keep you posted. I’m hoping to report all’s well on the computer and program front before we move on to 2011!

saying, “Circus is coming to Fairgrounds Sunday,”

that’s Advertising. If you put the sign on the back of

an elephant and walk him through town, that’s a

Promotion. If the elephant walks through the

Mayor’s flower bed, that’s Publicity. If you can get

the Mayor to laugh about it, that’s Public Relations.

And, if you planned the whole thing, that’s

Marketing!

–Author Unknown

But while we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.

There are many things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What’s on your list?

Some Ways to Practice Gratitude

•  Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.

•  Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.

•  Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.

•  Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.

•  When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

•  Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.

As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.

A Clayton’s Secretary
Alliance for Virtual Business
Association of Virtual Assistants of Ireland
Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection (CVAC)
Canadian Virtual Assistant Network (CVAN)
Coaches, Authors, Speakers Professional Assistants Association (CASPAA)
Colorado Virtual Assistants
Deleware Valley Virtual Assistants Association
Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group
International Association of Virtual Assistants
International Association of Virtual Assistants (IAOVA)
International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA)
Michigan Virtual Assistants (MIVA)
Military Spouse VAs
National Association of Virtual Assistants for Coaches
National Virtual Associates Society
REVA Institute
RPSAV – Le Réseau des professionnel en soutien administratif virtuel
Southeastern Virtual Assistants Group (SVAG)
The Caribbean Association of Virtual Assistants
The UK Association of Virtual Assistants
Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANetworking)
Virtual-Professionals.com
Wisconsin Virtual Assistant Network

Virtual Assistant Networking

Find Virtual
Virtual Assistant Forums
Virtual Assistants Resource Exchange
Work At Home Moms (WAHM)

Virtual Assistant Directories

Alliance of UK Virtual Assistants
Elite Office Support
Internet Based Moms
va4u
Virtual-Offices UK

True |  False

1. The only way I can successfully manage my life is to take care of myself physically and emotionally.

2. Nurturing myself enlarges my capacity to help others.

3. I eat healthfully and exercise regularly.

4. I get check-ups, go to the dentist, and take preventative precautions.

5. I set aside personal, quiet time for myself, whether I’m meditating or simply letting my thoughts drift.

6. I experience the gifts of each season: ice skating, sledding, bundled-up beach walks; gardening, hiking, more time outside; camping, swimming, barbeques; harvesting the bounty, gathering wood, spending more time inside.

7. Creativity nurtures me, too. I do what I love, whether that’s cooking, drawing, painting, writing, dancing, singing or another creative pursuit.

8. Reaching out to others enriches my life. I spend quality time with family and friends.

9. Contributing to the world provides connection and purpose, so I give my time, energy and experience where it is most useful.

10. I notice and heed the emotional signals that tell me I’m out of balance: irritability, overwhelm, resentment.

11. If I feel that I’m catching a cold, I realize I may have stressed my immune system with overactivity, so I stop and take care of myself.

12. When I need or want to, I say no to requests for my time.

13. I listen to and honor the requests my body makes for such things as a nap, a walk, green vegetables, hot soup.

14. If I have something planned for myself, I don’t just toss that aside when someone makes a request of me.

15. I’m busy, but I find time to do the things I want to do.

16. I’m happy. I regularly experience well-being, contentment, even joy.

If you answered false more often than true, you may want to take a look at the questions to which you answered false and see if you can incorporate something of its message into your life. Please don’t hesitate to call if you’d like to explore this issue further.

Author’s content used under license, © 2008 Claire Communications

Creating the Master Document

1. Open or create a document you want to be the master document.
2. Select Outline from the View menu.
3. Place your cursor at the text you want to be a heading.
4. Click the Promote to Heading 1 button in the Outline Tools toolbar by clicking on the green double-arrow (this will promote the selected paragraph to the highest level of the outline).
5. Repeat for each heading. You can promote your paragraph incrementally to a higher level by clicking on the green single arrow that points the to the left (Alt+Shift+Left) or demote the paragraph incrementally by clicking on the green single arrow pointing right (Alt+Shift+Right). Note: Level 1 is obviously the highest level and as much as you click to promote it, it will not elevate further.
6. When you have completed your document , click on the Save As in the File menu.
7. Select the location to save the file and click the Save button.

Adding a Subdocument to the Master Document

1. Open or create the master document (see directions listed above).
2. Select the Outline from the View menu.
3. There are two ways of adding subdocuments: a) within the mater document itself or b) inserting an existing document located in your files. Note: you may need to click on Show Document to reveal the following additional buttons of features.
   • Creating a subdocument from text within the master document, select the headings and text you want in the subdocument. Click the Create button in the Master Document toolbar of the Outlining menu. Note: you cannot embed a subdocument within body text; it must be imbedded after a heading. Also, ensure that Expand Subdocuments is turned on before using this feature.
   • To add an existing file to the master document as a subdocument, first click at the location of where you want the existing document to be placed. Click Insert button in the Master Document toolbar of the Outlining menu, then browse for the existing file to embed as your subdocument and click the Open button. Note: once again, ensure that Expand Subdocuments is turned on before using this feature.

More Outline Tools

Continue Reading the Administrative Sparkle Blog by Layne Tinsley