Posts made in November, 2008

Holiday Greetings

Posted by Laurie on Nov 26, 2008 in Inspiration, virtual assistance | Comments Off

I am in the process of finding some simple, eco-friendly holiday cards to send out to clients and a few business contacts. I was so impressed when a google search turned up a post over at MamaDivas about a wonderful line of stationary from My Good Greetings. Their products are, as they state:

printed on 100% recycled, carbon neutral paper which is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified. We use 100% digital short-run presses which significantly reduce paperwaste and emit 90% less Volatile Organic Compounds

If I was buying personal Christmas cards I think I’d definitely go with this style – it’s so pretty isn’t it?

Peace Love Joy holiday card

I don’t have a current family picture that is appropriate though – agh! Plus really I want something for my business to send out, so picture cards aren’t really what I was thinking of, although I may try them next year. Instead I’m going to use one of the invitation templates to create a holiday business card! I’ll post a pic of it when I get them!

Oh and Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow to my American readers! Canadian Thanksgiving was in early October so we are definitely moving into full Christmas planning mode! Remember I have a special holiday offer for those of you who could use some virtual assistant help over the holidays (or anytime, lol!)

Take care!

Guest Post – Using Technology to Boost a Law Practice

Posted by Laurie on Nov 24, 2008 in blogging, guest post, Legal Practice | Comments Off

I’m starting off this week, with my first ever guest post. Attorney Sergei Lemberg, who specializes in lemon law, kindly shared a post on using technology to boost your law practice. Here’s the post in Sergei’s words:

After I graduated from law school, I went the typical route and spent five years working for a series of major law firms. Eventually, though, I realized that I wanted to run my own shop, be my own boss, and handle my own cases. After deciding that lemon law would be my niche, I went about the process of building my practice, a process that was helped tremendously by technology and online tools.

Although I started by subleasing an office from another lawyer, my practice is largely “virtual.” I have clients from all over the country and rarely see them in person. I use VOIP for my office phone system for onsite and off-site staff, which gives the impression of everyone being under the same roof. I also take advantage of the Web-based Google Docs application for online collaboration, and share practice management software using Citrix.

But one of the most useful tools for building my practice is the Internet itself. I’m a Google AdWords advertiser, and run my AdWords ads in multiple jurisdictions to obtain a highly targeted but diverse clientele. I’ve also used that cornerstone of Web 2.0, blogging (and guest blogging!), to extend the reach of my practice. I’ve extensively optimized my website to make it more search engine friendly, and have expanded it to include genuinely useful content. As a result, I’ve seen my search engine rankings climb.

In today’s increasingly connected world, it’s easier than ever to succeed in a solo practice. By using online marketing methods and technology, office walls become much less relevant and the practice of law becomes virtually boundless.

Thanks for the guest post Sergei, much appreciated! And stay tuned to Sergei’s blog, where I’ll be sharing a guest post on virtual assistance for lawyers!

Halo Secretarial on Alltop in the Virtual Assistant Category

Posted by Laurie on Nov 19, 2008 in blogging, networking, virtual assistance, virtual legal assistance | 2 comments

Just a quick note to share that Halo Secretarial’s feed can now be found at Alltop in the virtual assistant category!

I think that’s pretty exciting news on a Wednesday afternoon! Oh and as you can see, we are still undergoing “renovations” of the blog and site, it should be complete sometime next week!

ABA Survey on Lawyers and Recession

Posted by Laurie on Nov 18, 2008 in Entrepreneurial, virtual assistance | Comments Off

I received an email this morning from the ABA (as my blog has a link on their site) asking me to share a link to this survey on my blog. I’m happy to do so and definitely recommend that you lawyers out there help the ABA out with the survey!

The current financial situation is very challenging for us all, but I feel certain that times will eventually improve.  Patience is the key I guess, and making smart choices in the meantime!

I actually feel that some businesses will really prosper despite, or maybe because of, the current financial climate. Smaller, leaner, more cost-efficient businesses can much more easily work to provide services that are valuable to consumers in these times. For example, lawyers are still very much needed in times of economic slowdown, but solo and small law practices are in a much better position to offer services to clients at a price that they will be willing to pay.

Virtual assistants are likely to do well during these times as well. We offer good value for the money and can be a great alternative to traditional in-house staff. You only pay for the time or service you need, if your business slows down you don’t have to keeping paying a full-time salary just to have an employee sitting bored part of the time! Most of us virtual assistants are also happy to work on a capped fee basis for specific projects, so you can be in control of the costs right from the start.

While we all wait for the economy to improve, we need to take steps to minimize our spending and improve our own bottom lines! Take care!

No VA Is An Island

Posted by Laurie on Nov 17, 2008 in networking, virtual assistance | Comments Off

I received another contact via Twitter today that could have turned into an opportunity. I love Twitter – it’s really helped me get clients and raise my profile!

Tweet Tweet

This client won’t be signing with me though (at least not for now!), because the lawyer who contacted me needs a virtual assistant who can help with QuickBooks. I am not yet very experienced in QB. I use it for my business, but definitely need some training in it to offer it as a service to  clients. Thankfully I knew that @candieb on twitter is a VA who specializes in bookkeeping and so I happily referred the lawyer to Candy.

To me this is proof that in any business we need to have resources and we need to work with our so-called “competitors” to offer an industry that is truly valuable to potential clients.  It wouldn’t have done me or the client any good if I attempted to help her despite not having the proper skills. It would in fact make a mockery of professional virtual assistance.

Fortunately, I had met Candy on the VAnetworking forum. I have to say that VAnetworking has helped me in so many ways. It’s given me contacts for work that is not my specialty, I’ve been given business start-up advice and made friends. What a great thing!

So a tip for virtual assistants, join forces with other VA’s, network with them and please don’t do work you can’t do properly!