As a kid I always enjoyed getting mail… going to the mailbox to see what was in there.  In fact, I still get that same feeling of anticipation when I go to my mailbox today – except now all I seem to receive are bills!  I love when I get a handwritten note from a friend, and I love writing notes to keep in touch on a regular basis.

Thank you notes are tasked with expressing appreciation, and are supposed to be just that… short, sweet, simple and gracious.  I send thank you notes when someone sends me a business lead, when I’ve met a colleague for lunch or a networking session, when someone sends me a gift, or if someone has helped out my business in some way.  The thank you note doesn’t have to be long and elaborate, discussing the weather or divulging any details about your latest life crisis.  Just short, sweet, simple and gracious.

Here are a few pointers to get you started:

• After addressing your recipient, start with a buffer sentence:  “Hope you are doing well.” “Hope Florida is treating you well during your visit.” “Hope you all had a nice holiday.”

• The next sentence should thank the person and name the actual gift. “Just wanted to thank you for the great jacket.” “I want to thank you again for the lunch invitation to Casa Bonita yesterday.” “Thanks again for the invaluable advice for my newsletter.”  Be specific and never say, “Thank you for the gift.”  Using “gift” instead of naming the actual gift sounds like a canned and impersonal letter. (The recipient wonders if you even remember what the gift was!)  Adding the personal touch will go a longer way.

• Don’t use exclamation points that create a sense of false gratitude.  “Thanks for the sweater!  I really love it! I will always wear it!!”  Instead, “Thanks for the sweater which will go great with my new jeans.”

• If you have any photos from the event, or a photo of you with the gift or with the friend who joined you for lunch, it is always a nice touch to include those in the letter.  It shows you’ve gone the extra mile.

• End it with a cordial closer: “Look forward to seeing you soon.”  “Hope we can get together again.” “Next time, lunch is on me.”

And lastly, even if you don’t like the color, style, make, model or type of what you received, or if your meal was substandard at the restaurant, or if the advice wasn’t something that would fit your business, it’s still a nice touch to send that letter with some positive comments.  Someone thought of you, and it’s not every day that we are that lucky.

5 Reasons Why You Should Update Your Resume TODAY:

1.   Flexibility – In order to remain competitive in today’s market place, you’ve got to be flexible in your job search.

2.  Fresh Looks – Information changes on a daily basis, including the phone numbers, websites and contact information of the jobs you have listed on your resume.  Keep it all current!!

3.  Competition – Let’s face it:  it’s out there, even more than ever.  More and more candidates (qualified or not) are in line for the same job you want.  Keep yourself qualified and tell everyone about why you ARE the perfect candidate.

4.  Professionalism – Social networking platforms make it really easy to submit an application.  Because of this ease, items are overlooked and done hastily.   Give yourself the professional edge by taking the time to make sure your resume is flawless, and that it mirrors who you are.

5.  Job Security – Job security is becoming a thing of the past.  There is always someone out there who can perform YOUR job for a lot less pay.  You never know when restructuring will occur.  Be prepared.

6.  Oh, wait!  This is only a list of 5… but I’ll put my 6th reason out there anyway and it’s because I’m offering some great summer specials to help you revamp that resume to land the job you want.  Check out the offerings below!  Happy Job Hunting!

Refocus and Revise this Summer with these 2010 Summer Resume Packages

Some prices reduced by ½!!!

Retype of original resume (1 page) — 100.00 $50.00

Retype and reformat existing resume…. 1 page $150.00 $75.00  /  2 pages $90

New resume from scratch (worksheet provided) — $250.00 $120.00

Tip Sheet:  How to Ace That Phone Interview — $5.00

Super Summer Saver Resume Package

Reformat resume, 10 copies, 1 cover letter and tip sheet –  $145.00

Services provided by

Versatility:  Virtual Assistance for Your Writing Projects

www.versatility4u.com * tara@versatility4u.com

Prices valid June 3 – June 30, 2010

Now… we get into the fun stuff.

One of the best features of Linked In is “asking for referrals” – what a great way to showcase your talents to work in conjunction with your website.  When business associates post their recommendations of you and your work, there’s an added value of credibility.  When someone provides a recommendation for you, you’re given the option to reciprocate.   This is a great way to keep us practicing asking for what we want.  And, you know what?  People are HAPPY to provide a recommendation, and you get to hone in on your writing skills when they ask you for one.  They get their names and businesses out there, you get the referral.  It’s all good.

Other features of Linked In I love:

• You can see who’s viewed your profile – while it may not give specifics, it does give a general idea of who may (or has been) interested in your services by listing company name or region. Now you can research, reach out and contact them.

• The “Answer Questions” Section – check out the stuff people want to know about, and then write an answer to the question.  More exposure.  Just at a glance when I checked to see what questions were posted, they ranged in topics as diverse as, “I’m looking for a certified food service program in Central Florida,” to “what does one do when they lose their passion and drive for a career” to “personal branding at the workplace” to “Student exchange in France”.  Do you have something to say to answer to any of these?  You can see the questions are vast, just one more opportunity to let your expertise shine.

• Search for companies in your specialty areas.  There you will find others who do what you do, or who may need your services.  Again, a great way to reach out, connect, and gain exposure and interest.

• Search for a specific job or for work.  There are many networks out there to help you find a job or look for work – monster.com, guru.com, freelance.com.  Linked In provides just one more forum of how you can connect within your network.

• The contact manager!  This tool is great; it lists your contacts, what they do, shows a picture.  When you want to email that person, you can do it with ease.  You can invite or contact multiple people at a time.

• Statistics – Linked In shows some stats about what you do, and topics /people / places you might find of interest.  When someone makes a recommendation it’s posted off to the side.

• This is a great article about what not to do for social networking: http://tiny.cc/kQHno.  Give it a read and let me know what you think.

Do you have favorite ways that you use Linked In, or tips to make a feature easier?  Maybe you have a different platform you use.  I’d like to know!

I recently received an email from a colleague who asked, “Okay, Tara.  I’ve joined LinkedIn – now what?  How can I use it to build my business?”  Great question.

I love LinkedIn for a ton of reasons, and that it tracks my progress to show a percentage of my completion every time I add or revise information.  For someone like me who likes to see movement, that visual amount of urging is just what I need.  You might find it works well for you, too.

I’ll assume you’ve started with the basics.  You’ve set up your account … that’s it.  If you haven’t already done so, I recommend you use a different email (like gmail) for all of your social networking platforms.  That way, your mail that’s specifically related to your social networking will filter to that in-box.  Gmail is free and I use my account specifically for my social networking.

Okay, now, let’s work on your profile.  Fill in some good information about yourself in this area; you can always go back and change it later.  Start out with a punchy description about what you do and who you are as it relates to your business.  Keep it interesting and relevant.  We don’t care about the cute things your dog does unless you’re a pet photographer and believe that would help your business(!).  Upload your picture, and you’ve got a good basis for your LinkedIn account.  When you go back to check it every few days, you can add more info, do some research, make some comments, etc.  For now, at least the basics are done.  (As far as a photo… You can have a professional portrait taken later; don’t let that hold you back.  Just no party pictures, please!)

Next, you look for contacts by inviting people, much like you would for Facebook.  You DO have a Facebook account, right? Chances are, if you’re branching out to Linked In, you do!  Invitations are where your Rolodex comes in handy.  Dust off all those business cards and actually start using them by contacting people.  You want to look for those businesses who might be good partners for you.  You also want to stretch yourself to move away from your tendency to gravitate toward the businesses/friends that you see all the time, everywhere.  (Like the person who works across the hall from you.)  Make yourself think.  Reach out.  This is how you build your professional network.  Start by inviting me into your network at http://www.linkedin.com/in/Tarafort.   When you go back next time, check your inbox, both on LinkedIn and in your gmail account so you can reply to anyone who may have responded to you, or who may be inviting you now that you have built a profile.

There’s a lot to cover – and I mentioned I love LinkedIn.  So, that’s a good start for now, and should give you some homework until the next blog post.  Check in with me next time to find out more ways to continue using Linked In to build your business.

• Don’t post any comments with profanity – Gordon Ramsay might be the only one who can get away with the F word in general, but even on Facebook he’ll need to be careful.  Remember, others can see your posts. (If you must, there are ways to send personal messages to your friends.)  My colleague Michele PW has a great post about how you can really mess things up with social networking – http://twurl.nl/sw5s56.

• Don’t put info that’s TOO personal in your profile.  People want to know you and like you, but they don’t want to read a novel and most don’t really care about the gobs of text you’ve written in the self-indulgent “About Me” section.  Be creative and fun, and with enough info that if people want to connect with you, they are left with some mystery so they can ask some questions and start reconnecting.

• Don’t put anything on there you wouldn’t want your mother to see, or that you wouldn’t want shared on the Internet!  That’s a general rule for emails, too!  (Anyone have any comments about this one??)

• Keep the photos clean.  Party photos are great especially if they show common friends of many, but “falling down drunk pics” can best be saved for your party pals – not for everyone on your FB list to see.  And, definitely not used as your profile picture… which pops up every time you post a comment on someone’s wall.  Yikes!

• When you disagree with a post, do it with tact.  Don’t argue the point just to prove your point.  Private emails are great for expanded opinions.

• Make time for Facebook the way you would for anything else that you consider fun or business.  The main objection I hear is, “I just don’t have TIME to do all that.”  If you’re using it for marketing your business, a systematic approach to how much time you spend for networking and posting can be well worth the time.  If you’re doing it for fun, you’ll find that time can slip away quickly as you search for friends and connections.  No one’s forcing anyone to make the time to be on Facebook, so do what works for you.  But, I am convinced that eventually (the way it was many years ago when email first entered the scene), it will become a matter of, “What do you mean you don’t have a Facebook account?”

• Don’t friend someone you don’t know or who doesn’t know someone who is already a friend of yours.  Check them out before you let them in.

Do you have your own rules to share, or some Facebook “oops” experiences?  I’d love to hear about them!

I’m not here to drill anything into your head.  It’s definitely not for everyone.  But, I have talked to people recently who say, “I don’t get the whole Facebook thing.”  Well, there’s really not much to get.  Consider it an online album and journal, with a little bit of Twitter combined if you DO want to tell people what you are doing “right now”.  When you realize that FB was originally created as an online yearbook for some college students, it makes sense.  These same resistant friends say, “Ohhhhh… now I get it!”  It was, and is, simply a “way to connect”.

For instance, instead of sending 50 photo attachments to your email list, you can upload them to Facebook and you don’t have to worry about who couldn’t open the attachment, or replying to every single comment that comes into your inbox.  If someone is on your friend list, they can check out the photos for themselves when they want.  They can even make comments.  If you don’t have friends, no one can see your posts.  The more friends you have (or want), the more people will be able to stay in touch with you.  Just don’t start with the goal of, “How many friends can I get?” — make sure you really want these people to know what’s going on in your life.

I started out saying that I’d use it only for business, but my old “friends” keep finding me!  (And, I kinda like that!  So, thanks to those who have reached out!)  FB is great because you can pick and choose who you want to stay in touch with, and “unfriend” those you don’t (although that’s almost like breaking up with someone – so, if you accept someone’s invitation to be a friend and you end up “unfriending” them, think before you act!  The consequences can be harsh.  Probably best just to not accept the invitation in the first place).  As one of my good pals has said, “I am enjoying finding people from my past and finding out where they are now and what they are doing. I figure I can always turn off the access if I decide it’s all too much.  I can keep up more with my closest friends that I really want to keep up with and keep the others at arms length (and on my terms).  :)”  And, yes, that friend and I  HAVE connected more since we’re both on Facebook.  And that’s a good thing.

Facebook isn’t for everyone, but it’s not all that bad or scary.  So now, I stick with LinkedIn, Biznik and Plaxo for my primary business needs and, while I still have lots of business connections in Facebook, I have more fun connecting with friends and family.   So.. “Don’t be shy…give Facebook a try.”

To find me on these sites, visit:  LinkedIn, Biznik, Plaxo and of course… Facebook.

[Fair Warning: This list is self-indulgent and lengthy! After all, it is a list about me and what I've done. However, it does include some links to some cool sites if you want to check them out. ]

So… since the launch of my business Versatility: Virtual Assistance for the Real World, during my “First 100 Days in Office”, I have:

• Created and launched my website (with help of Simon Fort of Option 2, of course)

• Actively worked the 2009 Grow Your Business Marketing Plan/ Calendar by Marketing-Mentor, and continue to do so on a daily basis

• Joined the local Chamber of Commerce

• Introduced my business to the local City Council – very cool

• Attended a Speednetworking event sponsored by a local networking group (something I probably wouldn’t have done in the past – it was out of my comfort zone and… guess what? I lived through it!)

• Written a featured guest post on fellow VA and colleague Katie Baird’s blog

• Created and am revising a series of articles regarding employment, job loss, transition, interviews and tips

• Attended a Toastmaster’s meeting

• Attended a radio marketing seminar

• Formed, with colleague and fellow VA Katie Baird, a Northern Arizona group meet-up for Virtual Assistants

• Renewed my membership to the International Virtual Assistants Association – www.IVAA.org

• Learned more, more and more about social networking… still absorbing and applying!

• Set up my own social networking accounts, and am currently reaching out on a daily basis to establish new connections through LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook and Plaxo

• Regained a past client for more steady work

• Subscribed to some great RSS feeds: Fabienne Fredrickson’s Client Attraction Blog, Grammar Girl, Neil Patel’s Quick Sprout, Nancy Marmolejo’s Viva Visibility blog (excellent for Social Networking tips and training and offers a downloadable “Why Social Networking” report)

• Received replies and spoken to prospects for possible work through the IVAA RFP system

• Created my own newsletter, “Versatility – The Newsletter: Your Outsource Resource”

• Signed up for freelance work under GoFreelance and Guru

• Created a lucrative billing system, with goals for increased income

• Participated in training for a Microsoft Word Expert Certification and hope to be certified by the end of the year

• Subscribed to article submission sites and have submitted a few of my own articles

• Signed up to participate in the 100 Articles in 100 Days Challenge by E-Zine Articles. (I admit, I’m a little behind…)

• Gained new clients beyond my freelance business

• Listened and participated in webinars and teleseminars weekly to increase knowledge, education and connections

• Started my eBook on becoming a valuable assistant

• Regularly posted comments on industry blogs

• Restructured my business to be more streamlined, utilizing the power to say no if it’s out of my range, scope or expertise

• Created my blog, Tsblogin09… finally!

• Attended e-book Teleseminar

• Attended “Twitter for Business” teleseminar

• Practiced cold calling techniques

• Developed a brochure for my services

• Reached out and connected with other VAs in the industry

• Received and listened to “Marketing to the Affluent” CD – great info by Kelly O’Neill

• Volunteered through local organizations and online organizations, both personally and professionally

• Celebrated my 45th birthday and treated myself to a new haircut – yes… this has EVERYTHING to do with my business in the “Year of Reinvention”!!

• Ramped up my workouts – okay, this isn’t really “business” but it DOES make a difference in my day when I work out!

Whew! That’s what I’ve come up with… I can’t wait until the NEXT 100 days!

So, whether you have a “First 100 Days in Office” or “first year” or “first month”… what have you done to grow your business – make your own list, give yourself some credit and tell me more!

View From Our Deck!

Today I woke up 14 inches of snow! Count ‘em… 14! Now, that may not seem like much if you live in Canada or the Upper Midwest like my niece who constantly deals with weather that’s 32 below, or my Bostonian relatives who deal with manic drivers in extreme weather conditions. But, for this almost-native Arizonan and former Florida girl, 14 inches of snow… on our deck…is a lot. It sounds cliché, but I was like a kid on Christmas morning. So much snow that I almost lost my dog who’s a blond husky when she went in the yard for her morning “stretch” — And, besides that, I turn 45 in 5 days so I deserve a little excitement to my Tuesday, don’t you think?

In the days when I used to work for Corporate America I might have called in with “snow day fever”, an excuse for a much-needed mental health day. On those days I might have made what’s become known to one of our friends as “snow day cake “and stayed home enjoying cake and watching movies. But, I’m self employed now… I own a “virtual assistant” business and so… snow days don’t exist. By the very nature of my profession I should be able to “virtually” perform any of my offered services at any time. My clients don’t know or need to know if I’m sick, or if I’ m working in a foreign country. So, as my husband dutifully pointed out last night when we were feeling the first effects of this winter storm that started in California and our power went out for two hours….we, as business owners who work from home, don’t get snow days anymore.

But, in light of that, and because I refuse to suffer disappointment about not getting a snow day today, I’ll write about what snow days can do for your business… and maybe even mine.

1. Benefit number one to a snow day. Chances are the normal routine is a little bit muddled, and for me it’s almost 9:30, a fairly late start to the day. But I am working, right? A snow day is the perfect day for working on the marketing tasks that we so often put off to the side. Today, work on your own website or social media. The phones will be slower, and schedules of others will be just as skewed. Use the time to market yourself and really remember why you are in business in the first place.

2. It’s a perfect day to sit back, and do some major brainstorming and reassessing, maybe even refine the dreaded “marketing plan.” Most likely without much interruption. I found it inspiring to see the masses of snow this morning, and I’m trying to use that to my advantage about why I feel inspired in my life and my business, and brainstorm how I can make both areas that much better. Last night, during the power outage and simplicity of using candles as a true light source, I actually had some clarity about where I want my business to go.

3. I get to stay in my jammies all day! Now, I recently read a clever blog by a featured writer of one of my favorites – Marketing-Mentor.com. This featured writer has a business like mine, and admitted that she jammies up most of the time. Good for her. What followed was a myriad of posts from others who outlined how they spend their days (in jammies, or not, etc.). I must say I normally hit the gym, shower, and get dressed under the guise that I could meet with a client at any time. It gives me some definition to the course of the day and I oftentimes feel I’m more productive because I’ve prepared for it. It just works for me. Snow days, however, give me license to be comfy in my sweats and slippers and add some much needed variety to my routine.

4. I get to look at the scene outside and let my imagination run – I can dream about faraway places and cabins in the pines, until I remember that I live in a faraway place (90 miles northwest of Phoenix), in a cabin in the pines. Right now it’s super silent in my neighborhood at the top of the hill. Everyone’s staying in and the plows haven’t reached our road yet. I don’t expect that to happen until much, much later. Because I wasn’t quite ready to go into my office that doesn’t have much of a view I decide to treat myself. I’m sitting in my living room doing “work” and checking out the awesome scene in front of me. I love photography and I took some amazing pictures of the snow and views from my front deck (like the ones on this blog). They may all look the same to anyone on the street, but to me each one is different and represents special days in the haven we’ve created for ourselves in this small Arizona town. The message here is, and we’ve heard it all before and it’s true: Even when you’re working, take time to appreciate the little things.

5. Lastly, snow days just that. Snow Days. They are an unexpected time to re-energize. Maybe you really DO need a day off from your business. It’s an unplanned day, a surprise vacation day, and you can use it to take some mental time off. So many times we work long days and through the weekends, using holidays to “get caught up”. Make this day special and have a day to yourself. Your body and mind will thank you for it later. Or better yet, if you’re my husband, you’re still sleeping in.

And so, to my Florida friends and to my good friend and graphic designer who lives in the jewel of California called Del Mar, I don’t know what you do for a snow day; I’d find it pretty hard myself to work when the sun and surf is constantly calling. What’s a snow day for you? Does normal business stop and the traffic become unbearable when the weather is just too perfect?

Well, it appears that Mr. Snowplow is coming and that’s my own “back to reality” alarm. Hmmm… looks like it’s business as usual after all.

No matter where you live, we all sometimes get a snow day. What’s your snow day and what do you do?

Tara Fort is owner of Versatility, Virtual Assistance for the Real World. She’s a snow day lover and an up- and-coming entrepreneur. Email her at tara@versatility4u.com.