By Lisa Taglia, Virtual PA.

Recently I received the following email:

ecently I received the following email:“International Auctioneers Group provides business support, retail distribution, franchise operations, direct sales, and a variety of auction as well as accounting and billing services.

We are currently recruiting for the positions of Virtual Office Assistants in Australia and New Zealand, part-time and full-time available. The positions focus on providing administrative assistance in online sales.

Part-time and full-time positions available:

Part-time: Three hours per day during either one of these shifts:
9:00am-12:00pm 11:00am-2:00pm 12:00pm-3:00pm 2:00pm-5:00pm

Full Time: Six hours per day during either one of these shifts:
9:00am-3:00pm 11:00am-5:00pm

Salary:
Part-time: $1,200/month plus commission
Full-time: $2,400/month plus commission

Professional Qualities:
- Customer focused decision maker
- Demonstrates a high level of personal accountability
- Thinks about the team first over personal agendas
- Learning adaptive
- Process driven

Basic Requirements for Virtual Office Assistant:
- Internet Access
- Microsoft Office
- Basic Accounting skills

If interested in the offer please submit your resume to xxxxx@iagcareers.com

Regards
IAG Team”

Hmm, the scam radar shot up here!

“Accounting and billing services” is a rather nice euphemism for “money laundering” and “ripping people off” - usually. No offence to the accounting industry! However, as I’ve said before on this blog, you must be EXTREMELY WARY if approached to transfer money on other people’s behalf. It usually ends in tears. Read more about this in my other post about Virtual Assistant scams.

I know this email targets Australia and New Zealand, but watch out, because these kinds of emails have a habit of ‘morphing’ themselves and targeting other countries.

A quick Google search confirmed my suspicions. “International Auctioneers Group” is actually a group of auction houses, using the abbreviation of ‘IA’, not ‘IAG’. In fact, ‘IAG’ stands for Insurance Australia Group, which is another company entirely.

These scammers have ‘cleverly’ registered a domain name by adding the word ‘careers’ at the end of ‘iag’ - to lull you into a false sense of security.

A quick search on www.whois.com reveals that the domain was created on the 7th July 2008. Another obvious sign - a newly created domain for a supposedly established and thriving company.

The above research tips should help you in the future when checking into other companies you’re not sure about.

You have been warned!

Of course, if anyone has evidence that this is legitimate, please DO get in touch. I expect silence, though….

However, your comments are welcome, as usual!

UPDATE:
I ‘applied’ for the position without sending through a resume, of course.

I was offered the job on the spot - the email even thanked me for sending through a resume! So they didn’t even notice I hadn’t sent one! I now have a full employment contract in hand, detailing the money ‘transferring procedures’ and requesting my full bank details ….

By Melinda Dunlop
Virtual Sanity

Having recently moved house with a young toddler and two businesses to keep running, I couldn’t help saying to myself on a number of occasions “there’s just not enough time”.  When panic started to set in with the pressure of looming deadlines and so much to do, I had no choice but to get organised and brush up on my time management skills.  This is an extreme example and things have now calmed down to a manageable level, but there are some simple things we can do every day to keep sane through those busy times! 
 

Tip 1: Stay Organised. 

Manage your diary and know where you have to be, when you have to be there and what you need to do to prepare.  Keep a to-do list and prioritise your workload.

Tip 2: Delegate. 

Review your to-do list and re-prioritise regularly.  If you’re anything like me, if it’s not written down, chances are it won’t get done!  Be decisive and stick to your boundaries.  It’s OK to say no when you are stretched or better still, have a back up plan and engage some help when you need it.

Tip 3: Work effectively.  Focus on one thing at a time.  While multi-tasking may seem more productive, it also increases the chances of becoming stressed and you end up ‘half-doing’ things.  Allocate time in your diary to focus on that important task and finish it.  Eliminate the distractions.  Turn your phone off, shut down your email (just for a little while!), close the office door and get stuck in! Even if it’s just half an hour, make the most of this time.  Note: this is only effective when you’re “in the zone”.  Get your headspace right and choose the best time of day when you are at your peak.
 

Tip 4: Stop Procrastinating. 

Tackle the unpleasant tasks first; sometimes they aren’t as bad as you think they’re going to be!  Make decisions or set yourself a timeframe.  Reward yourself for your accomplishments no matter how small the reward.  Shout yourself to a coffee at your favourite cafe but only AFTER you have successfully finished that awkward task. 
 

Tip 5: Create the right environment. 

Free your work area from clutter and maintain a simple filing system.  Remove distractions.  If you work from home, treat your office as an office.  Set start and finish times, allow times for breaks and dress for work!  (OK, it’s probably alright to leave the slippers on, especially in cold weather!).  Some people I know actually dress for work then leave home, walk to the coffee shop for a takeaway and then arrive back home to start their work day.  Great idea!

It was with much joy that I discovered I had been nominated by an annonymous person for the 2008 Telstra Women’s Business Awards.

Although the submission process is quite long and daunting, it’s a very useful tool for re-evaluating where you are at with your business and where you have been.

I have been lucky enough to have had a lot of business growth over the past few years, and was keen to express this in my submission. However, the most wonderful attribute to my business has been the VYVA network, which supports 25 wonderful Virtual Assistants across Australia. Each VA on the network has something unique and wonderful to offer and many of them contribute so much to the network, its a beautiful thing to see. I also love watching their businesses grow and expand as they explore new ideas and options.

The awards also allowed me to reflect on some of the other benefits of being a VA and working with multiple organisations. While it obviously is a way to keep things interesting and varied, it is the skills, ideas and passion that my clients show to their own businesses that keeps me enthralled and delighted. I am blessed to have some wonderful clients who like to try new things and give back to their own clients.

Thank you to whoever nominated me for this award - it’s been a lovely trip re-discovering my business, my journey and what is yet to come.

Sincerely

Rosie Murphy

Virtually Yours 

This is a meme that’s been passed from VA to VA. I got tagged by Kathie Thomas at vadirectory.net/blog. Thanks Kathie!

Before I get started, here are the rules:
1. Link to the person’s blog who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog.

Now for the fun stuff …
Weird fact #1: On a usual day, I have at least one wild animal recuperating in either my bathroom or laundry. I do wildlife rescue and get all sorts of wonderful creatures, but my specialty is possums.
Weird fact #2: My favourite toast topping is vegemite and honey mixed together. It started as an accident when my beautiful aunty put vegemite on my already ‘honeyed’ toast and in frustration told me to eat it anyway – yum!
Weird fact #3: Although I love all animals, I am madly allergic to most cats – itchy eyes and runny nose doesn’t make for much of a cat-friendly person!
Weird fact #4: I lived in Kenya for just under 3 months in 2004 and worked with local children with disabilities. I was incredibly home-sick from the moment I arrived but I did meet some amazing people.
Weird fact #5: You can often tell me good news twice and I will be just as excited the second time around because I have a terrible habit of forgetting things that are not business related! Bit sad really!
Weird fact #6: I am completely addicted to Harry Potter books and movies. They are my greatest escape. I am a big reader and always have to have something handy to read.
Weird fact #7: I have a wonderful dog called Mango Frankenstein who is rather hyperactive and easily excitable! He is a Red-Heeler x Jack Russell and a complete delight.

Now that I’ve told you 7 weird things about me, you’ll probably see me in a different light - sorry. I’ll tag 7 others and ask them to do the same. So ladies and gent … tag, you’re it!
Lyn Prowse-Bishop @ Executive Stress Office Support
Lorraine Pirihi from The Office Organiser
Danielle Weston from Virtual Girl Friday
Anita Kilkenny from AKA Virtual PA
Cristina Cottrell from Expert PA
Becki Noles from Virtual Accuracy
Jill Chongva from VA Diva
 

Date: February 25th, 2008 

Author: Chad Perrin 

There is a lot of information out there about securing your email. Much of it is advanced, and doesn’t apply to the typical end user. Configuring spam filters like SpamAssassin, setting up encrypted authentication on mail servers, and email gateway virus scanner management are not basic end-user tasks. 

When one can find end user email security tips, they’re usually specific to a single mail client or mail user agent such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Mutt. This sort of information is of critical importance to many users of these applications, but there are few sources of more general security information for email users that are not specific to a given client application. 

The following is a short list of some important security tips that apply to all email users — not just users of a specific application. They are listed in the order one should employ them, from the first priority to the last. This priority is affected not only by how important a given tip is, but also by how easy it is to employ, because the easier something is to do the more likely one is to actually do it and move on to the next tip. 

1. Never allow an email client to fully render HTML or XHTML emails without careful thought. At the absolute most, if you have a mail client like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird that can render HTML emails, you should configure it to render only simplified HTML rather than rich HTML — or “Original HTML” as some clients label the option. Even better is to configure it to render only plain text. When rendering HTML, you run the risk of identifying yourself as a valid recipient of spam or getting successfully phished by some malicious security cracker or identity thief. My personal preference is, in fact, to use a mail user agent that is normally incapable of rendering HTML email at all, showing everything as plain text instead. 

2. If the privacy of your data is important to you, use a local POP3 or IMAP client to retrieve email. This means avoiding the use of Web based email services such as GMail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail for email you wish to keep private for any reason. Even if your Webmail service provider’s policies seem sufficiently privacy-oriented to you, that doesn’t mean that employees won’t occasionally break the rules. Some providers are accused of selling email addresses to spamming “partners”. Even supposedly security oriented Webmail services like Hushmail can often be less than diligent in providing security to their users’ email. 

3. It is always a good idea to ensure that your email authentication process is encrypted, even if the email itself is not. The reason for this is simple: you do not want some malicious security cracker “listening in” on your authentication session with the mail server. If someone does this, that person can then send emails as you, receive your email, and generally cause all kinds of problems for you (including spammers). Check with your ISP’s policies to determine whether authentication is encrypted, and even how it is encrypted (so you might be able to determine how trivial it is to crack the encryption scheme used). 

4. Digitally sign your emails. As long as you observe good security practices with email in general, it is highly unlikely that anyone else will ever have the opportunity to usurp your identity for purposes of email, but it is still a possibility. If you use an encryption tool like PGP or GnuPG to digitally sign your emails, though, recipients who have your public key will be able to determine that nobody could have sent the email in question without having access to your private key — and you should definitely have a private key that is well protected. 

5. If, for some reason, you absolutely positively must access an email account that does not authorize over an encrypted connection, never access that account from a public or otherwise unsecured network. Ever. Under any circumstances. 

Be aware of both your virtual and physical surroundings when communicating via email. Be careful. Trust no one that you do not absolutely have to trust, and recognize the dangers and potential consequences of that trust. 

Your email security does not just affect you; it affects others, as well, if your email account is compromised. Even if the email account itself is not compromised, your computer may be if you do not take reasonable care with how you deal with emails — and that, in turn, can lead to affecting both you and others adversely as well. 

Don’t be a victim. 

When I joined my local Rotary Club I laughed aloud when the membership officer said ‘oh yes, it’s so important for people like you to make sure you get out there and socialise’. What he meant of course, was people with home-based businesses.
At that point I had so many interactive projects on the go, that I would have thoroughly enjoyed a day or two of peace and quiet! But I knew what he meant, and at other stages of running the business, there have been times when being a member of such a sociable group has been invaluable.
It’s very important to make sure that you work hard on your business. You need to promote it. You are virtual, so you need to have an ever-presence in the virtual world – be it online and in the minds of prospective, past and currents clients.
But one of the benefits of having your own business is that you decide what your priorities are. For me, one priority that ranks higher than all other priorities is, simply put, me.
Your business will not succeed if you don’t look after you. And looking after you means taking care of some very important parts of life. And they are, in no particular order:
●        Family
●        Friends and Loved Ones.
●        Your Health
If you have these areas (these extensions of YOU) covered to a level of your own satisfaction, then you can excel at being a business owner.
A business owner who is stressed, never sees their family or friends, never takes time to smell the roses, is not someone who will be able to plan into the future and work healthily.
How often do answers to a dilemma fly into your head when you are taking time out? There are reasons for this – focusing too hard on the single objective of, in this case, running your business, doesn’t allow you to see the situation with clarity and objectivity.
Taking time out for you is extremely important and is a component of your business that is just as important as seeing to your finances or making contact with that new client.

Rosie Murphy, Virtually Yours

www.virtuallyyours.com.au

Owner of the Virtually Yours Virtual Assistant Network. Nominee for the 2007 Thomas Leonard International Virtual Assistant of Distinction Award. Finalist in the Australian Home-Based Business Awards 2007.

Have you ever thought what it actually costs you to have onsite staff? In addition to their hourly rate you’ve got expenses like payroll tax, superannuation, WorkCover premium, holiday and sick leave, paid maternity/paternity leave (in some workplaces), and the costs of office space, equipment (including wear and tear and upgrades), power, lighting and telephone. Then if your employees have benefits you have to factor in FBT. Not to mention lost time on office politics, smoke breaks and chatting around the water cooler.
Have a look at this comparison of an onsite secretary working a 40 hour week and a VA charging $35/hour*:
40 Hour Week @ $20.00/hr (46 working weeks)        $36,800.00
4 weeks Annual Leave                                             $3,200.00
10 Days Sick Leave                                                 $1,600.00
Temp During Annual Leave @ $35.00/hr                   $5,600.00
Workers Comp                                                       $  550.00
Office Space (100 sq feet @ $25.00/sf)                     $2,500.00
Annual Bonus (2 weeks salary)                                 $1,600.00
Superannuation (9% of earnings)                             $3,300.00
Other Intangible Costs (furniture, training, family
leave etc.) - Minimum                                               $1,200.00

Total Effective Hourly Rate                                              $27.00
50% Productivity Level (average) for Permanent Staff        $54.00/hr
100% Productivity for a Virtual PA $35.00/hr
*Based on the actual pay conditions of a secretary who became a VA (http://www.akavirtualpa.com.au/FAQ.htm).
So whilst many would-be VA users balk at what seems like an expensive hourly rate, often partnering with a VA is a much more cost-effective solution for their business than hiring a temp or employing additional secretarial staff.
Would-be clients should also consider the experience and skill set of the VA they intend partnering with when looking at their rate. The old adage “If you pay peanuts you get monkeys” holds just as true for this industry as any other. VA rates swing between $20/hr and $50/hr. It is important to check what you get for that rate.
VAs at the higher end of the scale have generally transitioned years of secretarial experience and often come from backgrounds as high level Executive PAs with a vast array of technological knowledge and a broad skill set. Those at the lower end of the scale are often just starting out, or are stay-at-home mums looking for a bit of extra money. Whilst there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it is important for clients to assess their needs and ensure they partner with a VA who can adequately meet those needs. Professional VAs look the part - usually via their website and email address - will offer you business references, and oftentimes have certifications (eg MVA, PVA, ASO, GVA).
Janet Jordan summed it up best:
“[VAs] can’t get people to pay top dollar if [they], (1) don’t understand the concept (2) don’t understand [their] value and (3) don’t look like a professional. If we don’t take ourselves seriously, neither will clients. You attract what you are and if your site looks like the circus came to town, you can expect to attract clowns for clients. As virtual assistants, we redeem the gift of time for our clients. Up to three months per year in fact and if we can do that, our clients will gladly pay for the value imparted. In order to do that, we have to bring our “A” game and for some, that’s out of reach.”

If you have any questions about partnering with a VA don’t hesitate to contact us - or visit http://www.execstress.com
Contact: Lyn Prowse-Bishop, Manager, eSOS Tel/Fax: +61-7-3375-5613
Email: lyn@execstress.com Web: www.execstress.com
Lyn Prowse-Bishop, MVA, ASO - Australia’s first certified Master Virtual Assistant (MVA), an EthicsChecked VA, Accredited Secretary Online (ASO), 2007 Business Achiever’s Award winner for Professional Services, and 2006 Thomas Leonard International VA of Distinction Award Nominee - has been in private practice since February 2000 as owner/manager of Executive Stress Office Support, providing executive assistant, office support and admin services to independent consultants and professionals around the world. One of Brisbane’s most respected virtual assistants, Lyn is also founder of the new Australian Virtual Business Network (www.avbn.com.au), is on the steering committee and speaks at the annual Online International Virtual Assistants Convention  (www.oivac.com), and also serves on an international committee looking at standards for the VA industry.
 

By Lyn Prowse-Bishop, MVA, ASO 

What do you do if you’re a sole operator or independent professional/executive in need of  professional, confidential admin support, but don’t want to go to the expense and hassle involved in hiring your own staff?  What if you don’t have the space for staff, or necessary expertise to complete a particular job?  Your best office support staff member goes off on maternity leave and you think your only alternative is to hire an expensive and unmotivated temp?  Think again! Virtual Assistants (VAs), also known as Virtual Office Professionals or Virtual Business Associates, provide an alternative, cost-effective staffing solution for businesses of all sizes, including sole operators. They are not temps, but small business operators with a vested interest in their clients’ success. You can think of a VA as a “remote” or “home-based” secretary. They are independent consultants who provide a range of personal assistant and office support services for clients - or they might specialise in just one, like bookkeeping or transcription. They are called “virtual” because they provide these services from their own offices - rather than using the office space and equipment of their clients - and because they utilise the technologies made available by the internet, such as email, instant messaging, chat servers and web-based conferencing tools. VAs provide profound cost-saving benefits to the businesses and individuals they partner with, and have an important role to play in today’s business environment, as they form a large part of the growing trend towards home-based business. 

Many people have difficulty grasping the concept of a remote assistant, so it is not surprising that understanding the benefits poses a problem. So what are the benefits, what’s in it for you and who would benefit from the partnership? VAs can perform the same services as office-based employees but without the associated costs such as payroll tax, worker’s compensation, superannuation, sick and other leave, or training. There are no equipment costs as VAs utilise their own equipment, and there are none of the associated costs of wear and tear, office space, lighting, power, telephone and so on. In addition, the VA is available out of normal hours, on weekends, and public holidays. How much do you lose, both in monetary terms and in terms of productivity, on office politics and staff chatting in the coffee room? Clients pay only for time on task when they partner with a VA so there is no time/money lost on these typical office behaviours. VAs partner with clients, which means that a longer term relationship can develop in much the same way as one would with an onsite personal assistant - yet clients do not have the associated costs of an employee. So why wouldn’t you just use a temporary staffing agency to “fill the gaps” in your administrative support needs? Temps do not always offer the most cost effective solutions for clients as oncosts are still factored into the hourly rate by the agency. In addition, when clients partner with a VA they get consistency of support - not a different person each time they need assistance, necessitating training of each new temp in their business procedures. The VA has a vested interest in helping clients succeed in their own business goals - a temp does not have the same interest. VAs offer a wide variety of office support services including secretarial support, personal and executive assistance, word processing, database management, transcription services, mail outs, bookkeeping, web design, desktop publishing, presentations, spreadsheets, and office services such as faxing, email and scanning. Clients have access to specialist skills that may not be available through a temp agency or serviced office, and access to latest technologies including web-based conferencing, online calendar and document sharing and project collaboration, real time chat and digital transcription services. With clients across three States of Australia, and both coasts of the continental USA, I rarely see my clients. But with the technology available today including email, fax, instant messaging services, digital transcription technology, internet telephony and internet-based file sharing facilities, I’m as close to my clients as if I was in the next room! 

So doesn’t that mean that being a VA is as easy as knowing how to type and “drive” a PC?  

Absolutely not! A colleague recently put it best when she said, “The myth is that anyone can be a virtual assistant. Being a VA is more than just ‘proclaiming’ I am a VA, logging on to a computer and creating a web site. Professional VAs transition years of office administration experience and specialisation from a corporate setting to running their own successful business. Those experiences can include enrolment in advanced training courses, managing offices and supervising large numbers of personnel - all while acting as the assistant to the owner. Others had responsibility for local area networks (LANs), creating and maintaining corporate web sites, planning major events, etc. These are just a few examples of qualifications that help make a VA a ‘professional’.”

For more information on how a professional VA can help you and your business, contact eSOS by emailing lyn@exescstress.com For your free digital voice recording software, log onto the eSOS website at http://www.execstress.com and start enjoying the benefits of partnering with a professional VA  today! Contact: Lyn Prowse-Bishop, Manager, eSOS Tel/Fax: +61-7-3375-5613 Email: lyn@execstress.com Web: www.execstress.com  Lyn Prowse-Bishop, MVA, ASO - Australia’s first certified Master Virtual Assistant (MVA), an EthicsChecked VA, Accredited Secretary Online (ASO), 2007 Business Achiever’s Award winner for Professional Services, and 2006 Thomas Leonard International VA of Distinction Award Nominee - has been in private practice since February 2000 as owner/manager of Executive Stress Office Support, providing executive assistant, office support and admin services to independent consultants and professionals around the world. One of Brisbane’s most respected virtual assistants, Lyn is also founder of the new Australian Virtual Business Network (www.avbn.com.au), is on the steering committee and speaks at the annual Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (www.oivac.com), and also serves on an international committee looking at standards for the VA industry.    

An innovative new business service, Space2 Virtual Reception, is saving local businesses thousands of dollars in employment costs and increasing customer numbers. Space2 Office Manager Linda Bulner said the virtual reception service is a unique offering where business calls can be automatically transferred and answered on behalf of a business with a personalised script and information.“Using a virtual reception doesn’t compromise on customer service, like a message service does, as every customer is greeted as though we were we literally on the front desk of our client,” said Ms Bulner.

“The demand from small businesses is growing rapidly, as the service is a very cost effective alternative to employing additional admin staff.”

Space2’s most recent client, Brooke Harrison, a profoundly deaf local business owner, knows better than most the challenges a small business can often experience.

Ms Harrison, who runs a successful mobile dog washing business, Queen Bees Pooch Parlour, says using Space2’s Virtual Reception service has significantly increased her number of customers.

“Due to my deafness, I was losing valuable and potential customers, as I was unable to answer and return customers calls immediately, which put a strain on my business financially,” said Ms Harrison.

Space2 Virtual Reception now answers all Queen Bee’s customer calls, keeping Ms Harrison up-to-date with new appointments and messages through SMS messages and an individual online calendar for her business.

“The money earned from the extra clients engaging my business now easily cover the minimal cost of using the virtual reception service,” said Ms Harrison.

Operated by Delfin, Space2 was established to support the growing number of home-based businesses locating in Caroline Springs.

Caroline Springs Project Director Martin Gaedke said, “With more than 300 home-based businesses operating in Caroline Springs alone, Delfin saw the need to provide low cost business support services for the region”.

According to Business Victoria the number of small businesses will continue to grow with more than 470,000 small businesses currently in Victoria, the majority, 62%, operating from home. The number of small businesses utilising virtual reception services is growing, with Space2 clients now extending across Victoria and interstate.

For more information go to www.space2.net