• WELCOME!
• FEATURE ARTICLE: Never Stop Marketing
• WE'RE 10!!
• No Upgrade Pricing for Office 2010
• 2010 AVBN Webinar Schedule
• CONTACT US

Dear [subscriber-firstname],

Welcome to 2010! I hope everyone is now back in the swing of things!

As mentioned last newsletter, I'll be sending a shorter newsletter out every second month beginning with this issue.

Big news this month is the business has reached a milestone: 10 years!!! This would not have been possible without the support of our most loyal clients - many of whom have been with us the entire time. Thank you - and they receive a special mention later in this newsletter.

Additional news is that I will be speaking at the first Australian VA Convention in Melbourne in late March, I'm back on the Steering Committee for OIVAC in May, and all but completed my certification as a Virtual Author's Assistant!

I'm looking forward to a big year ahead and wish everyone a successful and prosperous 2010!

Lyn PB

PS: Don't forget: click here if you want to be unsubscribed. If you have a friend/colleague who may be interested in the content of our newsletter pay it forward and forward the newsletter to them.

Having just clocked 10 years in business I'm often asked what's the secret to longevity. The key, I believe, is an understanding that business goes through a series of peaks and troughs and you need to learn how to not only ride the wave of success, but plan for the inevitable slow down. I blogged about this in July 2009 (read the article here).

Of late I've noticed a number of small business owners asking whether anyone has felt the pinch of the economic downturn and if not, why not. A number of VAs in particular have indicated a drop off in work or loss of clients and are blaming the downturn. I've not noticed any change at all in my practice - in fact a few more enquiries came in towards the end of the year.

A slow down in workload is a good reminder that marketing of your business and networking activities should never stop, and now is a good time to renew your commitment to marketing in 2010.

Whilst losing clients is never fun, as business owners we are responsible for ongoing marketing. Unfortunately many small business owners - and virtual assistants especially - let this aspect of their business go as they get more paying clients because they simply "can't fit in" networking events with income-generating work which tends to take precedence. However, if you fail to continue to network you will definitely end up in a situation where clients drop off but you have no one to fill the gaps and you have to start again from scratch.

... read more...

From Office for Mere Mortals - Vol.11 No. 2

No more version hopping

Some Office users would 'version hop' - upgrading every second release of Office to maintain their entitlement to upgrade pricing. There's no reason to do that anymore. Stick with the version of Office you have until there's a compelling reason to change.

And if you do decide to get a new Microsoft Office suite, you'll pay more.

In addition there is no psychological encouragement to stick with Microsoft Office by getting a cheaper price for sticking with Microsoft. Some might decide that instead of paying full price they'll look at OpenOffice or Google Docs instead.*

Presumably Microsoft figures that most people are so attached and familiar with MS Office that they stick with it regardless - and they may well be right.

The 2010 AVBN webinar series is now online with some excellent topics and presenters this year:

Utilising Google Tools	Working from Home with a Family
Podcasting	Screencasting for Profit with Camtasia
Multi-VA Practices	Creating Outstanding Copy for Your Website
What's In Your Media Kit	Digital Security
10 Reasons Businesses Fail	Getting Your Business on Radio
Dreamweaver Basics

Be sure to register and get the dates set in your diary now!

There has been an awesome response to the webinars with overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees - and from those who have listened to the recordings. You can check the feedback on the AVBN Facebook Fan Page.

Recordings will be available on the website for just $5 forever so if you are interested in any of the topics but can't make a session drop by and complete the registration form answering 'Yes' to the "Recording Only" question.

Mail:

PO Box 1200
Warwick Qld 4370
Australia

Email:
lyn@execstress.com

Phone:
0417-648-172

Fax:
+61-7-3009-0452

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www.execstress.com

Blog:
http://blog.execstress.com/

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