Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Spice Up the Search

Tell me what you want, what you really really want!  In the infamous words of the Spice Girls – what do you really want?  You want to save time, you need some help, you need to outsource, you need a virtual assistant. Let’s drill a little deeper.

Knowing what you want is a key component to hiring the right person. Throughout your planning process, you have defined the tasks that you want or need help with. It’s time to think about the skills and attributes that person needs to have.

Make a list of the soft skills that you would like. We certainly all want to work with someone who is trustworthy, professional, caring, detail oriented.  But what other qualities do you want?  Ask yourself:

  • Do they need to make decisions on my behalf?
  • Do I want them to be self-starters?
  • Are they idea generators?
  • Can they handle conflict?
  • Do you need creativity?

It is said that we need to hire for our weaknesses. Are there areas that you would like someone to help you strengthen?  Personalities and strengths are all different so you need to decide what the right fit for you is.

Make a list of the hard skills that are required. Most likely, they are technical but there are other skills as well.

  • What software programs are you using?
  • Do you need in-depth tech support (server or connectivity)?
  • Do you need a sales expert – cold calling?
  • Do they need to be experienced in project management or event planning?
  • Should they be fluent in another language?

These lists will help you narrow down the right candidates.  A job description or posting is a great idea. You can take the answers from the two areas above, add in the tasks that you’ve defined, and easily create the description or posting. Then when you start searching, you have something concrete to find the best person for the job!

Hiring the right person starts the partnership off on the right foot, saves you time and money, and leads to a successful start.

Okay, let me hear you  … What is it that you want … what you really really want?

 

Marianne D’Alessandro

TimeFlies-Admin Services

 

Marianne D’Alessandro is a virtual assistant and owner of TimeFlies-Admin Services. With over 30+ years as an executive assistant, Marianne works in partnership with her clients. She offers consulting for entrepreneurs looking to hire the right virtual assistant as well as productivity and time-saving workshops. Sign up for monthly Tips & App Features.

www.timeflies-adminservices.ca

www.facebook.com/TimeFliesAdminServices/

www.instagram.com/timeflies_adminservices/

 

 

 

Spam Compliance from a Tech Perspective

Laura Bungarz

I’m sure you’ve been hearing a lot about the change in Canada’s anti-spam laws that is taking place on July 1st.  It’s been on my mind and I’ve been seeing a lot of meetings and blog posts about it.  I wanted to come at it from a different angle though, the techy side.  What does all this mean for your mailing list in terms of the software you’re using to manage it?  Do you have to change anything?  Do you need to switch providers?

In terms of providers, if you’re using one of the major ones such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Mad Mimi or Infusionsoft (plus many others), the short answer is no, you don’t have to change.  All major providers are already compliant with these new laws.

They will all offer at least the option of the unsubscribe link at the bottom of your email or newsletter.  Now would be a good time to make sure that the option is actually on and working properly.  Send yourself a fake newsletter to test this if you’re worried.

They will all give you the ability to add a checkbox to your web form that basically asks the user to agree to be signed up to said newsletter.  Turn the default checkmark off.  This option should be unchecked when the newsletter goes out.  This might require making changes to your forms, but it certainly won’t require a change in providers.

I have seen some Canadian companies going as far as to send out a newsletter asking existing subscribers to re-subscribe and anybody that is not interested to use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email.  Again, this is no harder than sending out a newsletter linking to a form that the user fills in and having that form add the user to a separate list that you would begin using on July 1st.  There is nothing really technical about this process.  All major providers will allow multiple lists.  Simply create a new form and a new list and off you go.

The other piece you need to do is make sure that your business contact information is visible somewhere in the newsletter, for most of us that will either be in the header or in the footer.  You should include your business name, an email address and some other method of contact either via snail mail or phone.  There should be a clear form of contact for your subscribers.  From a technical perspective, this might mean editing your header or footer to display the new information.  It should be easy to modify your newsletter template to include this information if it’s not already there.

Your newsletter provider will automatically be tracking the exact time and date of the sign up to your list.  You will also be able to see the IP address from which they signed up.  It will be important from now on to keep that information and export it with your list information any time you switch providers or make changes.  This information is generally exported in CSV format which is easily opened and edited in Excel.

If you’re adding people to your list from your storefront and they aren’t necessarily signing up electronically, make sure you keep that information as well.  The form they fill in needs to clearly state they are agreeing to receive your newsletter and it will also need to show the date and time the form was filled in.  Either file the form away or scan it and store it electronically and then manually add the person to your list.

From a technical perspective for a small business owner that’s using something like Mailchimp, this shouldn’t be a difficult process.  The tools for compliance are readily available and the changes that are required are fairly minor.  Certainly for a major company with a huge marketing department, this may prove to be a challenge.  But I suspect most of the rest of us can handle this without any major difficulties.
Still need help?  Contact me using the information below.

Laura Bungarz Computer Training
212-207 Fort Street
Winnipeg, MB R3C 1E2
(204) 421-6679
Laura@Laurabungarz.ca
www.LauraBungarz.ca

Software Updates Made Easy

Laura Bungarz

I know many people that get really concerned about updating their computers.  Every time we do an update there are always warnings to shut everything off, don’t turn off your computer, the update may cause problems or conflict with something we have in our computer, and on it goes.  So how do you know if the update is safe?  How do you know when to be concerned or worried?

Well here are some things to think about.

1.  General Software Updates

If you’re updating something simple like your e-book reading software and something goes wrong, chances are good you can uninstall or delete the software and try it again.  It is very unlikely that it’s going to go so badly wrong that it will shut down the entire system.  Just make sure the software you are updating is not running and relax.

2.  Operating System Updates

If you are updating your operating system, Windows for example, you need to be a little more cautious.  Because those updates tend to affect necessary system files, having an update run badly has more potential to cause problems.  Now that said, major updates done through Microsoft have built in protections in place.  Often if something goes wrong, the installer simply begins the uninstall process and aborts the installation.  It’s much less dangerous than it has been in years gone by.

I always recommend installing Microsoft’s security updates week to week.  As hackers find holes in security Microsoft issues updates to plug those holes.  It is important to keep your computer secure.  Microsoft often also provides updates to other software on your computer.  Again, completing those updates is a good idea.

3.  Firmware Updates

This is probably one of the most dangerous kinds of updates to do.  Firmware updates are updates to specific files that certain pieces of hardware need to function.   Errors or issues with this installation process can make the hardware unusable.  You don’t always have to do firmware updates.  Unlike Microsoft security updates, which you should do regularly, firmware updates are not required unless the update is providing additional functionality you need or solving a problem you have.  It is best not to do firmware updates unless absolutely necessary.

4.  Driver Updates

What’s a driver?  It’s software that allows your computer to use the hardware you have in your computer.  So for example, you may have a video card in your computer.  Without the driver, the video card won’t work or won’t work properly.  Driver installations that go wrong usually aren’t the end of the world.  They will not render your hardware useless, although they may create some difficulty with your computer.  Typically just removing the offending hardware and the driver will solve the problem.

5. Recovery Options

So something has gone wrong.  Now what?  Here is a list of things to try, in no particular order, depending on the problem.

  • Uninstall offending software
  • Remove offending hardware
  • Use System Restore to go back to last known working state
  • Re-download new software or drivers before trying again.  Sometimes files get messed up during download.
  • Replace hardware that has had a failed firmware update
  • Try running software in compatibility mode if you get errors about conflicts or compatibility.  Here is a little guide for Windows 7 users.  http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-windows-vista-compatibility-mode/
  • Ask a computer technician to help you.

My final thought is this, software shouldn’t be scary.  Whether you’re updating what you already have or installing something new, the process is generally the same every time.  Once you’re familiar with it and you learn what to expect you’ll be better prepared to deal with problems if or when they occur.  Keep your computer updated!  It’s an important part of keeping your computer running the way you want it to.

 

Laura Bungarz Computer Training
212-207 Fort Street
Winnipeg, MB R3C 1E2
(204) 421-6679
Laura@Laurabungarz.ca
www.LauraBungarz.ca