Posts Tagged "Small Business Owners"

Virtual Secretary Jobs: Who Hires At-Home Workers

Posted by admin on May 5, 2010 in Articles | 0 comments

Many people hire the services of virtual secretaries. If you have specific skills such as web design, technical writing, graphic design, event planning, or working with advanced computer programs, there are many employers who would be interested in hiring you for specific projects or daily tasks. Those with traditional secretarial skills such as typing, editing, updating calendars, email monitoring, and coordinating meetings are also in need for various projects.

Where to Find Virtual Assistant Jobs

When looking for clients, you should start by contacting former employers and others you feel could use your services. Because some people may not know that they need a virtual assistant until the time comes, sending your business card and making periodic phone calls can help you find future work.

If you are looking for immediate work, look through your local newspaper, contact temp agencies, and conduct research online. There are many websites dedicated to helping virtual secretaries and employers find each other. Some of these website are free, while others will cost a monthly or yearly membership fee. On these sites, you will be able to create a profile page that lists your skills, hourly wage, and location so employers can have a better idea of the types of services you offer.

You can also place an ad in the newspaper; create a website or marketing campaign to let local businesses know that you’ve started a virtual assisting business. Referrals from satisfied clients can also help solidify your reputation and increase your exposure.

Who Hires Virtual Assistants?

Because virtual assistants can work anywhere in the world, you have the opportunity to find work in many different and sometimes unexpected places. Your client list could include the following:
department heads in medium or large corporations, small business owners who need extra help, but who cannot afford to hire a full-time employee, business people who travel often HR departments who offer virtual assistants as part of their employee incentive package,small companies who need seasonal or occasional help, and almost any business in between, great or small.

Anyone who is in need of your skills is a potential client. It doesn’t matter if they’re the head of a large company or if they run a small business from home, the services you offer are valuable to anyone who lacks the time to complete certain daily, monthly, or special tasks.

Typical Work Assignments

Depending on your skill set, you may find yourself working on a variety of projects each week. Typical work assignments range from monitoring email for important messages to planning events. You may also be asked to work on web design projects, edit large documents, coordinate meetings between one or more people, transcription, and typing.

Even if you don’t possess all of these skills, you may be asked to work on projects that require them anyway. If you’re comfortable learning a new skill, then you should take the opportunity. If not, don’t be afraid to turn down work. Clients always appreciate honesty and are usually able to find other projects for you to work on.

If you enjoy working on a variety of projects, then you should find no shortage of virtual office jobs. By maintaining contact with clients, marketing your services often, and providing quality services, you should never have any problems finding enough work.

Life Agents Building Life Insurance Agencies Working From Home In Bad Economy

Posted by admin on Apr 26, 2010 in Articles | 0 comments

Life Insurance agents/ agencies are utilizing technology not only to produce new business but also to grow multi-state insurance agencies. In view of the current changes in the economy as a whole there is a myriad of displaced workers who are looking for new career opportunities as employers downsize in an effort to wait out the greatest job loss recession since the 1974-75 and the 1981-82 recessions hit. Small business owners are struggling to stay afloat as consumers tighten their spending habits. In view of all the businesses and retailers that have been forced to close there doors what better opportunity to consider a creative business concepts. Clearly you have several options when any sales oriented business slows, you can simply wait it out and complain about the lack of business or the loss of employment or you can investigate new ideas and put them into action. Those who think ahead of the curve will certainly be ready when the tide turns.

Insurance Selling Not for Everyone

Selling insurance is not easy and it has not been unscathed by the downward spiraling economy, overall insurance purchases are down by 23% for 2009. On a positive note the term life sales segment dropped only about 3% fairing much better than other forms of life insurance. LIMRA is forecasting a double-digit decline in sales this year followed by a double-digit recovery in 2010. Certainly selling insurance is not for the faint hearted, people scurry off when you tell them you sell insurance but for a few smart marketers the opportunity can still be very ripe. If you already sell insurance then you should definitely be incorporating technology in your current business plan, those who do will gain a viable advantage over those who fail to notice this opportunity. Statistics show that consumers are using the Internet for researching insurance product options and rates. Agents who learn how to harness the power of the internet too grab the interest of those prospects and develop simple systems to establish relationships for cross selling multi-line products across multiple states will have the potential for the most growth.

Building a National Agency with Technology

Sounds complicated and or expensive, but is it? All businesses usually have some cost involved for both start up and ongoing. Traditional agencies would need overhead expenses to cover a lease, equipment, advertising and a support staff. Obviously this can get expensive and may not be the best option in today’s market. The Virtual Agency is a business model built using technology combined with people to reduce investment overhead expense. The agency can still be developed utilizing traditional marketing methods like word of mouth, networking and for the tech savvy, Internet marketing. Unlike captive agents, just about every independent insurance agent is in some sort of hierarchy based on their position within the Agency or Marketing Organization. So do you see where this is going, an opportunity to sell a broad range of products direct to consumers as an independent agent and recruit other agents into your down-line across multiple states using technology and people. This can all be accomplished using a intelligent web-based platform that includes: customer relationship management, multi carrier quoting engine, underwriting guidelines for all carriers, transparent policy case management and electronic policy delivery to the carriers. Add to that the agent recruiting tools, Agent recruit management, web based sales training, automated licensing and appointments for agents, and hierarchy support system that assist you in managing your down line and commission reports you have a fully automated business system.

 What does it take to be a Virtual Insurance Agent/ Agency?

 Starting a virtual insurance agency will take some work, if it was easy everyone would already be doing it right? You need to have some basic computer skills be wiling to learn and be persistent. Every consumer won’t buy insurance from you on the first call and may require a lot of follow up, as well the recruiting can also be difficult since some licensed agents are eager to get on board but then never put forth the required effort to both sell and recruit however, for diligent agents this can be the most rewarding opportunity for both financial success and the ability to have more control over your career goals and time. Regardless of your aspirations the virtual agent opportunity can provide great income either for the part time agent or for those who want to build a multi-state agency. Building a virtual agency can support the independent agents effort to sell hundreds of policies per month. Top recruiters are currently selling hundreds of polices a month and accumulating over $20,000 in total commissions with a team of agents. Creating a website and utilizing a quote engine is also a important element of the virtual agency and can be essential in generating your own lead program for both your personal sales and agency leads for your down-line agents.

In summary look for a virtual agency program that supports your future growth including the opportunity for recruiting and growing your agency, provide good web based training, top carriers that consumers know and trust, no hidden cost or large deposits to get started, lead programs and lead discounts, affordable agent/agency websites and compensation tiers so that you have the opportunity to earn more as your production increases. The partnership between carriers and marketing organizations and agents is key to a successful virtual agency.