Bizpro Ltd – Virtual Assistants

It’s only been a week or so, but I’ve already caught the twitterbug that is on everyone’s lips at the moment.

For those that don’t know, Twitter is the new (ish) craze in online social networking – you type in updates about what you are doing at any given moment through out the day or night. Just recently its taken the 4Networking world by storm, and for me, the twitterbulb has also just illuminated.

Through Twitter, I’ve made contact and been contacted (followed) by people I wouldn’t normally ever be able to get in touch with. I’m keeping up to date with Sir Richard Branson, (not that I can really believe it’s him!), a writer for the Guardian, lots of 4Networkers, and a few other Virtual Assistants. You can update it via web or phone, and you can link it to your facebook site too! There are so many add on applications that you can do almost anything with it.

Bizpro is kicking off the New Year with an exciting announcement, we are celebrating our first official franchise: Bizpro – South Oxford.

New Bizpro franchise owner Alison Wiltshire, says”I am very excited to be the first franchisee for Bizpro. I’ve worked alongside Kerry Anne Orr in Bizpro for a few months now and have seen first hand how it works and the business has grown. When Kerry first mentioned the franchise idea I knew I wanted to be a part of that success.“

Alison has extensive experience in administration, book keeping & financial management, and spent over 11 years as a Financial Controller for a well known local business. She has been working as a Bizpro associate since May 2008, so she knows the Bizpro brand and method of working very well and she is also well known and appreciated amongst our clients.

2009 is promising to be a big year for Bizpro. With our first franchise operation already up and running, we are now looking for additional franchisees to become part of our success story. Want to know more? Visit here to find out, or email us now for an information pack.

Bizpro has literally been built on networking.

When the business was first started, I networked online using Ecademy, and within two months I started networking face to face with 4Networking, who at that point in time were a relatively fledgling business, having been founded just over a year before. Bizpro has never looked back. 4Networking has turned traditional networking on its head. Gone are the stiff collars and cufflinks of yesteryear, instead it’s been replaced with a whole new breed of networkers. It’s brought together business owners of the 21^st century who realise that building the business relationship first and foremost is the key to gaining new business. People deal with people. 4Networking has never been about rules; most small business owners started their own businesses to escape rules in some form or another. 4Networking works with as few rules as possible. No one is forced to attend the breakfast meetings, and with their ‘passport’ membership, you can visit as many meetings as you like, where ever you are in the country. In the 18 months since I’ve been a member, the number of groups has more than tripled and they are rapidly spreading across the UK.

I’ve been the group leader for the Swindon group for just under a year, before that I was group leader of Faringdon and Operations assistant at Cirencester. I really enjoy being involved and it has done wonders for my profile. Not only have I made some great contacts and new clients from 4Networking, I’ve also had great fun. With the help of their online forum, I’ve even won new clients that I’ve never even met! Now, when I am looking for a supplier, I will always look to 4Networking members first, as I too prefer to deal with people I have ‘met’ and got to know.

Of course, I have tried other networking groups, and will continue to do so. It’s surprisingly encouraged by 4networkings MD, Brad Burton. He knows that his product works, and it works well, and he has nothing to fear by the competition.

So why not check it out for yourself? www.4networking.biz If you do, don’t forget to say hello!

Bizpro gets asked about telephone answering services a lot, and whilst we are happy to research the market for clients and get them the best deal, it’s not something we offer as a service ourselves. We believe that as Virtual Assistants & Virtual PA’s our focus needs to be on client work and not just answering the telephone. To us answering the telephone can be just as much of an interruption to our work as it can be to a client. We believe that if you are looking for telephone answering services you should look at a dedicated telephone answering service that is specifically set up to do just that.

And we should know!

We currently outsource all our reception calls to a firm called Kendlebell based in Swindon. We’re happy to admit we use a call answering service, as we are great advocates of outsourcing.

We keep telling our clients how beneficial it is, so we have to practice what we preach!

Kendlebell help to take the pressure off us. They know our service, what we offer, who deals with what, and we know our business is in safe hands. Answer phones aren’t really an option when it comes to business. Most callers won’t leave messages, and prefer to speak to a real person.

Who are we to argue?!

So many people shrink at the mere mention of that ‘C’ word, but like it or not it’s approaching, and approaching fast too.

So what are your plans? Are you organised, or are you a last minute person? Are you planning to take a well earned break or are you having to slog it out over the festive period? If you are lucky enough to be taking a well earned break for Christmas have you thought about what your competitors are doing? What your clients needs are?

Of course, there is always a very simple answer – outsource! With the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, Bizpro will be hard at work doing the jobs you don’t like or just don’t have time for. We can take care of those last minute requests on Christmas eve, or perhaps even put together that database you’ve been meaning to do. We can even send your Christmas cards for you, so all you have to worry about is enjoying yourself over the festive holiday!