--->> Automate and Delegate

When those routine tasks start taking up valuable money making time in your schedule, it's time to either automate or delegate.

It's all a matter of how you use your time - make money or waste money. You can earn money each hour by performing work or you can waste money by doing every little thing yourself. There are several options you can look into in this area.

Software - There is software available today that will do practically everything! GoldMine or ACT can automate almost all of your contact information, e-mailings, prospect follow-ups, appointments and much, MUCH more. Outlook is an exceptional 'Day Timer' type tool that can help with scheduling as well as email. SystemWorks can automatically maintain your computer's "inner workings" and automatically update your virus protection. There's a program to do practically anything you need.

Assistance - I know first thing most small business owners scream is "I can't afford an assistant"! Maybe not one that comes to your home and spends eight hours a day with you, but you CAN afford a virtual assistant, a college or a high school student.

A virtual assistant is someone who handles projects or duties for you "virtually" from their computer. Perhaps you need to have a report proofread. Just email it to him/her and, once it's done, they'll email it back to you. Virtual Assistants can also schedule appointments, follow up with clients, return routine email inquiries and perform numerous other tasks.

You can also check with career development or job placement offices of local high schools and colleges. They often have students who are willing to work in exchange for a small fee or for experience itself.

Whatever you do - make most of your time. Being unorganized not only wastes hours of your day that you could be making money, but it also is a tremendous stress producer. Getting your office, your schedule and your day in order can make for a much more fulfilling and profitable business.

* Question: Do you have oncall technical support? / / Yes / / No

I don't know about you, but I hate it when I need technical support for something I've purchased and I just cannot break through to a living human being. It really irks me.

The Internet is a technical environment. Like it or not, things are not always going to work right. You're not always going to understand everything. You're not always going to know what to do and how to do it. That's why you need a relationship with a company that provides you with friendly, accessible, understandable technical support when you need it. Without it, you're on your own -- and that can be a very uncomfortable feeling!

* Question: Do you have unrelenting prospect follow-up? / / Yes / / No

Unrelenting, systematic follow-up is what distinguishes people who are going to make it in business from those who aren't. Right now do you have means available to connect with your prospects up to 25 times in a 90 day period? Can you send them automated, personalized follow-up? Or are you trying to handle your follow-up on a case-by-case, catch-as-catch-can basis, never quite sure who got what and what you're supposed to send today? If that's how you're handling your follow up, you're doomed.

Conclusion

The Internet is going to be a part of our lives forever. It has already created and will create THOUSANDS of millionaires. These smart people understand environment and have necessary tools for online success. Without them, you've merely created a no-win situation for yourself, fraught with frustration, irritation and defeat, like mowing your lawn without a mower, pulling out one blade at a time.