4 Office Management Projects You Can Outsource to Your VA
(c) Tracey Lawton 2005

In today's economy more and more businesses are outsourcing projects in a bid to keep costs down. As a small business owner yourself you may not feel you can justify outsourcing your projects preferring to do them yourself. Or perhaps you think that by the time you've explained and passed over your project to someone else it would have been quicker to do it yourself.

But if you're finding that there are jobs which are taking up too much of your time then you should consider outsourcing. Why? Because you're an expert at you what you do and by outsourcing those projects that don't fall within your expertise will give you more time to work on what you are good at.

Below I've put together some REAL examples of how I help my clients with their office management projects, and maybe I can help you too!

Contact Management

How up-to-date is your contact database? Do you even have one? A contact management database is a must for any business owner and it doesn't have to be a 'bells and whistles' one either! An Excel spreadsheet can be very effective at keeping all your contact information together, and easy to use.

If you don't have a contact management database then I can help you set one up, and keep it up-to-date for you. Just think, you will be able to:

• Have all your client/contact details together in one place.
• Gain access easily with just the click of a mouse.
• Use it to mange and track your marketing campaigns.
• Spend your time on income-generating activities rather than having to dig around for that all-important telephone number.

Cash flow Management

As a small business owner you know how important it is to regularly invoice your clients. After all you have bills to pay too! But do you find yourself spending a lot of time each month preparing your invoices so that you can get paid? Or, even worse, you're so busy that you don't even get the time to prepare your invoices? If so, then pass this area over to me! I can:

• Raise your invoices and email/mail them out for you.
• Track payment.
• Chase overdue invoices.
• Provide you with weekly/monthly reports on your invoicing status.

Project Monitoring Systems

Do you have a project with many different elements that you need to keep track of? Maybe you have a budget that you need to stick to? If you have and are finding you are spending more time on chasing paperwork than actually running your project, then let me:

• Design a budget monitoring system
• Set up timesheets and/or expenses sheets
• Liase with the project team to gather their timesheets and expenses
• Input data
• Help out with research

Marketing Campaign

Do you have plans for a spring marketing campaign? Do you have your target list ready but don't have the literature to go with it? I can:

• Design a postcard, brochure or flyer to your specification and with your graphics
• Mail/email it out for you
• Follow up with prospects
• Research your target audience
• Gather data

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About the author:  Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business.  Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com

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