Help end PowerPoint abuse

Posted on May 14, 2012 by AGilpin — No Comments ↓

Help end PowerPoint abuse

Are you a perpetrator of PowerPoint abuse?

If you’re you guilty of creating wordy slides, using distracting graphics, or adding distracting special effects just to satisfy your inner George Lucas, you have a problem. You’re failing to make the most of a powerful communications tool, and it’s interfering with your message. Follow this advice to use PowerPoint to communicate successfully.

Choose fonts wisely
Using too many fonts or illegible typefaces is a common trait of PowerPoint abusers. Ease eye strain with these helpful tips:

Use a sans serif font to enable high visibility: Helvetica Bold Condensed and Franklin Gothic are good choices.
Do not use script typefaces – they are hard to read and distracting.
Limit the number of fonts used to no more than two per slide.
Avoid italics with underlines, bold type with shadows, and outline fonts.
WORDS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ARE HARD TO READ.

Conserve words
Wordy slides are bad for “information digestion,” so use words like a cook with chili peppers: sparingly. Text-heavy slides encourage viewers to read rather than listen to your ideas and prompt you to recite information, which dulls your speaking style. Only the core of the message should appear on the slide, so the audience has to rely on you for important information.

Headlines should be no more than three or four words.
Use bullet points, not sentences – only about six words per line.
Try to limit any slide to no more than three or four bullets.

Go easy on the eyes
Many presenters cannot resist the temptation of using busy backgrounds, and too many colors. The simpler your layout, the better.

Be sure the color of the text contrasts with the slides’ background color. The best mix is a dark background with bright type.
Avoid color combinations that may be difficult to look at or hard to distinguish: red/green, brown/green, blue/black, and blue/purple.

Follow this advice, and transform yourself into a PowerPoint pro. Oh, and don’t forget to spell check.

Abridged: SmartBusinessMatters

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, business, power point, virtual assistant
Posted in Business, Tips

iPad for business: Getting started

Posted on May 4, 2012 by AGilpin — No Comments ↓

Abridged: Business Mgmt Daily
Every where you go now someone is working on an tablet or their iPad. In fact, many of my clients and those that I network with have them and are always asking me if I have tips and tricks to share with them. Recently, I came across this article that provides great tips for getting started with iPad with business in mind.

Here are some of the best apps to help you make the transition.

1. Office productivity

Pages, an Apple product, lets you create, edit and view Word documents.

Numbers, another one by Apple, gives you spreadsheet capability with tables, charts, photos and graphics.

QuickOffice offers the ability to create, edit and save Excel spreadsheets, Word docs and PowerPoint with tight integration with Dropbox.

GoodReader and iAnnotate allow you to look at a PDF, make comments and forward it to someone else. iBooks can also be used to load PDFs through iTunes onto the iPad.

Dragon Dictation is a voice-recognition app where you speak and instantly see your text or emails.

Evernote lets you save notes, web pages, business cards, photos and screenshots, then indexes them so you can find what you saved later.
Instapaper saves web pages so you can read them later

2. Cloud storage

Dropbox is a cloud-storage utility that allows you to keep your files in sync among several devices and computers—your file folder in the cloud. One great feature is its ability to share folders with other Dropbox users.

3. Virtual meetings

GoToMeeting lets you host an online meeting with up to 15 people and share any application on your computer in real time. It’s helpful for displaying presentations, demonstrating products and holding webinars.

4. Presentations

Keynote, by Apple, makes building a presentation a snap. Organize your presentation with the slide navigator—it shows a handy thumbnail view of your slides. Just plug the iPad into the projector and you’re ready to go

5. Printing

AirPrint from Apple gives you wireless printing right from the iPad. iPad automatically locates and connects to AirPrint-enabled printers on your Wi-Fi network.

6. Virtual desktop

Cloud Client by Leveno allows you to run virtually any desktop Windows-based application on an iPad.

Citrix Receiver for iPad provides iPad owners secure access to all of their corporate Windows applications and desktops.

7. Business transactions

Square handles business credit card transactions and provides a digital receipt, which is sent to the recipient’s email address.

I hope that finding this article really helps you with your iPad more. If you have a topic that you want to know more about let me know and I’ll try finding one to highlight or create one to share with you.

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, business, iPad, technology, tips for iPad, virtual assistant
Posted in Business, Technology, Tips

Outlook Spring Cleaning

Posted on April 20, 2012 by AGilpin — No Comments ↓

MS Outlook does much more than you think. It can boost your productivity … help you manage your workload … even help you stay focused on your most important appointments, tasks and projects.

Sort by Sender - This is a good first step. It allows you to easily spot and delete email from advertisers whose messages you no longer need. This also makes it easy to spot email from friends and family, which don’t have a real retention requirement.

Search for old emails - If you have accumulated several years of emails, start by creating search folders for each year. Search folders aren’t actual folders; it’s a search criteria and a way to see all email, no matter what folder it is in. The largest unit of time allowed is months, so you’ll need to search for mail that’s older than a year by specifying 12 months, 24 months, and so on. Drag all emails into a folder named for the year (2009, 2010). Add a task item to your list to start cleaning up one year at a time.

Mark for handling – Now that your inbox is free of old mail and advertising, you can start sorting through what to keep and what to toss. Create a category for emails you think you should delete. Assign that category a shortcut, so it’s quick to mark things for review. This method is only useful if you allow it to sort or filter by the category each day and either delete or folder the items.

Set up rules - If you find yourself moving the same type of email to the same folder, consider letting Outlook do that for you by creating a rule. For example, this would be a perfect solution for nightly reports or status updates that you don’t actually read, but need to reference for a period of time. You can even leave it marked unread, so you always know how many reports you haven’t seen. However, they no longer clutter up your inbox or bury urgent messages.

Once you know how to get calendars and tasks working for you, you’ll send your efficiency skyrocketing.

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, business, email, productivity, technology tips, virtual assistant
Posted in Business, Resources, Tips

What Can You Outsource This Month? Event Management

Posted on April 2, 2012 by AGilpin — 1 Comment ↓

Event Management!

Do you have an upcoming seminar or workshop? We can assist you will all aspects of it including planning, organizing, registration and marketing!

To manage an event successfully there are a number of things to consider. The basics involve planning, marketing, guest lists, registration, payment processing and follow up surveys. Proper event planning and management can prevent last minute changes and ensure smooth sailing from start to finish. We are here to help you create and plan successful events. Call today to schedule your next event promotion!

Solutions for Speakers:

Building your speaking or training business the way you first envisioned it is time consuming. As a trained Virtual Assistant I work with professional speakers, coaches and trainers like you, to take care of the “behind the scenes” areas of your business. I can help you plan a venue and tailor it to your needs.

Managing Relationships
Managing Your Office
Managing Venue Logistics
Managing Marketing and Sales

Go ahead and plan your next seminar or workshop, you’re not alone – we’re here to help!

Call us today (815) 886-0564 to schedule your complimentary consultation. Visit our services to learn more about how we can help you today.

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, aileen gilpin, business, conference, event, management, meeting planning, outsource, seminar, social media, speaker, venue, virtual assistant, workshop
Posted in Business, Delegate, Resources

Taking Care of Our Health

Posted on March 12, 2012 by AGilpin — No Comments ↓

As business owners taking care of our health is important. Too many of us do not see the connection between our health and our business until the body breaks down. It then becomes a huge undertaking to reverse the ill effects of our neglect. We’re committed to the success of our business, why not commit to living healthier – and thus happier – lifestyle overall.

Studies show that poor diet and inactivity lead to conditions such as obesity, headaches, diabetes, and cancer. A sedentary lifestyle decreases energy levels and dulls memory and concentration. But as self-employed business owners our health is continuously at risk.

Exercise is one of the first things people skip when under pressure. But when we are feeling stressed our body produces noradrenaline, a stress hormone that can affect our attention and quality of thinking. Exercise spurs endorphins to counter the buildup of stress hormones in the body. Studies show, your brain does work better if you exercise – the quality of your thinking is improved.

Taking care of your own health should also be a top priority in your business and lifestyle plan. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 50% of Americans do not engage in enough exercise to see improvements to their health. Make sure you get at least 30 minutes of exercise several times per week. You will find that the more time you spend being active the better you will feel, and the results will start to shape your business as well.

Exercise is just one way to improve your health; nutrition, vitamins and supplements are another. I am dedicated to helping you improve your business, with the services I provide under AGilpin Consultants and I am dedicated to improve your health with the products that I sell as an Independent Representative of Shaklee.

I am here to help!

Shaklee Health and Wellness – Products for you, your home and the planet! I am an Independent Distributor for Shaklee Health and Wellness Company which has been around for over 50 years. Our scientist have worked to create the best natural products in the world. We have the ability to change the world one person at a time. If you would like to learn more about Shaklee products please contact me at 815.886.0564 or visit:Facebook page, AG.Shaklee

Web splash page at AG.Shaklee

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, business, entrepreneurs, health, nutrition, Shaklee, wellness
Posted in Business, Healthy Business, Resources, Tips

Creative Ways to Engage and Delight Facebook Fans on an Entrepreneur Budget

Posted on February 18, 2012 by AGilpin — 3 Comments ↓

Abridged: VerticalResponse

When it comes to social media marketing and Facebook in particular, the name of the game is engagement. Conventional wisdom says that the best way to keep your Facebook fans engaged is to reward them, the most obvious way being with free products, discounts and other types of giveaways. For many small businesses or businesses with limited resources, though, doing this on a regular basis is tough. So, instead of thinking of this as a barrier, think of it as a creative challenge.

Provide Exclusive News – Have a new product or service coming out or an upcoming sale or discount that hasn’t been announced yet? Reward your Facebook fans by sharing the news with them a few days early and let them share it with their friends and fans. Doing this gives more traffic to your Facebook page.
Let The Games Begin – It’s not a secret that all your time on Facebook isn’t spent on business, there are a few minutes here and there spent on your favorite game. Take advantage of these few stolen minutes playing a game and be social. Try asking your fans trivia questions or share favorite games with you. Engage socially with them more.
Rally Around A Cause - If your company already contributes to a charity with any sort of regularity, why not get your fans involved? Cause marketing is an extremely powerful way to engage your fans, make a difference, and give your brand a bit of personality while you’re at it. Don’t know what cause to support? Ask your fans for their input. Try tying in fan activity for the cause.
Give Credit Where Credit Is Due – Simply recognizing your fans is a great way to bring smiles to their faces. Consider selecting a fan every week to feature on your wall and thank them for their support. A little goodwill goes a long way.
Be Responsive – Another form of fan recognition that is often overlooked is to respond when they leave a comment on your wall. If a fan leaves a compliment on your wall or responds to one of your status updates, take the time to acknowledge it. There’s no better way to show your customers that you’re listening.
Take It Offline – Engage with fans by sending them a message and inviting them to visit your store, or if you don’t have a store to one of your events, social circles or just out for coffee and get to know them better. Engaging with them offline will help them fully engage in your business as you with theirs.
Don’t Give Away The Farm but Give Away A Dozen Eggs Instead – Okay, so technically this costs money, but the point is it doesn’t have to be a lot. Have a fan contest. What little rewards might you have that fans will appreciate nonetheless? Gift cards, USB drives, and a small discount off their next purchase…little rewards have the ability to delight your customers and go a long way. By doing small rewards also give you the opportunity to do more promotions on a recurring basis. Doing this creates buzz and make one winning fan really happy, a lot of small ones make it so the fun doesn’t have to end.

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, business, social media, virtual assistant
Posted in Business, Social Media, Tips

Aileen’s Virtual Birthday Party!

Posted on January 16, 2012 by AGilpin — 15 Comments ↓

This week I’ll be celebrating my 39^th Birthday and I would love to celebrate it with all of you.

Over the next few days you will receive chances to WIN a Gift from me. That’s right; I am giving you birthday gifts. How cool is that.

I can’t spoil the surprise’s but believe me it’s a celebration that you don’t want to miss!

Like any good birthday party, I will be giving away a couple of prizes and some virtual goodie bags!

You have to join the party to be entered to win and to receive your virtual goodie bag. There are many ways to join in on the FUN.

You can:

Click and Join the Party!

Click and LIKE my Facebook page

Retweet or mention @AileenGilpin my Virtual Birthday Party

Comment on my blog post or on Facebook

Or do ALL OF THE ABOVE! The more you do the more chances you get to win.

Now let’s PARTY!

If you would like to give me a gift you can pay it forward by making a donation to the American Lung Association Fighting for Air – 2012 Fight For Air Climb. This is one of the causes that I am supporting in 2012, because no one should struggle to breathe.

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, aileen gilpin, virtual assistant, virtual birthday party
Posted in Events, Spotlight

My Theme Word for 2012

Posted on January 2, 2012 by AGilpin — 2 Comments ↓

For many years during the holiday break I find myself like many others do, work on setting new goals, revisiting what worked and what didn’t work prior and prioritizing and thinking forward for the New Year.

Instead of my typical regiment during this time of year, this year I have decided to do something different, at least for me this is new.

Inspired by my mentors recent blog post So Long 2011…Welcome 2012! my New Year’s theme word is going to evolve around the word Self-discipline.

Self-discipline

Self-discipline can be defined as the ability to motivate oneself in spite of a negative emotional state. Qualities associated with self-discipline include willpower, hard work, and persistence.

Therefore in 2012 I vow ….

To work on my business ideas and projects immediately so that my clients can benefit

~Launch and Co-Author a new blog to highlight and help market self-published authors

~Finish my products (seminars, ebooks, and reports)

~Maximize the use of affiliate programs I am a member of

Workout more and make healthier eating habits for myself and my family

Wake early to work on myself – thanks to a good friend Pam for referring The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo

Only check email a few of times per day at particular times

Focus on my target market and those that will help drive my business

Virtually work smarter, not harder

In finding some inspiration I came across this video that seems suiting for this post, I hope you too will find it powerful.

This short film illustrates the power of words to radically change your message and your effect upon the world.

Here’s to a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

I am looking forward to growth in the coming year

and wish you the same.

I would love to hear your thoughts on 2012…have you thought of your “one word?” Please do share in the comments!

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, aileen gilpin, business mindset, inspiration, theme word, virtual assistant
Posted in Business, Videos

Thank You for making “Aileen’s Count Down to the Holidays!” a Success

Posted on December 20, 2011 by AGilpin — 5 Comments ↓

I am extremely grateful for those that participated in Aileen’s Count Down to the Holidays! and for all of my readers out there that followed this count down. Thank you all. It is my hope that you enjoyed the countdown as much as I did and that you found some amazing gifts for this Holiday Season.

Don’t forget to appreciated your clients, employees, friends and family this Holiday. If you need a last minute greeting send one on me using SendOutCards, a small token of how I appreciative I am to each of you for being a fan of AGilpin Consultants and for sharing my countdown to the Holidays.

To all the participants in Aileen’s Count Down to the Holidays! Thank You.
Here is a recap of all ten.

Looking forward to seeing you again in the New Year.

Happy Holidays!

Tagged with: agilpin consultants, business, countdown, holidays, sendoutcards, shopping, social media, virtual assistant
Posted in Business, Spotlight