The Evolution of Communication

In a time, before cellphones existed, ancient civilizations used to dispatch messengers on horseback to relay information from afar.  Through the ages, ancient society found ways to develop new and much faster ways to communicate. Piggy-backing a horse across country in an attempt to send a message just wasn’t an effective way of doing things. Eventually, there would be ambitious pioneers all throughout history creating inventions to simplify the way with which people communicated

In 1775, the invention of the first postal service mailing system, changed the way people viewed communication. Revolutionizing the way information was shared, the postal service created a new way for an entire nation to conduct business. Back then, the postal service was modernized technology. This allowed messages to reach their destination faster than before.

After Benjamin Franklin made the illuminating discovery of electricity, came the invention of the telephone. The telephone made communicating long distances an instantaneous process. Changing the way business was done, the telephone led our society into new worlds of technology, unknown to mankind. As the telephone advanced and became more efficient, interest in the telephone soared throughout the nation. Many years later, and still immobilized by the cords and original setup of the telephone, patents were soon past down on a new kind of phone device- “The Cell Phone”.

With the invention of cellular technology, most of the communicative obstacles still plaguing society, ceased to exist. Even after the invention of electricity and the telephone, many felt information still wasn’t being passed fast enough. Telephones were often awkward and bulky, with cords attached to the base, leaving you homebound or stuck at the office. Through the invention of the cellphone, this dilemma was erased, leaving the possibilities limitless. Now, at the press of a button, people possessed the power to talk to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

Ever since cellphones swept the nation, its been a race against time, as multiple industries search endlessly for new innovations to release to the public. By this era, newspapers, television, and public media are all common, everyday platforms used to advertise products, including the hip new cellphone. As a result of these media advancements, word of the cell phone spread like wildfire and everyone had to have one. Within a few years, the benefits of being able to carry a phone in your pocket was known worldwide, making cell phones the new dominant force in the world of communication. Every household had a cellphone and people were happy. Not until “smart phones” waltzed onto the scene did cellphones change forever.

Smart phones have become the new staple in today’s society. With them, people can do just about anything. Not only is communicating anytime or anyplace more possible than ever, but now its even feasible to perform a research assignment via the web, on the phone while talking to anyone anywhere, on that same phone, at the same time. The explanation itself can tie your tongue. The smartphone is capable of surfing the internet, playing games, taking pictures, sending pictures, and texting messages. The smartphone even has the capabilities of running a small business. Now the power to manage a company is available at the press of a button throughout every household in America. How we will share information 10 years from now?

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Submit Your Small Business Success or Inspirational Story for a Chance to Win!

I hope 2012 is treating everyone well so far. 🙂 MVBS would like to start off the year with a bang by offering a $100 MVBS gift certificate for the best small business success or inspirational story submitted in the next 45 days! So whether you are an independent contractor, small business, or large business that started off small, submit your story by February 18, 2012 to mccluresolutions@hotmail.com.  Each story submitted will be featured on our blog, Facebook and Twitter in addition for a chance to win the $100 gift certificate. The best story will be chosen by our team plus votes from other readers and will be announced February 24, 2012.

That’s 5 free hours of MVBS administrative services to help you get that project you have been putting off done or your 2012 calendar in order, or anything else your business needs.

What business couldn’t use a little extra exposure too?

How could you use a personal assistant for 5 free hours? I bet you can think of a few things….

Don’t hesitate submit your story today!

McClure Virtual Business Solutions August 2011 Client of the Month – Gayle Morales of Keller Williams North Central

Our August Client of the Month is Gayle Morales, Realtor with Keller Williams North Central Massachusetts.  MVBS assists Gayle with business development services on a project basis. Gayle decided to become a Realtor because she extremely enjoys working with people.  It gives her great satisfaction helping her clients with one of the most important decisions in their life, the purchase of a home.

Her work experience has helped her to prioritize and be organized in the work place. She has a great understanding of the importance to remain calm in crisis situations and work well with people. She is talented and resourceful in handling any situation that comes her way.  Gayle’s  focus is always on a win – win outcome. She has been college educated in the Business industry has been told  that she is hardworking, thoughtful, patient, practical, sincere and honest. (and we at MVBS can vouch for that! 🙂 )

Gayle’s motto is “My goal is to help you achieve your goal”.

To find out more about Gayle’s services and your local real estate market, contact her at Gaylewithkellerwilliams@yahoo.com. She’d be happy to answer any questions you may have!

Share this post with your friends! 🙂

MVBS Welcomes Anne Blake Our New Executive Assistant & Business Support Specialist

McClure Virtual Business Solutions is pleased to announced our newest team member, Anne Blake. Anne has recently joined McClure Virtual Business Solutions as Executive Assistant & Business Support Specialist to the company. She brings with her, many years of work experience, most notably more than 17 years in the manufacturing environment. She has also provided administrative support to a painting company as well as more recently, to non-profit organizations.

She earned her Associates Degree in Business Administration from Mount Wachusett Community College after being laid off from her job of more than 15 years. It was here she discovered her love of business and wanting to be involved in an administrative level.

Anne currently resides in Baldwinville, Massachusetts, with her daughter and assortment of animals. In her free time, she spends it with all 3 of her children as well as her cherished granddaughter. Working for McClure Virtual Business Solutions is (in her opinion), the ultimate win-win employment opportunity. We are pretty excited to have her aboard as well. 🙂 For more information on the services Anne Blake offers, contact her at ablake1616@gmail.com.

How to Utilize a Virtual Assistant for Maximum Results

So you have signed on with a Virtual Assistant, now what? Having a VA can be  one of the best financial decisions you do for yourself and your business but if you do not approach it in the right way, you can end up wasting both you and your VA’s time as well as your financial investment.  The following is a few ideas to keep in mind when utilizing your Virtual Assistant to ensure you, the Client are receiving satisfactory results:

1.  Make sure you are utilizing a firm with a team of Virtual Assistants

This is important in order to eliminating any possibilities or circumstances where you may have an urgent task and your assigned VA is unavailable unexpectedly.  A firm that works within  a team structure has other team members to direct you to and fall back on when they are unavailable. No missed deadlines makes everyone happy and ensures peace of mind.

2.  Give precise instructions

Communication is key when interacting with your Virtual Assisstant. Since you do not interact with your VA in person and they are not in your particular business’ office setting, it is important that you give your VA as much information as possible. Once you have a task for your Virtual Assistant, make sure you are clear and to the point when requesting assistance from your VA. One good way to avoid miscommunication  is to request your VA respond to your request with their game plan on how they will complete the task at hand.  It is also important to let your VA know what the task is for or about so that you both are on the same page as to what is expected or needed.

3.  Conduct Damage Control

When assigning tasks to your Virtual Assistant, it is important to set deadlines or give desired completion dates/times. Another good damage control system to implement is to request status updates every few hours/days, (depending on the type of task), or request that your VA submits updates at specified times that work for both of you.

If you keep the above items in mind when utilizing your Virtual Assistant, you can be confident that you and your VA are on the same page and you both can feel comfortable and strong in the results of the Client/VA relationship. McClure Virtual Business Solutions understands that the idea of hiring a Virtual Assistant can be a little unnerving as you have to trust someone you never met (most likely) with the details of your business and livlihood. We are sensitive to this fact, which is why it is Team MVBS’  philosopy  to approach our Client’s businesses as if they were our own.  For more ideas on how to get the most from your VA and what to expect from a VA relationship, contact us at mccluresolutions@hotmail.com.

Can You Afford A Virtual Assistant?

Most professionals view having a virtual assistant as a a great idea but a novelty. This post will outline the cost structure to having a virtual assistant as opposed to having an on site employee.

Lets work out the numbers:

Consider an on site employee at a minimum of $15 per hour.                               Calculate:

$15 x 40 hours                                                                         =                                     $600 Weekly

$600 x 4 weeks                                                                       =                                      $2400 Monthly

$2400 x 12 months                                                                =                                      $28,800 Year

+ 35%  (Taxes & Benefits)                                                    =                                     $38,880 Annually

(Now add in lunch breaks, office space, equipment, supplies, technology, non-productive hours, sick & holiday pay, that is some big money, which is not always being put to good use)

Now consider a Virtual Assistant at an example rate of $25 per hour.  First, figure out approximately how many hours you will actually require of your virtual assistant, for this example lets assume 20 hours per week (each individuals specific needs will vary).

$25 Hourly Rate for a VA                                                                            Calculate:

$25 x 20 hours                                                    =                                                500 Weekly

$500 x 4 weeks                                                   =                                                $2000 Monthly

$2000 x 12 months                                            =                                                $24,000 Annually

Total Cost =    $24,000 Annually

Virtual assistants work as subcontractors so you never have to worry about taxes or providing insurance. VA’s work from their off-site offices and provide their own equipment, supplies and technology. Not to mention, with a VA you do not pay for lunch breaks, potty breaks, sick, holiday or vacation time. The client doesn’t have to be concerned about non-productive hours as they are only paying for the work received. Even if you only require part-time assistance just divide the both numbers in half because utilizing a VA will allow you to cut the hours of on site assistance at least in half as a VA can do a considerable amount more in an hours time as opposed to an onsite employee.

Evaluating the above example, we can see that utilizing a Virtual Assistant will give you an absolute minimum savings of $14,880! That extra savings could purchase you more than 6 months of additional VA service!

Now the question goes from “Can you afford a Virtual Assistant?” to “Can you afford not to have a Virtual Assistant?”

At McClure Virtual Business Solutions, our team offers highly competitive rates  and a wide variety of prepaid packaged plans that offer additional savings. In addition to our great rates, we offer Client Loyalty Rewards and Referral Programs. We offer free, no obligation consultations as our rate plans are customized to fit the individual client needs.  Our philosopy at MVBS is to simplify and streamline the lives and businesses of our clients so that they may conduct both aspects in the manners in which they most desire. Contact us at mccluresolutions@hotmail.com for more information or with any questions you may have.