Archive for Resources

Tech Tuesday: Quote Roller

By Lee Drozak on January 24, 2012 No Comments

Quote RollerI came across Quote Roller quite by accident and boy was that a happy accident.  Quote Roller states it is “super easy to use,  saves you time and helps to close deals faster. You will find that creating proposals is now a fun and enjoyable process.”  Boy are they right.  Here are the three things that have me using this product.

Templates:  There are some in the repository for you to use and tweak however you can also create one from scratch.  Once you have the wording and sections in place then you can style them for clean professional looking proposals every time.  Create a template and then use it over and over.  You can also edit and section of the template for customized proposals or a special need to your offering.

Product and services table:  This is the area where you put your pricing and service structure.  Be as detailed as you need and then save to keep the items in one place to be shared on your proposal or with your team.  This is a great option for creating proposals on the fly or making sure that you are consistent with your pricing structure.  Never miss a detail again.

Proposal tracking: You can create and send proposals both in a web or PDF format.  I also like that you can add attachments so all your supporting documents are with the quote.  However my favorite part is the tracking which allow clients to interact while receiving their quote including e-sign and accepting.  Once your proposal is sent you will see when it was created, sent and even viewed by the recipient.  Here you can also send follow-up messages, edit the proposal for changes or mark as accepted.

There is a tiered pricing structure that includes a free level for 3 proposals a month.  With the paid versions you get additional proposals, analytics on sent proposals and the branding removed.  If you sent proposals or responses to RFPs you will want to check out Quote Roller.

What do you use for submitting your quotes?

Signing off,
Lee

About Lee Drozak

I help entrepreneurs organize their processes, implement their strategies and run their back office through planning and action. Building your online home using WordPress, social media, email marketing and eCommerce strategies. Contact me today to schedule your complimentary strategy session.

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Categories : Resources, Virtual Business
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Do you know Adam Baker?

By Lee Drozak on January 19, 2012 2 Comments

Man Vs. Debt podcastI first became familiar with Adam Baker, or Baker as he is called, of Man Vs. Debt some time last year.  What caught my eye about Baker was he was taking on a new adventure of traveling the U.S. in an RV.  As an RVer myself, I could relate to what he would find on his journey and thought it would be fun to watch his travels.

What I really got to like about Baker was his openness and humor of his life and his journey.  Baker is as transparent as they get.  Man Vs. Debt is built on his journey to financial freedom and he shares his knowledge with You Vs. Debt and Sell Your Crap and now on his podcast series where he helps you on your journey of getting out of debt and being financially informed.

I can proudly say that I have financial freedom so what I get from Baker is inspiration.  Inspiration for growing my business and keeping on the path to financial freedom.  Baker has grown his business, added to his team and continues to find ways to share his knowledge on getting out of debt.  He shares with business owners some of the steps he has taken with this growth including what has worked for him and what has not.

If you are on the road to reduce your debt or build your business you should certainly visit Baker at Man Vs. Debt.

Signing off short and sweet,
Lee

About Lee Drozak

I help entrepreneurs organize their processes, implement their strategies and run their back office through planning and action. Building your online home using WordPress, social media, email marketing and eCommerce strategies. Contact me today to schedule your complimentary strategy session.

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Categories : Resources, This and That
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Five things I Like About Google Voice

By Lee Drozak on January 17, 2012 No Comments

Google Voice dashboardIf you are not familiar with Google Voice here is the gist of what it is.  Google Voice gives you one number for all your phones — a phone number that is tied to you, not to a device or a location. Use Google Voice to simplify the way you use phones, make using voicemail as easy as email, customize your callers’ experience, and more.

Google Voice has many features however I picked my top five cool features to share.

  1. FREE – who does not like free.  For the past few years that I have been on Google Voice it has been free to use.  You can now call any phone in the US and Canada for free.  When they first introduced Voice you needed and invitation however, anyone can now sign up.
  2. Record you phone calls – be sure that it is legal though.  This feature comes in handy for meeting calls, interviews or even strategy planning sessions.  Each call is recorded and turned into an MP3 file to that it can be easily shared to others on the call or your website.
  3. Place your calls using your voice number.  In your Google Voice dashboard you select Call which will then give you the option to input the number you are calling and the phone to call with.  Now when you number is broadcast over caller ID it will be your Voice number.  You can also add apps for Android and iPhones.
  4. Many options when responding to the voicemail.  You get a text transcription of the voicemail along with the recording.  From the dashboard with each call you are given the option to Call, Text, Add a note, Block, Forward in an email or Download.
  5. Customized greetings and group settings.  You can create any group that you like and edit the setting such as which phone should ring or select a special greeting. It essentially acts as a personal secretary.

My favorite part, well aside from it being free, is that I can have my office number with me where ever I go and if I am unavailable I can forward to my backup team members so that my office phone is never unmanned.

If you are looking for help with manning your phones, Google Voice is an excellent choice that gives you the flexibility to set up a phone and move the calls to your team members or outsourced help.

Signing off short and sweet,
Lee

About Lee Drozak

I help entrepreneurs organize their processes, implement their strategies and run their back office through planning and action. Building your online home using WordPress, social media, email marketing and eCommerce strategies. Contact me today to schedule your complimentary strategy session.

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Categories : Resources, Technology
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Book Review: Become a Virtual Assistant – The Virtual Assistant Forums Guide to Success.

By Lee Drozak on January 16, 2012 1 Comments

Becoming a Virtual AssistantWhen I formally started my business in 2008 I would have given anything for a comprehensive business blueprint to get me started.  Actually I should have followed a blueprint but I just could not find the right resource for me.  So I spent hours upon hours of research to find the information I needed only to realize that I had overlooked some of the important details of any emerging business. I was spending valuable time reworking my system or fixing that one step I forget in the process.

I was given a review copy of Become a Virtual Assistant – The Virtual Assistant Forums Guide to Success and was anxious to read this to see what additional tips I could glean for my virtual business.  WOW, where was this book when I started.

Become a Virtual Assistant is 110 pages of information starting with “Do You Have What it Takes” through “The Good News and the Bad News”.  Aspiring virtual workers will find this a well thought out and comprehensive blueprint for starting your own business. The book is set up with many exercises to help you determine if this is the business for you.  And goes on to tackle many of the most asked questions of emerging virtual assistants such as Choosing a Legal Structure, Setting Your Rate, and Marketing and Networking..

Become a Virtual Assistant  - is a bargain at $29 for all the information provided however they did not stop there.  Included with the book is 22 FREE templates, worksheets and business documents along with 100 small business and virtual assistant industry resources.  The bonus material alone would take you many hours and days to assemble.

Unlike many Virtual Assistant books and starter packages available, Become a Virtual Assistant – The Virtual Assistant Forums Guide to Success is the perfect resource to use in your journey as a virtual assistant and being in charge of your own destiny.  If you are serious about starting your business this is a must have for your business book library.

Review by Lee Drozak of My Office Assistant.  There is an affiiliate commissions program but I did not sign up until after I had wrote my review in full.  I did receive a free copy of the ebook and resources in order to do this review but have received no other compensation.

About Lee Drozak

I help entrepreneurs organize their processes, implement their strategies and run their back office through planning and action. Building your online home using WordPress, social media, email marketing and eCommerce strategies. Contact me today to schedule your complimentary strategy session.

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Categories : Resources, Virtual Business
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Round-up Friday: My 5 favorite articles to start the new year.

By Lee Drozak on January 6, 2012 No Comments

Each week I hope to share with you 5 articles that I found helpful.  Of course this being the first week of the new year I read many articles on goals, resolutions and motivation.  Here is one of my favorite geared towards 2012 which can be found on Small Business Trends.

10 Social Media Resolutions for 2012

Another article that deals with the struggles of many small business owners, was also found at Small Business Trends.  I found this article timely, especially coming off the holidays and facing another new year filled with challenges and growth.

The Overwhelmed Small Business Owner’s Guide to Simplicity

The next choice can be found as part of Freelance Switch which is a community of freelancers who share their knowledge through their blog, forum and podcasts.

The Lazy Freelancer’s Guide to Market Research

Do you know the lingo from Twitter and texting?  I found the next article on socialmediatoday and enjoyed seeing how many abbreviations I actually knew.

OMG! Over 40 Twitter Abbreviations You Should Know

And finally, taking a look at resolutions from a different perspective  this article came to me from Stepcase Lifehack, a site that is dedicated to providing tips and tricks to increase productivity and organization.

Why You Should Start Your New Year in February

Hoping that you will find these articles informative and fun to read.  Have I missed any good articles on moving into 2012?

Signing off short and sweet,
Lee

About Lee Drozak

I help entrepreneurs organize their processes, implement their strategies and run their back office through planning and action. Building your online home using WordPress, social media, email marketing and eCommerce strategies. Contact me today to schedule your complimentary strategy session.

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Categories : Email and Communication, Resources
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Gravity Forms is my favorite plug-in

By Lee Drozak on January 4, 2012 No Comments

Everyone needs a call to action on their website.   That is why Gravity Forms is my favorite WordPress plug-in of the Premium variety. Yes you do have to buy a license but let me tell you it is well worth it. Why choose this over a free one, simple, it is awesome.

Besides ease of use, Gravity Forms has a set of amazing features including hooks and filters so that you can make your form unique to your need.  They even have a file upload option which one of my clients use so that their customers can share their pictures to be on a featured page.

Running a contest, no problem as you can set a limit to how many responses will be accepted and the set up a custom message when that limit is reached.  Better yet you can schedule when your form is to start and stop accepting responses so there is no need to worry about manually starting and ending your contest.

Creating a form is simple and their are advanced fields for capturing names, addresses and phone numbers to email addresses, and website URL’s makes your life even easier. The easy drag and drop formatting allows you to adjust your form by selecting the field and moving it to where you need it. Once you have your forms created and saved then you go to the page or post you want and pop them in using the handy icon in the upload/insert bar in the editor. No shortcodes to remember!

For the $39 investment it is well worth it. Have questions just ask and be sure to check out some of my forms.

Signing off short and sweet,

Lee

Side note: the links to Gravity forms in this article are for my affiliate link.

About Lee Drozak

I help entrepreneurs organize their processes, implement their strategies and run their back office through planning and action. Building your online home using WordPress, social media, email marketing and eCommerce strategies. Contact me today to schedule your complimentary strategy session.

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Categories : Email and Communication, Resources
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