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Establish an Organized Home Office
Follow the lead of a well-organized home office. Using the checklist below, incorporate many of the organizing tips found on the list. You will have both a professional and efficient home office.
ORGANIZE YOUR BOOKKEEPING
* Prepare and send invoices to clients * Enter monthly transactions into bookkeeping software * Reconcile bank, credit card, and other account statements * Send reminders for paying bills on their due dates * Write and prepare checks to be signed to pay bills
ORGANIZE YOUR DATABASE MANAGEMENT
* Enter business card data into a database * Send an introductory letter to new prospect leads * Send scheduled marketing pieces to clients and prospects * Track marketing efforts and summarize the results in a report * Send regular follow-ups, reminders, and communications to clients * Call people for missing contact information * Send fax and email broadcasts
ORGANIZE YOUR DESKTOP PUBLISHING
* Design and print brochures and business cards * Create flyers, price lists, and other marketing documents * Lay out, printing, and mailing regular client newsletters * Prepare professional-looking certificates for seminar participants * Print labels using company logos or clip art
ORGANIZE YOUR INTERNET SERVICES
* Maintain a newsletter subscription database * Post announcements and newsletter issues to the list * Perform an internet search for an item or piece of information * Edit or upload new information to a website
ORGANIZE YOUR MAIL AND EMAIL SERVICES
* Retrieve email and mail, sort, and get rid of junk * Respond to routine email requests * Forward items of importance to the client for attention * Track and forward urgent issues while client is out of town * Prepare packages and mail out products as orders arrive
ORGANIZE YOUR MARKETING SERVICES
* Send out the appropriate sales brochures for inquiries * Create and mail a customer feedback questionnaire * Track the responses to this questionnaire * Summarize the responses and suggestions in a report
ORGANIZE YOUR PERSONNEL SERVICES
* Send reminders for annual performance reviews * Prepare or update resumes and introduction letters * Review resumes and summarize each in a short biography * Sort resumes for a job according to pre-arranged criteria
ORGANIZE YOUR PRESENTATIONS
* Prepare PowerPoint slides from sketches of diagrams and charts * Send questionnaires to seminar participants before the talk * Track completed questionnaires and call non-responders * Summarize the questionnaire results in a report
ORGANIZE YOUR RESEARCH
* Research potential locations for an upcoming seminar * Find which locations have the appropriate dates available * Find which can accommodate the size and type of event * Research the services available (decorating, food, entertainment) * Obtain written quotes and specifications from each location * Monitor periodicals and clip articles of interest * Visit the library to copy specific articles
ORGANIZE YOUR SECRETARIAL SERVICES
* Confirm upcoming appointments * Schedule or reschedule appointments * Get directions for a meeting or appointment * Store back-up computer tapes for safekeeping * Track birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates * Send out the appropriate cards or gifts for special events * Manage lists of necessary office supplies and ordering refills * Coordinate air travel, car rental, and hotel reservations
ORGANIZE YOUR TELEPHONE AND FAX SERVICES
* Receive telephone calls while a client is out of town * Forward important messages that require immediate attention * Retrieve voice messages and responding to routine requests * Receive and handle faxes while a client is out of town
ORGANIZE YOUR TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES
* Type letters and memos from tape or handwritten notes * Type legal transcripts from cassette tape * Type medical reports from tape or handwritten notes
ORGANIZE YOUR WORD PROCESSING
* Type handwritten notes from a meeting or seminar * Type letters, printing on stationery, addressing, and mailing * Proofread, edit, and check spelling / grammar * Lay out larger documents
Organizing Home Office Tip of the Day: PAPER ~ Try to keep paper that requires an action on your part stored separately from items that you are keeping just for reference purposes.
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