Ayuda Virtual Assistants, Ipswich (2026)

19/11/2019

How to Write a Great Pitch

Small business owners need to work to sell their ideas and bring their innovations to the forefront of investors’ minds. This is usually done by writing and delivering a great business pitch, which summarizes the ideas, concept and operations of the business while focusing on the unique selling points of the product or service.
Below are some tips for writing a really great pitch:

1. Focus on your goal and be concise
Make notes and think about what investors need to know, such as the product or service, your expertise, and financial projections for the business. Keep this short and to the point and only include irrelevant information.

2. The presentation should not copy the business plan
Use your business plan as a guide, but don’t cut and paste content from your business plan, investors will already have seen it.

3. Have only one or two speakers
Who do you need with you to support your pitch? Do you know enough about your own product/service to be able to convince investors to provide financial support, without filling the room with management?

4. Only have 12-16 slides
The maximum number of recommended slides for a business pitch is between 12 and 16. The investors are there to hear you to tell them about your business, your slides should act as an aid to your verbal pitch rather than as a substitute.

5. Use 5 bullet points per slide
Ensure your slides are clutter free, easy to read and are there as a prompt. Any further detail could distract the investors away from your verbal content.

6. Use Arial 12 font
Investors need to be able to read the slides, so keep it simple.

7. Choose a dark background with white letters
Research suggests that investors are attracted to presentations when the background is dark and the lettering is clear. Play about with this as you need to adapt the slides to your corporate branding.

12/11/2019

Understanding your Target Market

A target market is defined as a specific group of potential buyers or people who are the most likely buyers of your products or services.

As business owners we need to take the time to define our target market, to avoid wasting valuable time and money on targeting the wrong audience. Knowing your target market allows you to place your marketing messages in the right places, using key words that specifically speak to their needs.

Target Market Segments
There are three most common segmentation types. These define the characteristics, traits, situations, wants and needs of your ideal buyer:
- Geographic - which is based on location like county, town or street addresses.
- Demographic - which focuses on features such as a gender, race, and age.
- Psychographic - which considers attributes relating to personality, lifestyle, values, and interests.

How to Segment a Market
To segment potential customers into a target market, you need to answer:
- How old is your ideal customer?
- How much money does he/she make?
- Is your product or service most suitable for men, women or children?
- Are they home-owners?
- Where does your target market shop?
- Where do they live?
- What type of education do they have?
- What problems, needs or wants do they have that your product or service will fill?

The most compelling reason to identify your ideal markets is that it will save you marketing time and money. The better directed your marketing messages are to a specific market, the bigger the results. Not having a clear understanding of who your customer is will result in lost marketing, and casting your net too wide will diminish the concentration of your message.

29/10/2019

How using a Virtual Assistant can save a business time and money

Using a Virtual Assistant can shave hours from the working week, but knowing which tasks to delegate can be tricky. Most VA's are contract or freelance workers who do their jobs from home and focus on administrative tasks similar to those of an executive assistant or secretary.

With the number of VA's growing, their expertise makes it easier to find someone who fits an organisation. Business owners can use VA's for everything from making customer service calls to sending out thank you cards to prospective clients.

Here are some ways a business can use a VA to improve efficiencies and save valuable time.

Email Management
To save time, VA's will filter the most important emails and respond to the rest on behalf of a business.

Proof Reading/Copy Writing
A VA will have strong grammar and be able to proof read or even write any copy which is needed.

Travel Research
A VA can be a great resource for finding hotels, booking airfares and mapping out trip itineraries both for business and pleasure.

Scheduling
Because many scheduling tools are available online, VA's are managing the calendars of many clients, with tasks including dealing with meeting invitations from others, scheduling appointments with clients and helping to plan events.

Online Research
You can easily farm out Internet research to a VA. Common requests include finding information on corporate websites, exploring new products and vetting potential employees or business contacts.

Book Keeping/Credit Control
Book keeping matters can be one of the easiest things to assign to a VA. Many small businesses choose to share their book keeping systems with their VA's who can then follow up on tasks such as outstanding invoices or unpaid bills.

Database Entry
Whether it's new business cards picked up at a conference or updated information for existing contacts, keeping databases current is a suitable task for VA's.

Data Presentation
Turning raw data into a clear presentation or summarising research findings can be a huge timesaver when prepping for meetings.

Social Tasks
VA's can even handle tasks such as writing holiday cards or sending thank you notes.

25/10/2019

Tips on GDPR compliance and how to avoid common costly mistakes

With the GDPR compliance challenges in the headlines every day, being hasty could lead you into making some bad decisions. Here are our tips on keeping your business out of trouble whilst ensuring your compliance within the deadline.

If you’re unsure about how to meet the requirements of the GDPR, seek advice from experienced consultants before taking action. Keep in mind all the compliance standards you are subject to, so you don’t violate one as you try to comply with another.

GDPR compliance requires a comprehensive approach to security that involves not just technology, but also governance, processes and people. IT processes alone are not the most effective way to protect your organisation from security incidents, so make sure you know where your sensitive data resides, who has access to it, and which services and software are the most critical for your business.

Check that your security systems are sufficient and well managed, and that your IT department have the expertise you need to comply to the GDPR, and are aware of proper security protocols. If your IT department is overwhelmed by routine troubleshooting, it won’t be able to prevent data breaches, or comply with other GDPR requirements.

It is crucial to get your team to understand the spirit of GDPR. They must live and breathe respect for people’s data. Make sure your entire team understands the main concepts of GDPR so they can make the right judgements in terms of keeping people informed about how their data is used. At the same time, the worst thing you can do is to blame your IT people for compliance failures. If a data breach occurs, the problem often lies outside of the IT department, and most security incidents are due to human errors and malware.

However, being overly radical can also have its pitfalls. For example, deleting your entire customer database won’t erase your obligation to report to auditors, it will just hurt your ability to be competitive. Auditors will be looking for a credible plan to ensure compliance, so make sure you can demonstrate you are on the right path to better control your security. As for your customers, respecting their privacy and preferences will only increase their loyalty.

20/10/2019

Tips on booking a venue for your meeting or function

Booking a venue for a function or meeting can be a daunting prospect, especially when you consider that in London alone there are hundreds of potential venues. The reputation and credibility of your business is paramount, and finding the right venue can make or break your event. These are our tips on what you should consider when hiring a venue .

Location Location Location!
The most important factor! A central location for the clients attending, with good transport links will help to prevent any late arrivals.

Cost
Make sure you have a budget that suits you, and that there are no hidden extras when booking your venue. Some venues offer packages or will have different price lists for various facilites, so check for any extra costs that may crop up unexpectedly.

Facilites
Modern conference rooms could be equipped with various facilities such as internet access, LCD projectors, video equipment, laser pointers, microphones, and disabled facilities. Check which of these facilities are available, and whether you are paying extra for a service you don’t need.

Venue size
For you to make the right choice on size, make sure you have confirmation on the number expected to attend. A venue too small will be cramped and uncomfortable, and too big could make it look like an empty room.

Catering
From basic refreshments to full on catering services, you may need to provide refreshments to those who may have travelled distances or will be at your event for any length of time.

Accommodation
If your function is going to run for days or late in to the night, consider getting comfortable accommodation for your delegates. Hosting your function in a hotel will make life easier for those attending.

Entertainment
Often venues will have their own bar or restaurant, and may even offer entertainment such as live music, which may benefit those who are staying long periods of time.

Why not let Ayuda Virtual Assistants help you?

Call us on 07876 742950 to find out how.

Ayuda Virtual Assistants

19/11/2019

12/11/2019

29/10/2019

25/10/2019

20/10/2019

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category