Managing Modern Life
As my guest this week, I’m happy to welcome my local colleague, Janice Russell, with some great tips for packing your suitcase for your next conference or family vacation.
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Six continents, 37 countries, 34 states. You could say I’m addicted to travel! I’ve discovered some universal, simple tips that will make packing for the journey easier.
This week I welcome Dr. Joel Dillon of Orenstein Solutions in Cary, North Carolina, who is here to explain what to look for if we suspect that someone (including ourselves) may have anger management issues.
My new tele-seminar series with psychologist Susan Orenstein.
Session 01.
WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE
In this tele-seminar, psychologist Susan Orenstein and professional organizer, Geralin Thomas (frequently seen on A&E Hoarders) will help you recognize the behavioral, emotional and interpersonal aspects of procrastination. You’ll learn common reasons we delay taking care of our relationships and organizing our space. Take your first step in overcoming this habit by discovering what’s been getting in your way.
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1+1 Training Call
Are you a highly motivated professional organizer needing a nudge to put you into confident action? This training is customized to you. I can help you…
Be well-equipped. Look professional. Convey to your clients you are the right person to get the job done.
All professionals develop their own unique toolkits, collections of essential items allowing them to perform their tasks with ease. A well-stocked toolkit doesn’t just ensure that you have what’s necessary to complete a project smoothly; it also provides a portable form of confidence for both you and your clients. You’ll feel well-equipped, look professional and convey to your clients you’re the right person for the job.
Start by considering the kinds of client work you do, and then review and identify materials from the following 7 lists of essential supplies to use during your productivity and organizing sessions. These will serve for organizing specialties like residential, office, efficiency and hoarding, as well as for ensuring personal safety and streamlining your networking efforts. As your practice grows and changes, refer to these lists to customize your own professional toolkit.
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$25Add to Cart
Remove communication obstacles and ensures your housekeeper or cleaning crew can confidently achieve the goals you set.
What You Will Receive
The Special Instructions worksheet is a simple way to communicate specific preferences regarding how areas of your home are cleaned. The Areas to Be Cleaned Today and General Housekeeping checklist provide a detailed list of expected tasks to be completed. The Housekeeping Instructions also includes an Authorized Cleaning Supply list to ensure your handy help knows what products (and even brands) work best on your various surfaces.
Each set of instructions, given side-by-side in English and Spanish, allows you to detail your expectations regarding basic household procedures and preferences, authorized cleaning supplies for general and specific use, and daily cleaning priorities. The clear, bilingual instructions ensure that you and your cleaner will be on the same page regarding your expectations and requirements.
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$25Add to Cart
Approach your clients with more confidence. This starter kit contains all the basic essential business forms you need to manage your money, marketing and legal needs. [format: MS Word]
FINANCIAL FUNDAMENTALS
A practical, low-tech compilation of tools to help you effectively collect and analyze how you manage your most valuable resources – your time and your money. Financial forms for the professional organizer.
What You Will Receive
The Financial Fundamentals is a series of worksheets for creating a strong financial foundation for your professional organizing business.
To help you get a big picture view of your operations, there’s a sample chart of accounts. Use it to aid you in designing and customizing an organized bookkeeping system and tracking your income and expenses. The mileage tracking log will not only save you money at tax time, but will help you evaluate how travel expenses can play into the rates you charge and the value of taking on long-distance clients.
The Financial Fundamentals also includes forms for tracking the efficacy of your marketing methods and your time outlays for billable client projects and non-billable administrative work.
You’ll also receive a chart of advisors to help you develop a financial support team to help your business grow and thrive.
LEGAL BASICS
A foundation to grow your business on solid professional practices. Tools to help you effectively protect and manage your business
What You Will Receive
Legal Basics is a collection of documents to help you protect your growing professional organizing business.
Provide your clients with a clear explanation of your services with the client letter of agreement. This form can be used two ways: as-is, with blank spaces provided for various rates (hourly, travel, shopping, etc.); or as a reference should you choose to create your own form. All details have been thought out for you (including rates, expenses, scheduling and termination).
One of the most effective marketing approaches is to present before and after photos of the work you have completed. The photo waiver is a legal release, signed by your clients granting you permission to use your photos in your marketing. Publishing photos of a project without a photo waiver signed by your client can have a negative impact on your business.
Need to provide your client with a bill? Do it quickly and easily with a customizable client invoice.
Another effective marketing approach is to make a gift certificate available to individuals who would like to give a gift of organizing. The gift certificate included in this kit is a simple clean design that you can tailor to your business. Add your own logo or photo, modify the address or change the colors.
And yes, with this kit you are permitted to modify it and make it your own. All documents are created in MS Word so changing colors, adding graphics and modifying text is simple.
$100Add to Cart
These are the must-have forms for the professional professional organizer.
The tasks essential to screening, assessing, and tracking clients combined into one comprehensive, easy-to-use form. This sixteen-page document is divided into five parts. [format: MS Word]
PART ONE: INSTRUCTIONS
PART TWO: PHONE INTAKE
Save yourself time by using your first phone call to get a clear picture of your potential client’s needs, while simultaneously presenting yourself as an expert in your field. A thorough set of questions and checklists (with plenty of space for notes), will enable you to hone in on exactly what you can do for the client and will help you make that all-important first appointment.
PART THREE: IN-PERSON ASSESSMENT
Clients will be impressed and appreciative when you arrive prepared with assessment questions that help them get to the heart of their organizational issues. This section includes a detailed set of questions, checklists and talking points that you can use to mold your organizational strategy as well as for ongoing reference.
PART FOUR: IN-PERSON ASSESSMENT HOMEWORK
PART FIVE: ACTIVITY LOG
When was the last time you called or e-mailed this client? What did you do at your last organizing session? When you keep track of this important information on the log sheet, it is easy to reference and resides conveniently with the client’s assessment information.
$100Add to Cart
My guest today is Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, one of the psychologists from Orenstein Solutions in Cary, North Carolina. Dr. Jackson has some great advice for those of us who are concerned about a parent, spouse or other family member who is showing signs of memory loss.
In my role as a professional organizer, I have the privilege of working with other professionals from many different fields. One of the people I’m pleased to have in my network is Brooke Daly, who is an incredibly resourceful College Planning Consultant. I’ve invited her here today to share a few strategies to help high school students and their parents successfully navigate the many steps involved in applying for college.
I’m Geralin Thomas, and I offer real solutions for real people. Metropolitan Organizing will help you optimize your organizing business.
Meet Me and My Team. Learn How We Work with You.
I may not be able to personally answer all submissions, but every email is read. I would like to hear from you.
If you would like to discuss our Organizing Services in the Raleigh NC area please call 919 380-7718 for more information.
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Phone: 919.380.7718
Skype: metrozing
