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I was talking to a colleague of mine yesterday who was sharing that she loves her Virtual Assistant, but in her words:

“the one thing that she won’t do is nag me to get stuff done… I need someone to nag me like my mom does!”

Now this may make you chuckle, but it really is a very common complaint that I hear from business owners… they really want someone who is going to keep them on task. Someone who will follow up with them to ensure that they are doing the things that need to be done - and perhaps nudge them along or hold them accountable when they don’t stay on task. I like to call this being a ‘professional nag’ for your clients.

And yet many VAs out there aren’t doing a very good job of this. Even when their clients specifically ask them to ‘be a nag’ they still aren’t doing it.

Where is the disconnect? I am a natural nag (just ask my husband, haha) so I think that I take for granted that this is an easy thing to do. But when I step back and look at it from an objective perspective I have to wonder if part of the problem is that

a) people just don’t know how to nag and

b) they aren’t comfortable doing it.

So let’s break it down a bit and take a look at how we can lovingly nag our clients.

1. Understand why nagging is important! At face value it is easy to think that our clients shouldn’t need to be nagged - after all, we are all adults and it is their business right? Shouldn’t they already be motivated to get things done? Even with the best of intentions, most business owners are simply too busy or distracted and they forget about or lose track of priorities in their own business. They want someone who is going to remind them of what is important and help them keep it front of mind. Once you *get* this you can see where nagging is actually a very important benefit to your clients.

2. Ask them for regular updates on project X. Sometimes the simple act of knowing that you are going to be asking them on a regular basis about X is enough to get people moving. Make sure to give them a deadline for completing X or remind them of a previously set deadline… people are more likely to complete a task when they know they have a deadline (it’s human nature).

3. Ask them where they are stuck. If something isn’t getting done it is usually symptomatic of an underlying issue. For example, let’s say you are waiting on your client to write an article for the newsletter. It could be that they can’t think of a topic to write about (brainstorm with them) or they know what they want to write about but haven’t had the time to sit down and do it (start the article for them and have them edit/finish it). In some cases it could be that priorities have shifted and project X is no longer as important as it was. Regardless of the cause, if you ask where things are stuck then you can look at ways to help move things forward or let things go.

4. Look for ways to clear their plate. Alot of times our clients get busy or distracted with things that they actually shouldn’t be doing. If your client seems overwhelmed to the point where things aren’t getting done take a look at where they are spending their time. Chances are that there is some stuff that you or another team member could take off of their plate to free them up to focus on other things.

5. Ask them how the want to be nagged. You might have it in your head that it needs to be some big elaborate nagging solution, when all they actually want is for you to ask them once a week about X. Or maybe send them a weekly list of ‘projects on the go’.

Nagging is actually more of an art than a science - there is no one way that is going to work for all clients. And a certain approach that works really well with one client may not work for another. So look to be a bit creative when you can, consider different ways that you could help your clients get things done and aim to have some fun along the way! For example, I have a running joke with my business partners where i’m ‘The Boot’. In our relationship i’m the one responsible to do the nagging, and so we have some fun and joke about it - ‘Oh no! Tina is putting The Boot on - watch out!’ LOL

The heart of nagging is about providing a constant reminder to your client about what is important - so that they can refocus themselves to do the things that are important. Regardless of what that constant reminder looks like, be sure to do it.

As a sidenote for you aspiring Online Business Managers - if you are going to play this role for your clients it is *essential* that you get comfortable with nagging. It is a key skill of the Online Business Manager - so much so that it is in the name - Online Business MaNAGer, hehe. We’ll be talking about this alot in the new Online Business Manager Certification and Training program.

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The official definition of an Online Business Manager (OBM) is:

A virtually based support professional who manages online based businesses, including the day-to-day management of projects, operations, team members and metrics.

However I like to look at the role from a bit of a different angle - what is the purpose of an Online Business Manager beyond ‘what they do’?

The role of the OBM boils down to one simple thing:

To free up the business owner so that they can focus their time and energy on the things that only THEY can do in their business.

Most business owners look to hire an Online Business Manager (OBM) when they simply cannot grow their business anymore being the only one in charge. In order for them to take their business to the next level they need to pull themselves out of the day-to-day management activities and focus on growth.

This includes areas such as product development, strategic alliances and big picture business planning, all of which are essential to the growth of a business. Everything else becomes the responsibility of the OBM.

Received this update from a fellow coach/business owner the other day… we had recently done a few coaching sessions on creating products for their business.

You asked about products. Well, to be honest, we aren’t working on any, mainly because we felt like we were forcing ourselves into a box that we didn’t want to pursue. We took a long, hard look at our progress (and lack of it in several areas) and our challenges over the past year and we realized that we really are a consulting organization, rather than a product / training organization. …You were extremely helpful in getting us to see we were simply on the wrong path.

Once we let go of the mold we were trying to force ourselves into, more opportunities showed up for us. We’re excited and really engaged with the new opportunities and they are a helluva lot more profitable than the original plan we had in place. So far, we’ve got two organizations who are keeping us busy for the entire first half of 2008 ‚Äì we never had that type of commitment from clients… And we have other opportunities coming in that we didn’t expect.

I just loved this email… as it really reminded me of the importance of Just Saying No…

Especially at this time of year, when it seems we are all feeling the pressure to set our goals and ‘new years resolutions’. This reminds me of one of my favorite chapters from our book Money, Meaning and Beyond (co-written by moi and my biz partner Andrea Lee).

What is your fastest path to money?

I invite you to stop and really consider this question… put another way:

If you had to make money TODAY, what could you do *right now* that would bring money to your door asap?

In the example above, these guys felt like they should be creating products… and started down the road of doing so. But in reality, the opportunities knocking on their door were consulting based and not product based. So they ditched the product idea and responded to the opportunities coming naturally… and now these opportunties are turning into profit for them.

So I ask you - What is your fastest path to money?

What are you striving (struggling?) towards that you may need to let go of?

Business is meant to be a challenge, not a struggle… and sometimes the struggle can be an indication of trying to force yourself in a direction that you or your business isn’t ready for. It may be time to just say no.

And as an Online Business Manager, where is your client’s business struggling? Where is their business thriving? What can you do to perhaps shift a bit of focus/energy to the areas that are flowing right now (and let go of some projects/etc that are really stuck).

As an OBM we do our client’s a disservice if we don’t consider their business from this angle as well. Our client’s look to us to be able to ‘think on behalf of their business’, and this is a prime example of that. It could be that they aren’t seeing the struggle in the same way that you are (and likewise may not be seeing the opportunities that naturally arise). Being involved in the day-to-day activities of the business gives us (as OBMs) a different perspective that the business owner may be seeing, so don’t be shy in sharing your insights!

Received this question from a business owner just the other day:

As a business owner, how do I find a good business manager? I am a veteran of finding all sorts of VAs, coders, copywriters and contractors, but the one hump I haven’t gotten over is how to find that person who can actually drive projects and be a decision maker. And paradoxically, if I do find that person, wouldn’t he/she be building their own business rather than build mine?

To answer your first question, it can be tough to find a good business manager… especially for an online or virtually based business. I am asked all the time ‘how can I find someone who does what you do’ and have very few people to refer them to. The business managers that we know are already super busy and not able to take on more clients. At the point of writing this there is a shortage of these professionals out there (which is why I wrote the book and starting an Online Business Manager Certificiation program in April 2009… we need more!)

What I generally recommend to people is that they first look to ‘grow a business manager’ from within their current team if possible. If you have a VA or other team member who has great potential in this area you may want to work with them or hire an OBM mentor to help them build their project management skills. And once they know your business and have a good level of experience under their belts they should be capable and confident in making decisions as well. This isn’t necessarily the answer to ‘I need someone now!’ but it has been a solution for many business owners that I know.

Regarding your second question - a good business manager doesn’t necessarily want to build their own business. I like to look at business as the marriage of vision (passion) + implementation. A business manager is driven by the ‘implementation’ side of things - they like to take an idea and bring it to life, they aren’t necessarily the ones who like to come up with the ideas/vision themselves.

Whereas most business owners are really strong on the ideas/vision side of things but need help with the implementation/management side. I like to joke with a client of mine that I’m too busy ‘getting stuff done’ to try and come up with ideas of my own! And I like it that way, as I find it very fulfilling to help my clients bring their own ideas/vision to life.

Last week I discussed, “My Favorite Entrepreneurial Tool–Deciding My SWOT” and I received dozens of e-mails asking for examples of SWOT in my businesses.

As a reminder, SWOT is a business acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. EVERY single company, no matter what size it is, has SWOT. Success is achieved based on how you leverage this tool. And I also told you last week that I apply SWOT to my companies by:

Deciding what my acceptable weaknesses will be

Predicting the threats to my business

Capitalizing on my strengths

and seizing opportunities

So here are some concrete examples of SWOT in my businesses to help you better understand the tool.

Strengths

1. Business model positions us as an industry leader
2. We are able to attract better partners because we are the gatekeeper to a targeted niche
3. We roll out new products and services quickly
4. We invest in tangible benefits and therefore deliver higher quality than our competitors
5. We measure our ROI consistently and act quickly when we need to shut down a program or service that isn’t in high demand

Weaknesses

1. Our niche is crowded (AWE and NAWW)
2. We don’t offer physical workshops anymore (NAWW)

Opportunities

1. This is a good time to establish a social media presence
2. Our target markets love “hand holding” services
3. We can invest more dollars into marketing than many of our competitors
4. We can publish more print books than our competitors and therefore generate more leads

Threats

1. Great marketing techniques are becoming saturated
2. Competitors copy product and service offerings
3. E-mail delivery is harder than it used to be due to technologies that block out “good” e-mail along with spam

To figure out “your” strengths and opportunities, use my “Leverage Triangle” report to learn more about leverage. For you to capitalize on your strengths and seize the opportunities, you will have to leverage one or all three of the elements of the triangle (time, money, or expertise). You can grab a copy of that report at www.queenofleverage.com.

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Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two national organizations, the National Association of Women Writers-NAWW and the International Association of Web Entrepreneurs-AWE. Under the same corporate umbrella she is also the owner of two high-level product and consulting companies: Create Your Group and My Millionaire Friends. You can visit Sheri, access herfree article archive, and find out more about all four of her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.

Technorati Tags: Examples of SWOT in a Membership-Based Business, Sheri McConnell, SWOT, Membership-Based Business

As we head into another new and exciting year, I really want to offer you the push you need to realize your potential in 2009. One reason I get so excited this time of year is because I always feel a sense of unlimited possibilities as the new year approaches. I love the starting over and reworking of what didn’t work in my personal and professional life last year. And after years of learning and growing and accomplishing some of the many goals I have set for myself, I decided that no matter what you decide to do in and with your life, your mindset matters most.

In fact, your mindset makes or breaks your success in this life in three ways:

One-Believing in Abundance

Right now you believe many goals are attainable and many are not. The way we were raised and our current environment dictate our beliefs and unless we are challenged and taught to believe differently, we stay stuck. Today-open your mind up to abundance. Take a goal and rewrite it in an abundant mindset. Try to make yourself believe that you can accomplish it even if there is a nagging voice saying “no way!” Then put it where you can see it every day. It can be a financial goal or the number of articles you want to write next year. Whatever you want to accomplish, have, or do. It doesn’t matter. Think abundantly and think big for yourself.

Two-Manifesting What You Want

Once you begin to think more abundantly and do it enough that it becomes a practiced mindset, then you will begin to easily manifest what you need, want, and deserve in life. Since manifesting is done in the mind, it in itself is another mindset. You should begin to consciously manifest what you dream of and what you need to accomplish your dreams. That is why writing down your goals is so powerful. It forces you to consciously manifest your wants and desires.

Three—Welcoming the Change

The third mindset and the hardest and most important is being open to change. Many of us are very fearful of change and don’t recognize that we are resisting an abundant life because of the safe choices we make. Me included. We limit ourselves because of that risk of failure. We get used to believing what other un-abundant thinkers think because at least then we don’t have to put ourselves out there and fail. Change is good-it helps you grow. When you begin to expect change and thrive in the middle of it, you will increase your speed at which you succeed at your goals.

Technorati Tags: Sheri McConnell, abundance, manifesting, mindset

As the owner of four online companies, my job is to sit down every year and decide my SWOT for the next 12 months and then to consistently revisit my SWOT throughout each year and tweak as needed. I base my decisions on my experience and the emerging trends in the industries I serve.

I also network, engage in learning with mentors, and a lot of the time I simply go left when everyone else goes right. I am a rebel that way and it works simply because it helps my companies stand out in a crowded marketplace.

SWOT is my favorite tool to help me understand at the strategic level how to go left when others go right.

Continue reading…

By Sheri McConnell

Create a Timeless and Focused Marketing Plan for Your Business
As you probably have heard by now-you aren’t in the business of (fill in the blank here). You are in the business of marketing. Your marketing must be automated and systemized. Period.

Create Passive, Income Generating Information Products
Create your own advances and get paid to create information products. Many, many target markets are considered “information hungry”.

Build Your Most Important Asset… Your List
Success on the Internet is about providing high-quality information, solving problems AND the list.

Use Social Networking Sites Such As Facebook, Linked In, My Space, and Twitter
Used strategically, social networks extend your brand and funnel thousands of new leads into your business funnel each and every quarter.

Create A Very Profitable Internet Launch for Your Information Product or Book
Set up correctly, these launches generate thousands and tens of thousands dollars of income, new leads for you, and all your partners.

Create Your Own Certification Program
Certification programs aren’t just for large companies. Solo online entrepreneurs can also benefit from building and creating a certification program within their company.

Build Your Own Virtual Team
Learn how to find, build, and manage a virtual team. The key to “leverage” is the team. We all have weaknesses. Don’t make the most common entrepreneurial mistake: thinking you can do it all.

Approach, Create, and Solidify Long-Lasting Joint Ventures
All successful businesses are built on thriving relationships–on and off the Internet. And with all relationships, you should focus on who and how you attract partners.

Know Which Publishing Options Are Right for YOU
Learn what your publishing options are and make a choice based on the path that is right for you based on your personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

Double Your List Size With A Virtual Event
One of the best strategies for growing the list is an online virtual event with multiple partners or joint ventures. Give customers free access and structure the event correctly and it is a huge list builder.

Develop Your Intuition
Most entrepreneurs spend so much time focusing on all the “outside” stuff that they forget to get help on learning how to “think” like a CEO. Your success and ability to run a profitable company depends on your leaning how to develop your CEO intuition.

Use Visual Tools To Set Goals and Stay On Track
All successful entrepreneurs incorporate visual components into their strategy planning. They spend as much time planning as they do in the marketing, operations, finance parts of their business.

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Ready to Gain Access to me as I teach these HIGH ROI to do’s in detail in 2009?

Join my “Ultimate Learn to Leverage” Mastermind!

www.smc-mastermind-online.com

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Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two national organizations, the National Association of Women Writers-NAWW and the International Association of Web Entrepreneurs-AWE. Under the same corporate umbrella she is also the owner of two high-level product and consulting companies: Create Your Group and My Millionaire Friends. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and find out more about all four of her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.

Technorati Tags: Sheri McConnell, Sheri McConnell Companies Inc, My Top Twelve HIGH ROI To Do’s For Your Business in 2009, Create a Timeless and Focused Marketing Plan for Your Business

Hi Creators and Big Thinkers,

I read this paragraph below recently in one of Dan Kennedy’s newsletters and loved it. It really resonated with me. I also think that as a woman, I had to learn the hard way that “fixing or firing or fleeing or forgetting” could be productive behaviors in business. Reread this paragraph a couple times at least and in my opinion this is so powerful it is worth reading every day during the first year of business.

“Business is about confronting an endless parade of problems and disappointments–people bearing bad news. If you are not up to that, you may very well need to exit stage left. Resiliency is the numero uno characteristic required: take a hit, re-focus fast, and get on with the fixing or firing or fleeing or forgetting or whatever other productive response that may be possible.”

To your success,
Sheri McConnell-CEO

Technorati Tags: what is business about, business, Dan Kennedy, resiliency, productive response, Sheri McConnell, productive behaviors

Achieving balance in our lives is accomplished by saying no when we need to and learning to set priorities. And we cannot achieve balance without understanding what our particular needs are. Balance is different for everyone. It means that you have identified your priorities and have not overextended yourself. Balance means you are aware of the dangers of burnout. Balance means that when asked the question, “Are you happy?” you can answer yes.

The following are 4 core values I use to live a balanced life and achieve my dreams easier.

One–No Guilt Allowed

One of the biggest struggles for women today is learning to say no without guilt. One of the core values I teach my coaching clients is to adopt this new rule into their lives called—No Guild Allowed. Guilt can hold you back from many of the goals you want to accomplish if you let it. Guilt doesn’t make you a better mother, or employee, or even more fit. Most of us know this, yet we still allow ourselves to fester in guilt. Guilt actually creates an imbalance in your life because you are left with feelings of inadequacy.

From now on when guilt creeps into your life—take action by noticing that the emotion is present and replace it with positive choices or joy as quickly as you can. As you retrain yourself to purge guilt, you will notice how much easier it is to move forward and accomplish your goals.

Two–Embrace Positive Choices

“The art of positive choices helps you to create the life you want. Positive choices help you to discover what truly makes you happy and realign your priorities. Life is a series of additions and subtractions. You control the calculator.”
~ Gail McMeekin ~

Another core value that allows you to achieve balance in your life is being able to make positive choices. What are positive choices—these are choices that propel you forward… they benefit your mind, your body, and your soul. These choices allow you to feel productive and focused because they are in alignment with what you really want to do on a daily basis. And remember—how we live our days is indeed how we live our lives.

Three–Cultivating Moments of Pure Joy

“The worst sin—perhaps the only sin—passion can commit, is to be joyless.”
~ Dorothy Sayers ~

One of the best things I personally ever did was follow my heart when EVERYONE else thought I was crazy. The first time I did this—I was scared, but at the time I was so miserable, I didn’t really feel like I had a choice. From that experience I learned to trust my gut and I learned that to follow my dreams meant that I was the architect of my life and that it was actually up to me to cultivate moments of pure joy in my life. For me-that means I spend most of my time either with my kids having fun or I am in the process of creating. Creating—for me is writing or decorating. To follow your dreams—you will have to take giant leaps and be willing to get your hands dirty before you learn how to cultivate a life full of joy.

Four–Practice Conscious Living

Another core value that will help you achieve balance is to practice conscious living. People who achieve their dreams do it with a plan. They may start out simply doing something they are passionate about, but eventually to achieve substantial results, they had to sit down and map out a plan. They made changes in their lives and began to live in a very conscious way. They began to pay attention to what they said yes and no to. They began to choose how they reacted to negative people and situations. They began to consciously choose to surround themselves with other people who had fun accomplishing their dreams. They decided to be disciplined about their choices and they also chose to consciously enjoy every moment they could going forward.

From this day forward, begin to practice conscious living—make sure you aren’t on autopilot. How do you know if you are on autopilot? Sometimes making excuses or blaming others can be a sign that you are living your life on autopilot. Sometimes situations in our lives or behaviors we have learned from our childhood can be the reason we don’t know how to live life in a conscious way. One of my favorite phrases ever is “You do better when you know better.” Don’t look back, just look forward. And don’t wait another day to get busy living life in a way that feels joyful to you.

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Sheri McConnell is the President and Founder of two national organizations–the National Association of Women Writers and the Association of Web Entrepreneurs. She teaches women writers and entrepreneurs how to discover, create, and profit from their intellectual knowledge. Sheri has a Masters of Arts in Organizational Management and a Bachelors in Social Work.

She has four published books for women writers and in February 2007 she started a new site— www.createyourgroup.com and published Create Your Association–The Complete Blueprint and Tool Kit for Building a Profitable and Sustainable Membership-Based Business for anyone wanting to create a profitable membership-based business from their home.

Her latest venture—a high level product for lifestyle entrepreneurs–My Millionaire Friends is at www.my-millionaire-friends.com. You can visit Sheri and see all her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com and to access her free article archive. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.

Technorati Tags: Sheri McConnell, NAWW, AWE, CYG, MMF, National Association of Women Writers, Association of Web Entrepreneurs, Create Your Group, My Millionaire Friends, accomplishing dreams, dreams, guilt, positivity