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Date: Thursday, September 16th at 1pm Pacific /4 pm Eastern
You’ve all heard the saying you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. In fact, 55% of your communication skills are based on your appearance and can affect your marketing efforts both online and offline.
How you represent yourself can have a HUGE impact on your business. And it’s not just about what you look like (although that is part of it) it’s more so about how you feel about yourself – your level of confidence. This comes across in all of your communications and can make the difference in someone saying “yes” to hiring you (or not.)
Our Guest for the Month of September is Ungenita Prevost the creator of The Billion Dollar Beauty Club, an internationally known Beauty Empowerment Author & Speaker. She’s worked with some of the world’s most Glamorous and Influential celebrities during her 10+ years in the Entertainment Industry as an Actress/Dancer/Body Double including Stephen Spielberg, Jon Bon Jovi, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx, Janet Jackson & Madonna. |
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Are you an OBM, VA or other online support professional who is looking for new clients?
Then allow me to give you a bit of “homework” – this is something that I ask of the gals in my Online Business Manager Mentorship program (if their business isn’t yet full.)
Respond to any RFP (request for proposal) that is appealing to you – with the intention of getting to have a conversation with the business owner to learn more and determine if there is a fit.
Just to clarify – an RFP is where a business owners submits their request for “help”, telling you what they need help with and giving you some insight as to their business, projects, budget and such. If you are a fit for what they need then you respond with your “proposal” letting them know how you could be a fit for their needs. There are some really great RFP services out there these days (like the one here at our OBM Association) - if you haven’t done so already be sure to join to be notified as new opportunities arise.
And yet I have to admit that i’m surprised when I see a great RFP come through our OBM Association website – and then hear from the business owner later on that they didn’t get any response. This happens alot more than you would think – what’s up with that? I KNOW there are members who are looking for new clients, and yet they aren’t responding?
I decided to dig a bit deeper and found a common theme among what was stopping people from applying:
“Tina, I’d love to apply for this but don’t have everything that they are looking for…”
If you’ve ever looked at an RFP and thought this allow me to give you a reframe. When a client submits their RFP it is essentially a “wish list” on their part – they may be listing anything and everything that they would love to have, BUT that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t settle for someone who has *most* of what they need.
I would put the 80/20 rule to work here – if you are interested in something and have 80% of what they need, then by all means apply! See the fact of the matter is that you won’t know for sure whether or not something is a fit for you until you get to have a conversation with the business owner – and you won’t get to have a conversation until you apply to the RFP. It is only in the conversation that you can really learn what they need, what is truly important to them and see if/how you can help.
As a business owner shared with me a while back (after not getting a response to her very detailed RFP):
“Tina, I don’t actually expect someone to be able to do all of this… but would love to hear where they can help me, and how they could help build the team to take care of the stuff they can’t”
Which is exactly part of the OBM role anyways right?
I also want you to keep in mind that sometimes the business owners who are submitting these RFPs don’t always know for sure what they need themselves. And so they put everything they can think of in an RFP. Again, a conversation here is vital as you can educate the business owner on how you can help, what you can (and cannot) do for them.
Remember that we are pioneers – I think sometimes we forget that not everyone knows what an OBM is (gasp!) So keep in mind that education may be necessary in this process, and could potentially lead to a really great client if you are willing to have that conversation.
Your Assignment: If you are looking for clients, proactively respond to all RFPs that could potentially be a good fit for you and your services. You won’t know for sure if it’s a fit (or not) until you have apply and have a conversation.
Date: Thursday, August 12th at 12:00pm Pacific / 3:00pm Eastern
Savvy entrepreneurs watch their dollars closely as they build their business and strategize for the future.
While most business owners already understand the services that virtual assistants provide and are familiar with the fee range for those services, it’s a different story for the new arena of Online Business Managers. The fee difference from VA to OBM can be difficult to swallow so it’s your job to help them understand how your services will facilitate an entrepreneur reaching the next level of business growth.
But you can’t do it by just telling them all of the wonderful reasons for working with you or you’ll lose more potential clients than you’ll gain.
Join Carolyn Herfurth, an expert on “sales rejection prevention” as she covers:
- The 5 steps to creating your own rejection prevention plan to land the clients you want
- Some of the most common mistakes you can make to hurt your sales efforts and how you can avoid them
- How to engage your prospect in a sales conversation to eliminate objections
Before founding The Biztruth, a company dedicated to helping solopreneurs avoid sales rejection, Carolyn owned a multiple 6-figure business helping her clients launch nearly 100 businesses. As a serial entrepreneur who’s worked exclusively with other entrepreneurs for the past 8 years, she knows what works and what doesn’t when it comes to running a small business and landing the ideal clients. To learn more about Carolyn, visit thebiztruth.com.
Call-in information for live call is on your member login page. Missed the live call? Get the audio download on your member login page within 48 hours. If you do not have your password, e-mail us at support@obmconnect.com
If you are not an IAOBM member yet, find out more about IAOBM Membership Benefits by clicking here: http://www.obmconnect.com/membership-benefits
by Linda Horowitz
“I am flexing my strategic and project management muscles for the first time in years.” - Linda Horowitz
When I began my self-employment journey after 20 years in management for a retail chain I really didn’t know where to begin. I knew that I wanted to take my skills and transfer them to potential clients but I did not know how. That’s when I learned about Virtual Assistance, and so I began my career flying solo.
For the next five years, after going through VA Training, a learning curve that has taken me from the brick and mortar world to the virtual business world, as well as developing a base of clients with whom I enjoy working, I still felt something was missing in my personal goal to fully utilize my project management and strategic planning skills.
That is when I came to read the book “Becoming an Online Business Manager” by Tina Forsyth. Still, I was unable to fully understand the term “OBM,” and so I took the Online Business Manager training and ultimately joined the OBM Mentor program.
I now have my first client as an Online Business Manager (OBM). I am looking at my client’s business from a different view than I was before - working the bigger picture, finding the business opportunities, implementing operational plans and working with teams. I feel that now I am truly doing what I had set out to do when I began my business. I am flexing my strategic and project management muscles for the first time in years.
Make no mistake - I may be using skills that are familiar, but the business I am working with is completely new to me. The learning curve is great and it can seem daunting at times as there is much to learn. But it is, at the same time, challenging and exhilarating. Moving back to planning and implementation work from task orientated and administrative work is also taking me way out of the comfort zone that I had built for myself. It has been a while.
Please do not mistake this in any way as a negative commentary on the role of the Virtual Assistant. Absolutely not! Had I not gone through the process of being a Virtual Assistant, I would not have learned about the world of business online, about the expertise that is available, or about the software that can be used. I treasure the support I have received and still receive from the various associations I belong to, and from the colleagues with whom I have worked over the years and I look forward to more. For me, the roles of the Virtual Assistant and the Online Business Manager are explicitly intertwined.
Online Business Management is not an industry preference; it is a natural step forward for the business owner who has developed the need for a business manager. For me it has been a matter choice - of choosing a role that feels right for me within that business.
Date: Tuesday, July 20th at 10am pacific / 1pm eastern
Do you stand out from your competition? Do you have a unique branding and positioning platform that attracts prospects to you? Are you implementing PR and marketing strategies to build your brand and business? Or are you just “yet another” OBM business, that is lost in a sea of similar offerings, hoping clients will choose you? In this teleseminar you’ll learn branding, marketing and PR strategies to ramp your business and generate the revenue you desire.
In this info packed one-hour teleseminar you’ll learn:
- What IS branding (and ISN’T)?
- How to translate your brand to all the written, verbal, and visual communication you develop
- What are the key components of a good Press Release?
- Where can you deploy your Press Release online?
- How can you optimize your Press Release so it gets found in online searches?
- How can you approach the media with specific topics to generate interview requests?
- How often should you contact the media and what should you be saying to them?
- How can you write articles, and where can you deploy them, to get more exposure for your brand?
- What are some social media tips/strategies and useful resources you can use to generate clients and awareness for your business?
Lisa Orrell, The Promote U Guru: Lisa is an in-demand Branding Expert, Marketing Consultant and Business Coach, who works with small business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, entertainers, speakers and authors. She has 20 years of experience and has received over 75 national and international awards for marketing excellence. Plus, Lisa is also the author of 3 books and a professional speaker. Based on her expertise, she has been interviewed by, or written for, (partial list): ABC, MSNBC, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, NY Times, TIME, BNET.com, WomenEntrepreneur.com, and countless others! To learn more about Lisa visit: www.PromoteUGuru.com. Follow her blog, and join her online (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) by visiting her main website!
IAOBM Members: You can access the recording for this call in the Member Area. If you are not an IAOBM member yet, find out more about IAOBM Membership Benefits by clicking here: http://www.obmconnect.com/membership-benefits
article by Tiffany Johnson of Vasppro.com
Please enjoy this article I wrote while traveling on a family vacation last month. Just a simple reminder of how we can get a bit out of balance if we are not careful and intentional ~ Tiffany Johnson
Literally as I am writing this article I am in the car driving with my family to our vacation week in Florida! Few experiences are more amusing than locking yourself up in a car for 9 hours with a 9 yr old and a 12 yr old (hubby too, of course). Currently a very competitive game of I-spy is keeping the 3 of them entertained as I take a moment to share with you something I have recently been struggling with in my OBM business.
Of course, I am sure having just explained the reality of my surroundings you can guess my dilemma? If balance between family and biz was your first thought you were so RIGHT!
I love being a business owner; specifically, I love the service I offer as an online business manager. Unfortunately my passion and love for this industry and my services are beginning to wane due to what is starting to feel like choices of sacrifices I am really not willing to make.
As an OBM it is just in my nature to get things done, take care of the to do’s and make sure the balls are going in the direction they are supposed to be in… specifically, not ending up on the floor! But what do you do when you look around and realize the balls that are getting dropped aren’t the ones your clients have tossed in the air but instead the ones your kids, hubby, church, or friends are tossing around.
All of a sudden I look around and there is a mass of laundry desperately needing my attention, my daughter is talking about her new best friend (and the only name I remember is her ‘old’ best friend), and my son just wore the same pair of shorts to school 2 days in a role! Trust me when I say I am completely embarrassed to be sharing this with you… but at the same time feel I am not the only one, so I am hoping this can be an encouragement to other devoted business owners who have to make the hard choices!
(Daughter just asked hubby “what if we run into a tornado”… my husband replied “I would just outrun it!” The good news is if you are reading this article means all is well and we did not have to play chicken with a tornado!… sorry I just had to add that. ;-))
Okay, where was I? Ah yes, devoted business owners have to make hard choices. So when is enough, enough? And too much, is simply too much? Well, to be honest I wish I had an answer to that… I believe each us have to determine those answers for ourselves. But I wanted to share with you my 5 point balancing commitment:
- Take time out daily to pray and meditate so that I can BE, with all of me in every moment. Full of purpose, passion and persistence! This is where I find the source hope for the to do’s of my day!
- Plan and work a manageable schedule that includes reasonable work hours, family quality time, and household chores (which admittedly I do not LOVE and tend to procrastinate!).
- Forgive myself for all the ways I wasn’t “Super OBM, Super Woman, Super Mom, Super Wife, well… just not super!”
- Take time in the evenings to lay out the next day’s activities - 15 minutes today will save an hour tomorrow (if you fail to plan you plan to fail ;-)).
- Live with absolute gratitude for the blessings and favor I have in my life, my faith, my family, my biz and my health!
In closing I am challenging each of you to assess your priorities. Determine what is needed for the balance of your life and be faithful to the commitment you make to yourself to see it fulfilled. I believe in you! I believe in me and I know we will give an amazing industry greater service when we serve ourselves authentically this way.
Comments, thoughts?
Date: Tuesday, June 15th at 9:00am pacific / noon eastern
A Request for Proposal (RFP) comes in from what appears to be your perfect client. You ARE the best candidate for the role. You’re eager to capture their attention.
So how do you respond? How much information do you include? What details are a MUST to include? Do you include your rates? What about a resume?
We’ve seen our share of RFP responses and sadly, we’ve seen some responses from fantastic virtual professionals (like yourself) who are short-selling themselves for what could be a perfect opportunity.
Frankly, we’re tired of seeing you short-sell your talents and we want to help YOU demonstrate the expert you are to the business owners you want to work with. That’s why we’ve decided to host this call – to share the do’s and don’ts of responding to RFPs.
In this call we’ll discuss:
- Specifics to look for in an RFP (to help you determine whether it’s even worth responding to)
- Top 5 details to include in your response to a RFP
- What to NEVER include your RFP response
- The #1 reason biz owners will immediately delete your RFP response without further consideration
Cindy Greenway is the author of Virtually Successful: 8 Simple Ways for Virtual Assistants to Find (and Keep) Clients and Co-founder and Lead Trainer of Hot Skills VA Training. Since the start of her VA business in 2003, she has worked with highly respected and successful online-based businesses and now focuses her time on training and mentoring virtual professionals as well as supporting the growth of the industry by educating the business community.
IAOBM Members: You can access the recording for this call in the Member Area. If you are not an IAOBM member yet, find out more about IAOBM Membership Benefits by clicking here: http://www.obmconnect.com/membership-benefits
by IAOBM Member & Certified OBM Lynn Pearce
(a nod to the NPR and CBC radio series)
I believe that OBMs are key to the future success of small business.
When my job disappeared two and a half years ago, my natural inclination was to jump right back in the same pond - but I didn’t. In my heart I knew that pond had grown stale for me and I needed a fresh place to get my working mojo back again.
I looked at other ponds - started to dip my toes in their waters and was intrigued by what I found. I learned a lot, but something still didn’t feel quite right.
Then a couple of months ago I read about another pond and without thinking too hard and just listening to my heart, I jumped in. I enrolled in OBM certification training less than a week before it started.
I kept my intention clear - be open to whatever comes up during the training.
Suddenly training was over and then prep for certification was over and I was in the midst of the crazy world of client projects. And that was when I got it.
I love technology. It has been a part of my life for longer than I care to remember. I love how it helps me do things that before were just a dream. I love that it connects me for a virtual coffee break with my friends and family 5000 miles away. I especially love that I understand it and that I can figure out ways to have it help other people, too.
I realized that my understanding of the online world can help people who are not there yet make the transition to being there because it is only going to get bigger.
It might be my local insurance agent who wants to understand how people view insurance so that she can help them see its value, or a friend who is starting a new career as a wellness coach and needs to have people know that she is open for business. It might be someone who found my website and needs some advice on how to make their online business work better - it might even be a group in my community who want to reach out to more folks in the area.
So when people ask what I do and I tell them - the connection is almost instant. Either they, or somebody they know, needs that kind of help right now and when can I meet. The internet still seems like a big and scary place to people - especially when it comes to taking their business there - so they need us to help out and to do what we as OBMs do best - help them figure out the way.
That’s when I also realized that this OBM pond of ours is way bigger than we might think!
Comments, thoughts?
Date: Tuesday, May 25th at 9:00am pacific / 12:00pm eastern
Even though we work in a virtual world, as Online Business Managers it is essential that we build a strong business network both for ourselves and our clients. And yes, this does mean getting out from behind the computer every once in a while and meeting people face to face (gasp! ;))
In fact, we are firm believers that your success depends on your getting out and connecting with people live and in person. The business world is changing and you need to be willing and comfortable in doing so - or opportunities may pass you by.
What You’ll Learn:
- Tips to relieve the anxiety of networking
- Ways to identify “your people” in a room
- What to say and what NOT to say
- How to have fun and throw your own party!
Bryn spent 20 years in Corporate America as a passionate leader of high-performing teams and endless multi-million dollar projects. One of her secrets to success? Her ability to connect and collaborate. She is now bringing that same passion along with her laser-focused connection strategies to her clients and broader on-line community. Her Goal: To make connecting FUN and PROFITABLE for everyone! To learn more about Bryn, visit www.brynjohnson.com
IAOBM Members: You can access the recording for this call in the Member Area. If you are not an IAOBM member yet, find out more about IAOBM Membership Benefits by clicking here: http://www.obmconnect.com/membership-benefits
Date: Wednesday, April 21st at 8am pacific / 11am eastern
Late in 2009, the FTC revised their guidelines which greatly affected those who run online businesses and early 2010 Mastercard and Visa, as well as other merchant processors, have conveyed some new regulations in response to longtime complaints from customers that are being billed for products they didn’t want or felt they were being misled into buying.
As Online Business Managers it is essential that we understand these rules on behalf of our clients, so that we can ensure that they aren’t crossing any lines that could potentially cause issues (such as getting their merchant account shut down, eek!).
And yet, trying to sort through these FTC changes can be daunting to say the least – so we’ve invited Lisa Wells to do a very special call for us and explain the new FTC guidelines in plain English.
On this call, you’ll learn:
- What the FTC Guidelines are about and why you should care
- Who these guidelines are for
- How these guidelines affect use of testimonials
- New rules around continuity programs
Lisa will lead you through practical steps you can take now to ensure that your clients stay compliant with these new rules.
Lisa founded Coast2Coast Business Support Solutions in July 2005 after more than 15 years of experience working in the real estate and information technology industries. She found her passion working with computers and helping others be more productive in their day to day jobs. After Lisa’s husband received orders to relocate from Southern California to North Carolina in June 2005, Lisa found herself joining other like-minded virtual entrepreneurs and opened an online business. In the spring of 2010, she transitioned from a virtual assistant to an online business manager and now works with 7-figure entrepreneurs in managing their online businesses. You can visit her on the web at lisarwells.com or read her blog at marketingmindsetblog.com
IAOBM Members: You can access the recording for this call in the Member Area. If you are not an IAOBM member yet, find out more about IAOBM Membership Benefits by clicking here: http://www.obmconnect.com/membership-benefits
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