Resources and More

The Stop Settling Manifesto – get your copy

by Tina Forsyth on June 15, 2010

Grab Your Copy Now:

In this short (I promise!) report I cover a few key things that you need to know in order to create the best virtual support team for you and your business, including:

  • the one thing that is hurting most business owners who are struggling with their team (and it’s not what you might think!)
  • the hiring approach that I see many business owners doing (and which is almost guaranteed to fail)
  • a formula for ensuring you create a successful team (just two simple things)
  • how being an ostrich or a control freak can stiffle your team (and subsequently your business success!)
  • the ONE question that you need to ask in order to know if you have the right team in place

Go ahead and grab your copy at the link above, and be sure to let me know what you think!

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New Job Board for OBMs, VAs, etc… you are invited

by Tina Forsyth on June 7, 2010



This one has been brewing for a while now, something that is near and dear to my heart.

Check out the video here on this page:
http://www.thrivehiringsystem.com/hire/

We will be blasting this out to the world later this week, would love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to comment here or pop me an email at tina [at] onlinebusinessmanager.com … this one is a biggie. :)

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When someone asks you for a proposal…

by Tina Forsyth on May 31, 2010

We’ve had a few conversations lately in the Online Business Manager Mentorship re: what to do when a potential client asks for a proposal.

First and foremost, don’t panic!! I know alot of virtual support professionals who get a bit of a “deer in the headlights” moment when asked for a proposal… as it sounds like some big ole scary official businessy thing. It doesn’t have to be.

A proposal is simply a statement of how you can help the client and what that will look like.

After having a conversation with a potential client you come back with a proposal based on what was discussed (and yes, there needs to be a discussion before a proposal can be created so you are clear on their needs.) There are lots of proposal templates out there, I highly recommend checking out the templates that Alan Weiss offers. The template is important but what you really want to keep in mind is the intent of the proposal… a good proposal should do the following:

  • Let the business owner feel that you *get* what they need – that you were listening to what they were saying and really understand the needs of them and the business. Especially powerful when you can “read between the lines” and tap into a deeper need that might not have been discussed directly.
  • Have them feel confident that you can take things on – by outlining clear objectives, measures of success and methodologies so they can see that you are truly equipped and ready to help them out. Demonstrate what you are bringing to the table, what you want to accomplish and when so they can see that you are ready to dive in.

If you have a great conversation with a potential client and follow-up with a proposal that can do the above you are set to create a strong relationship.

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So what’s up with Infusionsoft anyhow?

by Tina Forsyth on May 3, 2010

Curious about Infusionsoft? I was too… as I’ve seen it popping up all over the place the past year or so. And so I decided to dive in and get to know a bit more about this tool and see what all the buzz is about.

Let’s just say I’m very impressed to say the least. I’ve recorded a video for you with my thoughts PLUS have a very special invite for you to join me next week.

Video

>> Click here to watch the video and sign up for our no-cost call on May 11th re: “Infusionsoft: What Is It and Why Should I Care?”

PS – Everyone is welcome to join me for this call, whether you are an Online Business Manager or Virtual Assistant who wants to learn a new way to support your clients, OR if you are a business owner looking for a way to *finally* automate your marketing process.

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Why I love Wishlist Member

by Tina Forsyth on May 21, 2009

 

A sure sign of being a geek is when finding a new system just makes you want to sing out loud in glee! I will admit that I am a geek, and have recently ’sung out loud’ about the (relatively) new membership management system Wishlist Member.

We’ve been using WordPress to manage our membership sites for years now – basically just piecing together some stuff in the blog to make it work. Well Wishlist Member takes a regular WordPress blogsite and turns it into a full fledged membership system. Tres cool!

What makes it so great? Let me share a few of my favorite things…

  • As per any great membership system, it allows you to setup separate login accounts for each member vs. doing the ‘one login for all’. So you can give/remove access for people as they come and go in your membership. REALLY important.
  • It connects to the 1ShoppingCart system – so people can automatically get access to your membership site when they join the membership vs. having to load them manually. And it will also remove access for people who fall behind on payments.
  • You can email members direct from this system – which I love! It’s super quick and easy to send messages to members vs. sending through the cart (which can be slow at times).
  • You can have more than one level of membership setup in the same WordPress blog. So people will get access only to the stuff that applies to them, and not those areas that they aren’t a member of. This really opens up some pretty cool opps for expanding membership offerings!
  • It’s really easy to add a nice ‘login’ box in the sidebar of the blog. Makes the site looks so professional and is of course easy for folks to know how to login to the site (which can be surprisingly hard to find on some sites.)

Want to see a sample of Wishlist Member in action? We recently implemented Wishlist for the Thomas Leonard Success Strategies program – click here to check it out. Unless you are a member you won’t be able to access the material of course, but you can see the overall flow/layout of this membership site.

There are many other cool features in this system beyond my favs, go to the Wishlist Member site to learn more.

Want to learn how to use Wishlist? Or get someone on your team up to speed?

 We are offering a brand new course for VAs and online support professionals on how to manage memberships using Wishlist Member. Be sure to check it out – early bird registration is in effect until May 29th ($100 savings).

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Take the OBM Readiness Quiz

by Tina Forsyth on March 24, 2009

The questions keep rolling in since announcing the Online Business Manager Certification, here is another one that i’m asked quite often:

“I’d like to become an Online Business Manager, how do I know if i’m ready?”

I really love this question for the simple fact that it is a reflection of those who are asking it – someone who wants to make sure that the role of OBM is a good fit for them vs. just jumping into it willy-nilly (which is NOT a good idea!)

So how do you know if you are ready?

Or, perhaps you are a business owner who has a virtual assistant or someone else on your team who you suspect may be a great OBM for you… how do you know if they are ready?

If this is a question you are considering, I invite you to take the Online Business Manager Readiness quiz – download a copy of the quiz here.

Those of you who have read the book Becoming an Online Business Manager will remember this quiz from page 31 – if you haven’t taken it already set aside a few moments to do so now.

I invite you to consider this – the most important aspect of being ready is so much more about the ‘inner game’ than it is about skills and experience.

Does this sound like you?

“I stay calm in the middle of confusion and chaos, and will naturally take charge to fix a situation when conflict arises.”

Or

“I thrive on the challenge of being thrown into new (and sometimes uncertain) situations.”

If you can say a resounding yes to these (and the many other) statements in the quiz, then you have a pretty strong foundation to build on.

Here is that link again to the quiz

Remember that the skills of the OBM can be taught (which we will be doing via the Certification Training that starts in 2 weeks) and experience will come over time.

But your inner conviction, excitement and dedication to the role is what *really* counts.

With that, all things are possible in the wide-world of becoming an Online Business Manager. ;-)

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