Interview with Tina Forsyth, Author of Becoming An Online Business Manager

As I’m sure some of you can relate to, Brenda came from 30 years experience in corporate management and never really considered herself an entrepreneur.  After being laid off, she decided it was time to do something new, and after “dabbling” in a few things, she came upon my book, Becoming an Online Business Manager, and instantly knew this was it!

She was also the very first person to register for the first OBM Certification program that we did back in April 2009 – gotta love that!

If you have any questions about how an Online Business Manager can grow your business to new levels, please feel free to contact me.  I love talking about Online Business Management.

Is money literally going out the window in your online business?

This is a common concern with entrepreneurs who are daily struggling to deliver their offerings and manage the enormous amount of tasks and details of running a business. Typically, you are wearing too many hats in the business leaving you very little time to assess, review and setup your operations and find more cost effective ways to do business.

A small, but significant example of an entrepreneur not being in control of the operations of their business would be the case where the business owner signed up for an industry standard online list building tool called AWeber (which by the way, I highly recommend).  Later, the business owner decided to change to another resource.  Weeks or months passed with the owner thinking that the account was closed.  It was eventually noticed on the company bank statement that the service was never canceled after all. This oversight seems obvious and but believe me – it really happens a lot.  Such oversights could cost the business significant losses over time.

Another larger example would be that the entrepreneur does not have systems in place to manage the day-to-day operations, various projects in play, and delivery of services.  An unfortunate scenario happens where the business owner cannot be available to run the business effectively for efficiently for a period of time or may simply have limited access to the business – it happens.  Their current clients become dissatisfied because they are not receiving the responsive excellent service they once expected to receive and they go elsewhere.  By the way, they soon they tell others about their experience.

Want to grow your empire in 2011?

• Make a solid investment in your business. Commit to your business in a new way.
• Work ON your business instead of IN it.
• Hire the right people for the right reasons to help you achieve your business goals for 2011.

The benefits of partnering with an Online Business Manager:

• You need to focus ONLY on what you should be doing in your business to bring in consistent flows of revenue.
• An OBM will:

• Take the lead and manage your day-to-day business operations.  OBM’s look at your business operations from the inside and out.  OBM’s know how to run and manage businesses and will make recommendations and implement setting up and/or tightening critical systems that automate your business saving you valuable dollars.

• Manage your revenue generating projects: speed to market

• Help you build and manage your virtual team: saving you time and dollars recruiting, training and managing.

• Help you develop and launch products: speed to market

• When you decide that developing Joint Ventures (JVs) is right for you business, OBMs can manage the whole process for you: speed to market

• Manage your marketing implementation.  Many dollars are, “left on the table” every day simply due to the business owner feeling overwhelmed.  Often this out-of-control feeling is due to the business owner not knowing how to market, afraid of marketing or frankly not wanting to do it.

• Managing your website programs.  Corporate sites, sales pages, blogs, online stores, just to name a few.  These are places where a potential client buys the business owner and their products and services. When links are broken, subscription tools don’t work, messaging is all wrong and the path to purchase is too complex or inconvenient, elsewhere.  You are losing money because you paid for all those sites to sell you and now you need to get paid.

Let’s face it – MONEY talks! My desire for you is to succeed.  Is your business ready (I know that you probably are) to hire an Online Business Manager?  Your business may be only ready for a Virtual Assistant and other online professionals that can execute the tasks for you.

If you have any questions, such as what resources would you need for your business, please do not hesitate to contact me at my website, at www.VBSOnlineBusinessManagement.com.  There,   I have a posted, a contact form if you only have a few questions and not ready to speak in person yet.

If you feel that you are ready to speak with me about Online Business Management services, feel free to click on Free Strategy Session on side bar of this web page and choose a time from my calendar that is most convenient for you.

Listen to my interview with Diane Cunningham, Founder of the NACWE National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs on Blog Talk Radio.

Listen in:

Welcome back to “What Can An Online Business Manager Do For Me?”

Last week I shared with you how an Online Business Manager (OBM) shows up for you in your online business by managing your speaking engagements.

Today, we are going to talk about an Online Business Manager can help you implement those marketing strategies that you and your coach have decided will reach your vision and goals for your business.

Managing Your Marketing Implementation

Are you on information overload when it comes to marketing your business?   If you are you are not alone.  I hear from business owners almost every day that they are confused about what marketing tools to use and can’t find the time for the learning curve and implementation.

Many business owners are challenged with the marketing piece of their business.   It is a time consuming process to learn the right marketing skills, stay on top of new marketing technologies and strategies, and certainly the implementation.

The good news is that if you are a business owner trying to grow your business – you are officially off the hook!  I highly recommend that you work with a coach, consultant or strategist to create an overall marketing strategy for your business.  After that, speak with various virtual professionals who specialize in the various tactics that the strategy calls for.  They can implement according to your strategy.

You may decide that you would want to manage the hired resources yourself – which I do not recommend if your budget allows.  Remember you need to stay focused on ONLY what you can do in your business to deliver and generate revenue.  When you are implementing or managing you are taking away from that otherwise revenue generating time. It takes longer to grow your business when you are buried in the day-to-day operations, projects and management.

About this time you may thinking to yourself that you cannot afford what I am recommending.  I say that you cannot afford not to.    As many before me has stated, time is money.

Now here’s how an Online Business Manager can help you by making sure that things get done and according to the overall marketing strategy.  OBM’s manage the day-to-day implementation of your overall marketing strategy which includes such tactics as:

• Affiliate (Joint Venture) Marketing
• Article Marketing
• Audio/Video Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Publicity & PR
• SEO & Pay per Click Marketing
• Social Media
• Speaking Engagements
• Traditional “offline” Marketing

Some of the ways that we manage are:

• Establishing a team to take care of the ongoing marketing activities (as required)

• Reviewing auto responders and follow-up sequences on a regular basis (for outdated information and accuracy)

• Reviewing up sell opportunities in the buying process

• Reviewing pink spoon “freebies” for refreshment

I have been posting my Online Business Manager Series for 12 weeks.  Next week will be the finale – Freeing up the Business Owner.

Have you been following the series and considering an Online Business Manager?  I would love to speak with you and help you determine if your business is ready for an Online Business Manager or another virtual professional.  One way or the other you need to get the right resources in place so that you can manage and grow your business easier than you have been.

Please feel free to reach out to me for a 30 minute consult or maybe you just have a few questions.  You may visit the Most Asked Questions – FAQ’s page on this web site or you will find a contact me button on the side bar.

Welcome back to “What Can An Online Business Manager Do For Me?

Last week I shared with you how an Online Business Manager (OBM) shows up for you in your online business my managing your Joint Venture Partnerships (JVs)

In my opinion, a Motivational Speaker has the best job ever! When they are speaking they are changing the world – one room of humans at a time.  They stand in front of groups of people, sometimes in very plush and comfortable environments and other times, not so much, all for the opportunity to share their skills, experiences, and hearts with a world that is seeking to be motivated and guided.

I was first introduced to motivational speakers at conferences and other events that I would be sent to for business.  When the day or weekend was over I would feel totally inspired by the Speakers ability to break down the hard stuff and provide me with new ideas and ways of looking at business and workplace challenges.

This week, the following are just a few activities that an Online Business Manager can manage for Speakers so that you can stay focused on those activities that will bring speaking engagements to your door.

Managing Your Speaking Engagements

• Preparation of Speaking Kit
• Reviewing speaking requests on behalf of the client
• Confirming details of speaking agreement
• Coordinating details with Host
• Managing Travel
• Preparation of all speaking materials in advance
• Ordering of any products to be sold on-site
• On-site management (as required)

If you think you may be ready for an Online Business Manager, please feel free to schedule a complimentary 30 Minute Consult me.

You may just have some questions, please visit the Most Asked Questions – FAQ’s page on this web page and/or Contact me button on the side bar of this website.

Copyright 2010 | International Association of Online Business Managers | Used with permissions

Welcome back to “What Can An Online Business Manager Do For Me?

Last week I shared with you how an Online Business Manager (OBM) shows up for you in your online business my managing your Affiliate Partnership(s).

Today, we will talk about how an OBM can help you in Managing Your Joint Venture Partnerships

Forming Joint Venture Partnerships can be a powerful marketing tool in building your list and generating revenue in your online business by forming a partnership with others.  A common frustration for a busy entrepreneur is  finding the time to seek out, develop and implement a joint venture when the business owner is already swamped with the day-t0-day tasks of running the business.

The following are just a few activities where an Online Business Manager can step in and manage the process after the business owner has created the relationship and opportunity for a Joint Venture Partnership.

• Managing the implementation of any JV partner projects
• Creating the project plan for JV partner projects
• Coordinating with members of the JV partner’s team
• Communicating key details to the players involved
• Following-up with JV partners and/or the business owner as needed to bring the project to life

If you think you may be ready for an Online Business Manager, please feel free to schedule a complimentary 30 Minute Consult me.

You may just have some questions, please visit the Most Asked Questions – FAQ’s page on this web page and/or Contact me button on the side bar of this website.

Copyright 2010 | International Association of Online Business Managers | Used with permissions

Welcome back to “What Can An Online Business Manager Do For Me?

Last week I shared with you how an Online Business Manager (OBM) shows up for you in your online business my managing your product and service launches.

Today I am going to tell you how an Online Business Manager can help you generate increased revenues in your business by getting others to sell for you through developing and maintaining an Affiliate Program.

These are just a few ways that an OBM can partner with you:

• Managing Your Affiliate Programs
• Work with business owner to establish details for their affiliate program
• Setting up the affiliate program in the shopping cart
• Setting up a resource page for affiliates
• Coordination of promotional materials for various promotions
• Keeping in touch with affiliates to advise of upcoming promotions
• Follow-up with affiliates as needed to support their promotions
• Managing payment of affiliates

If you think you may be ready for an Online Business Manager, please feel free to schedule a complimentary 30 Minute Consult me.

You may just have some questions, please visit the Most Asked Questions – FAQ’s page on this web page and/or Contact me button on the side bar of this website.

Copyright 2010 | International Association of Online Business Managers | Used with permissions

Welcome back to “What Can An Online Business Manager Do For Me?

Last week I shared with you how an Online Business Manager (OBM) shows up for you in your online business my managing your ezine scheduling.

Today,  I am going to share with you how an Online Business Manager can help you generate more revenue in your business by creating product launch strategies and excitement in your target market for the products that you have developed which equals increased revenue.

Managing Your Product Launches

• Setup a launch plan based on strategy from the business owner
• Ensure that key players are in place for each stage of the launch
• Establish a clear promotional schedule for each phase of the launch
• Work with a copywriter for launch materials (if necessary)
• Work with affiliate partners (as outlined in next section)
• Manage creation of the sales page
• Keep everyone on task throughout the launch and stay on top of any “dropped balls”
• Support the business owner as needed throughout the launch
• Be “on call” the day of the launch to take care of any urgencies/changes
• Update all websites and other marketing materials after the launch
• Ensure that the offering itself is delivered as promised

If you think you may be ready for an Online Business Manager, please feel free to schedule a 30 Minute Consult me.

You may just have some questions, please visit the Most Asked Questions – FAQ’s page on this web page and/or Contact me button on the side bar of this website.

Copyright 2010 | International Association of Online Business Managers | Used with permissions

What is the typical background/experience of an Online Business Manager? Do they perform any tasks in the business?

Online Business Management is a new industry and is growing by leaps and bounds – Online Business Managers are in high demand!

Many decide to enter into the Online Business Manager profession due to their strong professional backgrounds in administrative, business management, project management, operations management and other business growth related professions.  Many Virtual Assistants have stepped into this role recently due to the tremendous growth that comes from supporting online business owners and realizing their own potentials.

Many OBM’s possess many or all of what is to be considered the 10 Critical Virtual Assistant hard skills in order to support the growth of an online business, which are:

1. The Marketing Mindset
2. Basic Website Maintenance/Design
3. Online Research
4. Ezine Publishing
5. Blog Posting Skill
6. Written Products Skills
7. Audio Products Skills
8. Shopping Cart
9. Driving Traffic
10. Customer Service

Online Business Managers also possess the soft skills such as leadership, organizational, creativity, big picture thinking, process thinking, etc.  that is  necessary to grow a business.

Online Business Managers will step in and perform tasks when appropriate, but primarily must stay focused on the bigger picture for the growth of the business.  When your OBM is trying to perform the many tasks that should be delegated to other virtual professionals things begin to fall through the cracks and the business suffers.

Online Business Managers clear your plate of the day-to-day management of tasks and resources so that you can focus on what you do best!

Welcome back to “What Can an Online Business Manager Do for me?”

Last week I shared with you how an Online Business Manager (OBM) shows up for you in your online business my managing your website(s).

Today, I am going to share with you how an Online Business Manager helps you develop your ezine publication and establishes a consistent schedule, message and connection to your target market by using an ezine (online newsletter)

Managing Your Ezine Schedule

• Establish your ezine publication schedule
• Establish your promotional schedule
• Manage your lists
• Help create a professional ezine template
• Ensure that ezine is published on schedule
• Review content for ezine
• Manage ads and other promotional material to be included in ezine
• Manage solo emails and other promotions being sent to the list
• Coordinate with affiliate and JV partners as required for cross promotions

You may just have some questions, please visit FAQ’s page on this web page and/or Contact me button on the side bar of this website.

copyright 2010 | International Association of Online Business Managers | Used with permissions