Being Monday morning, you probably have a pile of to-dos sitting on your ‘virtual’ desk.

I invite you to consider each of those to-dos and ask yourself:

Do I need to be the person to do this?

Be relentless here. Try not to censor from the perspective of “but I do it best” (remember the being too picky post?) or “I don’t have time to show someone else how to do it right now (it will take as much time to show someone how to do something as to actually do it - maybe double the time at the most - BUT then you don’t have to do it again.)

And if you are up for the challenge - pass along one of those to-dos to someone on your team! If you are really up for the challenge pass 5 things along (and do a happy dance for getting them off your plate!)

If you are a Virtual Assistant or Online Business Manager, take a look at your client’s to-do list - is there anything that you could take off their plate and do for them? Chances are they may not even realize that you are willing or able to help with some things - and will LOVE to get your unsolicited offer of help.

Filed under: For OBMs, For VAs, Question of the Week | Add a Comment »

I got to thinking the other day re: social marketing as a business strategy. I know it’s a powerful tool for building a business, many folks are seeing great returns doing so… but as I shared a few weeks back I find that I get tired of social media.

And it occured to me - perhaps I find it tiring because I am an introvert?

See the thing is that I really get what social media is - I’ve invested in some pretty high end social media training, have been paying attention to how it all works and have even coached my clients on many of the strategies.

But for me personally, I haven’t been able to plug into a ‘flow’ if you will… I find that I go hot/cold - some weeks i’m really on, and others not so much - and I think it may have to do with being an introvert.

Now i’m no shrinking violet or anything, I’ve been told i’m quite outgoing and I daresay fun to be around (most of the time, hehe). But I do know that energetically I am an introvert - I ‘recharge’ more from solitary activities, getting away, reading, relaxing and such (as compared to extroverts who recharge in social situations, being out and about.)

When discussing social marketing with people i’ve always likened it to the world of ‘traditional networking’ - getting out and meeting people face-to-face at local networking groups, association meetings and the like. Some people really enjoy marketing this way, others not so much. I remember going to my very first professional coaches association meeting about 10 years ago in Calgary - I was so nervous the night before I barely slept! And it was just a breakfast meeting.

With the wide world of social media being online we aren’t meeting face-to-face of course, but the ‘energy’ of it is very much the same I would think? And so perhaps a bit more challenging for us introverted types?

I don’t have the answers here by any means… just struck me as interesting. I did a Google search on this and actually didn’t find much out there - would love to know if anyone has actually dug into this idea of social marketing for introverts a bit further.

I may put together a list of ’social media tips for introverts’, hmmm…

Filed under: General Biz, Life & Such, Marketing/Traffic | 4 Comments »

As any good Online Business Manager will tell you - juggling is an essential part of the job! With so much going on every day you need to be able to keep all those ‘balls in the air’ so to speak.

Whether you are juggling balls or projects, here are a few tips to help you out:

Decide what you are going to juggle.

Balls? Beanbags? Apples? Recommend that you start with something simple, don’t attempt to juggle chainsaws on your first try! (Saw a guy do that on America’s Got Talent the other night, yowza… had to cover my eyes.)

What you decide to juggle will make a big difference in your success (and enjoyment!) Don’t attempt to juggle all the pieces of a huge project in your business if you are already overwhelmed, stressed or new to the task at hand.

Start with 3 items and build up from there.

Any juggler will tell you to start with 3 items, and slowly build up to 4 or 5 when you are ready.

One of my favorite productivity strategies is to pick 3 things each day that you want to get done. Pick those that are closest to the money - the ones that you *really* want to finish and will bring you (or your clients) closer to increased revenue. Work on those first, and then dive into any other projects (time permitting). This is a great way to ensure you are making progress in your business and not getting caught up or distracted by your giant pile of to-dos… and not actually accomplishing anything by the end of the day.

Get rid of distractions.

It’s really hard to juggle when you are constantly being interrupted by email, phone, kids, barking dogs, etc. Find yourself a quiet place where you can relax and focus. Close the office door. Shut down your email (and Twitter account!) Maybe play some nice music in the background.  

Get help if need be.

If you are buried in ‘to-dos’, perhaps it is time to pass a few of those balls along? Again, it’s really hard to juggle more than a few things at a time… if you have lots of balls to juggle give yourself a break and explore hiring someone to take a few off your plate.

When you are frustrated step back and take a breath…

If you are feeling frustrated and stressed out you will start to drop the balls! The best juggling occurs when you are calm, focused and ‘in the zone.’  Stop for a moment, take a short break and come back to it when you are feeling re-energized.

Juggling is meant to be fun.

There is a reason that clowns like to juggle - it’s fun! This may sound wierd, but I actually get alot of enjoyment out of the online business ‘juggling’ that I do - it’s the OBM geek in me, hehe. When i’m in the zone, juggling away and getting lots of stuff done I love it! The hallmark of a great OBM is how much they enjoy juggling…

And for you business owners in the crowd - if you don’t like juggling or it’s getting to be a bit much for you, perhaps it is time to hire an Online Business Manager? Check out the OBM Directory for a list of top notch folks.

Filed under: For OBMs, General Biz | 1 Comment »

I was reminded this week how great a resource Elance is - we needed someone to do some fast turnaround graphics for us, and as always we got a really good response to our posting and found an excellent designer who did a great job.

It had been a really long time since i’d used Elance to find help - i’m not sure why exactly? I think I forgot that it was there to be quite honest, I tend to look for help within my network of VAs & OBMs first whenever I need help. And although I usually do find the help I need, being the busy bunch of pros that they are many times people aren’t available for those last minute projects that crop up from time to time.

Whereas Elance is a great resource to find people who are willing and able to start *now*. I’ve found it particularily great for finding help with graphics and audio/video editing… and we even found a great event manager there years ago (who later became a key part of our team.)

If you do a job posting at Elance a few tips:

• be as specific as possible about your needs - include examples/drafts if possible
• don’t forget to include your deadline, especially if it is urgent!
• include your budget info (which they require you do anyhow)
• ask people to include samples or a portfolio in their response (especially for graphic projects… as designers style will vary)
• when considering responses look for those who go the ‘extra mile’ - i.e. folks who actually go ahead and do a mock-up of your project, i love that!

So a reminder to myself really, and to you as well… when you need speedy help or if you are stuck trying to find help in other places don’t forget about Elance.

Filed under: Build Your Team, For OBMs, Recommended Resources | Add a Comment »

A common complaint that we hear from business owners re: their team is some variation of:

It doesn’t matter who I hire to do X, they never do it the way I want!

or

I’ve tried to get my VA to do X right, but she never does as good a job as I do.

When it comes to delegation, one of the big challenges is being able to let go… this is a toughie for many business owners, myself included.

So when I hear this kind of frustration coming from a business owner it occurs to me that maybe they are holding on too tightly to certain elements of their business.

That’s not too say that there could be some other issues at hand - are there good systems in place? Does your team have clear instructions and deadlines? You want to ensure those are in place in your biz.

But if this is an ongoing frustration regardless of the above then it may be time to dig a bit deeper as the business owner and ask yourself - am I being too picky here?

My business partner Andrea Lee talks about the quarter million dollar speedbump - it is pretty common for solopreneur based businesses to stall or get stuck somewhere around the $250K mark. Part of what needs to happen to get over this speedbump is to get yourself out of the ‘thick of things’ - get your team in place (if you haven’t already) and delegate everything that doesn’t *require* you as the business owner to take care of it (so you can be free to focus on leadership and growth.)

In order for your business to grow, you have to get out of the way!

This type of relentless delegation process can be tough for some business owners - you may not feel ready to delegate certain things in your business or might not be clear on how to do so. It also means letting go and allowing your team to do things their way - which may not be exactly how you would do it!

The key thing to keep in mind is the end result. Different people might take different routes to get there - but so long as the end result is achieved all is well.

Loved this analogy that my colleague Carrie shared the other day. It’s like hiring a maid service to clean your house… they might not clean in exactly the way that you would do it, but so long as your house is clean and comfortable, is it that big of a deal? (And really, do you want to take over the cleaning again just because they aren’t doing it “right”? No thanks!

An example I know hits home for me is when I review email responses that our team has sent on behalf of the biz. In some cases i’ll read their response and think “I totally wouldn’t have done it this way, they should have said A, B, C instead!”. Yet the key thing is, did the email do it’s job? Was the recipient of the email happy and satisfied? In most cases the answer is yes, and i’ve learned over the years to just let it go vs. trying to ‘fix’ the way every single email is written just because I would have done it differently (draining for both me and my team!).

So if you are feeling frustrated ask yourself - is this something that truly needs to be fixed or am I just being too picky?

Again, the answer lies in the result. If the result was achieved then leave it be. If not then yes, jump in and tweak/adjust for next time.

Filed under: Build Your Team, General Biz | 3 Comments »

Just got back from a week in lovely BC visiting my friends & biz partners Andrea Lee & Cindy Greenway. Andrea and her hubby Mike were kind enough to let us stay with them for the week, and Cindy came out for a few days as well. Such a rare treat to see each other face to face, in this virtual world we so enjoy.

(on the beach pic just down the street from Andrea & Mike’s house)

Anyhow, I had a bit of a ‘duh!’ moment while on vacation…

On Wednesday morning we were driving in two separate cars to Nanaimo about an hour away - I was in one car alone and Andrea & Cindy were in the other car. I was ahead of them and knew we had a turn off coming up to take the exit to the highway. I saw the exit ahead and right at that moment my cell phone rings (my cell phone is my business #)… I answer thinking it is Andrea or Cindy confirming this is the exit to take.

It wasn’t Andrea or Cindy… rather it was a man who I believe was calling to inquire about coaching services. The fact that it wasn’t who I thought it was totally threw me off, and in between trying to take the right exit on the highway I was confused and essentially came across quite rude on the phone. One of those moments where i’m not quite sure what I said (something like ‘what are you calling for, i can’t talk right now, i’m on the road, etc) - i’m sure I sounded like a jerk to put it mildly! Needless to say the gentleman ended up hanging up on me, and can’t say that I blame him one bit. Nor was I able to get his name or phone # to call him back and apologize.

Lesson learned - don’t answer my business phone unless I am able to have a professional conversation at that time!

We had a good chuckle about it later, because that is really quite unlike me to be so rude on the phone and the timing of the call was spot on (a minute before or after and I would have either been able to have a proper conversation or let it go to voicemail and been able to call back.)

But I can’t help but recognize as well that this was a potential client who was interested enough to call me and now will probably have no respect for me or my business. Not a good thing.

Lesson learned indeed! And to the gentleman who called me, if you do happen upon this post please accept my apology.

Filed under: General Biz, Life & Such | Add a Comment »

Your list is probably your most important asset in an online based business - and as such we tend to spend alot of time and energy in building up our lists.

So what do you do with that list once you have it?

The key thing to remember is that the value of your list is not based on numbers but on relationship.

You need to stay in touch with your list on a regular basis in order to build a strong relationship. 

Why is relationship so important? People buy from those they know, like and trust - and in the online world one of the best ways to build this relationship is simply by staying in touch.

If you don’t keep in touch with your list then it is basically just a group of people who don’t know who you are, and who won’t care when you do finally reach out with a promotion or new product.

As I like to say - I would much rather have a targetted list of 1,000 people who I have a strong relationship with, than a list of 10,000 people who don’t know me at all. Guaranteed I will make more sales with the first list than the second.

Some ideas for keeping in touch:

• Send out an ezine/newsletter on a regular basis - this may seem obvious, but many business owners struggle with this. An ezine doesn’t need to be a big production - keep it short and simple, and hire a VA to help you if need be.
• Do a free teleclass - invite everyone on your list to join you for a free teleclass on a hot topic of interest for your market. Even if you aren’t promoting anything right now, you can still do a call for the purpose of building relationship.
• Setup a blog and post to it on a regular basis - make sure that you setup RSS feed and email notification options for people to subscribe to get new posts.
• Invite people to join you on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn - assuming that you are active on these (and other) social media sites, this is a really great way to share fun stuff, quick tips, ask questions and just have fun. (Here’s my Twitter page, follow me?)
• Do a podcast or online video - a great way to connect with people in a new way, especially if you want to breathe new life into an old list.
• Ask for their opinion - people love to share their own ideas, thoughts and make a contribution. Do a quick survey, or setup a ‘quick question’ email as part of your subscription process.

There are of course hundreds (thousands?) of ways you can keep in touch with people. Just remember to do it authentically - provide good value to folks and that will come back to you in the form of increased sales and long term clients.

Have other ideas for how to build the relationship with your list? Bring em on… comment here on the blog.

Filed under: For OBMs, General Biz, Marketing/Traffic | 3 Comments »

Had a really great call at the IAOBM last week with Beth Schneider, President and CEO of Process Prodigy and all around systems whiz.

She shared her Top 10 Systems Needed To Get More Done With Less Effort, and let me just say it was one heck of a call!

We were joking that most business owners find the idea of systems to be boring - some are downright afraid of systems and let’s face it, creating systems isn’t the sexiest thing in the world right? I beg to differ when you consider…

There are two types of businesses - those with systems in place and those without. Those with systems in place are able to take time off from their businesses, as they have clear tools, processes and a team in place to take care of things in their absence. Which means you - the business owner - can take time off from your business without the whole thing falling apart.

Could you take a month off from your business if you wanted to? If the answer is no, my guess is that you don’t have enough or the right systems in place. Systems = more time off, that’s pretty sexy in my books!

There is another equally important consideration that Beth shared, and that is the fact that putting systems in place can actually find money in your business.

An example is having a good billing system in place. It’s actually surprising to me how many businesses don’t have a billing system in place, one that makes sure everyone is billed properly and money is collected. Beth gave the example of one of her clients who, after putting a billing system in place, actually found over $100K in outstanding payments that were still owing to them. Yowza! I don’t care if your biz is big or small, that’s a good chunk of change.

This made me consider - we spend so much time working to find clients, build new business and bring new money in the door. But are you actually losing any of that money once it’s come in the door?

If you have a membership program, do you have a system in place to follow up with monthly payments and take care of any declines?

If you are a service provider, do you have a system in place to track your time/projects easily and invoice your clients each month? (I’ve actually had to ask contractors to bill me months after they’ve done work for me… yes, I want to pay you but you need to bill me first!)

Is there anywhere in your business where you might be leaking money?

Serious stuff, and could have a big impact on the ole bottom line. For more info on getting your systems setup check out Beth’s Outrageously Effective Systems and get instant access to the 3 systems every biz needs.

Filed under: Build Your Team, For OBMs, General Biz | 1 Comment »

Be it the economy, cash-flow issues or even just ‘taking a look at expenses in the biz’ i’ve had a few support professionals share lately that “my client asked me to cut back my hours as they can’t afford me right now”.

When faced with lowering revenues or rising expenses it can be easy to think “oh, we have to cut back!” However I like to look at it another way - what can we, as a business, do to increase revenues quickly?

This is the topic 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?

This is an important question in any business - so much so that i’m including the whole chapter here for your reading pleasure. It’s a short little PDF, quick read I promise.

This question is just as important for the Online Business Manager to consider on behalf of their clients. 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 maybe 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!

Filed under: For OBMs, General Biz, Marketing/Traffic | 1 Comment »

Or is it just me?

I’m not quite sure what it is… I just find myself getting tired of certain aspects of the ‘wide world of social media/marketing/networking’ (whatever you like to call it).

I’m tired of getting random invites to stuff that I don’t really care about.

I’m tired of feeling like I *should* be doing more with my social media efforts when it comes to business building activites…. but I don’t want to go overboard and become all promo-ey.

I remember signing up for my Facebook account a couple of years ago, at which time it was all about personal relationships - connecting with old high school friends and such. It was fun to catch up with folks, see what they were up to, etc. Simple stuff.

Then the buzz became all about ‘using social media to build your business’ and it became a very different landscape. Alongside my friends I was now starting to connect with business contacts/colleagues online (which I am picky about as per my facebook friending rule)… this brought a different feel to the whole thing. Having to think twice about what to post, what to share, etc.

If I post something about my business will it turn off my friends? (most of whom could care less about what I do). If I post personal stuff is that a ‘too much information’ scenario for my biz connections? (who probably don’t want to see pictures of my kids).

Gets confusing at times… hence my tiredness.

That being said, tomorrow I will probably get over it and tweet my head off, LOL.

You? Are you loving the social media or getting tired of it as well?

Filed under: General Biz, Life & Such, Marketing/Traffic | 6 Comments »