(an excerpt from Chapter 5 in Becoming an OBM)

You’ve planned out the project and all the requirements, now it’s time to start organizing all the pieces. In the online business world this generally means that you will be hiring contractors to complete various parts of the project.In our sales page example, you may need:

• A copywriter to create the words
• A graphic designer to create a header and/or 3D graphic of the book
• A web designer or techie VA to actually create the page
• A VA to set up the Buy button and link it to the shopping cart
• A VA to coordinate collection of testimonials and bonus items.

Of course there may be certain elements that you are going to do yourself, as well.

You will also want to have a timeline for when you need each element completed, so you can coordinate with vendors on when you need their piece completed. For example, you will need the copywriter and designer to be finished before the web designer can create the page. Check The OBM Toolbox at the back of this book for a list of online project management tools that you can use to map out your process and track everything.

(an excerpt from Chapter 5 in Becoming an OBM)

Planning

Before starting any project you want to make sure you plan before you start. This is SO important in order to prevent frustration and wasted time and resources along the way.

Let’s look at an example. Your client has just written a book and needs to get a sales page “live” so he can start selling the book.

The first step is to plan the sales page, which means getting really clear on what exactly your client wants.

• Is there an example of a sales page that he really likes?  Which elements does he like or not like? I always like to work from an example, especially if your client is new to sales pages or really wants to try something different.
• Does he want a short/sweet style sales page or a longer/harder sell page?
• What domain name does he want for the sales page?
• Will you need to hire a copywriter to write the page?
• Do you need a 3D graphic of the book to put on the page?
• What look (colours, graphics, layout) does he want for the page?
• Does he have testimonials ready or do you need to collect some?
• What price will the book sell for? Is it an e-book or print book?
• Are there any bonuses to go along with the purchase?Is there going to be a special launch price/offer?
• Does your client want an upsell as part of the buying process (e.g., Buy the book and workbook for a discounted price)

As you can see, in order to effectively plan this project, you need to have a strong understanding of all the elements of setting up a sales page. If you don’t have experience in this yet, then I suggest finding a few sales pages and studying each element of the page.

You will also want to consider the cost of each piece of the project so that you can a) have a good idea of what the overall cost will be, b) prevent last minute surprises and c) have a guideline for keeping costs in check.

(an excerpt from Chapter 3 in Becoming an OBM)

Your job as the OBMis also to protect your client from certain decisions that your client should not be wasting his or her time on. This is especially important with operational and systems-based decisions.

Let’s say your client wants to set up a new blog-based website. First, bring them a summary of options and ideas for them to consider and ask for their approval on the parameters of the project. While you are creating the blog, do NOT NOT go to them with every little question that you have (“Where do you want your RSS feed link? Did you want me to add your picture here? Should I change this description to match your main website?”).

Instead, go ahead and set up the new blog based on your experience and then have your client look at a draft version and request any changes. Again, it is better to present them with a solution to review (a completed draft version of the blog) than to ask them what to do at every step along the way.

This is ESPECIAIALLY important for clients who actually enjoy systems and administrative tasks. If given the chance, these clients can very easily become involved in these things to the point of distraction. These clients may want to know more about the details than other clients would, but don’t be afraid to lovingly “slap their wrist” if they try to become too involved. It is not the best use of their time to get too involved on the backend and you may need to remind them of that.

(an excerpt from Chapter 3 in Becoming an OBM)

On a day-to-day basis there are many decisions to be made in any online based business: When do we want to send out this promotion? Who is going to fix the typo on our website? Where can we find someone to edit my book? How should I respond to this upset customer? What should our next new product offering be?

Without an OBM, the majority of these decisions fall squarely on the shoulders of business owners. As such, anytime there is a question, their team members will turn to them for the answer. Because most business owners are incredibly busy, this process results in delays and it can also feel like a hassle to haveto deal with every little thing.

That’s why our clients want someone who is willing and able to make decisions on their behalf, and not wait to run everything past them first. This doesn’t mean that you will be making ALL decisions for your client, however you can certainly help with a lot of the tactical and operational decisions that come up on a day-to-day basis.

How do you know when you should check with your client before making a decision?

Generally, any decisions about money or strategy should be run by your client. On the other hand, your client will probably be relieved once you take over some of the administrative, operational and customer service decisions. When you first start working with a new client, you will run a lot of things by them, as you get to know each other and build a level of trust that will give you more freedom in making decisions down the road.

You may also want to set some standards and procedures around this. For example, I once worked with a client whose policy was that her team could make a decision on refunds that would be less than $100, but anything over $100 had to be brought to her attention. A “Decision Making Standards” guide can be something that you create for your client, and add to over time as reference for future decisions.

(an excerpt from Chapter 3 in Becoming an OBM)

Part 2 of  being a thought partner is having confidence in yourself, your knowledge and your skill set. “Getting lippy,” with our clients, as I like to call it, does require a bit of sass on your part (heheh)! Some of us have to dig pretty deep to find this confidence; it’s a very personal thing. The dictionary defines confidence as, “belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities.”

As an OBM, that means that you believe in the value that you have to offer to your client’s business. You aren’t afraid to speak up and share your ideas, thoughts and experiences with your clients, or more importantly, you ARE afraid and do it anyways.

In my experience, confidence means that you are willing to contribute without letting the fear or worry of “am I offering value?” get in the way. Or put another way, you are willing to fall flat on your face, get up, shake it off and move on.

The thing is, that will rarely happen.

You see, clients are EAGER to hear from you. They want (and crave!) someone who is willing to engage, brainstorm and share ideas; someone who isn’t afraid to challenge them at times, and even say “you are off your rocker here!”; someone who will speak up and tell them what they think (good, bad or otherwise). It is rare that I’ve heard of someone engaging with their clients at this level and getting put down for it. On the contrary, the clients are usually thrilled to have this kind of input as it is so rare for them.

This doesn’t mean that you have to have all the answers (none of us do!). What it does mean is that you are willing to engage, with the intention that 1 + 1 = 3, and that together with your client you can come up with so much more than either of you could ever do alone. THAT is the heart of the OBM relationship.

(an excerpt from Chapter 3 in Becoming an OBM)

We all know the value and importance of talking to others about business strategies and ideas. This is the reason people join mastermind groups, hire coaches and create business partnerships. Being a business owner can be a lonely job and I believe it is essential to have others with whom you can collaborate in order to create a successful and fulfilling business.

Clients want someone to be a sounding board, to brainstorm with them, share ideas and consider options; someone who isn’t afraid to speak up. When we talk to business owners, they describe this as their number one wish, “I would love to find someone who will brainstorm with me and help me figure things out.” I call it a wish because most business owners have a really hard time finding someone who will do this with them, and have had to “do without” – which means a HUGE opportunity for you!

What is required to be a thought partner? A couple of things; you need both experience + confidence in order to be able to effectively speak up with your clients.

Experience comes from having done ‘it’ before and knowing what’s involved with a particular strategy or idea. You can share with your client, “I did X with another client and what happened was Y, so we may want to consider that here.” or “I know X tried that once and it really worked, have you also considered doing Y?” The more specific experience we have, the more intelligently and effectively we can contribute to conversations with our clients.

Ask yourself – what kind of experience do you have that could be of value to share with clients? This isn’t about knowing it all, rather it’s about recognizing what you do know and being willing speak up. Also, what kind of experience do you wish that you had, and how can you create that experience

Stay tuned for next week’s post where we discuss part 2 – confidence!

(an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Becoming an OBM)

In a nutshell the name of the game is simple:

Is there a better way to do this?

This isn’t just a one-time thing; it is something that you will always be doing as an OBM. In fact, you may want to commit to reviewing your entire Standard Operating Procedures guide at least once a year – we call this a Better Way Audit. There are always new online systems and tools that may make it possible to automate something you’re doing manually. Ask yourself (as well as your “front line” team members), “Is there a better way to do this?”

It is also really important to plan for continued business growth and to act as though your client is a big company (even if they aren’t yet).

If you look for systems that have varying packages and options that can grow with the business, this can save you the stress of having to switch systems down the road. As an example, in order to help one of my clients look more professional, we signed up for a toll-free phone number. The toll-free service provider offers lots of bells and whistles. Right now we’re using the simplest option; however everything is ready to go for when my client needs to add additional extensions or other options.

Automating is one of my favorite things about working online. Anything that will take a task off my plate is ideal in my mind.

(an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Becoming an OBM)

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and ask: is there anything in your buying process that could be simpler, quicker or more pleasant?

As we got a glimpse of in the last example, automated systems can also make it much easier for customers to engage with your client, which is VERY important for the success of their business. You want to make it very easy for customers to buy, and automated systems will make the buying process smooth and enjoyable for all concerned.

I’m sure you have come across a situation similar to this – you are on a website and like what they have to offer. You go to click the Buy button and on the next page you’re directed to print out an order form and fax it in, or to call in your order.

Now I don’t know about you, but in most cases they have just lost my sale (unless I REALLY want what they have to offer). I don’t want to spend the time to print out a form, fill it in by hand, fax it in and wait to get a response or confirmation of my order. Nor do I want to pick up the phone and wait for service or delay my order because I’m surfing in the off hours (as I often do). I’m ready to make my purchase now, and would willingly submit my credit card number to do it. I want to order and pay and get immediate confirmation of my order. And in the case of downloadable products, I want instant access.

The more steps you ask a potential client to take in order to purchase, the less likely they will be to complete the sale. So look to automate and simplify the buying process as much as possible. An online shopping cart system is a definite must if you are selling online.

(an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Becoming an OBM)

Look for any ongoing errors or delays in the business and ask yourself – how can this be automated

One of my clients ran a 6-month coaching program and asked each member of the program to read and agree to a set of standards to complete their registration. She would send a PDF form for her coaching clients to print, read, sign and fax back. Then, a VA would gather the faxes, enter the client contact information into a spreadsheet and send the client a Welcome package. This was a lot of work for the VA to coordinate, and also created a gap between when a person would send in their fax and when they would receive their Welcome packet (sometimes a day or so, depending on how busy the VA was).

To simplify the process, we set up an online agreement form. Now, when someone registers for the program they are taken to a webpage with an online agreement form that they can immediately read and “sign” (by submitting their name). Once they submit their name, they gain immediate access to the online Welcome packet. What was a 7-step and labour-intensive process that took two days or more, is now a simple, three-step process that takes minutes and is easier for everyone involved.

(an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Becoming an OBM)

I find that the tedious tasks are usually the ones that are easiest to automate. Article submission is a good example. Many clients want to do some form of article marketing, and will quite often delegate this task to a VA on their team. Depending on how many sites they are submitting to, submitting one article can take a VA up to five hours or more! Plus, most VAs really don’t enjoy this task, and it will quite often fall to the bottom of their list and in some cases not get done at all.

There are some great article submissions systems available now that will automate this process for you. You just enter your article once and these systems blast out that article to a bunch of sites. This frees your VA to focus on other business-building activities for you. (Or you may want to question doing article submission at all – does it bring a good ROI?)

It is especially important to see what kinds of tedious tasks your client is doing themselves. Again, we want to always be trying to take things off our clients’ plates so they can focus on the more important business-building activities that only THEY can do.

I once worked with a client who was manually entering names into her newsletter database from an online free quiz that she offers. Eek! First of all, she shouldn’t be the one entering those names into the newsletter database; her VA should be doing that for her. And more importantly, this could easily be an automated process. So we setup the online form to send this information directly to the newsletter database as soon as someone takes the quiz – no fuss, no muss!