Many people I know like to do local networking. I like attending local networking meetings, but I don’t want to attend at inconvenient times, I don’t want to go to events when it’s snowing and sometimes I don’t have 2-4 hours to spend to drive to/from the event and
attend the actual event.

This is exactly why I am a big fa of online networking – with online networking you don’t have to commute, you can network on your own time and you can choose the types of
people you’d like to meet.

When you network online you should:

– Find groups frequented by your target market

– Post on a regular basis in these groups

– Post on subjects you are an expert at in order to promote your expertise and get others to get to know you

– Create partnerships with others serving the same target market

– Be consistent in everything you do

It is very important to network in the groups on a regular basis, so that others who participate in the groups get to know you. You want them to know who you and what you do, so that when they need products/services that you provide, they would know to come to you.

Want to know the step-by-step method to get more clients using online networking during my Make Thousands Of Dollars With Online Networking Teleseminar Series.

Biana Babinsky

Do you want to make a living as a coach? How can you do that? I have had many of my clients ask this question.

Unfortunately, from what I have seen from my clients, they have gone through programs and learned how to be a coach, but no one taught them how to be an entrepreneur.

And this is why many coaches struggle – they are great at what they do, but they have no idea how to run a business, how to market and how to bring in clients.

I have seen exactly the same thing – I have a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, and I have taken business classes at a business school. I have received a lot of useful knowledge and information that I use, BUT no one has taught me how to be an entrepreneur.

If you are serious about coaching and want to make a living as a coach, I recommend getting trained in running and marketing your business.

There are many different ways to do that – take business classes, work with a business coach, read marketing books, etc. I recommend having an extensive marketing plan and mapping out where your clients will be coming from before starting your coaching business.

Start learning how to get coaching clients for your business – get my free report How To Get Coaching Clients Online.

Biana Babinsky

The weather is finally getting better! This weekend was nice and warm and I enjoyed the sunny weather outside. We walked around the lake, enjoyed the sun and the breeze coming from the water. On Monday I felt completely invigorated. It is very important to take time off and recharge your batteries.

Do you take time off from your business? Or do you feel guilty doing it and spend even your weekends working? Don’t do that. If you do not get enough rest, you will not be very productive.

Instead of spending all of your time working, create a smarter strategy for working fewer hours and still make enough money. My Complete Step By Step Information Products Guide teaches you how to create products and earn money
even when you are not working.

Biana Babinsky

Platform building for your book is all about getting your name known and getting as many of your target customers as possible into your circle of influence.

Here are some of the steps that you can take to start building a platform:

– Define your target market – who are the people you want to buy the book?

– Create a free offering that you can give away to your target market. This can be a special report, audio recording, e-book, etc. You need to create an offering that your target market really wants – that way you will be able to use it to get more newsletter subscribers.

– Start building your newsletter list – use the free offering as a gift for everyone who subscribes to your newsletter. Publish your newsletter on a regular basis to keep in touch with your subscribers and provide them with information about your book.

– Use online marketing techniques – search engine optimization, article marketing, your own blog, etc – to get newsletter subscribers.

The more subscribers you have, the more people you can contact, the more people
will be able to buy your book.

– Create other products and programs. Having just a book is not enough. Create other products based on your expertise – e-books, audio recordings, classes, etc. Now you can use your newsletter list to sell your products.

As you can see, you build your platform by building on the things you have done previously. You define your target market first, then you create a gift you can give away, then you use marketing techniques to get more newsletter subscribers, etc. In this FREE Tutorial, How To Market Your Coaching Business, you can learn how to market your business online.

Need to find good keywords for search engine optimization of your web site? Here are a few ideas for you:

– Ask your customers for keywords they would use to find your products and services. It is all about what THEY would use, not what you think they would use.

– Use a free tool, such as Google Keywords or paid tool, such as WordTracker to find out the supply and demand of certain keywords. This research will show you which keywords are the most effective ones for your business.

For more search engine optimization tips, here is a FREE SEO Tutorial: FREE Search Engine Optimization Tutorial For Coaches

Should you start a newsletter and article marketing before you launch your web site, or should you wait to start them until your web site is done?

I usually recommend to my clients to launch a web site first, then the newsletter and then start marketing by using article marketing, business blogging, search engine optimization and other techniques.

The reason I recommend this order is because you want your newsletter subscribers, article readers, blog readers, etc to visit your web site, learn about your products and services and buy them. People have to be able to check out information about your products and services without too much pressure, and this is what your web site will
do for them.

You may start the newsletter before the web site, but then you will not have a web site to send the potential buyers to.

And you should not use article marketing before having a web site. The main benefit of
using article marketing to promote your business is that your article resource box links back to your web site. If you do not have a web site, you will be missing on this huge benefit.

For more information, get my free article marketing, business blogging and internet marketing tips.

Biana Babinsky

Hi, everyone

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Sharon Williams, the president of 24 Hour Secretary, an administrative, secretarial and internet-based marketing support services company.

Thanks so much for hosting today’s blog tour stop. I’ve always enjoyed your informative posts on forums we mutually participate on and look forward to hearing your presentation on SEO at the upcoming OIVAC. Right now, however, let’s chat a bit about the VA industry.

1. Sharon, could you please tell us about the background of the VA industry. How did the industry get started?

The industry is an outgrowth of an era (1980s) when it was unpopular and considered an embarrassing circumstance to work from home. Then, women performed typing, mailing and other secretarial-related duties to supplement the household income. Fast forward to the 1990s when the economy shifted, downsizing appeared to be a daily corporate occurrence, and women with training and experience but often little seniority were dismissed from their positions. Many used their corporate-honed skills and started secretarial services, as it was a then innovative alternative to unemployment. In 1997, Mr. Thomas Leonard, then president and visionary of Coach U, planned on taking a sabbatical, in his RV, and wanted someone to run his life for him while he was away. It is documented that Stacy Brice assumed these responsibilities and he called her his “virtual assistant”. Stacy entered the Coach Training Program at Coach U and began to, concurrently, coach women to live authentic lives, and assist others virtually, and as they say, the rest is history. Visit AssistU for more details.

2. Why did you decide to become a virtual assistant?

Almost two decades ago, I was downsized from my job and as a result started a business consulting business. I soon discovered my clients needed services in addition to business plan related assistance, as they were unfamiliar with handling the back office duties necessary to efficiently run and properly document their businesses. Based on client input, I added administrative support services to my portfolio, and allowed customers to visit my office during evening hours (which was literally unheard of at the time). The word spread rapidly about my capabilities and flexible work hours, and my client base grew exponentially, with most requesting administrative support services. As I realized the financial possibilities, I combined my offerings and marketing abilities to form The 24 Hour Secretary, a company that continues to specialize in administrative, marketing and internet-based support services 24/7.

3. Please tell us how working with a VA can help solopreneurs become more successful.

There are many ways working with a VA can help solopreneurs become more successful. Recently, I wrote a white paper entitled A Virtual Solution for Business Growth, Stability and Profitability, which introduces solopreneurs, independent professionals, entrepreneurs and even corporations to the virtual assistant industry and how VAs can help them become and remain successful.

4. Can you tell us what kind of tasks solopreneurs can outsource to their VA?

This question has many, many answers. Some contingent upon the industry VAs offer specialized or niche services to; others based on if the VA is offers a unique menu of services that can be utilized by any industry, and then, of course, generalist services categories traditional admin support without restriction or niche. The Alliance for Virtual Business, the information portal to the VA industry, has developed an informative breakdown, by industry, of services VAs offer. In addition, 101 Ways to Use a VA a downloadable pdf contains a detailed itemization of tasks that can be outsourced to VAs. Please visit the Alliance or download the 101 Ways pdf for a comprehensive report containing an extensive list of tasks readers can delegate to a virtual assistant.

5. I know you have the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention coming up. Please tell us more about it.

The 2nd annual OIVAC will be held May 17-19, 2007 from a desktop or laptop computer near you. This weekend event provides information useful for entrepreneurs seeking advice from 27 small business and virtual assistant expert presenters, covering topics ranging from SEO, business ethics, negotiating contracts, subcontracting, developing media relationships, branding, networking and much, much more.

Friday, May 18th is International Virtual Assistants Day, the official commemoration of the Dedication, Experience, Expertise and Determination to Succeed (DEEDS) of professionals providing administrative and other business support services, virtually. This celebration will recognize the contributions VAs have made to the industry and the business community, worldwide.

We are proud to announce that Ms. Fran Capo listed in the Guinness Book Worlds Records as the Fastest Talking Female, a world record holder, comedienne, keynote speaker and writer specializing in humor, publicity and motivation will be our celebration keynote speaker.

The convention is priced to fit an entrepreneur’s budget, starting at $25 per seminar, and all the networking, exhibit halls and workshops are free and open to the public. Visit OIVAC for details on ways to participate in the commemoration.

Yesterday I visited Crystal Pina at Visions Virtual Assistance and tomorrow I stop by my favorite buddy, Andrea Cannavina’s LegalTypist’s BYOB Lectures, another show where you have to tune in to get the scrambled puzzle clue. In the meantime, your clue is (#23) urtpcdos.

About Sharon Williams: Sharon is the Chairperson of the Alliance for Virtual Businesses and OIVAC, and president of The 24 Hour Secretary an administrative, secretarial and internet-based marketing support services company. She is the 2006 recipient of the Thomas Leonard International Virtual Assistant of Distinction Award and co-founder of Virtual Business University an e-learning environment for entrepreneurs willing to step towards their greatness.

If you need to pick a newsletter service to help you send out a newsletter, here is what I recommend.

Different services have different options, so decide which options you must haver in your newsletter host, and then review the hosts you are considering to see if they offer the options that you need.

Once you pick the newsletter host that you need the fun part starts. You will need to start marketing your newsletter to get as many as possible of your target customers to sign up. You need to have a good number of subscribers in order to make your email marketing to bring in results.

My 5 Steps To Growing Your List Audio Recording teaches you, step-by-step, how to build your e-mail list and make money with it online.

Biana Babinsky

Are you a business owner who wants to get more clients, promote your expertise and create business deals with other business owners you meet online?

You can do all of that by participating in the Online Networking Event that I am hosting next week!

I have gained many coaching clients and newsletter subscribers through my online networking efforts, and now I am hosting the MarketingSalad.com Online Business Networking Event to help YOU meet other online business owners and network.

At the MarketingSalad.com Online Business Networking Event you will be able to:

– Connect with potential clients

– Share information about your products and services

– Meet other business owners and solopreneurs

The event will take place on April 17th and 18th, and it is FREE to attend.

Click Here TO Register For MarketingSalad.com Online Business Networking Event

Are you an expert in something? Do you want to share this something with others and get paid for it?

If you do, you should create and sell information products!
To get started, I recommend publishing the newsletter, and making it available to everyone. Use your newsletter to get together a large group of people, who are interested in your expertise and your products. You should use your newsletter to promote your expertise through your articles, as well as to sell your products.

In order to monetize your knowledge you need to package your knowledge into information products. Information products are just what it sounds – they are products, filled with information, that you can sell online.

There is a ton of information products you can create to sell in your newsletter and on your web site:

– Ebooks.

– Special reports.

– Teleseminars, seminars, classes.

– Audio recordings.

– A membership web site.

All of these products need to be created once, and then you can sell them again
and again to generate profits – how cool is that?

I discuss the exact process of monetizing knowledge through creation and selling
of information products in my Complete Step By Step Information Products Guide.

Biana Babinsky