Chances are, if you have ever worked with (or are currently working with) a Virtual Assistant, you have had moments of concern about whether or not you are getting your money’s worth. It’s a legitimate concern and one that is easily measured. Why? Because working with a V.A. involves 3 things:
What You’re Not Getting From Your Virtual Assistant and Why
Knowing Your Product Must Include Understanding the Benefits
by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/Director of PMR/CMBS Global
Knowing your product is key to selling. Any good salesperson knows that to sell a product, they must know as much as possible about it and to sell consistently they must also be able to communicate the benefits of that product to potential buyers. Knowing your product MUST include understanding how it benefits others, because benefits – not features – sell.
While this is not news to an experienced salesperson…it may be news to the online entrepreneur who is single-handedly working to build a business and wondering why all of their hard work and time consuming efforts don’t seem to be paying off.
Many entrepreneurs involved in building an online business are missing out on sales because they are overlooking the benefits their products and services provide. Today’s online entrepreneurs are usually a one-man or one-woman enterprise. Chances are they came up with the idea for their business and they are the sole marketer, content writer, product or service creator, salesperson, spokesperson, manager – and more.
Whew! That’s enough to make even a SUPER HERO’S head spin!
The B2B Market – 5 Basic Online B2B Practices to Put Your Business Where It Should Be
by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/Director of PMR/CMBS Global
Just what is B2B marketing? Business-to-Business refers to companies that sell things to other companies.
There can be many B2B practices or processes that lead up to a sale online and put your business where it should be…positioned for sales.
For example, when you buy a blender from your local Walmart store that is a “Business-to-Consumer” sale – otherwise known as B2C. But, what happened before that blender ever made it to the shelf in the store would be known as the B2B transactions.
® There was probably a fabrication company that supplied a particular machine to the company making the blender for the stamping out and shaping of whatever material would be used to make the appliance.
® Then, perhaps a printing machine company that created and sold the print product necessary for the company to be able to print its name on the finished blender. [Read more...]
Married to My Work – Stop Breaking Promises, Prolong the Honeymoon and Keep Clients
By Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/Director of PMR/CMBS Global
June is the month of promises…promises of longer days, vacation time away from the daily grind, romance. Traditionally, it is the favorite month for getting married, of promising each other the moon under a hot summer sun. January is reported to be the month for divorcing.
Unfortunately, promises easily made are also too often broken in life, love and business.
In times past, a person’s word was all it took to ‘seal the deal’. Legal documents were seldom necessary between friends and family and rarely even considered among those doing business. Your word and a handshake were all that were needed to buy and sell – even settle a dispute. But those days are far behind us and not only do people regularly promise one another more than they can deliver, it is becoming the acceptable norm to expect that promises will not be kept. Thankfully, there are still those in business who believe that promises made are worth keeping whenever possible, as much as possible. [Read more...]
How Do You Communicate and Market Your Online Business to the World Marketplace?
By Charlotte L. Hanna CMO & Director of PMR for CMBS Global
Do you know how to market your business online? Do you know WHO your market really is? Do you communicate well with your market? Are you visible in the world marketplace?
Do questions like these make your head spin? 
How you communicate and market your business is vital to your online success, but it need not make you dizzy. My hunch is that you are one of those entrepreneurs who realize the importance of communicating and marketing online – but have trouble finding the time to do it consistently and effectively. That may be GOOD news. I mean, if you are that busy – then you must be doing something right – right?
Unfortunately, small business owners are seldom too busy to give their needed attention to such an important aspect of their online enterprise because business is booming. More often than not, failure to communicate what they do and market what they offer to the world marketplace is simply a lack of organization and focus on their part. It may sound harsh, but your head may be spinning because you are in need of help and have ignored your need, thinking that you can do it all by yourself. [Read more...]
Are Your Marketing and Advertising Integrated for Maximum Effect?
By Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/CMBS Global
What does the term “integrated advertising and marketing” really mean? And why should you be aware of the potential maximum
effect it can have on your business?
According to Rochelle Reiter, agency principal at Orange Label Art + Advertising, “It is the coordination and integration of all of a company’s advertising and marketing communications into a cohesive plan that maximizes the impact on customers and prospects. An integrated plan is designed to make all aspects of marketing communications (e.g., advertising, sales, marketing, PR and online) work together as a unified and integrated force, rather than allowing each component to function independently.”
Wes Phillips, also an agency principal at Orange Label Art + Advertising, noted in a recent online article that, “It is important that a company’s leaders understand and comprehend the goals and objectives of an integrated campaign and are aligned on the strategy and messaging.” He believes that the support of management, sufficient time, and budget resources are important to the perception of the strategy as a priority.
But what does this all mean to the entrepreneur? [Read more...]
Reading, Writing, And Making Money Online With Virtual Assistants While Working From Home
by Charlotte L. Hanna, CMO/CMBS Global
It goes without saying that you can do a lot online these days. You can read about virtually most any topic you can think of – or write and blog about your opinions,
passions, hobbies, business, or life. Many are making money online as Virtual Assistants – without leaving the comforts of home – doing work they love and helping others.
Every day, more and more people are taking advantage of these opportunities. Many of us get the majority of our information via the Internet and spend a good deal of time telling the world our political and social views – even our most personal dreams – via blogging, Twitter and Facebook. Collectively, we spend millions of dollars per year shopping online for our favorite “must-haves”, yet the one thing too many are NOT doing, is actually making money. In fact, those who have online businesses too often find themselves losing money when it comes to Internet sales. [Read more...]
The World Is Your Marketplace – Are You Ready And Set To Go?
by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/CMBS GLOBAL
CMBS GLOBAL believes that “The World Is Your Marketplace!” If you have often considered
expanding your market, and understand the value of being able to reach your niche audience – anywhere in the world at any time – then you believe it, too.
Are you READY to do whatever it takes to reach the world with your message?
Are you SET to launch a new and innovative product?
Do you know where to GO – and how to make online marketing work most effectively for you?
There is no end in sight to the explosion of the entrepreneurial spirit and the growth the Internet has afforded small businesses. Yet, despite compelling numbers, many small businesses have not yet realized the importance of the global marketplace.
Hesitation to take advantage of the many benefits associated with doing business internationally is sometimes linked to a lack of knowledge and understanding. However, it is the need for assistance with those processes necessary for unleashing the unlimited potential for growth and profit, which more often causes entrepreneurs to delay taking further action. [Read more...]
The State Of Your Business – Where Will You Invest Yourself?
by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/CMBS GLOBAL
Entrepreneurs With Building Skills Required To Avert Foundational Issues
by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/CMBS GLOBAL
A sound and firm foundation is crucial to any structure. Whether building a house or a business, the first level is always what the rest of the structure relies upon for support. The ability to remain standing in the midst of a variety of storms, the ability to remain strong and unshaken, will depend on how well the foundation was constructed.
A strong, well-laid foundation has never been more needed than it is today, both in the physical and business realms. Catastrophic weather conditions have rocked the earth and catastrophic financial conditions have rocked our economy over the past several years. People have lost what they could see and touch and hold with their own hands, as well as the investments they had made in a future yet to come.
Now is the time to consider all of your options, while there are still some options to be considered. But don’t let a cracked foundation cause you to move on or abandon your efforts – take a closer look and see if repairing the structural damage may be more cost effective in today’s market. [Read more...]

