Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the OBM Educator. I am so glad that you're here, because today we are going to be talking about something that you really cannot escape as an OBM, and that is tech. So, as an OBM, you will be responsible for handling the majority of tech in your client's business. So, whether that's setting it up or maintaining it, making tweaks here and there, or changing tech entirely by moving from one system to another, chances are tech is going to be part of your day-to-day operations. Something that I see a lot with new OBMs or VAs who want to become OBMs is that they are intimidated by tech. They think they don't know enough to call themselves an OBM because they haven't been in every single system out there. But here's the thing no one has been in every single system out there, and so what I'm going to be talking about today is going through three categories of what I believe are the must-know tools that you need to know as an OBM in 2024. And in each category, I'm going to give platforms that I recommend that are common in our industry in the online space. Do not worry, you do not have to know all of these.
01:13
When I first became an OBM. I had been in a few platforms, either in my own business or in my clients' businesses as a VA. But when I first started working with OBM clients, there were plenty of platforms that were already set up in their business that I had never had experience in. But because I had knowledge of similar platforms and the ability to go in and figure things out which is super important as an OBM I was able to learn those platforms and add them to my repertoire so that with the next client, I was able to know a few more platforms or make more recommendations, better recommendations. So take this episode as a starting point to see what are some of the tech platforms that will help you as you grow into being an OBM. Chances are, of the three that I list, you probably have experience in at least one in each category, and then I'm going to give you tips on how to utilize that experience in at least one of them so that if you are going to have a client who has that specific tool that you have not used, you're still able to be effective in there, learn it quickly and make recommendations as needed. So let's dive in.
02:31
Welcome to the OBM Educator. I'm your host, Amanda McVicker, a veteran OBM who serves six and seven-figure entrepreneurs as well as educates new OBMs with the skills and confidence they need to start and grow their own successful online business management business. Follow along as I share valuable insights behind the scenes, sneak peeks, and proven strategies to help you build a better OBM business. We are going to start with the three categories that I think you need to know as an OBM in 2024. And you need to know at least one tool in each of them, and so the reason I say to know at least one tool is that for the most part and there are exceptions, but for the most part a category of tools are going to have the same basic foundations.
03:15
So, using an example of a calendar scheduler, you have different options. You can use Acuity, you can use Calendly, you can use Dubsado Scheduler or HoneyBook Scheduler. There are different options out there and they all have different features, but at their core, you are able to schedule appointments. So if you only have experience in Calendly which is usually common, because usually you're going to have experience in the cheaper or free option for your own business you're still able to take the components that you know in Calendly and apply them elsewhere In schedulers. They all have very basic components that are the same. You can schedule things, you can integrate it to Zoom or Google Meet, you can create reminders and confirmations and add in buffers. All of those things are very basic in each scheduler. But say you have a client that has Acuity, or has heard about Acuity and wants to set it up in their business, you would be able to go into Acuity and figure it out because of your knowledge of Calendly. Between your knowledge of Calendly, help articles and the ability to just kind of work around until you figure it out, you're going to be able to set it up. Now there are things in Acuity that are different from Calendly, for example packages and subscriptions, but because you're able to go in play around, you can focus your time learning those new things instead of the basic components, because you had the experience in Calendly beforehand. So that is why I say learning at least one in each category is super important, because you're able to take those basic components that are going to be the same across the board and utilize them in new tech.
05:04
So the first category that we're going to start with is project management systems. Chances are, if you are coming into a client's business that has not had an OBM before or maybe has only had a VA, they're probably not going to have had a project management system set up. They probably would have gotten by on just sending Slack messages or email or something like that, and there has not been a need to set up a project management system. So, as an OBM, when you come in, one of the main things that you're going to be responsible for is creating a process for using a project management system. There are many, many options, but the common ones in the online space are ClickUp, asana or Trello, and so when you're looking at choosing a platform to learn, a tech tool to learn, typically if you're not in a client's platform, you're going to pick the cheapest or the free option, and so what's great with learning a project management system tool is, of those three that I listed, they all have a free component For Asana and Trello, from what I know, there really is no need to upgrade.
06:18
You can do a lot of stuff on the free plan For ClickUp. There are automations, custom fields, things like that that you get when you upgrade. That can make it easier and more organized. But to start out with, to just kind of learn your way around. The free plan is fine, so I think ClickUp is the popular one now that a lot of people are using, just because it does have so many advanced features that help with a team project management, all of that.
06:50
But if you are working with a client who does not have experience in a project management system or they're hesitant of using a project management system, something like Asana or Trello is probably going to be more user-friendly for them and less overwhelming. So it will be up to you, as the OBM, to create the processes in the project management system so that they're used. You can set up something super fancy, but if your client doesn't use it then it's kind of useless. Know the processes in whatever it is that you set up so that they use it, because, again, if team members don't use it, then it's kind of useless. If you're just wanting to learn like to get into a project management system and play around all of that, I would recommend starting with ClickUp on the free version, because I kind of see ClickUp as like a more advanced Asana. So if you know ClickUp, you can figure out Asana. And then ClickUp also has board features, which is what Trello uses. So if you learn the board feature on ClickUp, then you're able to figure it out in Trello.
08:06
So the next category would be a CRM or a client relationship management system. So the type of tools that I'm going to be talking about two of them are more for one-to-one, so like a service provider doing a contract with a client, or one-to-one coaching, something like that not necessarily for a large group of people. We'll talk about that in the third one, but those first two being Dubsado or HoneyBook. So what you're gonna be able to do in a CRM is onboard a client, offboard a client, set up contracts and questionnaires and lead capture forms and basically let your client or potential clients go through a pipeline to ultimately work with you. You can even set up a process of the actual work that you guys do together in the CRM and then you can offboard them through the CRM as well. So these are going to be really important to set up, say, if your client is a service provider or if your client is a coach. Set up, say, if your client is a service provider or if your client is a coach.
09:15
Typically, when coaches or businesses start out, they will start with like HelloSign, PayPal, invoice and things are very manual. Having a CRM like Dubsado or HoneyBook is going to make that automated right. You can have contracts in there, you can have invoices in there, you can have it all flow through an automation and so you just click a button or your client clicks a button and the whole onboarding process starts. You can also put in task reminders for teams, you can use schedulers, calendar. You know all of that can be held inside of the CRM. So between Dubsado and HoneyBook, they both have free options. So Dubsado has a trial, like a free trial, for up to three clients on like their starter plan. So you wouldn't be able to do automations or things like that, but you could still poke around and learn. Honeybook, I believe, has a trial of like a dollar a month. Don't hold me to that, but they usually have a trial or they usually have offers going on, and so you're able to go in and test it out for pretty cheap.
10:22
When it comes to picking which one to learn, if cost is not a factor in that, I would go with Dubsado because it is the harder platform. So Dubsado is going to allow for more customization options. You're able to completely brand it to your company. I know HoneyBook has added in a lot more branding ability, but Dubsado is really you can make it so no one knows like it's from Dubsado. It's your logo, it's your URL, all of that. Honeybook is going to be more user friendly. You're able to learn it easier, but your clients would be able to navigate it easier. So it's really just going to be personal preference on which one, but I do think that if you can learn Dubsado and all of the intricacies of it, you can figure out HoneyBook as well.
11:13
The third one that I'm going to recommend if your client has maybe larger groups, more leads, things like that would be HubSpot, and so in that that's like you know, a true CRM where you are tracking pipelines and leads and deals and all of that stuff, you're able to have profiles for each person, each lead as they come in, assign it to different team members. If you have a sales team or marketing team, you're able to have them all in there. So if you're dealing with a larger group of leads, hubspot could be something that you try out as well. And then the third category that I recommend to know in 2024 is an email marketing platform. Most, if not all, clients that would have an OBM chances are probably have a mailing list, so they might already have one set up in their business. But knowing an email marketing platform is going to be helpful in the case that say you need to recommend a change. So a lot of the times when people start their business and they start a mailing list, they might choose the cheap option or the free option and sometimes that's MailChimp, you know something like that but at some point that's no longer going to work for them and so they're going to look for a different option. Or say you have a client who is looking to set up a list, being able to make recommendations based on what they need is going to be super helpful.
12:45
And there are so many email marketing platforms just FYI but the three that I am going to talk about are ActiveCampaign, flowdesk and MailerLite. Activecampaign has a lot of options, capabilities and it actually can be used as a CRM as well. In the same way, like HubSpot is like can have an advanced account that has deals and pipelines, tracking, things like that ActiveCampaign has really good reporting. So if it's very important to your clients to be able to see analytics I mean, all of them have analytics but like really good analytics, activecampaign will be your best bet. It is one of the harder ones to learn in that there are like a lot more options. The automations are really good. So if you're just looking for one to learn, I would recommend ActiveCampaign.
13:35
One to learn I would recommend ActiveCampaign. The second one I recommend would be Flowdesk. Now, this one is going to be like it's going to sound weird, but if pretty is really important to your client, if how things look is really important to your client, then Flowdesk would probably be what you recommend, because they do have a lot of options on the aesthetic side, because they do have a lot of options on the aesthetic side. Right, it's going to look really good. Now, on the backend part, they have updated their analytics so that you can track things a bit better nowhere near the same as like ActiveCampaign, but it's better than it was. But you're able to do automations. You're able to do, obviously, campaigns, tracking segments, things like that.
14:20
The third one I recommend is MailerLite, which I kind of think of as like ActiveCampaign Lite. It's very similar to ActiveCampaign. It's more user-friendly, so it's going to have still the same reporting and automations and the tracking segments, things like that. It's just somewhat easier to navigate With learning all of these. If you learn ActiveCampaign, or if you learn Flowdesk, or if you learn MailerLite, you're going to be able to go into another platform and figure it out. You're going to be able to see what they call everything segments or groups or whatever and you're going to be able to see what they call everything segments or groups or whatever and you're going to be able to figure it out. And so with that, it's kind of going to be personal preference on which you want to learn. Again, I recommend ActiveCampaign. For a small amount of subscribers, it's actually the cheaper option. I think MailerLite might have a free option, but it's going to be personal preference. I would just learn one because in 2024, everyone should have a mailing list.
15:22
So, before I dive into the bonus category that I have for you, I wanted to share one of the freebies that I have that is linked in the show notes, which is called the OBM tech stack. This is a list of eight categories that I think that OBM should know, along with different tools in each category, and so when you are looking to become an OBM, like I've said, this whole episode like knowing one of the platforms in each category is going to put you so far ahead, and so this tech stack I put together from my four years of experience as an OBM, what I have seen, what clients have expected or wanted in me as an OBM, and I also give some tips and tricks on learning them and how to use that information to learn other tools as well. So if you want to download the OBM tech stack, the link is in the show notes, but you can also just go to amandamcvickercom slash OBM dash tech dash stack. So the bonus category that I think would be helpful as an OBM in 2024 is not going to apply to every client that you have, but it's going to apply to more and more clients these days because funnels and courses are becoming way more popular than they were even a few years ago, and so knowing a course hosting and or funnel platform is going to be super helpful. And I put them together, even though technically they can be separate, because a lot of the course hosting sites nowadays have a funnel component to it. So when you think of course hosting, you know you can have Kajabi or Teachable, or Member Vault Thrivecart has Thrivecart Learn, which is a one-time payment, which is awesome.
17:17
Now some of them also could be in the funnels category. You know you have something like Kajabi, which has both, or Kartra, which has both. But if you are looking, you know to have like, say, a webinar that leads into the course buying process, that leads into the follow-ups and stuff like that, you're going to use something like Webinar Jam. If you have a freebie that leads into a webinar, leads into a course or some other type of conversion event, you're going to use something like ClickFunnels or Leadpages. So learning one or two platforms, either in the course hosting or funnel side, or that does both, is going to be so helpful when you come to a client who is wanting to set up a funnel in their business or a course in their business, or that already has it, because the funnels will kind of all follow the same flow so you would be able to set it up from platform to platform.
18:14
Again, this isn't going to be every client that you encounter. Some are really only going to be every client that you encounter. Some are really only going to be focusing on one-to-one coaching. Some don't want to have courses in their business, but for those that do, it's great to have this knowledge so that if they are asking for recommendations, you can give the recommendation based on your knowledge of those platforms. Hope this was helpful for you.
18:36
If tech is intimidating to you, it really does not have to be this intimidating thing that holds us back from moving forward in our OBM business. No one expects you to know all of the tech. If you struggle with this, I encourage you to go listen to the third episode of this podcast, which was my interview with Rita, who has been my client for four years, because she talked about this perfectly. She was not looking for someone who knew all of the tech in her business. She was looking for someone that she knew could learn it. And so, with all of this information, take it and learn it so that you can then apply it to future clients. You don't have to have been in every single platform, you don't have to have a bunch of experience in every single platform, but if you know at least one in these categories that I talked about, you're going to be so much further ahead when it comes to being effective as an OBM.
19:37
And as a reminder, download the tech stack. The link is in the show notes or you can go to amandamcvickercom slash OBM, dash tech, dash stack, and that'll have the other categories that I didn't talk about today, as well as the tools found in them as well. I'll talk with you guys next week. Bye, thanks for joining me for this episode of the OBM Educator. I hope what you heard today is helpful for you on your OBM journey. If you loved today's episode, I would so appreciate you sharing it and leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. Want to be a guest on the OBM Educator? Fill out the form in the show notes and I'll be in touch. Join us next time on the OBM Educator.