It’s only 5 weeks till the AustralianVAConference (AVAC) is on in Melbourne, Australia. We have a great lineup of speakers and excitement is growing as many VAs realise they will meet face-to-face for the very first time.

It’s not too late too book and if you can’t manage both days (Friday 12th March and Saturday 13th March) you can plan to come for one day only. Details are available on the Registration page.

If you live out of Melbourne and are coming for a visit, why not make the most of the weekend and take in some serious shopping on the Sunday?  Melbourne is known for its shopping facilities, as well as the sporting grounds (the tennis is happening at the moment and the AFL starting back up again soon) and we also have great places to visit – either at the beach or inland.

And for those who do live in Melbourne, the event is being held in the heart of the city at Collins Street so easy access via public transport and you can head back home for the evening. No airfare, no accomm costs – just the conference and your time.

While I have a great understanding of how to successfully utilize social media to its greatest benefit, some of the technology and tools are still a mystery.  Sometimes I find the best resources from my peers, and even my clients who may already have been introduced to them.

I think a big part of my success is my ability to share new technologies and resources with my clients, it’s what helps me to build strong relationships with them and allows me to take my services to a consultant level allowing me to charge higher rates and be more profitable.

That’s why I called upon Andrea Kalli to lead the October Elite Virtual Assistance Insider program.  Mark your calendars now for this interactive session, Wednesday, October 21st beginning at 7:00 p.m. EASTERN.  I will be interviewing talented VA Andrea Kalli of Andrea Kalli Virtual Trainer and Assistant (www.virtualassist.net) on  Web 2.0 – Using Internet Technology & Communications Tools to Expand Your Business (Part 1 – Social Media and Social Bookmarking) Part 2 will be coming up in January 2010. Go to www.VAbizcoach.com and scroll down to see our 2010 schedule.

Andrea is one of those people who really makes my head spin with the vast amount of technical knowledge she shares.  Andrea will be sharing her favorite tools and services as well as educate us on communication enhancement tools, audio/video and podcast differences, some formats to be considered and how social media plays a part for us and our clients.  Have a pen and paper handy for this session.

In this session you’ll learn:

• What tools will enhance communication to your client’s target market
• Key skills a VA needs to support clients in this area
• Primary differences in using these tools instead of traditional marketing options
• How video and audio can expand your reach to a target market
• And much, much more

You’ll also get a chance to ask me and Andrea any question about your business, and anything that might be causing you a challenge in moving your business forward. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 beginning at 7:00 p.m. EASTERN.

Don’t miss it! Registration is required – go to:  http://vabizcoach.com/free-test-drive.html

VAnetworking Presents a FREE eSeminar on: How to Fix Your Follow-Up Failure

On Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. EST, Clate Mask, CEO and cofounder of Infusionsoft will introduce a system to Fix Your Follow-Up Failure
Topic Description
Infusionsoft is the perfect marketing solution for small business owners looking to maximize their time and money. Business owners are in charge of so many dimensions of their business, that it becomes difficult to follow-up with every customer and potential lead that comes along. Usually, they get stuck in a cycle of converting hot leads but losing track of warm ones.

Various studies have concluded that, on average, it takes eight touches to close a sale. After you get initial interest from a customer or client, you’ve got to follow-up eight more times before you convert that lead into a sale.

Infusionsoft helps owners give attention to warm leads by automating the marketing and lead follow-up aspects of their business. Once these systems are on auto-pilot, it gives owners more time to focus on growing their business rather than unproductively managing leads manually.

About Clate
An entrepreneur since childhood, Clate Mask loves the process of turning small businesses into big businesses. From the paper route to the boardroom, his decades of experience growing businesses have led him to lead a successful tech start-up that focuses on just that.

As CEO of Infusionsoft, Clate is solely devoted to the idea that smart and relevant CRM strategy, combined with the right automation solution can dramatically increase the sales of any entrepreneurial small business. Clate started at Infusionsoft in 2001 when it was a small and bootstrapped company, and in the last two years has helped the business raise two rounds of venture funding totaling $17 million, grow to more than 130 employees and triple its customer base.

Before joining Infusionsoft, Clate was at North Sky, where he wrote the business plan and helped build and sell the company to About.com for $42 million. After the acquisition, he took control of several Internet properties, converted those properties from ‘free’ to ‘fee,’ created additional revenue streams and guided the company through acquisition. Clate holds an MBA and JD from Brigham Young University.
Please join us at VAnetworking.com on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. EST, Clate Mask, CEO and cofounder of Infusionsoft will introduce a system to Fix Your Follow-Up Failure
VAnetworking is the largest business network for aspiring and successful Virtual Assistants and Virtual Achievers to share, learn, and succeed! At VAnetworking, industry experts and Virtual Assistant newbies mix it up to uncover all things new and exciting in the world of Virtual Assistance, while supporting one another and striving to promote the Virtual Assistant industry.

So join the fun and stop by the VAnetworking Forum today at http://www.vanetworking.com or just go ahead and upgrade to this exciting new VAinsider membership at http://www.vanetworking.com/vainsider/index.htm. You’ll see just how much better your business can become and also have a great time doing it. And for those looking for a VA, you won’t be able to beat the professionals you’ll find here.

***

Tawnya Sutherland, founder of VAnetworking (http://www.vanetworking.com) and author of the Virtual Business Startup System (VBSS), is a Certified Internet Marketing Specialist sharing her expertise to help aspiring and successful VAs turn website clicks into cash for them.

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Australian Virtual Assistant Conference which will take place in Melbourne, 12-13 March 2010.

We are currently accepting proposals for presentations from speakers and also seeking sponsors for the event.

It is expected open places for presentations will close very quickly.

If you are in Australia or plan to be, then make sure you plan a trip to Melbourne in March so you can attend this conference and meet your fellow VAs.  It is going to be a great event!

VA-Announcements has just been upgraded, however, we did experience some problems due to lack of webspace causing a crash.  Posts have been restored but some characters incorrectly interpreted – our apologies for that. Contributors can log in and edit their own posts to correct them.

New posts should be fine.