Presenters
The IVAA 6th Annual VA Summit provides an opportunity for all professional Virtual Assistants to come together to learn how to operate their businesses more smoothly, serve their clients more efficiently, and promote the industry itself through their own work as a VA. Presenters and topics, booked thus far, include:
THURSDAY:
Thursday Keynote - Build Your Business and Have Fun Doing It!, Elinor Stutz
The traditional sales approach says that prospects must be conquered and strong-armed into signing on the dotted line. But what if you’re a fun-loving person, not a fighter? Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale and author of Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship-Building that Gets Results, maintains that building a thriving business can be fun AND profitable. A nationally known speaker and expert in relationship sales, her mission is to help business owners build long-term, powerful relationships with clients and prospects. Elinor emphasizes relationship-building and adapting sales techniques to suit individual personalities. In this thought-provoking session, she’ll share proven strategies to gain confidence and overcome sales fear, network effectively, conduct face-to-face meetings that get results, and gracefully conclude a conversation and ask for the prospect’s business.
About Elinor Stutz: Elinor specializes in sales skill training for entrepreneurs, salespeople and network marketers. Her client roster in corporate America included Visa, Sony, Hewlett-Packard and U.S. Geological Survey, as well as a number of high-tech companies in the Silicon Valley. As an author, instructor, public speaker, and radio guest and show host, she has helped countless entrepreneurs and salespeople overcome their fears and obstacles of selling through the art of the Smooth Sale. For more information about Elinor, visit www.smoothsale.net and www.elinorstutz.com.
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VA Pricing – Realities, Risks, and Opportunities, Robert Brenner
It’s no secret there’s a massive paradigm shift underway in the global economy. Offshore competition is intensifying, but many opportunities are surfacing amidst the chaos. Robert Brenner, longtime advocate of the VA and business support services industry, will discuss the threats and opportunities that we’re currently facing, and will share strategies and tactics to maximize profit and return on investment. Bob will also discuss preliminary results of the 2007 report on the VA industry, currently in development. As a special gift, Summit attendees will receive an up-to-date price distribution chart on VA services.
About Robert Brenner: Robert is the Publisher of Brenner Information Group products, is the author of an impressive number of books relevant to the VA industry, including How to Price Graphic Design & DTP Services, Pricing Guide for Desktop Services, Pricing Guide for Web Services, Regional Pricing Tables, Desktop Production Time Standards, and the Special Report on the Virtual Assistance Industry.
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How Will Your Business—And You—Survive an Emergency?, Kathy Mandy
As a business owner, the success of your business depends on your ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, such as a medical emergency, fire, flood, tornado, hurricane or other natural disaster. During this session, Kathy Mandy will share the strategies that allowed continued, successful day-to-day operations of Select Word Services, despite her emergency surgery, hospital stay and extended recovery period. Kathy will discuss the steps involved in creating a solid emergency plan, including how to build a support network, establish a directory of pertinent information and client contacts, obtain adequate insurance coverage, provide for computer file backup and use offsite storage. Learn ways to reduce the stress and time needed to recover from an emergency or disaster.
About Kathy Mandy: Kathy has successfully operated her business for 24 years, is a charter member of the Minnesota Association of Business Support Services and served as its first president, and is a longtime advocate of forming friendships with colleagues.
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FRIDAY:
Your Image—Friend or Foe?, Sue Kramer
Does your current image attract or repel business? When is the last time someone complemented you on your professionalism? Whether you market your services in person, virtually or both, how you present yourself speaks volumes to potential clients. Are you Confident Connie, “working the room” with ease, or Hermit Helen, looking for the closest corner to hide? Sue Kramer, Founder and President of Peace of Mind Virtual Assistance, will share simple ways to improve your image, whether the weakness is communication (email, telephone, in person), attire, personal grooming, marketing collateral, or all of the above.
Sue Kramer began Peace of Mind Virtual Assistance in 2003. Her desire was and continues to be instilling her Christian values into her company and those she serves, and putting “service” back into professional services. The POMVA team serves discerning decision-makers worldwide and is known as a company that “walks the walk” in the highest standards of professionalism, service, integrity, honesty and friendliness.
Friday Keynote -
Guerrilla Publicity – Connect with the Media for $50K in Free Publicity!, Jill Lublin
Let the media tell your story and bring clients right to your door! Jill Lublin, CEO of Promising Promotion, shares her proven publicity secrets for getting the attention of national media, including The New York Times, CNN, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and more. In this session, you’ll learn how to get the media talking about your products and services; instantly increase visibility, competitive edge and market share; quickly respond to breaking news and industry trends; accelerate current marketing efforts at no additional cost; gain new repeat business from word-of-mouth “buzz” marketing; and learn the 7 guerrilla tactics for mastering any interview with magazines, newspapers or television.
About Jill Lublin: Praised as a modern-day Dale Carnegie, Jill Lublin is coauthor of the national bestselling books, Networking Magic and Guerrilla Publicity. The founder of GoodNews Media, Inc., Jill hosts the twice-weekly television program, The Connecting Minute, and the nationally syndicated radio show, Do the Dream. She has also authored two audio programs, three DVD training videos, and a workbook. Jill is a popular international speaker who specializes in breaking down complex techniques into terms that anyone can follow and understand. Her clients, seminar attendees, and readers of her books have been featured in major US newspapers, national magazines, and nationally syndicated television shows such as the Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, and Good Morning America. Jill has been featured in The New York Times, Women’s Day, and Entrepreneur Magazine, and on ABC and NBC radio and TV national affiliates. She is currently working on her third book, Heart Wired: How to Win Friends and Influence People in Today’s World. For more information, visit www.JillLublin.com.
Who (or What!) is Driving Your Life? — Strategies for Reclaiming Your Rightful Place Behind the Wheel, Barbie Dallmann
Life rarely turns out the way we originally planned. Things happen! People and events take us down roads we never imagined when we were growing up. But here we all are now, with one very important thing in common: We all have the power to make choices today that will change our lives tomorrow! Barbie Dallmann, Certified Professional Life Coach, will guide attendees in exercises designed to help each person connect with an inspiring vision of their life. In addition to sharing foundational building blocks for creating that life, she will also instruct participants in powerful skills and strategies, enabling them to begin immediately to create the best year of their lives! CAUTION: This session is not for the faint of heart. It’s designed for those who are motivated to transform their lives into something bigger, better, and more amazing than ever!
Barbie Dallmann, owner of Happy Fingers Word Processing & Business Services, started her company as a “typing service” in 1984. She has added a variety of services, including writing, editing, bookkeeping, payroll, job search coaching, and business consulting. In 2001, the Small Business Administration named her West Virginia’s Home Based Business Advocate of the Year. In January of this year, she earned certification as a professional life coach through JFK University in Pleasant Hill, California.
Continuing Education—Investing in Your Own Mind, Lauren Hidden
Especially in the virtual world, it’s far too easy to just spend all your time doing client work. But to really thrive, you need to invest your time (and money) into expanding your professional skills – allowing your business to grow. In this interactive presentation, you will learn about the benefits of continuing education and certification, the different options available, how to determine which ones are right for you, and how to incorporate continued education into your budget and marketing plan.
Lauren Hidden is the owner of The Hidden Helpers, providing ghostwriting, editing and virtual assistance. She is the co-author of Write It Right: The Ground Rules for Self-Editing Like the Pros and Entrepreneurial Freedom: How to Start and Grow a Profitable Virtual Assistance Practice. Lauren is a member of IVAA, DVVAA and a Board member of her local NAFE chapter.
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SATURDAY:
Ask the Experts" Open Forum/Panel Discussion
Kathy Mandy, Sue Kramer, Barbie Dallmann and Lauren Hidden will return for this Summit wrap-up session. Here’s your opportunity to ask questions about any topic, brainstorm with other attendees, and share problems, experiences and ideas.
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