The Australian VA Conference (AVAC) will be held in Melbourne, Friday 12 and Saturday 13 March 2010.  While it’s called The ‘Australian’ VA Conference it doesn’t mean you can’t come if you’re not Australian. It simply means it is being run in Australia and everyone is invited.

We are excited to be putting on a conference for VAs by VAs.  We promise you that the lineup will include names well known to the Virtual Assistant industry.

Co-ordinators for AVAC are Kathie M. Thomas from “A  Clayton’s Secretary” and Anita Kilkenny from AKA Virtual PA.

Early bird tickets are just $140 (inc GST) and include a choice of sessions, morning and afternoon refreshments, a networking lunch and the chance to mingle with sponsors and speakers.

If you would like to make contact with us, please click here.

Re-blogged with permission

Getting Started

Visit the Twitter website and click “Join for free” to create your account. Consider using your real name as your user name to help your friends find you more easily.

Once your account is created, login and click “Settings.” From here, you can setup your account details, manage your password, register your mobile phone and IM account, configure how you receive Notices, upload your photo and customize your account’s design.

Your Twitter page is located at twitter.com/your-username

Sending Messages

You can “tweet” from your Twitter page, your mobile phone, IM account, or via a third-party Twitter client.

• From your Twitter page: Simply enter a message in the text field at the top of the page and click “Update.”
• From your mobile phone: Send an SMS message to 40404.
• From your IM account: Send a message to either twitter@twitter.com (Jabber/GTalk) or TwitterIM (AOL).

Your tweet will be displayed to your followers, either on their Twitter page, mobile phone, or any other way they are setup to receive Twitter updates.

Following Other Twitter Users

Finding and adding friends to your “Twitterverse” is easy.

• From the Twitter website: Login to your account, visit your friends’ Twitter pages and click “Follow” underneath their photo. If your friend’s account is public, you will immediately start seeing their tweets on your page, otherwise your friend will need to approve you before you can see their updates.
• From your mobile phone or IM account: Send the command follow username.

See the Twitter website for a complete reference of Twitter Commands.

@Replies and Direct Messages

When you send a message with @username at the beginning, it’s understood that your message is intended for that specific user, but all your followers can still see the tweet. Note that for the intended recipient to see your message on their home page, they must be following you, otherwise they will only see your message on the Replies tab.

To send a friend a private tweet, use the Direct command: d username message.

Reference: www.twitternet.com

I started my business May 2006 and in 2007 I attended my first work related conference. Money was tight at that time and I was fortunate to have been offered a scholarship to attend the Business Mums Conference. Otherwise I would never have been able to attend. We lived interstate and the accommodation for two adults and one baby was a squeeze on the family budget.

I came away from that conference with a renewed sense of self, I knew what I needed to do to take my business to the next level and I knew that I had the support of the rest of the network while I did it. The first thing I did when we got home was fire my main (and first) client because we were stuck in the employer/employee mindset and I knew it would be an uphill battle for either of us to change. We parted ways on the best of terms and I don’t regret working with them at all.

From there my business grew a lot quicker than expected and I became a multi-VA business owner.

I attended the conference again last year and fired some more clients, renewed my love of my business and hit the ground running again as soon as I got home. This time I came to Melbourne on my own (two flights just to get there) and I had a great time networking with new and old members. I also got to meet my mentor Kathie Thomas and listen to her speak.

It was last year that I decided to sponsor another member because I was able to and I also wanted to see another member get the same opportunity that I received. Who knows where my business would be if I didn’t attend that first conference??

This year I’ve sponsored another ticket the the conference for the full two days. If you’re a business mum (and that doesn’t mean that you have to still have children at home or even your child/ren have been born) or you would like to be a business mum, fill in the form below and tell me why you should have my spare ticket. I’m also speaking at this year’s conference which is very exciting for me!

This competition is now closed, thanks to all those who entered. I’ll be announcing the winners very soon.

I’ve been thinking a lot this week about work flow and processes. How do things get done around here? Is it the most efficient way or can we do it another way? Why do I do ‘things’ that way?

Personally, I’m a highly visual person and visual learner. For this reason I used to find it hard to read online and process what I’ve read because I’m also a paper person and needed to write the concepts out for myself. I love my paper. But I also love trees and technology more so I retrained myself (ooh a post for another day…). Because I am visual, I’ve been mapping out how we do things around here and it’s been an immense help when explaining processes to my team. It’s right there in front of them and they get it. Ta dahhhh….

I love collaboration because I get to hear other people’s ideas and to be quite frank, I love to talk. In mapping out my processes, I’ve been able to see where commonalities are, what could be done better and where I could delegate. I don’t need to do EVERY little thing in and for my business and so I hired myself an employee and retained associate VAs to help me. In delegating tasks I get to do the fun stuff. I get to do the talking and as I do the talking I have this amazing team behind me to help me get the work done. What could be more awesome then that?

So how do you leverage your people assets and do you map out your work flows? How do things get done at your place and is there a better way to do it?

Over the weekend I received an email from a potential client asking me about my services. GREAT! What was even better was that they came through my IVAA.org listing. Perfect!!

So why this post?

In talking with this potential client she told me that she had emailed 4 other VAs in Australia from the same directory and I was the only to respond to her. I was stunned. How often do we get a hot lead like this through our websites?

So my question is, if you receive an email from a potential client, how quickly should you answer it?

I believe that even if your client roster is full you need to answer the email and let them know. Who knows, maybe you know another VA who’d be perfect for that potential client and in making the connection for them your VA friend will thank you and the potential client will remember your willingness to help them find someone else. So when it comes time for them to refer a friend, who are they going to send them to?

Business to me is about building relationships. Relationships between your and your clients. Relationships between you and your colleagues including other VAs. Relationships between you and your suppliers. You need these relationships to be able to manage and grow your business.

Educating the wider business community about the value and professionalism of Virtual Assistants happens on an ongoing basis and I still get a blank look when I tell people I am a Virtual Assistant. It’s important that we treat our email habits as professionally as possible. Especially if you are like me and communicate mainly by email.

Through wooing a potential client this week, the subject of rates came up in our discussion as it often does. But the difference with this potential client is that he questioned my rates and why aren’t I cheaper?

To start with it really ‘threw me’ off balance. I’ve never had to justify my rates to anyone before because the majority of my clients come through referrals these days. It made me question myself and how I do business.

But it was a good question. Why am I Kylie Short, owner of Tilda Virtual Services worth the hourly rate that I charge?

I’m going to tell the truth here because we’re all friends right? I charge the rate that I charge because I’m darn good at what I do. I’m an expert in all things Administrative and I have the qualifications and experience to back it all up. I’m a perfectionist with a mean research streak and I love to learn. In fact I can’t help it. I NEED to learn.

Just because I’m virtual doesn’t mean I’m worth any less per hour then the business down the street with a shop front. Unlike most business owners I’ve calculated my break even point. I’ve calculated a budget for the rest of this financial year (in Australia the financial year runs from July to June) and I know what profit I want to make per hour so I can afford new technology, software and training for my team, which ultimately benefits YOU. I have ongoing expenses because I am a professional business owner with REAL overheads and REAL payroll to cover each week.

It may seem like I am ranting but surprisingly I’m not. Quite frankly questioning my rates because I’m virtual does not surprise me at all. I’ve been told that the ’4 Hour Work Week’ by Tim Ferris is a great read and that yes he does mention Virtual Assistants on two pages. Two whole pages where he discusses outsourcing your business and personal life to Virtual Assistants in India. Two questions I’m going to leave you with is:

1. Is your Virtual Assistant a professional, qualified business owner dedicated to getting to know you and your business?
2. Does their rate reflect the cost of living for their country/region?

If you can answer yes to both these questions and your VA is charging less then I do then good for you. Otherwise cough up because I don’t negotiate. My rate is my rate. Take it or leave it.

The beauty of the Internet means that you are no longer limited to using resources and suppliers in your region, state or country. Web applications such as Basecamp and similar allow you to keep in touch with your clients in other timezones without clogging up your in-box. The world has become flat and accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

My personal philosophy of business relies on collaboration between all stakeholders in a project. But what is collaboration and how can it be used in today’s online society?

Collaboration quite simply is the process of  working together with another person to accomplish goals and/or objectives. What this means to my business is that opinions, experience and insights from the client, myself, my suppliers and my associates are all weighed in when attempting to achieve the project objectives.

The key to true collaboration although is in your willingness to listen and learn from others. Managing a team be it virtual or actual is something that doesn’t come easily for all of us.

What strategies do you use for collaboration within your team? Are your team members responsive to this way of management? How do you deal with micromanagers and their need to control every aspect of a project?

When I began my business, it was easy to be productive and to maintain contact with my clients. Reaching deadlines was never a problem and everyone was happy. Since then, I had another baby and my business has grown very quickly.

In the face of it all, it would be easy to lose productivity and get caught up in answering emails, returning phone calls, marketing and networking but I still need to get these things done. I still need to market my business and build my brand even though I am just about full.

So what should I do?

For me, the increase in stress levels just about did me in. I don’t like to turn anyone away, especially if they have a need and so I found myself taking on work and promising to have it done quickly. For me, I’ve always tried to under promise and over deliver, but when you are doing this for EVERYONE, something has to give. That something for me was sleep which of course caused stress.

To maintain my productivity I’ve implemented a couple of strategies that I will share with you now.

Firstly, I’ve hired myself an in-house assistant and her name is Beckie. I’ve only had her for 3 days but gosh can she work. She shows initative, completes work quickly and at a high level of quality and the best thing is, she’s completed tasks that I’ve had on my to-do list since the start. Things like creating and sending a client feedback form or tidying up my contacts. Beckie is an absolute star and I can already see big things for her. I have big plans for Beckie and together we will be tackling some huge projects that are near and dear to me.

Secondly, I’ve added three Virtual Assistants to my team. Laurie Dart, Lisa Callsen and Deirdre Shockley are all highly qualified administrative professionals and each have their own niche or speciality. I decided to become a multi-VA business simply because I don’t like to turn anyone away and although I may act like a ‘know it all’ at times, I DON’T know it all. Between the four of us WE DO!

Tilda Virtual Services can now provide a holistic approach to each client’s needs. This has been a goal for me since the beginning of my business and now after 18 months it has come to fruition.

Remaining productive is something we all need to address at various stages of the business life cycle. Whether you are in the startup phase or in the business growth phase like I am, how you deal with it and plan for productivity can often mean the difference between keeping those great clients and losing them. I plan to keep ALL my clients and growing the number of Virtual Assistants I call Associates. I want to connect clients to solutions and I can now do this without stress and without leaving anyone behind.

I’ve also begun using Basecamp again. I started using it a few months ago and none of my clients seemed to get into it. That has all changed now! My team are based in the States and to access important information about each client we needed a collaborative space in which to do it. Basecamp helps us to do this while reducing the number of emails I get daily. So how do you remain productive? Can you outsource your administration too? I have to say that being on the ‘other side of the fence’ is definitely an eye opener and I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner!

I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about.

You receive an email or a phone call inquiring about your business and how you can help them. They’re excited to have found you and in most cases have already read your website. They know the benefits of using a (please circle) Virtual Assistant/Freelancer/Website Designer/Graphic Designer and they are ready to talk to you about how you can help them realise their dreams and goals. They are ready to sign the dotted line.

Just like courting a new lover you answer phone calls and emails straight away because you’re just so excited to be working with this new client. You want to build a relationship quickly but steadily and so you make yourself more available then you would tend to normally.

After a while, you start to ease back on the gas. You are still enjoying every moment of working together but the rest of your clients are feeling left out and perhaps even jealous.

You start to feel torn between your new client and your existing clients. You definitely have enough time to go around but how do you make them all feel just as equally important as each other? How do you keep that new relationship “glow”?

C’mon, I know I’m not the only one to have done it. And this is where I’m going to get a little preachy with you. You need to continue making each client feel like they are the most important one you have. To do this you need what I call a “Communications Plan”.

A Communications Plan is simply having a system in which you maintain contact with your clients, especially the ones you aren’t working with on a daily basis. If you don’t maintain contact and communicate with your clients, how will you know when they need you? How will you know they are satisfied with their current level of service? How will you know if you are seeing the ‘real’ them and they are seeing the ‘real’ you? And finally, how will you know if your working relationship is a good fit for both parties?

Your Communications Plan can be made up of various strategies including:

• Weekly emails
• Weekly/Fortnightly or Monthly teleconference or online meetings
• Monthly “Clients Only” newsletters
• Handwritten notes or cards
• The possibilities are endless…..

The key here is to being regular and consistent. Your client may be extremely busy and is still learning how to use a Virtual Assistant. If you don’t keep in regular contact, how will you know when that client is finally ready to hand over some of their to do list to you?

I for one will be working on my Communications Plan as I’ve been a bit lax these last few weeks. Having a Communications Plan is how I plan to make each of my clients feel as important as each other.

Do you have a Communications Plan in place already and if so, have you recorded it somewhere to remind you? What system do you use to keep in touch with your client base and why have you chosen to use it? I would love to hear your thoughts!