Whether you’re a mother or whether you’re a brother, there’s a telesummit out there for you.

I’ll leave it to my friend Leesa Barnes to teach the do’s and don’ts of hosting and profiting from telesummits , but wanted to give a quick rundown on why you are suddenly seeing so many PLUS check out a few where I’m speaking.

I first heard about telesummits a few years back when Christine Kloser put on her first Conscious Entrepreneur Telesummit. I bought all the CDs and listened to 10+ experts give great advice on business. I thought it was a brilliant idea and have seen many more emerge.

Since then, telesummits have become a great way to build a list, skyrocket your followers, and get known to new audiences. I’ve spoken on many (lost count) and have gotten several new clients from the connections made. So from a business angle, it’s great to be a speaker and it’s also great to be a host.

There are MANY telesummits out there right now because of the visibility opportunity they present. You might want to host one of your own…  and as with all marketing tactics, be sure to have a solid strategy in place first. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, and if you’re a host, please be nice to your experts! (Future post on the dark side of being a speaker)

Here are a few telesummits where I’ll be speaking. Each one offers free access to some degree, so you can listen in first before you decide if you want the entire series.

(Note: these are time sensitive. If you’re reading this post way off yonder in the future, I can’t guarantee where the link will take you)

And to make it even more fun to read, each event has a personal story attached to it. Keep reading for that.

Starting September 7, 2010

The Ultimate Client Attraction Telesummit hosted by Michele Scism, The Results Lady (free!)

So check this out… summer 2009 a woman named Michele contacts me on Facebook because she wants to help women but she’s not sure how. We send a few messages back and forth, experience some moments of inspiration, she takes one of my classes, and suddenly she hits the ground running and is literally EVERYWHERE now. I wish I could take all the credit, but I have to say Michele Scism is one of the most productive, results based people I’ve ever met. Hence her moniker, The Results Lady.

And it wonders me not that now she’s got a kickass telesummit lined up with some juicy experts like moi, Adam Urbanski, Sandra Martini, the BuzzBoosters and many more.

And for all you ragin’ Cajuns out there, Michele has the most delightful Louisiana voice getting us all into the Laissez Bon Temps Rouler mood.

It’s free, too! Gotta love that. Grab your spot, it’s going to be awesome.

Click here to sign up (the entire series is free)

Starting September 14, 2010

6 Figure Speakers Telesummit hosted by Amethyst Wyldfyre

Another Viva client finds fame and fortune: Amethyst Wyldfyre joined a social media class I taught  back in 2008 and since then has been seen EVERYWHERE as this interesting blend of shamaness and business maven. It works for her, believe me. She’s also been a private client of mine as we crafted her public presence with a focus on making woo-woo go “ka-ching”.

She did something really wise: she connected the energy world to something very real and tangible: secrets of 6 figure speakers.

She’ll profile a stunning line up of soul-driven entrepreneurs who have spoken their way to success. I’m excited to be part of her telesummit!

This link will give you access to a free preview call  on the topic of conversations that lead to big money.

Click here for the free preview call

Click here for the entire line up of speakers

The Self Employment Telesummit with Molly Gordon

Starting September 16, 2010

Back when I was a newbie biz owner, I pressed my nose to the glass in total adoration of business coach Molly Gordon. I bought her ebook Authentic Promotion and marveled at how she was creative, successful, and wonderfully grounded. I wanted to be her when I grew up.

Imagine my excitement when Molly invited me to speak at her 2009 telesummit and once again for this year’s event. I felt like the girl who got pulled up on stage to dance with The Boss.

“Who me? Little me for your telesummit? Wowie, I’ve arrived!”

It’s so cool when people you’ve admired for years suddenly NOTICE YOU (yay for visibility!) and invite you into their circle.

Molly’s crowd is very cool- these are people who immerse themselves in walking the talk. No heavy pitching, just pure unadulterated content with soulful undertones. Brainy, conscious, no nonsense. Nice breath of fresh air.

Do check out the free preview call she’s hosting with Master of Enrollment Bill Baren. Bill is a favorite of mine when it comes to turning conversations into paid clients.

Sign up for free preview call here

Check out the entire series here

I hope you check these telesummits out, they’re going to be fantastic.

Sponsored post by Suzanne Evans, Guest Blogger

As a heart-centered helping professional, I have direct, and often painful experience of the double-edged nature of the internet.

It can be obtrusive, loud,  and barge its way into our lives like an unwelcome weekend guest.

Or it can move us to tears.

One day years ago, I found myself in the shower, despondent and almost nauseous about what I was having to do to market my business.  The shlocky tactics were filling my bank account. But leaving my heart empty.

Then and there I decided:  I would build a successful business through inspiration, through uplifting my audience. Not through intrusion.

And one of the most powerful ways I have found to do this is with video. (This is where the moving us to tears part comes in). You see, video can communicate heart-to-heart, person-to-person, transformation-to-transformation.  It’s hard to hide your intent using video.

Shysters can be seen a mile away. But truth tellers can open you up instantly. And take you places you have never been before.

It has been a dream of mine to use video to take viewers on a journey deep inside, where they would rediscover the magic that prompted them to start their own business. To connect with the heart of the change they want to see in the world. And then, to allow the ways they market their business to flow from this rich place.

What would such a video look like? It just might look like the Movement Marketing Movie.

It’s a short but powerful video that asks:

What would your business be like if you could harness the power of movements that have brought freedom to millions, radically shifted perceptions, and transformed the way we relate to each other? How much more powerful could THAT be?

I call it “stop marketing and start a movement”. It’s the moment you choose to make marketing your servant, instead of your master.

The great movements of our time didn’t have keywords. They didn’t employ bait and switch tactics. They didn’t promise instant riches.  They didn’t use joint venture partners to pummel you with emails.

They simply took a stand that was right. And let the means of how they spread the word flow from that energy.

A video is a simple thing. But it can also take you to a place where you can reconnect with that energy of rightness within you.

It would make me so happy if the Movement Marketing Movie took you on this journey back to this place: Where your business was a dream to be realized. Not a burden to be endured.

About the Author:

Suzanne Evans of HelpMorePeople.com, mentors heart-centered helping professionals and entrepreneurs to build thriving, prosperous businesses that also create positive, lasting change. She recently released the Movement Marketing Movie, to help solo-business owners reconnect with the hope, the potential and the energy that prompted them to go into business in the first place. You can view it 24-hours a day, at http://www.MovementMarketingMovie.com

This post contains an affiliate link. The Viva Blog only posts affiliate links for products and services that are aligned with our mission and desire to impact others.

By Guest Blogger Beverly Boston:

I recently received an email from a past client who is a regular reader and follower on my Facebook page. Here is what Eva said, “I was looking for a way to improve my online presence and client attraction. A colleague recommended a social media company that did some work for them to build their online presence. I did a search on the internet, but found that they follow the old school of marketing which is what you called push marketing (not a good sign) – but something else that I noticed kept popping up – several pages of how they created large lists for Fortune 500 companies. They were driven by creating numbers and nothing was mentioned about the engagement of those people on the lists that are behind those numbers! I thought that was a powerful message.”

I agree. In fact there are two powerful messages in her story. First, the power of a referral from a business colleague. After all isn’t sending a referral one of the most powerful aspects of marketing? Wouldn’t you love your clients to be referring your service, and products? Then reading how that company worked, the big numbers and lists that they created for businesses and companies.

At first glance this is so powerful it could make you wonder if you need to engage followers online at all. (Of course you do.) Add a powerful engagement strategy to what that company already offers and it would be a winning combination to organically improve your client attraction and Law of Attraction results.

I am amazed at the number of online businesses – who successfully sell social media solutions to small businesses like hers – who still sell numbers, and don’t mention engagement or connection for that matter. Why would anyone risk that loss of connection, and the “know, like, trust factor” and desire to use your services when engagement is so inexpensive? This company is using old school marketing on the platform of social media. It is like blending oil and water.

The essence of today’s article is if we contribute to our online community by creating connection and engagement – particularly in a way that gets noticed (though many of us contribute in ways that don’t get noticed as well) – if our work earns the clients, and big lists of new followers – and if we have used that engagement and connection as a strategy that provides details and more evidence of your expertise and exceptional quality and service – then you will not only improve your client attraction but also your client retention.

Please take a moment to think about it before you follow or become friends with the next person that you meet online. Are you engaging and connecting or just adding names and numbers to your list? You will be amazed at the improved client attraction and Law of Attraction results you will have just by using this one strategy. Let me know how it works for you, I would love your feedback.

About the Author:

Copyright © 2010 Beverly Boston. Beverly Boston is an Author, Speaker, Trainer, & Master Business Coach, who champions Solo-preneurs, Small Business Owners, and Service Professionals to wake up from autopilot and become highly visible, make themselves heard, charge what they are worth, raise their fees, fill their practices and create “Big Thinking, Big Mind, Big Heart, Big Success and Big Life™”, and she can help you too!  Join Beverly’s Facebook page for Big Thinkers in Business – http://beverlyboston.com/bigthinker – while there, sign up for the free Big Thinker eZine!  Get in touch with Beverly at 604-727-4363.

By Guest Blogger Michael Jenkins:

It would have been unthinkable a few years ago, but today, many people are using Facebook quite successfully not only as a social connector, but also to promote their business, products and services, to effectively increase their profits.

Is it possible to sell on Facebook? Just look around and see how many prominent companies like 1-800-Flowers, Avon, Brooks Brothers, and Levi’s have already set up Facebook pages that actually allow their many Facebook “friends” to purchase items right then and there.

It is amazing how many people do business on social media sites. Buying and selling is absolutely possible, and the following marketing techniques will explain exactly how you too can successfully use Facebook as a Search Engine Optimization tool, and a superb solution to boost your sales.

1. Offer Great Value Specials

This is a popular selling tactic that works just as well online as it does in stores. Provide your Facebook friends with coupons (e.g.15 % discount) which they can redeem on your official website, or at one of your retail locations. ‘Specials’ can be anything from bookings for events, and free memberships, to sample products and vouchers. By offering this to your fans on Facebook, you are really increasing their loyalty and likelihood to purchase more from you.

2. Join Facebook Marketplace vendors

Facebook Marketplace is an advertising service on Facebook that enables members to find classifieds in their area. You can list just about anything, including houses for rent, available jobs, and products for sale. It is a great way to buy and sell products/services, all while promoting your company.

3. Start a group

Launching a ‘group’ on Facebook is an excellent way to target a select audience. Simply set up a group, add related text and images, and invite all your followers. Make it interesting and keep it up to date by engaging in conversations about your company, its objectives, and the products you offer. Spread the word and ask your brand advocates to extend the invitation to their own networks, this can be a powerful way to gain new fans and customers.  The more friends, the merrier!

Integrating Facebook into your SEO strategy has many advantages. First of all, it creates an opportunity to communicate directly with stakeholders and fans, to create a conversation with them. This in turn, can drive targeted traffic to your website which will not only increase your profits, but will also make your company more visible on the web. With higher traffic and more people talking about and linking to your site, search engines will pay more attention to you and as a result, your rankings will improve. It is every online marketer’s dream-come-true, and can also be yours, if you are up to the challenge and willing to put in the work.

About the Author:

Michael Jenkins heads up Shout Web Strategy, which is a leading web consultancy firm specializing in Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine marketing.

Shout is based in Melbourne and Singapore. For more information, visit http://www.shoutwebstrategy.com.au.

By Guest Blogger Sandra Martini:

We hear about “lifestyle businesses” all the time. . .you know:

• taking exotic vacations 4-5 times a year
• plane full? No worries, you have interest in a private jet
• taking limos everywhere with the girls

Sounds like “the life” – unless that’s not the life you want.

I posted a piece on my blog last week outlining “7 Reasons Blueprints Don’t Work” in business and I could have listed several more.

What blueprint and “A to Z” business models miss is that fact that we’re all unique. My goals aren’t your goals, our values may be different, our version of “the dream life” may be polar opposites.

It doesn’t make yours right and mine wrong or vice versa.  They’re just different.

I’ve designed – and keep refining – my business around my top values, the things which are important to me.  And I feel it’s important for you to do the same, for you.

Last year, I helped my Mum move to South Carolina.  I was supposed to be there 2-3 days.  We had more settling in to do so I stayed a few days longer.

Then one of her “babies” (Mini, pictured above) got very ill.  I stayed another week till she was out of danger.

All it took was a quick call to my hubby.  My clients knew only because I posted things on social media and was running a 30-day Blog Challenge at the time.

That, for me, is an important part of my lifestyle business.

What’s your definition?

Once you know your definition, it’s time to design – yep, actively be involved in creating rather than “letting it happen” – your business so you can support your desired life:

• Imagine being 100 years old, which memories make you smile the most?
• You’re pleased that you’ve made a substantive impact on the world – how’d you do that?
• When you think about the people you’ve worked with over the years, you absolutely glow – what were they like?
• Money’s not an issue for you, hasn’t been for several decades – why? How did you create it?
• In fact, you don’t feel like you ever really had a *job* to retire from.  How did you fill your most productive years (aka “What did you do?”)?

In designing your business, these are the questions we’ll be asking.  Everything you do should contribute to your goals for the above while supporting your values.

I’d love to hear your thoughts below about what constitutes your ideal lifestyle business.

About the Author:

Sandra Martini (www.SandraMartini.com), creator of Escalator Marketing™ and her proprietary Escalator Profits™ System, is a strategic marketing and productivity mentor who shows creative heart-based entrepreneurs how to create sustainable businesses without losing their integrity or their minds.

If you’re interested in reading my blog on why blueprints don’t work – click here:  “7 Reasons Blueprints Don’t Work” .