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March 2nd update:
Get
value from your vendors
Gave a short talk on branding in Phoenix the other day. An interesting
question was raised: how do you get full value from folks you hire
to help? One person thought that issue was on the vendors. "Be
very clear about what you are going to get," she said.
I agree, due diligence is a smart move. Some folks will say anything
to get a client. As someone who both hires and gets hired, I think
return on investment rests more on the client. Three questions to
ask ourselves before we hold outsiders accountable:
- What is solving this problem worth to me?
- What am I willing to do to get what I say I want?
- And very important in this economy: what resources am I willing
to invest in meeting this need? (Over 75% of the incoming calls
I get can not answer this question. Seriously.)
Every problem has a price, both in time, effort, and in money.
Not only must we be clear on our needs, we must also be willing
to implement and invest in what we need. Perhaps
the due diligence starts with us.
February 25th update:
How
to get paid for association speaking
Good news for experts who want more speaking invites: associations
are looking to sponsors to pay your fees. That's a change from previous
arrangements, where industry groups courted more comprehensive relationships.
Now that Corporate America is tightening the purse strings, associations
are willing to take anything. Why speaking fees are a good target:
vendors can get in front of audiences with a five-minute mini-speech
before the main act. And better ROI (return on investment) than
those dang tote bags that get left behind in the hotel rooms.
February 23rd update:
A
unique take on tradeshows
Many associations are concerned about their tradeshows: keeping
the vendors and attendees coming back. A business model called hosted
buyer might be the solution by combining tradeshows, technology,
and sponsorships. Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA)
created PRIMEtime, an event where vendors get precious one-on-one
time with buyers at a fraction of the cost of a tradeshow booth.
Everybody is happy: vendors get access to buyers and can point to
new sales and bigger orders for their participation. Buyers only
see the folks they want to see. And the association gets a profitable
meeting that everyone wants to attend. Great example of innovative
ways to use meetings. Click
here for the case study.
February 18th update:
Make
the most of your track record
Finishing up my analysis on elevator speeches for the upcoming
Extreme Mini Makeovers and here's the biggest aha: people assume
that if you have done something more than once, you can do it again.
For them. The 'gotta have' folks use this assumption to their advantage.
The most intriguing intro's focus on one thing -- one specific
claim -- that opens the door for more conversation. The more specific
the better.
Example: a process consultant could say something like, "I'm
Billy Bob Jones, and I develop processes that save XXX companies
an average of a bazillion dollars."
Has Billy Bob done other things? Of course. But he focused on the
one thing that would get the most attention. And that's the second
secret: you can have more than one way to introduce yourself. Elevator
pitches are like domain names: you can have as many as you want.
Can't wait to unveil more specifics to creating these powerful
statements. If you want to join in the fun, it's not too late to
sign up. Click
here to get more info and to register.
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