Archive for the ‘Speaking’ Category
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Want to speak at corporate and association events? Then listen up: budgets are back…at 2008 levels. Even the big dawgs — like the insurance industry — have the budget blues, according to a small (100 respondents) study by Financial & Insurance Conference Planners (FICP). The good news: meetings are on top executives’ radar, so killer speeches will be noticed by high-level buyers. The bad news: doing more with less has resulted in meeting consolidations and more pressure on “value.” The new buzz word: prudent search. Translation: even if you offer reduced speaker fees and other goodies, buyers will keep looking for a better deal. So don’t expect your gimme’s to speed up the close.
Bottom line: Everyone — even those who can afford lavish events — are scaling back. Says one respondent: “the days of Bruce Springsteen singing at our event are over.” Bummer…
Tags: branding, Marketing, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Friday, February 19th, 2010
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 introductions 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.
Tags: elevator speech, Extreme Mini Makeovers, introduction, Marketing, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Talking with a lot of folks about their elevator speech. What I notice: people are putting way too much pressure on these two or three little sentences. They expect someone to say “Wow! I’m gonna hire you right now!!” Let’s stop and think. Do you really believe that happens? What the “gotta have” people get: a raised eyebrow and a “we need to talk” reaction from buyers they network with. That’s what I’m focused on for next week’s Extreme Mini Makeover call on introductions. Click here to check out my latest video rant on the subject.
What we all want from an elevator speech: to feel confident about how we describe what we do. And when we have that clarity, people we’re meeting want to know more. Hope my ideas can help…
Tags: elevator speeches, Extreme Mini Makeovers, introductions, Marketing, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, branding, strategy | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Theme for experts who speak: be a bargain. That’s what buyers are looking for now according to Meeting Professional International’s FutureWatch 2010. Top three concerns: budget cuts, doing more with less, and not having enough staff. Basically saying the same thing in three different ways: no money or time for frills. Get ready for intense negotiations on speaker fees. Your antidote: have no less than five things you are giving away — for free — for every paid speech.
Yes, there is good news: overall, respondents expect a 2.8 percent increase in meetings this year — especially the corporate market, where planners project a 3.6 percent increase. Click here for a free summary of FutureWatch 2010.
Tags: experts, meetings, Speaking, strategy, trends, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Interesting findings from CareerBuilder’s 2010 Job Forecast survey. Social media experts will have plenty of work this year, as organizations plan to restore their brands through these campaigns. Other big opportunities loom for hiring experts, as organizations invest in efforts ranging from recruiting a diverse workforce to finding top performers.
Bad news for meetings, especially in the association market: Corporate America will continue to cut travel expenses in this year. Why do we care? Because convention attendees won’t go unless their employers pay for travel. Which means attendance challenges will continue to dog these groups, which means less money for speakers. Their antidote: virtual meeting attendees for association conventions. Stay tuned…
Tags: Marketing, meetings, Speaking, strategy, trends, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Here we go again…Congress is asking 33 top medical societies for a list of funding sources going back to 2006. What are they looking for? Ties to the pharma and medical equipment industries. “Transparency” is the reason cited.
My prediction: look for a chilling effect. Pharma funding is big here and the last thing they want is an “AIG” incident. There’s no evidence that conference content is bought and paid for — and that doesn’t matter. Watch for even more scrutiny on the horizon. The antidote: independent content from folks like us. Look for topics on soft skills and running a better practice. It won’t completely replace clinical education — just a safe alternative.
Tags: education, Marketing, medical societies, pharma, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Health, Marketing, Speaking, branding, strategy | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Think the AIG effect has gone away? Think again. A recent survey by Ypartnership reports that “35 percent of respondents would plan fewer meetings in 2010 because of image / publicity / public policy considerations.” Ouch! That translates to an estimated $2.5 billion in lost economic impact.
The industry’s response is a PR campaign — “Face time. It matters.” Yet another clue that two things — interactive experiences and education — take center stage this year. Position your expertise accordingly…
Tags: branding, education, interactive experiences, meetings, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
There’s a reason why I live in Phoenix and I remembered it while speaking in Boston last weekend. Good news: they have heaters there so I didn’t freeze.
What really hit home: buyers decide how bad they need us based on the information we give them. What we say about ourselves and our work determines whether we are the “gotta have” solution to buy now or the “nice to have” resource buyers can pass by. That’s why I’m focused on helping folks say the rights things this year. I created Extreme Mini Makeovers 2010 as a combo of one-on-one hot seats in a group setting. And with the online coupon, money can’t be an excuse for not getting the help. Click here to get the schedule and to sign up.
Tags: Extreme Mini Makeovers, makeovers, Marketing, solutions, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, branding, strategy | 4 Comments »
