Keeping Your Head When All Else is Crumbling
One of the things that really has helped me in life is keeping calm when all around is going wrong. This is especially helpful at events where I must solve problems in real time and it’s not always evident that there’s a solution readily available. I have seen a real difference between those times when […]
Idiot Marketing Messages
Here are some examples of what I consider to be idiot marketing messages: Last chance to sign up is Friday! Hours left to save – register today! Early bird pricing extended! High-level content at ABC Conference! Elite Expertise at XYZ Summit! Breaking News: XYZ to keynote Acme Conference You may ask why I […]
Six steps to avoid event marketing disaster
Can your events marketing staff pivot away from disaster toward success? For most event companies, the answer is mostly no. They have staffs that were trained by ‘the book’ and struggle with the proper and timely response to negative results, often persisting with plans that are not working. Or, as the event looms ever closer, […]
Why looking out for #1 makes sense
One of my touchstone books is “Looking Out for Number One” Sounds like a selfish idea right? Wrong. Knowing what your needs are and ‘delivering’ them to yourself is a critical first step to making sound transactions and building lasting relationships. Of course, you need to meet the expectations of partners, customers and friends for […]
How to Master Attendee Acquisition When Launching a New Event
I have a few event launches under my belt, having been in the business for the past 28 years. Many elements of a launch are the same, regardless of the event, and there’s a proven formula for success. But first-time events are a different story. What is unique there is the need to get enough […]
Is Arrogance Professional Suicide?
I’ve worked with many confident people and, as is true with other Type A’s, I’ve had the occasion to clash with some of them. There were times when it was about agreement on performance metrics; other times it was a matter of how to get things done. With respect to the latter, I have come […]
Whose Attention is the New Currency?
The more attention you can commit to things, the more value you will derive. Unfortunately, it’s not a matter of awareness; attention spans are now shorter than ever and paying attention is a challenge. With the many information inputs available, people are easily distracted in ways that interfere with the focus needed to understand what […]
Gratitude is one of your biggest sales tools
Most of the sales people who I know have lots of confidence. With some, it might even border on arrogance. Confidence is a critical attribute for successful sales, as believing you can get a result is vital to making it happen. But another attribute is almost as important: the often-underappreciated trait of gratitude. Ridiculous, you […]
Your Network is Terrible and It Will Kill You
A couple of questions: Could you quickly secure a new job solely on the strength of your connections? Could you start a business and achieve self-sufficiency immediately based upon your connections? I suspect that the answer is ‘no’ to both questions, as it proved to be for me in December 2005 when I chose to […]
Take Responsibility for Your Actions
Recently I have started to notice a trend where people will blame others for situations that are truly their own responsibility. You probably know what – or who – I’m talking about. Can you sell or what? Typically, as a sales manager, I am fairly cautious when setting sales goals. Some would say that […]