Everything I’ve Learned About LinkedIn (so far)

Over the past six weeks I’ve learned a lot about LinkedIn; reading articles, attending webinars and in general just playing and experimenting with it. With my recently launched LinkedIn group, I thought it would benefit everyone to share what I’ve learned…

Why Use It

In my opinion, LinkedIn is the social media tool for business professionals. Nothing against Facebook, Twitter or any of the others but LinkedIn is the preferred tool for professional online networking.

Your Profile

Setting up a profile is free and easy to do in a few minutes. To populate your profile fully will likely take you a couple hours. Not that it’s complicated; it just takes time to get used to their terminology and how the fields all work together.

The Power of Search

The most important thing about your profile is the search function. There is a search function in the top navigation bar on LinkedIn and users not only use this to search a specific person’s name, but also search company names, skills, expertise, geography, etc. The more detailed your profile is, the LinkedIn search function will match your profile against millions of daily searches. In addition, LinkedIn provides these search results to Google (and other search engines) so anyone searching Google can also find your profile. This is very powerful marketing for you as an individual and/or organization.

Virtual Rolodex

On Facebook it’s called “friends”, on LinkedIn its called “connections”. The benefit of building your connections on LinkedIn is it becomes your virtual rolodex. As professionals in your network change jobs or get promoted, they update their profile and thus update your rolodex automatically. The biggest benefit to using LinkedIn as your rolodex is you can export your LinkedIn contacts…something the other social media sites currently do not offer.

Content is King

This is not specific to LinkedIn; using any social media network to simply promote your product or service will not be received well nor will it replace traditional marketing efforts. Contributing or starting discussions that are genuine comments, expert advice or insights will gain you more respect faster than straight up solicitation. If I like your advice or comment, I will look at your profile and contact you directly.

Instant Intelligence

In addition to building your network of people, you can also follow companies. The benefit here is you can see new hires, promotions/changes, departures and new job opportunities. This kind of intelligence provides insights like employee turnover and new initiatives via promotions, changes and new hires. As an individual seeking new opportunity or as an organization looking to keep tabs on your competitors, this instant intelligence is valuable.

Bonus Stuff

iPad app - I personally find the LinkedIn iPad app not very good at all and would not recommend using it. I log into the site with my Safari web browser and have much better access around the site.

FastCompany.com – check out this recent article “How LinkedIn Today Will Change Your Social Media Life” http://www.fastcompany.com/1737349/how-linkedin-today-will-change-your-social-media-life

If you have any questions about LinkedIn please feel free to contact me or post them as a comment. Naturally, if you have some tips/advice of you own now would be an ideal time to share (see Content is King above).

Looking forward to seeing you online!

Steve

thestevereport@gmail.com

How to Network at an Industry Function

First Posted December 3, 2010

For those of us who are industry dinosaurs, you take this skill for granted. But here are a few must-do’s before, during and after attending an industry event that will make the most of your investment in time and money.

Before the Event

Set goals – too many people ‘just show up’ and don’t get anything out of the event. If the attendee list is available, pre-screen it and target 10 people to approach. If the attendee list isn’t available, set a goal to come away with 10 new business cards or shake hands with 25 people. Always, always, always bring plenty of business cards.

During the Event

Here are some ideas that work no matter how many people you know…
• At a networking event, don’t try to sell your product or service; you can book a follow-up meeting for that. Instead, try to connect with the person. What topics do you share an interest in? Kids, pets, hobbies, travel, etc. Don’t ask, “so what do you do?” That won’t build a relationship; it will only tell the person you aren’t interested in them. One of my favorite questions is, “where did you grow up?” Often this reveals that you have a connection (‘six degrees of separation’ theory).
• If you know the person, ask something specific about them. “How are your kids doing?” “Are you going south again for your vacation?” This reinforces that you are a good listener and value your relationship.
• It’s scary to attend an event, by yourself, where you don’t know anyone. How do you start a conversation? Use available tools. A food station or bar, for instance, is a gathering point. Strike up a conversation about the cheese or local wine. Once you’ve engaged someone, introduce yourself. Then play the ‘newbie card.’ Tell them this is your first event; ask, “have you been attending for a lot of years?” I often meet many other first-timers looking to make a connection by asking this question. If they are an ‘old-timer,’ ask if they can introduce you to a few people; you’ll be surprised how open most people are to this request.
• You can always lean on the event organizer. If meeting new people is not your strength, ask the organizer if he/she can introduce you to someone who can take you under their wing. After all, it’s in their best interest that you have a good experience and return.

After the Event

If you meet someone new and exchange business cards, drop them an e-mail the next day to say how nice it was to meet them. Depending on your conversation, you could request a connection on LinkedIn or another social-media site. If there was a follow-up item from your conversation, then make sure you deliver on your promise within 24 hours. You’ve obviously made a great first impression – follow through on it!

Making iGoogle Work for You

First Posted October 19, 2010

iGoogle allows you to build a customized homepage that scours the Internet and brings you customized information, in real time, that is only of interest to you. Here are my favourite iGoogle widgets and how I use them.

Within iGoogle, you can actually set up several pages (think tabs in a binder). Below is a summary of my personal tab; I also have another tab set up for global industry RSS feeds. It may take you some time to get your homepage just how you like it, but when you do, it will save you hours of time, since you only need to check one website – versus a dozen – to get the information you want. If you have your own favourite widget(s), please share them!

Google Analytics Blog – This daily blog provides tips and tricks to get the most out of your Google Analytics and maximize your online performace and productivity.

Google Research Blog – I’ll quickly admit this blog is not for the faint of heart. The topics cover what Google is researching to develop next (a.k.a. what Google considers the future). You may not understand the technical terms, but it is interesting to see what they are working on.

Google Hot Trends – This is a cool widget; it displays the top 10 searched terms in Google in real time.

The Globe & Mail | CBC | Google News – These three sites constantly provide breaking news and their widgets bring the breaking news directly to my home page.

Facebook – This feed allows me to see the most recent status updates of my friends without having to visit my Facebook page. For those of you that are not allowed to surf Favebook at work, this widget might allow you to work around your firewalls!

TSN.ca Top Stories | ESPN.com NFL – The best part about making a customized homepage is you can mix business with pleasure in one location. I like to follow the NFL and sports in general and this widget gives me the recent news as it happens.

Today’s Horoscope | People.com – I keep these two on my home page for pure fun. I consider horoscopes like my daily smile and People.com reassures me that fame & money is not all it’s cracked up to be!

Social Capital vs. Social Media

First Posted October 19, 2010

Although they sound the same and appear to be similar, these are two very different notions that are often confused and combined with costly results.

I was reading the recent white paper The Future of Meetings: The Case for Face-to-Face, written by Christine Duffy of Maritz Travel Company and Mary Beth McEuen of The Maritz Institute. This is a good read and will help you understand why and when events are the best medium versus virtual meetings.

The white paper delves into Social Capital and it occurred to me that this often gets confused with Social Media. Social Capital is the value of human relationships, communities and social networks within an organization (or industry). Physical Capital and Human Capital are often associated with productivity; however, Social Capital is the collective resilience, agility and will to succeed that is necessary for business success.

Social Media gets a lot of publicity and most Canadian planners use social media for either business or personal reasons (specifically Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn). The problem is, most people attribute Social Media with developing your network and staying connected. After all, it’s reassuring to see that you have 553 friends on Facebook or see that your LinkedIn network is 2,889,500-plus, three degrees away. These stats trick us into believing we have a high net worth of Social Capital, when in fact, we can have big stats and potentially have zero Social Capital value.

We need to remember that Social Media is only a tool that supports Social Capital. Face-to-face events, whether internal to an organization or an industry, allow us to develop relationships, social networks and sense of community. Social Media simply provides a medium to continue developing your Social Capital, just like the telephone can.

Organizations that mix these two notions up and don’t invest in Social Capital will find themselves at a significant business disadvantage. With regards to our business-events industry, this means you need to get out from behind your computer (and BlackBerry), interact with your peers and develop your and your organizations’ Social Capital.

Unleash Your Event Potential

First Posted October 14, 2010

Do you buy lottery tickets? If you spent $5 on a ticket and won nothing, then your return on investment (ROI) is -100 per cent. If your ticket won $10, then your return is +100 per cent. This is the same simple math that should be applied to your meetings and events.

The simplest ROI question you can expect concerns budget. Did you come in on, under or over budget? Answering this question after the event is critical. However, answering it accurately before the event—ideally, weeks before—is the difference between simply planning an event and being an expert meeting planner.

If your meeting is tied to a new product, is customer-focused or involves sales training and development, then you can anticipate the following ROI question: Did revenues increase as a result of that event? This could be as simple as asking the right question on your post-event survey. For example, will you buy more product(s) as a result of attending the meeting? If the majority of the respondents answer ‘yes,’ you’ve just proven ROI.

Qualitative goals such as team-building are admittedly harder to measure. Using surveys allows your organization to measure employee attitudes. If possible, conduct a survey three months before, right after and three months after your meeting. The survey should ask the same questions each time and ask people to agree or disagree with statements like, ‘I’m happy at work;’ ‘I feel connected to my peers;’ and ‘there is good communication amongst the team.’

Calculating ROI can seem daunting, but in truth, ROI is not complicated or scary. Your organization invests in meetings and it should not be a lottery-like result if they deliver a return-on-investment or not. As a meeting-planning professional, you are, increasingly, expected to calculate and demonstrate the ROI of an event. There are several tools, calculators, courses and experts that are available to you. I encourage you to find them and use them. If you can’t find them or don’t understand them, you can contact me and I will help you.

Steve’s 5 Favourite Business Books

First Posted September 21, 2010

How do I define a favourite book? When I go back to it three times or more to reference its key messages. And no…The Cat In The Hat did not make the list.

1. Good to Great, by Jim Collins
I’m a big believer in stealing successful ideas. This book examines 11 companies that made the good-to-great transition. The lessons contained are applicable to any organization. First Sentence: “Good is the enemy of great.”

2. Machiavelli on Modern Leadership, by Michael A. Ledeen
I first read this book 20 years ago and fully admit I’m a closet history buff. Niccoló Machiavelli was a 16^th Century Italian political thinker and historical figure best remembered for his masterpiece, The Prince, written in 1513. First Sentence: “If you’re going to lead, you’ve got to fight.”

3. The One Thing You Need to Know, by Marcus Buckingham
This book has nothing to do with Curly from the movie City Slickers. Rather, this book helps you filter the many options, opportunities and pressures to focus on your best strategy. First Sentence: “Get me to the core.”

4. What Sticks, by Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart
Why most advertising fails and how to guarantee your success. My favorite lesson from this book: in a business competition, culture will eat strategy for lunch. If you have a great strategy but a bad culture, you’ll lose. First Sentence: “Marketing is failing: CEOs sense it; top markets know it; and our research proves it.”

5. The Art of War, by Sun-tzu
I first read this book after seeing the movie Wall Street in the 80s. The original book has hundreds of translations and has spawned a number of books that analyze its contents. My edition was translated by Ralph D. Sawyer. The first sentence comes after 160-plus pages of introduction, historical background, summary of the Dynastic Periods and notes on the translation itself. First Sentence: “Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Way (Tao) to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed.”

To Panic or Not to Panic

First Posted September 20, 2010

Many of us are well into our 2011 planning and by most accounts, meetings activity and budgets are expected to increase. A short 24 months ago, the industry was panicking; we were under attack and our very existence was in question. Did we learn anything from the past two years?

Think back to fall, 2008: the AIG effect was not yet an effect…it was still an event. The global banking system was unravelling like cassette tape getting eaten during your favorite song…too fast and very permanent. Meetings were being cancelled as organizations had to curb spending to keep up with falling revenues.

When you are drinking from a fire hose, it’s easy. However, when the meetings-revenue-tap got turned off, the industry panicked. We were not organized, we could not justify ourselves, we didn’t have consistent messaging – heck, we couldn’t even agree who we should be talking to, let alone what to say to them.

Now that the revenue tap seems to be running again, the need to panic is over. Did we learn our lesson or are we content to simply have survived the recession? I believe, sadly, as an industry, we are happy to have just survived. What we really need to do is learn from this experience, continue to work towards being a cohesive industry with one voice and one message. We need to develop our government and media relations, so that when the next recession comes – and it will – we are prepared and can justify that meetings and events are critical for organizations to survive.

The Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada was formed during the past two difficult years. As our industry’s panic has declined, so has our perceived need to come together. This initiative should not be abandoned – rather, it should be fostered. Think about how much we could accomplish when we don’t have a loaded gun pointed at our head.

The Top 10 Rules for Selling to Meeting Planners

First Posted July 16, 2010

Everyone loves lists, so here are my Top 10 Rules for selling to meeting planners.

1.   You must inspire.
This works in both personal and professional applications. Nobody wants a partner who’s uninspired. Find inspiration in what you do or stop doing it!

2.   Benefits, benefits, benefits.
This does not mean how a partnership benefits you, but how it benefits your clients and prospects. Nothing turns a planner off faster than “how my business can benefit you (and not me).”

3.   Believe in your product.
Ever heard the saying, ‘that guy can sell ice to an Eskimo?’ That’s because of a strong, real belief that your product or service will truly help your client. If you don’t believe it will help, neither will the person listening.

4.   Learn their product.
It amazes me how many suppliers call me within 30 days of an event asking if I need a venue, audiovisual or registration services (for example). If you want to win a planner’s business, find out when they are sourcing suppliers and what their decision timeline is…and then follow Rule #7.

5.   Understand seasonal demand.
This should be obvious, but common sense isn’t always so common. Our industry is very busy in the spring and fall (on average). So don’t be shocked when we can’t attend FAMs, client-appreciation days or even make a lunch meeting in the peak months. Often, planners want to get to know your product better but the timing just isn’t good.

6.   Repeat past successes.

7.   Be a hunter.
Being time-pressed is a state of being for everyone in the industry. Planners rely on you to bring them the latest information and follow-up when we ask. Make sure your day includes as much prospecting and following-up to requests and questions as it does servicing existing clients. Your prospects will thank you for it with contracts.

8.   Be a knowledge broker.
We all know planners who organize one meeting a year. After a couple of years, they think they know how to plan every type of meeting or event; they simply don’t know what they don’t know. If your business is a success, you should be working with dozens, if not hundreds, of meetings each year. Share your knowledge and experience; it can only make your client look better!

9.   Get good at paperwork.
Planners live and die in the details…and the details are always well-documented. If your paperwork is wrong, incorrect or just missing stuff, then you are wasting an opportunity to renew that client in the future. Good paperwork makes the planner’s job easier.

10. Make their job easy.
Do whatever it takes to help your client either pre- or onsite. Even the offer to stuff bags, move boxes or buy (and deliver) a round of coffee is always appreciated and remembered.

Work Hard, Play Harder

First Posted June 21, 2010

It always amazes me how hard we work and the odd hours we keep, both planners and suppliers. Even more astounding, arguably, is how well-balanced everyone in the industry is. Here are some fun industry observations as we enter the hot days of summer…

Connected & Free – It’s rare when I meet someone without a BlackBerry or smart phone. Commonly referred to as the ‘office leash,’ it does allow us be truly mobile and stay on top of things. I’m as guilty as the next for never putting it down, but it allows me the freedom to walk away from the office and still be connected.

Counting Hours – For most of us, we are afraid to count the hours/week we work. I’m always a little surprised when I send out a group e-mail after 5:00 p.m. on a Friday and have 50-per-cent or more of the group replying before midnight and the other half Saturday morning. I know we work a lot of hours – and a lot of weird hours – but we do still manage to take time for ourselves, our family and friends and what’s important to us.

Alcoholics Anonymous – At a recent lunch with a colleague, the topic of alcohol in the industry came up. Being in the industry, there is always access to alcohol – and it’s usually free. We were delighted to be in agreement that for the most part, our industry is very responsible when it comes to booze. There are relatively few (obvious) cases of alcoholics or drinking and driving charges. I’d like to think it’s because we don’t rely on alcohol to deal with the stresses of work (at least not entirely!).

The V-word – Vacation…we all talk about it, think about it, dream about it. And in this industry, we all take it. Maybe because we are good at planning ahead or because we’re used to travelling, regardless of the reason, just about everyone I know in the industry takes vacation. Maybe this, and this alone, is the sole reason so many of us can wear as many hats as we do and not implode. If you haven’t booked your 2010 vacation yet, I challenge you to do it before July 1.

Are Smart Tags Dumb?

First Posted June 21, 2010

You may have heard about Smart Tags or seen one in a magazine. What are they? How do they work? Do they work? And how can they help me monetize my print marketing efforts?

What’s a Tag? In its simplest form, a Tag is a bar code that your smart phone (i.e. BlackBerry or iPhone) can “read” and convert into an action. There are a variety of providers who use different hooks to make their product unique. “Tags” are Microsoft’s version and are free to everyone.

How do they work? Anyone who has a smart phone with a camera phone can use a Tag; it’s as simple as taking a picture. When you create a Tag, you can link it to an action such as opening a web page or sending an e-mail. The user just has to download a simple and free app and they can “read” any Tag.

Do they work? Tags are still very new but are catching on globally, fast. You can insert a Tag into just about any print media (magazine ads, billboards, business cards, T-shirts, etc.) and it instantly connects that print media with the online and mobile medium. There are thousands of websites on Tags, best practices and white papers, with proven case studies using this technology to engage customers and prospects.

How do I know they work? The back-end reporting on your Tag(s) is very good. You can see not only how many times it was “read,” but what day of the week, too. As an advertiser, try inserting a Tag into your next ad, coupled with an incentive. For example: “For a free $10 Starbucks gift card, snap this Tag”, and have the tag linked to your e-mail. You then see first-hand how your print advertising can generate immediate leads, straight to your smart phone.

First we plan…and then we pray

First Posted June 4, 2010

You’ve spent hundreds of hours planning, communicating, double- and triple-checking and it’s finally here: The Night Before Your Meeting. Everything is on track, speakers and VIPs are en route, the facility is ready to go, all your gear is present and accounted for and you’ve set four alarms for the morning, so you don’t sleep in. The only thing left to do now is pray.

Pray for a smooth show, that everyone attends, there are no emergencies or fires — although you are prepared if they arise. But how will you know if the meeting is a success? There’s likely a public thank-you from the podium, several “great job” comments or “lunch was amazing” kudos. The buzz was fantastic and the education component sparked dialogue both in and out of the sessions. Somehow, you’re expected to measure this and put it all on paper.

As meeting planners, if we’ve done our job well, nobody knows we’re even at the meeting. We love to operate behind the curtain, a la The Wizard of Oz, living two hours ahead of the attendees, anticipating everything. More and more, we are also expected to be strategic planners as much as we are meeting planners. This means clearly understanding the goals and objectives of the event months in advance, and building every element of the meeting to feed those goals. It also means you are responsible to craft a post-show survey that captures, and measures, how effective your meeting is against those goals.

It is this measurement, of the value of meetings, that makes the difference between good meetings and great meetings. Through formal education or years of experience, many of us are skilled in the tactics of meeting planning. Fewer of us, though, are skilled in strategic planning. It is this skill that we need to develop, as individuals and as an industry.

What Makes a Good Marketing Campaign?

First Posted May 21, 2010

The most common challenge marketers face is measuring the impact of their campaign efforts. We’re all de-sensitized to the gimmicks, tricks, branding, sex-and-beer tactics; your campaign needs to do one thing – make people buy your product or service. Here are some ideas on how to accomplish just that…

First, know the audience you are addressing and speak their language. The best example out there today is the tampon commercial set during a mixed-martial-arts event. Make sure you really understand who is reading, watching, looking at or showing up to your chosen marketing vehicle. Knowing the demographic allows you to not only make sure your message is reaching the right audience, but also ensures they are in the right frame of mind, or context, to receive your message.

Now think about the magazine you flipped through or website you surfed; how long did the ads have (in time) to make an impression? Seconds or less, I’m sure. Far too often, advertisements try to tell the reader too many things or stories. To quote Ken Wong, marketing and brand expert (with Queen's University), learn about what it means to ‘make a brand promise’ and the implications of not meeting or exceeding that promise. Pick one message, theme or promise statement and promote only that one thought – over and over and over.

The next one is a pet peeve of mine…the call to action. I can’t tell you how often someone runs an ad with a pretty picture and their logo and then wonders why their phone didn’t ring. Planners are time-strapped; if you are asking them to work to find your website or, worse, your phone number, then don’t be surprised if they call someone else. Make it easy for the reader/user to contact you – and give them a reason to! The call to action must be something that helps the planner, not you. Ask your clients for suggestions. You could offer discounts, upgrades, time-limited offers, points, gift cards (Starbucks or something for personal use) or premium items (letter openers, USBs, clothing, etc). It never ceases to amaze me what people will do for a free T-shirt.

There are thousands of books on marketing. I’m not trying to over-simplify the gazillion-dollar advertising industry…rather, I just want to ensure that you are following the fundamentals.

Post-Event Depression

First Posted May 21, 2010

Ask most planners and they will tell you…generally, people have no idea what they do, the stress they deal with and the fires they put out (that no one ever knows about). Post-event depression is real and here are a few tips to help your current and prospective clients deal with it.

Let’s set some ground rules: This doesn’t necessarily happen at every event and you can correctly assume higher stress surrounding an event corresponds to the amount of post-event depression a planner experiences.

Planners deal with post-event-stress-relief in different ways. Some may retreat to their home and sleep/hibernate for 24 hours (or more). Others may need to blow off some steam and get together with friends for a round of golf, a night out or a girls’ weekend. And for those who are planning multiple events simultaneously, they may save it up and, once a month, need a combination of spa and massage therapy to work out the knots in their feet, back and neck. Regardless of the remedy, the common thread is that in this ‘do more with less’ economy, planners need downtime, just like everyone else.

For suppliers, this means a few things. First, don’t call/e-mail the day after the event with your service-survey and expect an immediate response. Second, if you want to score some brownie points, find out what the planner does to relax and tailor your thank-you gift to suit that client’s needs. I can’t tell you how many spa packages I’ve received as thank-you gifts and given them away (sorry) to my team to use for their post-event treat. You don’t have to spend piles of money to achieve this result; even knowing their favourite kind of tea and buying them a little sample will be very much appreciated.

We all talk about relationships and how important they are. The best way to ensure loyalty and, ultimately, repeat business, is to remember to treat your client like a human being first; respect that they are under as much stress as anyone and helping them deal with it after a successful event will be remembered for a very long time…not to mention the great word of mouth you will receive.

What’s an Audit Statement?

First Posted April 20, 2010

If part or all of your job description includes marketing, you should know what an audit statement is, how it works and how it can protect your buy. Don’t throw your marketing dollars away without knowing what questions to ask and when to ask them.

Definition – An audit is when a media/publishing company hires a third party company to come in and verify the circulation and audience they claim to reach are both real and true. Audit statements are most commonly associated with magazines and newspapers. Audit statements are not mandatory; each publisher has the choice to spend the money to have an audit performed on their business. The two industry leading audit organizations, ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) and BPA Worldwide provide a publisher with a statement that verifies the distribution and type of reader they reach.

One of the first marketing questions you should ask is if a publication has an audit statement. If they do not, you as the buyer have no third-party verification that they are, in fact, mailing all the copies they claim to, nor do you have the assurance they are, in fact, reaching the audience they are claiming to reach. To mitigate the distribution question, feel free to ask the publication for a Canada Post mailing receipt. If they claim to mail 15,000 copies, then ask for a copy of the receipt from Canada Post that shows they mailed all 15,000 copies. This won’t show who received the copies (i.e. if they mailed all 15,000 to themselves), but will prove the distribution.

The areas within an audit statement that you want to understand are:
Section 3A. This section describes who the readers are. It can be by job classification or function. This proves that the publication reaches the prospects you are targeting.Section 3B. This section shows not only that the publication is mailing all the copies they claim, but also show how they built their list. Often the ‘business lists’ source is one of the largest components of a magazine’s circulation; meaning they are simply renting a list and mailing to it. Buyer Beware – There is no guarantee these rented lists are current and fresh and you have no way of checking or verifying that they are.

Conclusion – An audit gives you the assurance that your marketing dollars are going into a publication that can unequivocally prove its reach and audience…and removes any questions of doubt about that publication.

7 Types of Suppliers Planners Avoid

First Posted April 20, 2010

At times, meeting planners can be a fickle bunch. But don’t forget we’re human too. Check out seven of the quickest ways to crash and burn with clients and prospects.

1. Verbal Diarrhea – As a rule, planners love to talk about themselves and the programs/problems they are working on. Know when to shut up and listen; by doing this you might be able to become part of the solution. If you don’t turn off the verbal spew, then you definitely won’t be part of any solution.

2. The Frat Boy – As a planner, I’ll be honest with you and when I tell you “No,” believe me. Don’t continue to try and change my mind. You are only damaging your credibility and closing the door to future consideration. Respect my decision and tell me you’ll call me in six months or a year to see if anything has changed.

3. The Stalker – This trait has been popular during tough times. When given a small sign that the planner might have business to book with you, you end up smothering the prospect (and clients too) trying to over-service and close the deal. Ask questions that will get the planner talking, offer ideas and solutions and you will win the business.

4. The Dealmaker – There is ample research that shows people will pay more for the same product if the service, trust and relationship are there. Don’t assume that offering a discount or the best deal is a sure-fire way to getting the business. Most planners know how to negotiate the deal they need.

5. The Magician – A planner spends hours working with the account manager to get a contract (and relationship) in place only to never see or hear from that person again once it’s signed. The planner gets handed over to catering and banquets, and the sales manager moves on to the next sale. This is the fastest way NOT to get repeat business from a client.

6. The Know-It-All – Not related to the Stephen King novel, this supplier presumes to know what the planner needs/wants based on their products/services. You have two ears and one mouth, practice using them in that ratio. Get the client/prospect talking (by asking open-ended questions) and let them tell you what they need. Then match their needs to your product(s).
And last but not least…

7. The Adulterer – Enough said!

Summary – If you have taken any sales training or read a ‘how-to’ sales book, the above seven should not be a surprise to you. However, it is surprising how many suppliers don’t practice these tried-and-true best practices. If you find yourself falling into one of the stereotypes, stop what you are doing, walk around the block and get back on track to being a professional supplier for our industry.

The 12 Benefits of Volunteering

First Posted March 18, 2010

I firmly believe in the saying, ‘you only get out of things as much as you put into them.’ Our industry is a people industry and if you want to make connections, you need to engage people face-to-face. One of the best ways to accomplish that is by volunteering. Here’s why…

I’ve been an active volunteer in the industry for over 15 years, across at least seven different associations, large and small, national and local. I am the person I am today in part due to those volunteer roles and responsibilities over the years. Regardless of the size, budget or task required, volunteering has allowed me to grow both as an industry professional and expert, and professionally in my career in ways I did not expect.

12 Benefits of Volunteering

1.   Build deep industry relationships, globally, that you would not have had the opportunity to develop otherwise.

2.   Be known as a “do-er” and people will call you.

3.   Learn how associations and not-for-profit organizations operate.

4.   Improve your communication skills (practicing outside your organization never hurts).

5.   Learn about government relations and lobbying efforts.

6.   Have fun and laugh. Your peers are there because they choose to be and this is a great environment to work in.

7.   Learn how to lead and manage people.

8.   Learn – the conversations you have before and after volunteer meetings are sometimes more important and valuable than you could ever imagine. Learn about your peer’s challenges as they are happening, and possibly become part of the solution.

9.   Be respected as an expert.

10. Grow your reputation as someone who is knowledgeable and caring about our industry and its health.

11. Marketing – the face-to-face time you spend is a form of marketing for you and your organization.

12. Get the gossip – like most industries, ours is one of musical chairs. Associations are a great way to keep on top of not just who’s who, but who’s where, too!

Conclusion
There is no excuse not to get involved in any one of our industry’s 20-plus associations. If you want to make deep and lasting relationships with customers and prospects, there is no better way than rolling up your sleeves and showing off your stuff elbow-to-elbow. Take it from me; the time you invest will pay off in spades.

Modern Warfare

First Posted March 18, 2010

Generally regarded as either a video game or the best practices of engaging in the act of war, modern warfare can also be defined as the concepts, methods and technologies that have come into use and are now widespread as a result of highly advanced information technology. Our industry has to either accept this as our modern warfare, or lose the war.

The Challenge: The meetings industry is at war with every other marketing medium out there (print, online, outdoor, direct mail, television, etc.). Like every other medium, meetings need to justify our investment and provide ROI.

The Solution: I like to study history, especially the strategy of wars. One lesson our meetings industry could steal is to form a strategic alliance with a strong partner, the results of which are 1 + 1 is more than 2.

I’m often asked what our industry’s greatest challenges are and the answer is never static. One challenge I see is the lack of integration between technology and events. Yes, online registration is as common as a coffee break, but that does not mean we are integrated. The online industry has experienced double-digit growth since the dot-com bubble burst, and is projected to continue growing at a rapid pace for years to come. We know, from the MPI Foundation Canada’s Canadian Economic Impact Study, that meetings in Canada from 2006 to 2008 were stable – but did not experience significant growth. From Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine's 2010 Market Report, we know the meetings industry in Canada shrunk by 13 per cent in 2009 and is forecasted to increase 14 per cent in 2010, again resulting in flat growth, at best.

The popular topic of the day is ‘value for meetings’ or ‘return on investment.’ I do agree that our industry needs to be better at providing such answers. Every other marketing medium has metrics and tools in place to measure their impact. For meetings, I believe information technology can provide us with the tools that will give us those metrics.

The term ‘modern warfare’ encompasses strategy, tactics, organization, logistics and people – all core elements of our industry. We need to apply modern warfare to our meetings and events, and use technology to prove our audiences are better engaged and learn as a result of face-to-face events. Online tools such as blogs, forums, social media, chat rooms, intranets, etc., that are part of our daily culture can easily be applied to meetings – demonstrating the value of meetings, if by no other metric than one of pure engagement.

The meetings industry needs to form a strategic alliance with online, not just to survive, but to grow as we know we can.

5 Olympic Lessons

First Posted February 22, 2010

Olympic fever has swept the nation and there are excellent lessons that can be learned from the Vancouver Olympics that apply to our industry and your business.

Treat Each Day Like it’s Your Last – We’ve all seen motivational speakers who have overcome near-death experiences. Often, their message is, “treat each day like it’s your last.” With the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, I realized that expression is exemplified by those athletes who died doing what they love. Lesson: Be happy in your professional and personal life. Life is too short to be miserable.

Meeting Expectations – Own the Podium is a commendable goal for Canada’s Olympic athletes. However, if this expectation isn’t met, a big, dark cloud will hang over future athletes. In your business, if you are going to make a claim or promise, deliver on it. You need to be golden with every one of your clients and prospects. As the saying goes, “you don’t win silver, you lose gold.”

Elevator Pitch – As a Canadian watching the opening ceremonies, I was disappointed. I understand that the ceremonies were scaled back due to the recession, but the messages did not reflect who and what we are as a country. In your business, if you had the opportunity to tell 3.5-billion prospects your message, what would it be? You, and everyone in your organization, should know your ‘elevator pitch’ and be able to recite it on command. If you don’t have an elevator pitch, listen to your best customers; their words are your foundation.

Fix Mistakes Fast – As I’m writing this, controversy swirls around the waterfront Olympic flame and the chain-link fence barring people from getting close to it. We all make mistakes. It’s best to address them head-on and implement a solution. People admit mistakes, but without a fix, it becomes wasted words. I don’t know what the solution is in the flame-and-fence scenario. I just know they are slow to admit their mistake and even slower to fix it.

The Secret to Success – In 29 seconds, Alex Bilodeau won gold for Canada in the men’s moguls. It might appear easy to train for four years for a 30-second burst. But the 22-year-old has been skiing for 20 years, training for more than eight years, suffered injuries and pain, and worked with sports psychologists to sharpen his competitive edge. Many of our younger peers only see us veterans for what we are today; our gold medal in 30 seconds. It is important to understand that years of blood, sweat and tears have gone into our individual successes. Far too often, we want immediate gratification; sometimes, the secret to success is old-fashioned hard work.

5 New Year’s Resolutions for the Industry

First Posted Januray 15, 2010

Given it’s a new decade, in addition to a new year, it’s time we looked in the mirror and gave ourselves a stiff talking-to. Feel free to agree, disagree, argue or add to my Top 5 industry resolutions…

1. Balance your chequebook – After reviewing the results of Meeting & Incentive Travel magazine's Annual Market Report Survey, there is no question measuring the ROI (return on investment) of events is still in the dark ages. The top-two metrics used to measure an event’s success are ‘attendance numbers’ and ‘attendee satisfaction surveys.’ While ‘smile sheets’ will always be important, there is no correlation to the financial impact, gain, or business done at the 673,000-plus meetings held annually in Canada (Source: MPIFC Canadian Economic Impact Study) If we’re going to evolve as a professional industry, then we need to develop and use a common yardstick to measure the events we plan.

2. Take the dog for a walk – Our industry depends on people getting out from behind their computer and leaving the office/home. If we aren’t prepared to attend industry events, then what kind of example are we setting for our clients and attendees? Events for the meetings industry should be some of the largest in the world. We need to be leading the pack (pardon the dog pun) in strong, face-to-face events.

3. Be a good Boy Scout / Girl Guide – Having been raised through Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, we were always taught to leave a campsite the way we found it…or better. The recession has overshadowed the need for our industry to improve its green practices during the past 18 months. As we come out of this recession, we must be aware that our industry is exposed to public criticism regarding our massive carbon footprint. In Canada alone, there are over 70-million participants annually at meetings (Source: MPIFC Canadian Economic Impact Study) . We need to establish best practices, which are affordable, to offset what could be another major attack on our industry.

4. Go Back to School – Admittedly, this may be a perennial resolution of mine. Our industry has far too many accreditation programmes; I can name at least 12 off the top of my head. If you were going to build a bridge, you hire an engineer. You would not want to learn that there are 12 different accreditations of engineers, right? You would want to know your bridge is being built to the highest standard of the entire industry. Meeting planning is no different. Until we, as an industry – at least in North America – can agree and adopt one accreditation for meeting planning, we will continue to be misunderstood and underappreciated.

5. Get Organized – Just after Christmas, I had the pleasure of flying to the U.S., target of the failed ‘underwear bomber attack’. Being an advocate of the travel industry, I try to find the positive in any dark cloud. But the reality is, non-domestic air travel today is not a pleasant experience. Our industry needs to support whatever technology is required (i.e. body scanners) that makes air travel as simple, easy and safe as getting in your car and driving to the corner store. If we don’t get organized and figure out airport security, then the ‘travel’ side of our industry could cripple thousands of annual meetings.

How to Be Memorable to Meeting Planners

First Posted January 15, 2010

In our industry, supplier-salespeople can sometimes be about as memorable as the Tim Horton’s counter person who serves me my cup of coffee. In many ways, supplier-sales-people exhibit the same attitude: that I will return as a customer because of your location, unique product or service. While that might be an acceptable business strategy for Tim’s, it is not acceptable in the meetings industry.

Nothing against Tim’s, but I’m going to come back for the coffee regardless if my counter person made an impression or not. And let’s agree…you can’t compare a $1.50 cup of coffee to a $50,000, two-day conference for 300 people. But will a meeting planner return if my salesperson did not make a good impression? Maybe not. But in this economy, ‘maybes’ can turn into a ‘no’ very quickly.

To help you cut through and make a memorable impression with meeting planners, here are some ideas for you to make you stand out.

Handwritten thank-you notes – The temptation to replace this personal touch with an e-mail is overwhelming. But a handwritten note is harder to “delete.” Often, it sits on the planner’s desk for a few weeks and sometimes goes into the event master file. Bonus Points – include a $1 lottery ticket with the note: ‘thanks a million for your business.’

Be Genuine – Those who make a genuine effort to get to know one non-business thing about me…and remember it…stand out. For example, if client owns a dog, ask about the breed and its name. Other examples could include favourite sports, hobbies, etc. This is not a sleazy sales trick; this is a building block of long-term relationships. Bonus Points: The next time you follow-up with me, ask about my dog, by name.

Be Honest – We realize you have revenue targets to meet and that our event size and/or dates may or may not be available. But please be honest with us. The salesperson who is honest and helps works through it with us is someone we will call again. The salesperson who isn’t honest, and tries to squeeze us, only creates frustration and ill will.

Phone First – Before you press ‘send’ on your next e-mail marketing blast, call first. A simple message that, ‘I’m about to e-mail you our latest promotion, call me if you have any questions’ will make me stop and read the e-mail. I appreciate the heads-up, I don’t think I’m being spammed and I remember that you called.

Facebook – What You Need to Know

First Posted December 10, 2009

At a number of various industry meetings I’ve participated in recently, the question of Facebook has come up a lot. Are you on it? How are you using it? Is it working? New privacy settings? I’ve done the work for you…here is what you need to know.

Why be on it? Facebook is widely accepted as being a more social site than LinkedIn or Twitter, and this may be why you are not on it. However, I would argue that ours is a very social industry. None of us work 9-to-5 jobs and often, we pull long hours ‘in the trenches,’ side-by-side with clients and suppliers. Facebook allows you to share more about yourself than your business card and resume. We all like to work with people we like. Facebook is one opportunity to stay connected with your clients socially.

What’s the marketing strategy? Once you are on Facebook, you absolutely need to start a group and/or a page for your organization. This allows other users (clients and prospects) to follow you and lets you publish news and information to your audience. Be careful, though. Facebook is a social site, so I am not joining your Facebook page to be sold to; I am joining because I have a relationship with you and want to stay current on your organization. The best application(s) I’ve seen for Facebook pages/groups is not a marketing strategy, but an HR strategy. Organizations have figured out how to use Facebook to attract new talent and retain top talent. The retention comes from using Facebook to increase morale and bonding amongst your team. As we come out of this recession in 2010 and move into 2011-plus, there will be a serious labour shortage in our industry and a Facebook HR strategy might just separate you from your competition.

New Privacy Settings. Last week, Facebook updated their user privacy settings. Overall, the new privacy settings are much simpler to manage and some new features are much needed. For example, you can now exercise privacy settings on each and every update you post. But beware…the default privacy settings that Facebook recommends goes something like: “transmit all your status updates and uploads to everyone on the Net, not just your friends.” Since Facebook estimates that only 15-20% of users take the time to adjust the privacy settings to suit their needs, this is most definitely going to lead to people sharing too much information, or accidentally leaking out stuff they thought was semi-private. Simply put, if you are going to be on Facebook, do not use the default privacy settings. We all know the ramifications of “inappropriate” content being shared publicly (think Tiger Woods).

Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada Update

First Posted November 20, 2009

As volunteer interim chair of the Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada, I am frequently asked, ‘How’s the Coalition Coming Along?’

Background: The Coalition is a unified voice representing Canada’s strong and vibrant business events industry; it is an umbrella organization comprised of the following business events industry associations across Canada:
Canadian Association of Exposition Management (CAEM)
Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners (CSPEP)
Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS)
Canadian Hotel Marketing & Sales Executives (CHMSE)
Convention Centres of Canada (CCofC)
International Special Events Society – Canada (ISES)
Meeting Professionals International – Canada (MPI)
Site – Canada (Site)
Other industry associations have been involved in the development of the Coalition and are on the verge of becoming a founding member of the Coalition.

Update: Since the coalition concept was born in May of this year, we have retained professional services of a management firm and PR company, filed for incorporation, developed bylaws that will govern how the Coalition will operate, launched a website, developed key messaging for the industry (on the website), had a booth at this year’s IncentiveWorks show, and met with dozens of industry and non-industry leaders to (a) educate them about the Coalition and (b) develop an effective go-forward strategy.
The Coalition will evolve from an Interim to Official status as of Jan. 1, 2010. We are in the process of formalizing the individuals who will comprise the board, executive, advisory board and management team. This will all be in place in the next couple of weeks.

Next Steps: In a few short months, we have built a very strong nucleus for the Coalition to put ideas into action in early 2010 benefiting the industry as a whole. We appreciate that the past few months have required some patience, but rest assured that it is a far better strategy to plan our work before we work our plan.