February 2007 News Flash
• President’s Message from Joan Koerber-Walker
• February 10 Monthly Meeting
• Meeting Sponsor for February
• Living Room Forum for 2007
• Upcoming NSA Programs
• WOW Us with Your Diamonds
• NSA-AZ Speech Development Lab
• Tucson Lab and Mastermind
• Business-Building Bulletin
• Tips to “Bottle and Sell” What You Know
• Word Trippers on the Platform
• About This Newsletter
NSA-Arizona President’s Message from Joan Koerber-Walker
It’s February, the month of love. Everywhere you look; there are the signs of Valentine’s madness. Hallmark™ is in its glory while jewelry, candy, and perfume counters are getting spruced up for gift-giving. Instead of commenting on the commercial side of this holiday, let’s remember that Valentine’s Day is a time to focus on those who matter most to us. Let’s find ways to celebrate them and let them know they’re important and special.
Love is so personal. Sometimes it’s a giddy feeling, a warmth so intense you can feel it, or a sense of belonging. Sometimes it’s a sense of enthusiasm, a desire to be part of something, a need to share. It can be something you love you so much, you want to tell all your friends.
This month, I been wondering this: If the sparkling enthusiasm generated by Valentine’s Day can change lives, how can we apply it to our businesses and create Customer Enthusiasm?
Customer satisfaction and loyalty aren’t enough these days! Think back to when you got your report card in school. “Satisfactory” was labeled “C.” Can you afford to be a “C” student when it comes to your customers? No way. We also talk about creating “Loyal” customers. When we meet their needs, they like us and stay with us. Much better than “Satisfactory,” like earning a “B” on a report card.
But to really make the grade in today’s business world, you need to get an “A.” That means working to get your audience and meeting planners so excited about what you do for them that they become ENTHUSIASTIC. They love you so much, they want to tell all their friends. Creating and maintaining Grade “A” Customer Enthusiasm can make the difference between success and extinction.
What does it take to have customers get so excited about your organization that they BRAG about you? I suggest adopting the following model using three little words to guide you: Promises, Process, and Praise.
Promise
The Promise your business makes is often called your Brand—that is, what people think of when they think about your business. It’s more than what you offer; it’s what people see when they sit in your audience or hear when they talk with you. It’s the experience of how you serve them and the attitude they feel when they deal with you. It’s the quality of the product or service they take with them when they leave.
Process
Keeping things running smoothly and enthusiasm levels high takes planning and continually reviewing how you deliver your service. To fan the flames of enthusiasm, it’s critical to set up a consistent Process. Examine your business processes carefully by asking these questions:
• What do your customers see in the way of marketing materials, articles, and information about your product or service that brings them to your door?
• What do your customers experience when they first contact you?
• Do you have the tools, attitudes, and systems in place to support the promises you make?
With the right processes and resources, you’re able to keep your promises, your customers’ enthusiasm increases, and that feeling spreads to NEW customers via the strongest marketing tool in your arsenal—customer referrals.
Praise
The final step is to Praise your customers for bringing you referrals and new business. Especially recognize them when they give that “something extra.” Find ways to celebrate your successes together; it simply creates MORE enthusiasm.
So deliver on promises that will make your customers love working with you and keep them excited about the great value they receive when they hire you. When you do this at an “A” level, the February Valentine you receive is another “P” word—Profit.
Joan Koerber-Walker, NSA-Arizona President 2006-2007
jkw@corepurpose.net
NSA-Arizona Monthly Meeting February 10, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon; networking 8:30 a.m.; Candidate Program 12:15 p.m.
Location: NSA Conference Center, 1500 S. Priest Dr., Tempe, AZ
Prepaid registration (by 5 p.m. Wed., Feb. 7): $30/members, $45/guests NEW RATES
At-the-door registration: $40/members, $55/guests NEW RATES
No refunds after the early registration deadline.
Stress-Free SellingTM–9 Simple Tactics to Make Objections Disappear with Jenae Rubin
Under Jenae Rubin’s guidance, you can follow 9 proven methods that allow you to make bigger sales, get repeat business, and make objections disappear. You’ll learn to:
• Discover one change you can implement to affect your sales tomorrow
• Overcome “How much are you?” as the opening question
• Create desire before you talk about price
• Find out where concerns are prior to their turning into objections
This session will greatly benefit you if—
• You don’t know why you’re getting the objections you’re getting
• You’re getting more objections than you want to
• You’re not sure how to overcome the objections you get
• You don’t know what to do to reduce the number of objections
Your goal: to sell larger contracts faster with fewer rejections. Using Jenae’s ideas, you’ll even find the pressure you feel to make sales simply disappears. (Note: Jenae gave this presentation at the National Speaker’s Association in July 2006.)
Jenae Rubin graduated magna cum laude from Baruch College in 1980 majoring in marketing, advertising, and marketing research. For 24 years, she worked in sales, sales management, training and consulting—19 of those with media companies. In 1988, Jenae joined a $3 million company that had been losing $1 million a year. In three months, she turned around its three-year revenue decline.
For the past five years, Jenae has focused on training, speaking, and consulting. The tips, techniques, and tools she shares in this session allowed her to take a product from 17th to 3rd place in six months. Let Jenae help you incorporate new ideas to take you to #1 in your market.
VOE: Steve Ochoa: The Name Game
In our business, recalling people’s names with ease is a necessity! Steve Ochoa shares a name-remembering technique that guarantees you instant success. You’ll see how adopting his mnemonic drills instantly strengthens your emotional connections with employees, customers, and vendors.
Steve has more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience in TV, including 12 years at KOLD-TV in Tucson. He serves as an account executive and hosts News 13’s Business File. A trained memory expert, Steve has been on the fitness staff at Canyon Ranch for the past 12 years. He has recently shared his expertise with cruisers on the Queen Mary 2 and today, he’s sharing it with you. After hearing his message, you’ll never forget Steve!
Dave Sherman and Stephanie Angelo head the Program Committee 2006-2007.
Candidate Program with Rich Hamilton
Starts promptly at 12:15 p.m. – all morning attendees welcome.
How to Use Internet Marketing to Sell More Products and Book More Speaking Engagements
Rich Hamilton is known as the guy who writes and speaks about Disney (www.RichHamilton.com). He’s the author of Disney Magic and Internet Business Magic, and is webmaster for our chapter as well as for the Arizona Book Publishing Association and Authors and Speakers Roundtable.
Rich reveals his favorite Internet secrets as part of his new Internet Business Magic Seminar, which includes:
• How to create a brand new website from scratch in just a few minutes. (You’ll actually watch Rich do just that. Time it!)
• How to find a domain name and get it registered
• What to put on your website and why
• How to drive people to your website
• Where and how to use a blog. (What is a blog, anyway?)
• How to use multiple websites to promote your business
• How to sell an ebook and deliver it immediately online
• When NOT to sell an ebook version of your material
• How to put audio and video on your site, ready at the touch of the mouse
• What Walt Disney knew that few Internet marketers know today. (And Walt didn’t even have Internet access!)
Rich also introduces you to a new service that uses the Internet to promote speakers and authors. Although it’s currently being marketed at $377 a year, Rich shows how to get it free.
How can Rich share all this in 75 minutes? “I’ll cram in as much as I can,” he declares. If you have specific questions for him to cover, please submit them in advance at http://richhamilton.com/got-a-question/
Beth Terry and Elizabeth Harper co-chair the Candidate Program 2006-2007.
SUPPORT OUR MEETING SPONSOR - Susan Ratliff, Exhibit Experts
Stand out from the crowd! Exhibit Experts specializes in marketing tools that can dramatically enhance your image, elevate your professionalism, and increase your product sales when you speak.
At tradeshows, image is everything. Susan Ratliff, your tradeshow resource, designs attractive displays showcasing books and CDs. If you need a creative retractable banner to put in front of your seminar room, her design will set you apart from your competition.
Contact Susan Ratliff, Exhibit Experts, 602-437-3634
http://www.exhibitexpertsaz.com
Mention NSA and receive a special discount.
To register for this meeting and save $10, follow these prepayment procedures.
Prepayment Procedures: To streamline check-in at our monthly meetings, please prepay for your meeting attendance. Members and guests save $10 when they prepay by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday before the Saturday meeting. Registration at the door (available as space allows) is $40 for members and $55 for nonmembers.
Note from Executive Director Gwen Henson: We’re happy to keep your credit card on file for meeting payments but it’s not an automatic service. Please specifically ask us to do that.
Three ways to register:
- Online: go to Register
- By email: send name, company, and number of attendees to Gwen@nsa-arizona.org
- By telephone: call (480) 968-7443
Living Room Forum 2007
February’s Living Room Forum features our own prez as hostess and facilitator. Joan Koerber-Walker leads a discussion on consulting and coaching—two very different skill sets—and knowing when a client needs one or another. You’ll also examine how to use speaking and/or writing to build your practice. It will be held February 28th at ASBA, 4130 East Van Buren, in Phoenix.
Joan will lead a discussion of these questions:
Coaching and Consulting are very different skill sets – what are some of the signs that a client needs one or another?
How can you use speaking or writing to build your coaching or consulting practice?
How effective are GROUP coaching or consulting sessions?
How can you use referrals to build your business?
NSA-Arizona’s Living Room Forum brings together 15 to 20 NSAers (professional and candidates) to share ideas about these areas of expertise: Humor, Consultant/Coaches, Seminar/Workshop, Authors/Publishers. It is an excellent time to get to know each other over a light dinner and great ideas. They’re held on the last Wednesday of the month starting at 7:30 p.m. The hostess provides the home; the facilitator provides a 10-minute lead-in on the discussion plus questions. The cost is $15 for members and $25 for guests and includes a light dinner.
Please contact Kitty at kitty@kittywiemelt.com if you’d like to volunteer for dates when hostess and/or facilitators are needed.
March for Authors/Publishers –
Jackie Dishner, Hostess (Central Phoenix), facilitator needed
April for Seminar/Worshops –
Bonnie Mattick, Hostess (Moon Valley), facilitator needed
May for Humor – Hostess and facilitator needed
Kitty Wiemelt and Kathy Marcil co-chair Living Room Forum, 2006-2007
Upcoming NSA-Arizona Programs
Mark Your Calendar
March 10 – Lenora Billings-Harris, VOE: Joyce Friel
April 14 – Marilyn Snyder, VOE: Patricia Drain and Debbie Allen
May 12 – Linda Gabbert Keith, CPA, CSP, VOE: Bob Kelly
June 9 – TBA
Upcoming NSA/IFFPS Programs
NSA Winter Workshop
February 9-11, 2007
Denver, Colorado
http://www.nsaspeaker.org/denver
Innovation Lab
May 04, 2007 - May 06, 2007
NSA Headquarters, Tempe
IFFPS Global Summit 2007 - Dubai
June 01, 2007 - June 05, 2007
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates
http://www.nsaspeaker.org/iffps/Global_Summit_07.html
2007 NSA Convention
July 09, 2007 - July 12, 2007
San Diego, California
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
NSA-Arizona Speaker Development Lab – Feb. 13, 27
“The only thing better than being a participant in the AZ NSA Speaker Lab is being a REGULAR participant in the Lab! As we grow and improve as presenters, the participants give us both ‘attaboys’ and ‘you haven’t quite solved this problem’—and we need both! Whether we’re presenting or participating, we are learning, learning, learning!” says Janet L. Jacobsen, who recently wrote to thank everyone for their “invaluable feedback” on her speech titled Surviving the Dating Jungle.
Janet knows the meaning of value. For $75 a year, lab participants have the opportunity to receive the same kind of “invaluable feedback” she received. And they get it time and time again.
Why attend the Speaker’s Lab? Because moving from a $750 speaker to a $5,000 speaker isn’t easy. For those of us who regularly attend, we aim to increase our rates and expand our clientele. How is this possible? The Lab provides a safe place to experiment with new ideas, practice material, and gain “invaluable feedback.” You can also have a demo tape or one-sheet evaluated, or even get help with speech and book titles.
Wouldn’t you like to join us? We meet from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at NSA Headquarters. Three speakers are “on stage” each time and we still have openings for presenters on both February 13 and 27.
For questions and scheduling, contact Jackie Dishner at jackiedishner@msn.com. If you’re interested in evening meetings, contact Silver Rose at Silver@SilverSpeaks.com.
Tucson Mastermind and Lab – Feb. 24
A few months ago, several NSA-Arizona members and Candidates living in Tucson met to set up a monthly lab. We would get together to practice speeches, pitch ideas, and offer feedback to our colleagues. We met once in October and plan to meet again Sunday, February 24 at 2 p.m.
If you’re interested in attending and/or being part of the Tucson Yahoo Group, contact Jessica Pettitt at pettittjess@gmail.com or call her at (917) 543-0966.
WOW Us with Your Diamonds
Want to be an online contributor to NSA’s Wow and Diamonds columns, be featured on Speaker magazine’s web page link? Here are the editorial requirements for each column:
WOW (400 words)
After reading an article you submit, does the reader say “WOW! That’s something I can really use. I really appreciate PEG educating me about this!” Think of it as creating WOW moments for readers, not reporting on one’s individual WOW moment, what I learned at a PEG session, or why someone should join PEG. Only articles that use the special expertise of PEG members to educate ALL readers about a unique niche.
Diamonds (400 words)
Highlight a gem that you’ve received at a chapter meeting. The article should cover the following:
Tip—Share a tip or advice that you’ve received, with enough detail that it will be useful to readers.
Action—Describe how you translated the tip or advice into action in your business.
Outcome—Describe the results you’ve achieved by applying what you learned, i.e., a measure of your success.
Submit articles for consideration to: sally@nsaspeaker.org
BUSINESS-BUILDING BULLETIN
This bulletin publicizes events of interest to NSA-Arizona members and announces member accomplishments. Send your information to Barbara McNichol at editor@barbaramcnichol.com
Heart Art
Suzy Allegra invites you to find fabulous gifts from the heart—including her latest Heart Art—for Valentine’s Day at Art and Soul Gallery, 1602 E. Culver, Phoenix. Call Suzy for full details at 602-331-3929.
Tune in to Eileen and Susan: Business Radio Hosts—Fridays
Susan Ratliff and Eileen Proctor are collaborating on an exciting joint venture as hosts of an energizing weekly radio talk show on 1510AM KFNN.
The Small Business POWER HOUR is the first-of-its-kind local radio show geared exclusively to small business owners and entrepreneurs striving for higher levels of success. It teed off live from the FBR Open Friday, February 2, between 9 am and 10 am and will air live every Friday in the same timeslot.
Here’s how you can tune in:
- In the Phoenix area, listen on 1510AM KFNN (and call in with questions)
- Log on to http://www.KFNN.com and click the “Listen Live” link
- We’ll also be posting podcasts on the show’s official website
http://www.smallbusinesspowerhour.com
Log on now to hear all the details. All positive vibes accepted… fan mail, too!
The Authors’ Cafe – Wednesdays in February (7th, 14th, 21st)
This new concept offered by Candidate member Joy Malumphy showcases authors at wine bars around town. February 7th Authors’ Café will be held at Tapino Kitchen & Wine Bar at 7000 E. Shea. Blvd, in Scottsdale. 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. It features:
• Judy LeBlanc, award-winning author of Many Faces to Many Places
• Virginia Nosky, author of Pima Road
For details, visit http://www.theauthorscafe.com or call Joy at (480) 330-4500
Alan Weiss in Phoenix – “How to Make Money at Any Time, in Any Economy” – Feb. 9th
Alan Weiss, Ph.D. will make a rare appearance in Phoenix. Having written more than 500 articles and 25 books (including best-seller Million Dollar Consulting), Alan has made an indelible impact on the profession of consulting. A long-time NSA member, in 2006, he was the recipient of NSA’s Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE) and named to the Speaking Hall of Fame.
Join Alan at this event jointly sponsored by IMC – Arizona and Project Management Institute (PMI) – Phoenix Chapter. He’ll speak on “How to Make Money At Any Time, In Any Economy” including these topics:
• Why most consultants fail
• Effective branding an diversifying
• Raising fees based on the only true criterion
• Reducing labor intensity
• Listening to the wrong sources
Go to http://www.imcaz.org for details and registration ($119 for non IMC members).
A Marketing Revolution: The Impact of Social Media – Mar. 1
Learn from experts what social media is and how it can help your business grow. Explore how blogging, vlogs, and other new communications technology are changing how we exchange information. This will be the hottest spot in town for people whose business is getting the word out!
March 1, 2007 – 7 am to noon – Grand Canyon University’s Ethington Theater, $75. For more information, visit
http://www.azentrepreneurship.com
Authors and Speakers Roundtable Every Wednesday at ASBA
Authors and Speakers Roundtable, sponsored by Arizona Small Business Association, meets the third Wednesday of each month. All are welcome between 11:30 am to 1 pm. Bring your own lunch if you choose; drinks are provided. Each month features an author who tells about his or her authorship journey and challenges. Great information! 4130 E. Van Buren, Phoenix 602-265-4563. http://www.asba.com.
Monthly meeting is no charge for ASBA members ($125 for annual dues); $20 for guests. This ASBA Roundtable is chaired by Bill Johnson, CSP.
Info Products: Tips to “Bottle and Sell” What You Know
Extend your reach beyond your presentation with these tips from Kendall SummerHawk.
Figuring out which information product to make first can be overwhelming. Choosing the wrong product or topic can waste your time and money. A simple—yet highly lucrative—strategy that brings in revenue for years to come is to choose one that DIRECTLY supports your platform topic. For example, my “How to Charge What You’re Worth and Get It!” product supports my platform of branding—pricing and information products.
When you keep your products directly focused on your core message, you’re on your way to creating a strong, highly rewarding and high-payoff brand!
Kendall SummerHawk delivers ways entrepreneurs can brand, package, and price their services to create more money, time, and freedom in their business. To sign up for FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com
Word Trippers from the Platform
Don’t let these Word Trippers from Barbara McNichol trip you up.
Farther, further – “Farther” refers to a geographic distance; “further” reflects reasoning and is used with intangibles like time, quantity, etc. “Thinking about this further, I know I can drive farther today than yesterday.”
Fatal, fateful – “Fatal” means capable of causing death, disaster, or destruction. “Fateful” refers to being controlled by fate, predetermined, portentous. “The vivid nightmare proved to be fateful for the driver who died in a fatal car crash a day later.”
Extort, exhort – To “extort” is to use intimidation to obtain something while to “exhort” is to urge someone to take action by strong argument or appeal. “I exhort you to tell me the truth so I won’t have to extort it from you by punishing you.”
Word Trippers are featured in The Door Opener, an ezine that helps you open doors to your dreams through the written word. Subscribe at http://www.barbaramcnichol.com or send an email to editor@barbaramcnichol.com
About This Newsletter
Email your News Flash announcements to editor Barbara McNichol at editor@barbaramcnichol.com or call 520-615-7910 by 15th of each month.
To view back issues of the newsletter, Click on Newsletters and select the edition you wish to view.
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