Networking, both in person and virtually, is a time consuming process; yet it can pay off big if done right! How do you get the most out of your networking investment? What should you be doing? What makes the most sense? Everyone goes to networking events to, well, network. But what does that really mean? How do you make the most of each event, each conversation, to leverage yourself into significantly more business and stay comfortable doing it?

Join your fellow independent consultants as Lisa Peskin from Business Development University will show us not only how to network but how to be comfortable meeting the people at each event to deliver a high Networking ROI.  The meeting is on Monday, January 9, at 7:30 am, at Intelligent Office, 1150 First Avenue, Suite 501, King of Prussia, PA 19406.

Please RSVP and let us know you are coming.

About Lisa Peskin

Lisa Peskin has more than 25 years experience in sales performance and management. Throughout her career, she has developed an award-winning reputation as a motivational and results-oriented sales professional. After a successful career as Vice President of Sales for Automatic Data Processing (ADP), running a 40 man sales force, Lisa launched her own sales training, consulting and coaching business in 2003.  Since then, Lisa has helped thousands of sales professionals and sales managers increase their sales through training, just in time support and programs designed to maximize opportunities and drive ROI.

• First Called
• First Hired
• First Referred

The starting point is to craft a powerful message to your prospect, your client, your referral partner, your association, etc.

Here are some simple steps to get you started:

1. Identify and write down (on paper, please) 3-5 words that convey how you want to be perceived by a client, prospect, the world, etc.
2. Take a look at 2-3 of your top competitors’ websites and determine how you are different from them. Write this down.
3. Name the top three challenges that cause your clients to struggle.

This is the beginning homework of crafting a powerful message. You have to know who you are, the market position that you hold, and how you are different so your potential client understands.

Once you have this information it’s time to start creating your message that is:

• Simple
• Unexpected
• Concrete
• Credible
• Emotional
• Can be conveyed in a simple sentence or through stories

You want them to connect to the pain your client experiences that are the reason they might hire you in the first place!

Some reading that will take you further into this subject is:

• The Copy Workshop, Bruce Bendinger
• The Big Moo, Seth Godin
• Differentiate or Die, Jack Trout
• Made to Stick, Chip & Dan Heath
• Creating Customer Evangelists, Ben McConnell

Dale Power of Big Shoes Marketing will be giving an intensive workshop on this subject next month.

Join your fellow independent consultants on Monday, February 14, at 7:30 am, at Intelligent Office, 1150 First Avenue, Suite 501, King of Prussia, PA 19406.

Please RSVP and let us know you are coming.

Companies spend thousands of dollars getting their corporate messaging right. Their websites and materials look good but then it sometimes falls apart when they start a conversation. Eyes glaze, boredom follows.

Independent Consultants frequently discount this important aspect of their business. When they do, they are sometimes left wondering what it was they said that turned a good potential prospect into thin air.

There are simple steps to crafting a message about you and your business that can provide the tipping point for getting work that has meaning and creates clients for life.

This interactive presentation will give concrete examples and practice exercises for developing messages that paint visual pictures that attract, deepen, and engage others in memorable conversations that lead to the best work and  referrals.

About Dale Power

Dale Power is the creative engine behind Big Shoes, a leading Philadelphia marketing consultancy:

• Entrepreneur
• Strategist
• Author
• Humorist
• Partner
• Speaker

On September 13, Joanie Badyna, president of Spirit Communications, LLC (www.spirit-communications.com) will give you a crash course in how to prepare and deliver a presentation to help you increase your business. Become a skillful and engaged story teller…Seize the opportunity of promoting yourself through dynamic presentations as well as in one-on-one situations when you have to deliver your ‘elevator speech’. In either situation, Joanie will teach you ways to be more authentic, convincing and effective so that your business will grow.

Joanie has been an educational speaker and communications trainer for nineteen years.  Prior to becoming a leading communication consultant, Joanie was a district sales director in the medical service industry.  Joanie’s style is engaging and entertaining!  Her extensive theater training is evident in her presentations. Audiences are captivated by her humor, intelligence and ability to connect.

Spirit Communications’ courses include: Presentation Skills training, Gender Communication, Communicating in Color (tailoring messages according to personality type); Team Building; and Stress management. Joanie and her team work with individuals, small groups, and large audiences.

In today’s marketplace, most people start their search for products and services on the Internet. Are they finding you or your competition?

We’re going to talk about how to successfully move your business into the online environment. If you’re already online, you’ll get some tips on driving traffic to your site and improving your search engine rankings. Whether you’re looking for direct sales or qualified leads for your consulting business, the Internet can help you achieve your objectives. The unfortunate reality is that most small businesses and independent consultants fail on the Internet. They make a fatal mistake by focusing on making money rather than on building a relationship with their visitors.

Learn how to avoid the pitfalls of building a site that doesn’t attract visitors. Find out how to get your business on the first page of Google results…even if you don’t have any programming skills. No web designer required! We’ll show you how.

Successful Web entrepreneur and instructor, Cindy McGeever has been on line since 2005, with the initial launch of www.top-sales-jobs.com. As a niche job board for sales professionals, Top Sales Jobs provides job seekers with thousands of job opportunities, along with content geared toward sharpening their resume and interview skills. Employers can search an online resume database and find tips on hiring, checking references and similar talent acquisition strategies.

Using smart tools that require virtually no programming knowledge, Cindy has developed extensive hands-on knowledge of search engine optimization and web site monetization strategies. She shares this knowledge in a classroom environment to guide participants through the often confusing maze of online business start-up choices.

Cindy teaches course at Penn State Brandywine on Building a Successful Business Using the Internet.

“Even if you are not actively using Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media tools in marketing your consulting services, I guarantee you that there is a conversation out there somewhere about your area of expertise.  Whether or not you choose to use social media yourself, you should at least be listening, so that you know what your clients, partners, and competitors are talking about.”

Download the PowerPoint presentation.

We hear about social marketing tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. We have also learned that these can take up a lot of our valuable time. What is the right course for a consultant to consider moving forward with social media? It is not a black box; it is also not about having the latest shiny object. We will look at the importance of an overall social media strategy – things to consider when formulating a social media strategy, what should you consider first before taking up a lot of your valuable time. That being said, there is a place for these social marketing tools and we need to know how to embrace them. Bring your questions – if you have a specific question please submit it ahead of time to Rick@DinkumInteractive.com.

Rick Simmons is a principal at Dinkum Interactive.  With over 30 years of experience in advertising and marketing, and over 10 years working with the Internet, Rick brings an ideal combination of talents to the technology firm.  For the past 8 years, he has incorporated his marketing expertise with his Internet knowledge through his work with Search Engine Optimization and many other Internet Marketing strategies.  As a result of dozens of speaking engagements all over the East Coast, Rick has been touted as one of the best speakers for deciphering the Internet, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Marketing for all levels of listeners.

Monday, May 10th at 724 West Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA. 7:30am to 9:00am. The cost is free. For information and directions, please visit the MACN website at www.maconsultants.com.

The Mid-Atlantic Consultants Network (MACN) is an open association of independent consultants in Philadelphia and the surrounding area. We meet regularly to learn how to grow our consulting practices, improve our skills as consultants, and strive to serve our clients more effectively.

He will be joined in his discussion by Bruce Govan, Founder and President of Govan Consulting, LLC. Bruce Govan’s experience includes management roles in Reliance Insurance Company, EDS, and Genesis Health Ventures before founding Govan Consulting, LLC in 2002. Govan Consulting, LLC offers consulting, speaking, and training in business process management and project management to a wide range of clients.

James Chan, Ph.D., founder and president of Asia Marketing and Management, has 25 years of consulting experience advising U.S. firms in exporting American-made products and services to China. He is the author of Spare Room Tycoon, a book on 70 lessons of 40 men and women, including many members of the Mid-Atlantic Consultants Network, and James Chan himself, who turned their personal passions into profitable businesses.

Monday, March 8th at 724 West Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA. 7:30am to 9:00am. The cost is free. For information and directions, please visit the MACN website at www.maconsultants.com.

The Mid-Atlantic Consultants Network (MACN) is an open association of independent consultants in Philadelphia and the surrounding area. We meet regularly to learn how to grow our consulting practices, improve our skills as consultants, and strive to serve our clients more effectively.

Richard (“Rich”) Whitfield is Producer of “Money Matters TV” whose shows, shown on Comcast cable networks in suburban regions in Greater Philadelphia, reach 900,000 viewers.

Rich will speak on the use of videos in marketing ideas, changes in the digital media, use of the Internet to improve creative thinking and plan for changes in our consulting business.

Rich received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a Masters degree in education from Duquesne University, a second Masters degree in educational media from West Chester University, and an Educational Administration Certification from Villanova University. He was with the U.S. Navy before he built a long career as media specialist and a researcher in the bond department of Vanguard Group. Rich is married with three children.

Go to Google Videos and search under “Money Matters TV” and you’ll see many of the shows that Rich Whitfield has created, including two MACN members, namely, Paul Mitchell of Mitchell Capital Corp. and James Chan of Asia Marketing and Management.

Peter Lantos

Peter Lantos, Ph.D., P.E., spent some 25 years in industry. He held research positions at Du Pont and Celanese, and senior management positions at Sun Chemical, Rhodia and Arco Chemical. The last 25 years he has headed a small consultancy whose clients have included Fortune 500 as well as smaller and off-shore corporations, such as Amoco, Shell Chemical, Ticona, PPG and others.

Key takeaways:

Quote a project price, derived by calculating the amount of time needed, plus 10%.  Helps manage client expectations on overall cost.

Exception:  when working as an expert witness or when unable to determine time needed.

Provide a reduced rate for smaller clients, who are more price sensitive.

Mary Payne

Mary Payne has over 25 years experience preparing proposals and estimates for consulting projects for a broad range of health care providers locally and nationally. She brings pricing experience from the perspective of a large international consulting firm (KPMG), a regionally-based consulting firm, and as owner of her own consulting firm for the last eight years, specializing in business and strategic planning for health care providers.

Key takeaways:

Addresses pricing for a competitive bid.

Pricing starts with your annual plan. What revenue and return do you expect? What are your costs?

Margin and profitability is more important than your billing rate. You do that by managing your costs all the way the project.

Clients use price to simplify their decision. A strong value proposition can support a higher price.

Gary Samartino

Gary Samartino is President of InfoVentions, Inc., which develops technical communication and training materials for a wide variety of industries. He has been responsible for estimating, setting, and tracking project costs and pricing for 25 years.

Key takeaways:

All my bids are project bids. We track the hours for all our projects so I can use the findings for our next bid.

My key metric is hours/page, and I can then determine my cost/page and give clients an overall project bid that meets by profit margin.

Rick Schilling

Rick Schilling established his staffing firm in 1992 after a 19-year career in commercial banking and 4 years in the construction equipment leasing industry. Clients use his cadre of experienced professionals to complete specialized projects and to fill interim and full time staff vacancies in middle management and senior positions.

Key takeaways:

Pick the number you want to make, and then think about whether you have the value to your client to make that rate.

You have 2000 hours in a year. Half of that should be spent on marketing yourself. That gives you 1000 hours in a year. To make $200,000 a year, you need to bill at a rate of $200 an hour.

Dave Vahlsing

Dave Vahlsing, founder of Hydrocarbon Engineering Associates and currently manager of the Becht Engineering Company Philadelphia office, also supports the needs and interests of consultants as an active member of the Chemical Consultants Network (CCN). He continues to search for and match Becht staff engineering consultants with energy and chemical industry client needs, both locally and world wide.

Dave shares his decades of experience and wisdom on pricing success for engineers, chemists, and technical consultants.

Key takeaways:

If you have a customer who pays you promptly, treat them right.

Work to get an up-front deposit or a retainer.

We charge full rate for travel, as it takes you away from your work.

We charge for developing a scope of work.